By Callum Ludwig
A Yarra Ranges resident involved with the Les Twentyman Foundation has made a passionate plea to Yarra Ranges Council to help improve opportunities for local youth.
Lilydale resident Ray Cooper made a submission at the Tuesday 10 December council meeting to talk about his recycling laptops for schools initiative.
Mr Cooper said he has had a connection to the Les Twentyman Foundation for eight years, first with their Christmas toy appeals and later providing laptops for youngsters.
“We’re trying to get laptops now for the local schools, but the children can’t afford a laptop, there are lots of families here with parents who can’t work too much because it’s hard getting jobs in the country and they often get their food from food banks, but they have got children and they all need help,” he said.
“My first choice was the Upper Yarra Secondary School (sic College) where there are many students without a laptop, every student needs a laptop if they’re going to succeed and they should not feel second best in the classroom because they don’t have a laptop and they have to share it.”
Mr Cooper called on Yarra Ranges Council to donate their service laptops to local schools when they are replaced.
Mr Cooper said he is also inviting Yarra Ranges Council to become leaders by donating their service laptops when they replace them to local schools and show there are large businesses that can make a difference.
“This may be what is needed to get the attention of all companies to assign one person in their company to look where their old laptops are actually going because giving to a charity might seem good, they say to me ‘Oh we’re already giving to a charity’ but I get an email every few weeks offering me, as I’m involved in a charity with Wandin Seniors, they offer me laptops at $500 each for Windows and up to $1000 for Apple and these are the laptops that have come from donations from companies,” he said.
“For Upper Yarra Secondary College’s 700 students, the only requirement is to have a laptop with access to the web, all they want is a laptop with one icon, that’s all they need, they don’t want (Microsoft) Office or anything like that, no expense, they just want an icon so everyone can share the same data,”
“You make it simple and it’s simple to implement and run, they share laptops in schools but some go home without laptops, you can share it in school but the boy who’s got the laptop and he’s sharing, he takes home his laptop and the other boy gets nothing.”
Mr Cooper has had donations of 50 Apple laptops from Live Nation and 22 laptops from the Civil Infrastructure Group (CIG) group already and he will be supplying a further 16 laptops to Upper Yarra Secondary College by the end of January next year.
Streeton Ward Councillor Jeff Marriot said he used to have a professional relationship with Les Twentyman and said what Mr Cooper is doing now is very honourable.
“I was privy to Les’s idea of supplying school books, textbooks to students that had no resources whatsoever and that was going back in 2003 to 2004 so I’m 100 per cent supportive of what you’re doing there,” he said.
Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Jim Child asked Yarra Ranges Council chief executive Tammi Rose to note the presentation and give some indication to Mr Cooper on ‘Council’s procurement and disposal of these types of items’ and what may benefit him, which Ms Rose confirmed they would.
Billanook Ward Councillor Tim Heenan said to Mr Cooper that there will be conversations about his submission, he has no doubt.
“I don’t like to see anything destroyed and I used to be in the business of making printed circuit boards many years ago, and I know that there’s a lot of valuable material in there, we do not ever want to see it in landfill if it can be it can be used in such a more special way in going back into the system, particularly for children,” he said.
“I know only too well there are families out there that cannot afford laptops, let alone school books that require or even all of the dress for their children so it’s a fantastic thing that you’re doing, I admire you and I wish you all the success in the future.”
