Batemans Bay's OOSH after school and vacation care has opened their new centre more than two years after it was destroyed by fire.
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The old centre was burnt down the evening of December 25, 2019. OOSH has been operating out of a school hall for two years, with cooking classes running out of the facilities in the school canteen.
Opening the new centre is "a dream we never thought would come true," said Eurobodalla Shire Council Community Development Division Manager Kim Bush.
"Our old centre was an old centre," Ms Bush said.
The new $1.1 million facility has more storage, a laundry, more toilets - including separate staff, children and disabled toilets, a shower, a covered deck area, an office and a room for quiet conversations.
Ms Bush was delighted with the opportunities to teach cooking in the new kitchen - big enough to fit an island bench.
"We never had any of that," Ms Bush said. "We are just so happy. We've got a much bigger and better modern amenity."
"This environment is so, so much better than being in a hall," said parent Nuria Wotherspoon. She has just signed her six year old son Lucas up for a second year of OOSH.
"The kids will love this," Ms Wotherspoon said. "There's so many things to look at and they are all so stimulating."
OOSH is the only not-for-profit after-school care in the Eurobodalla, operating three centres in Moruya, Narooma and Batemans Bay.
They provide a fundamental service to the community through affordable childcare.
The service is partially funded by council, by external funding and through small fees for parents which falls under the child care subsidy.
"We're here to help parents that need to go to work, go to work," Ms Bush said. "We're a bit of an economic development imperative."
Mayor Mat Hatcher officially opened the facility.
"It was terrible to see what happened," he said; "but it's great [council] can work closely with the school and end up with a facility like this - so much more fit for purpose for what we want to have going into the future."
Ms Bush said the two years of rebuilding had been chaotic and difficult. Members of the Children's Services team lost a home and a family business during the fires, and still contributed to rebuilding the new centre.