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Pulling Together for a Breast Cancer Warrior

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It is one of the most frightening experiences, learning that you or someone you care about has breast cancer. There are times when you just wish the world would stop spinning, but then it doesn’t. It is a frustrating feeling, but it also forces you to think of what you can do to help. That is why when we learned that a mother of five and a good friend from Melbourne had breast cancer we immediately knew we had to do whatever we could to help. She expressed her wish to have a backyard where her children could play in without her having to supervise their every move. So, we decided to fulfil that wish so she could better focus on fighting her battle.

Thanks to the generosity of our directors Fraser Gehrig and Tanya Hall; Residential Sales Manager Luke Manning; and Commercial Operations Manager Travis Knight; we were able to pull this project together. Almost everyone on the team pitched in and gave their evenings after work to help build a new yard for the family, and we could not be prouder of every one of them. We wish to thank everyone who gave their own time for this project, from Emily Kolacz and Caitlin Longworth who provided the remarkable design, to Garth Andrews, Ryan Wilson, John Raymond and Daniel Johnstone who worked tirelessly to complete it.

This breast cancer warrior still has a long battle ahead, but we hope that in our little way, we were able to help make that fight just a little bit easier. We dearly hope she overcomes her battle and that she knows everyone in Tuff Group is rooting for her and cheering her on.

Battling The Elements: Trinity College Project

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Torrential downpours, unstable and muddy subgrade, and the bitter cold, these are just some of the factors that can turn an otherwise straightforward build into a tricky challenge. These are what we had to face when we worked on building a multi-sport oval for Trinity College.

We completed the project through the winter from March to September of 2017. A time when the area was hit with heavy rain and cold weather, not the ideal situation when you have heavy machinery on-site with poor subgrade conditions. These caused some slight delays to the project. Not only did we have to weather the downpour, but we also had to think of a solution to stabilise the subgrade.

Thankfully, however, our team is comprised of some of the most dedicated and tenacious individuals. People who would sooner brave the storm than go home without accomplishing their tasks. Our industry veterans, Travis Knight and Gavin Longworth took on project management, construction was handled by Ryan Wilson and the installation by John Raymond. Working together with the school’s staff, Morton Dunn Architects and all the other passionate individuals involved, our team was able to pull through and deliver an amazing new facility for the college.

We used our FIFA-quality Vmax 50 for the playing field, a unique blend of fibrillated and monofilament yarns formulated with durability in mind. Then for the running track, we opted for a CONICA Conipur SP to ensure great traction and strength.

After all the challenges, the resulting facility was worth all the effort. Trinity College Principal, Tim O’Farrell even commented that the new field looks “amazing in real life and in the photos.” Timothy Perks, Project Superintendent for Morton Dunn Architects stated that they were very proud of their involvement with the project. “We are sure that the college and the community will continue to enjoy the excellent facilities for many years to come.”

The new facility has opened up new possibilities for the college as their new oval not only helps draw in more new students, they now also have a facility that they can use come rain or shine.

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Thinking Outside the Box: The Parkdale Primary School Project

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Problem-solving is an important foundation for success. It is one we have built up over the years through hard work, experience and thinking outside the box. To put it simply, Tuff Group never backs down from a challenge and will always strive to overcome whatever obstacle comes our way. These are the traits we were able to fully display when we were tasked with building a multi-sport facility for Parkdale Primary School. The project only took three months from October to December 2014, but it pushed us to think on our feet so we can do what we do best: deliver high-quality work.

Our team was met with several unusual factors fresh out of the gate. Asbestos was evident in part of the demolition which required careful handling. This caused some delays as we had to ensure it was removed safely and efficiently. Then we were faced with an even tougher obstacle as the grade of the land meant there were extreme flooding and ponding on the existing area. It was a massive problem that required an innovative solution. Thankfully, we had a team of highly skilled professionals to deal with just such issues.

