News

Plenary presents $250,000 to Commando Welfare Trust

Plenary donates $250,000 to Commando Welfare Trust

Published 17 March 2014

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES – Plenary Group has marked the completion of its Phase 2 Single LEAP on-base Defence accommodation project with a $250,000 donation to the Commando Welfare Trust.

Plenary Directors Ray Wilson and Paul Oppenheim, and Principal John O’Rourke presented the donation cheque at a celebratory dinner held in Sydney last week to mark the completion of the project’s construction phase.

Mr Wilson said the Commando Welfare Trust provided much-needed financial support to Special Operations Command personnel who have experienced serious injury and to families of personnel lost in combat.

Phase 2 Single LEAP builders, Pindan, Richard Crookes Construction, Sitzler and Watpac, also teamed up to donate a further $105,000 taking the total donation to the Trust at the dinner to $355,000.

Accepting the donation cheques on behalf of the Trust was its Chairman Graham Ferguson. Mr Ferguson said Plenary’s donation would provide a much needed financial boost to families experiencing significant hardship.

“On behalf of the Trust, its board members and beneficiaries, I am absolutely humbled to accept this significant donation from Plenary and its Single LEAP builders,” Mr Ferguson said.

“This injection of funds will go a long way in supporting the dependants of a servicing member who has been killed or seriously injured whilst on duty,” he said. “Specifically, it will provide vital support for the ongoing educational needs of dependent children.”

Plenary Living’s Single LEAP Phase 1 and 2 public-private partnership projects with the Australian Department of Defence provide modern, quality on-base accommodation units and supporting facilities for Defence personnel across 17 military bases.

Plenary Living, through Plenary Asset Management and Compass Group, is now responsible for the ongoing management of more than 4,400 Single LEAP units extending for the next 30 years.

“What we’re hearing from our partners at Defence is that Plenary Living’s Single LEAP accommodation has had a positive impact on the lives of residents,” Mr Wilson said. “In some cases it has brought back a level of community spirit and camaraderie that previously did not exist.”

“We are committed, over the next 30 years, to delivering at our LEAP sites, the highest level of maintenance and support to ensure residents enjoy a positive living experience in the years to come.”

About the Commando Welfare Trust

The Commando Welfare Trust was established in 2010. It is chaired by Graham Ferguson, who is also Plenary Living’s General Manager.

Whilst the Departments of Defence and Veteran Affairs have established processes to cover initial financial responses to the death or serious injury of Special Operations Command personnel, these tragic events invariably cause hardship for many years to come.