Lights4Lake Finale

A long-awaited scheme to light up Lake Albert has finally come to fruition.

The story that appeared in the Daily Advertiser written by Nicolas Jungfer on Monday 10/4/2017 encapsulates the project very well and is repeated here.

Lights4Lake, a project which boldly aspired to install 104 solar-powered lights around the path of Lake Albert, made its official launch during a large-scale community event at Apex Park on Friday.
Hundreds of locals gathered by the lake to celebrate the remarkable achievement, taking in a spectacular fireworks display in the process. Committee 4 Wagga (C4W) chairwoman Judy Galloway said the launch was the perfect celebration to cap off a remarkable community project. “It was a great night celebrating a community partnership with government to achieve something which gives back to local residents,” she said.

“Everyone is just delighted with this, it really struck a chord with the community.“To finally see it come to fruition after the initial idea four years ago was very satisfying.” Mrs Galloway said Wagga residents had rallied around the project which once appeared to be a long-shot, if only for a fleeting moment.

“When we worked out that we needed to raise $250,000 from the community, we thought ‘how will we ever raise that money?’,” she said. But the committee need not have worried, with all but 29 lights attracting a sponsor within just 10 days of the campaign’s launch. Each of the 104 lights are now sponsored by residents and businesses. “We were absolutely overwhelmed with support, we even had a waiting list for people wanting to get involved,” Mrs Galloway said. “It’s the wonderful spirit that makes Wagga such a great place to live, the generosity here is just wonderful.” Lights4Lake was initiated by Elodie Vanoudendycke as part of Committee4Wagga’s (C4W) emerging leaders program.

It was a stunning result for the program – which encouraged young community members to put forward their ideas – and a shining example of what Wagga’s young residents could achieve. Ms Vanoudendycke’s inspiration for the project stemmed from her view that Wagga lacked safe outdoor spaces to exercise. She only lived in Wagga for three years before landing her dream job as a hostess for Emirates in 2013. But Ms Vanoudendycke remained determined to ensure the project’s success until the very end.

The Lights4Lake project has now been handed over to the Wagga Wagga City Council as an asset of the City of Wagga Wagga. The Council will now manage the light time adjustments, tree pruning and any maintenance required for any ongoing issues.

In the event you have any queries regarding the project please refer these to the Council helpline on 1300 292 442 Or email council@wagga.nsw.gov.au.

Story courtesy of: Nicolas Jungfer, The Daily Advertiser