Laptop Donation Bolsters Community Groups

Several community groups based in the Gippsland and Hastings regions of Victoria have benefitted from a generous donation of laptops from Esso Australia. The company decided to donate the laptops in lieu of recycling or disposing of them following changes to staff levels at its nearby operations in 2020.

More than 20 laptops were sent out to eight community groups — six in Gippsland and two in Hastings — to be put to use for a variety of purposes. Ten of the laptops went to Gippsland Employment Skills Training (GEST) for deployment as part of its digital literacy program, which helps to provide its students ways to learn helpful computer skills that can set them up for future employment.

“Gippsland Employment Skills Training told us that many of their students do not have regular access to computers,” said Longford Gas Plants manager Kartik Garg, “and these laptops will help them to learn valuable skills including typing, printing, scanning and file management as well as get some experience using common programs, all things that are essential in many jobs these days.”

Other laptops went to organisations such as the Gippsland Auto Museum; children’s charity A Better Life for Foster Kids; non-profit Western Port Community Support; the Sale Country Fire Authority (CFA); and the Western Port Men’s Shed, which promotes activities related to fostering community and the improvement of men’s health.

Esso Australia operates the Longford and Long Island Point gas plants at sites near Gippsland and Hastings, respectively, supplying fuel for distribution across Australia and overseas.