Library assistant Marlen Hendricks with some eager readers in the back.
The Fairhills Library and Computer Center will be moved from the Fairhills Community Center to Fairhills Lorraine Primary School on Lorraine farm, one of the farms in the project. The building of the new space started on 12 January 2010.
This project is sponsored by Virgin Wines in the United Kingdom. Contributions made by Virgin Wines from the sale of Fairtrade wines made this long-standing dream of a library and computer center a reality. The computer center will be available to the community of Fairhills as well as the rest of Rawsonville. Children from the farming communities will be able to do their homework and their school projects in peace as many don’t have the kind of home environment which allows them to concentrate on their work.
The main reason for moving the center from the community hall is to have it within reach of more farms in the project. At the moment the center lies far out from where most of the farms are. Only one farm, Onderplaas, is close to the center. The team from Maans Builders are working on the project. “I am very proud to work with the people of Fairhills,” said company owner, Maans Pietersen. Maans builders, a local building company, was also responsible for building a kitchen for Fairhills Lorraine Primary school and a chemical store on High Bury one of the Fairhills farms. Spreading the benefit to the local community is something the governing body of the Fairhills project feels very strongly about. “I feel as if I am part of the Fairhills community,” Pietersen said.
At the existing library, excitement is also rising about the new library. “I can’t wait for it to open,” said Fairhills library assistant Marlen Hendricks. “I am looking forward to have my own space to work. I would like to plan some competitions for the kids,” he said. At the moment the library is in one corner of the community hall. A bigger space would mean more room for fun activities.
Once everything is settled it will be business as usual. For example the computer classes currently running will continue on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Written by Gavin Fourie
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