Gerard McInerny is one of the three original Management Committee members for the Kiama Community Preschool still living in Kiama.
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He recalls the brief they were given to develop the preschool, when asked for help by a committee of mothers, chaired by Pam Virtue.
"The Kiama Jaycees brief was to establish a pre-school to provide 'intellectual, physical, social and emotional development for the pre-schooler' and was definitely not intended as a child minding centre," he said.
"Following an approach to Kiama Jaycees by Mrs Virtue, Jaycee John Hinton, the club's Community Development Officer, offered to produce a report for the next Jaycees meeting where he recommended Kiama Council conduct a public meeting to gauge public support.
"A community meeting was held in the Council Chambers on Thursday, October 17, 1968, with the Mayor, Jim Pearce, presiding. The decision was made to establish a pre-school and elect a Management Committee.
"Sixty-five members of the public attended the meeting. Five Jaycees and four community members were elected to the Management Committee with Jaycee Alan Pittman as Chair.
"A fete was held on September 13, 1969, to coincide with the opening of the Pre-School at the Anglican Church Hall, which had had considerable work done by Jaycees and volunteers in the laying of concrete on the surrounds to bring it up to NSW Child Welfare Department requirements.
"When officially opened in the middle of March 1970 an Inspector for the Department of Child Welfare remarked that the premises 'may be used as a show piece'.
"The building of the new pre-school in Shoalhaven Street required considerable volunteer work. Committee member Peter Cook volunteered his services to personally lay the parquetry floor, still in great shape today.
"Jaycee Owen Patton volunteered to make all the internal cupboards. The Lands Department closed the eastern end of Bland Street to allow its use as a car park for the pre-school, whilst the actual pre-school was built on adjacent land.
"Mrs Margaret Raison, Mr Peter Cook and I were pleased to be invited to the 50th Anniversary celebrations and seeing it continue in the role originally envisaged and the hard work of so many in the community justified."
