The Penguin Makeover Community has been enhancing the beautiful seaside community for the last 12 years. Its volunteers are always out working to enhance the liveability and sustainability of the community. It is behind a lot of projects that have made lasting improvements for residents and visitors. Volunteers regularly get their hands dirty doing painting, weeding, gardening, watering and picking up litter.
It’s this effort that has seen the Penguin Makeover Community named as the Central Coast Community Group of the Year 2025. This is after being the Tasmanian Tidy Town winner in 2020.
“Our work is not just about beautification, it is really about people caring about their community and each other, and making our town enjoyable and inviting,” said President Jim Cavaye.
What this small group of locals have done is impressive. The Makeover engaged the community and proposed a proactive solution for the future of the iconic Penguin waste bins which was supported by over 1600 people. Central Coast Council added 12 new penguin themed bins to the downtown manufactured by a local firm with recycling.
A Council grant allowed the Makeover to do valuable gardening and maintenance around Watcombe beach. The painted tables and benches, the beach toy crate, blackboard chalk, the “Tardis” community book-drop, the community garden, the planter boxes and the clean streets – all of this is maintained by Makeover volunteers. It makes our community even better than what Council does.
The Makeover encourages people to get involved by “Giving an Hour for Penguin”. Our next “Hour” is on Saturday March 15 at 9am and we gather outside the Newsagency.
Makeover volunteers also bring the community together by hosting a community high tea and a dinner to celebrate Penguin’s 150th anniversary. As Penguin celebrates its 150th year, the Makeover Community continues to foster a welcoming and enjoyable place to live. Please reach out to us on our Facebook page.
