New tenants flip for coffin site

TWO community groups have a found a place to call home following the closure of Mowbray College.

Melton Gymnastics Academy president Tony Grubb said he was relieved to move into a former coffin factory site in Collins Road, Melton.

The academy will share the site with community radio station 97.9FM, which was also forced out by Mowbray’s collapse.

“We’re looking forward to the new venue; there’s a lot of opportunity here,” Mr Grubb said.

After making inquiries about the site, Mr Grubb approached radio station president Wade ‘Jman’ Lester because he knew he was also looking for new headquarters.

The station began broadcasting from the site last week.

“We didn’t have a disruption when we moved, but we suspect we may have lost some people as it happened all too quickly,” Mr Grubb said.

The gymnastics academy has more than 100 students and is hoping to reach 500 in the near future.

Mr Lester said the station didn’t organise a farewell party because its volunteers were looking forward to its next chapter.

“Instead we celebrated with a new station party when we broadcast for the first time,” he said. “The station is not lying down after this change; we are looking onwards and upwards from here.

“It just shows how community groups are helping each other out.”