December 11 2009

Laing O'Rourke's project teams across Brisbane, south-west Queensland, Cairns and Darwin downed their tools recently and worked on community projects around Brisbane, across Queensland and in Darwin.

More than 200 staff took their volunteer leave day, an initiative recently introduced at Laing O'Rourke, and worked on a range of projects including sprucing up accommodation centres for the Leukaemia Foundation, planting out gardens and chicken runs for a community child care centre in Gatton and refurbishing Salvation Army buildings in Cairns.

Laing O'Rourke's Building Group General Manager Lawrie Foster said the company's volunteer leave day was one way the company engaged with the local community.

"When working on technically complex, challenging projects, there is a tendency to lose perspective with regards to what is happening beyond the boundaries of the construction site," Lawrie said.

"Our volunteer leave day is a great way to keep our team, from senior engineers through to our labourers, in touch with the local community where we work.

"It is also a great feeling to be able to give something back to the local community, particularly to organisations as diverse and deserving like Meals on Wheels, the Ipswich Independent Youth Service, the Toowoomba Hospice, community gardens at South Bank and Teen Challenge."