The project was handled by Commercial Operations Manager Travis Knight who then handed it over to the very versatile Luke Manning who took care of construction and did it exceptionally well. It is no wonder Luke is now one of our Sales Managers as he understands all the elements of the project, from the client’s perspective to the contractor’s. The Tuff Group team then started working on a novel solution – we designed our very own vertical drainage system. It worked so well, there has never been any ponding in the area since. Even the school officials commented on the design and could not believe how efficiently it drained.

After addressing all the issues, we were able to deliver an elite facility for Parkdale Primary School utilising our MultiCourt Signature for the running track and TuffPlay 40 for the playing field. The facility has also stood the test of time thanks to Garth Andrews and the Tuff Maintenance crew who have expertly maintained the field on a quarterly basis. In fact, if you see the field today, you would never be able to guess how old it was.

Despite all the difficulties, we were able to pull through thanks in no small part to the great partnership we had with our clients; from the dedicated principal, Leanne; the enthusiastic facility manager, Mark; and the passionate people of the Victorian Education Department. We worked so well with everyone we have since completed several other projects for them. To this day, Parkdale Primary, with its safe and practical recreation facilities, has remained on the top of the list of schools in the local community.

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Going All In for ACT and Nicholls School

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Our team is no stranger to large, challenging projects. As a matter of fact, we thrive on them. That is why when we signed on to work with ABA Construction Management for a reconstruction project for Nicholls School, we all put our game faces on. This project was a very special one as it involved several key stakeholders, including the ACT Government. It consisted of a massive reconstruction of two FIFA-certified fields which incorporated a running track around the perimeter of one of the fields. A tremendous feat to say the least. Especially considering we had to do it all under the intense heat of the warm Canberra Summer. Thankfully, our team dug in their heels and overcame every challenge to deliver a high-quality facility that continues to shine in Australia’s Capital.

The project began in late November 2018 and was completed in March 2019. ABA Construction Management took over project management on behalf of the ACT Government, while Tuff Group was involved in the uplift, disposal and re-purpose of the existing surfaces, the rectification work required on a free draining aggregate base and the supply and installation of the two fields. For this project, we installed our VMAX50 system with a shock pad and sand/SBR infills. This resulted in a highly durable and visually striking surface that both looks and plays exactly like an elite playing field.

All in all, the project ran smoothly, but it was not free of difficulties. We had a tight timeline and access to the site was a big challenge. Especially when one considers the number of materials that had to be taken out of the old field, and the new materials that had to go in for its reconstruction. This slowed things down considerably. However, thanks to the help of ABA Construction Management who built a site-specific track which involved 300 metres of temporary fencing through a community cricket field, we were able to overcome any major issues.

At one point, we even had most of our senior team on-site at one time to ensure the project is delivered as promised. This included Travis Knight our Commercial Operations Manager, Gavin Longworth National Construction Manager, Matthew Wood and John Raymond our leaders of installation and the ever-reliable Garth Andrews our Maintenance Manager. The team went all in to ensure this project met the Tuff Group standard and it shows in the end result.

The ACT Government and ABA Construction Management were both ecstatic with the new facility. Not to mention, Nicholls school who gets to use it on a regular basis during school days. It was also a big win for the local community who have access to the facility to host events, soccer games and the various runners who get to use the track. In the end, it was a project that our team will always be proud of.

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Achieving Excellence Together: Building Birralee Primary School’s Multi-Sport Facility

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When education professionals whose main objective is to achieve excellence together collaborate with an organisation that pursues greatness always, you can expect amazing things to happen. That is exactly what occurred when the Tuff Group team was given the chance to design and install a multi-sport field for Birralee Primary School.

Working hand in hand with the wonderful staff of the school, Sales Manager Malcolm Coutts and Project Manager Brennan Meyer were able to deliver an amazing multi-sport field for the promising young students of Birralee Primary. From selecting the project area to choosing the design and colours to use, everything on the site was the result of excellent teamwork.

However, teamwork alone was not the only requirement for achieving greatness with this project. Equally important, was the level of quality of the products we used. That is why we chose to utilise our Tuff Play 40 product for the playing field, our FastPRO HF 18 for the running track and the TuffPRO Cricket for the cricket pitch. The project took eight weeks to complete and was accomplished with only minimal issues.

The result was a facility that we can truly be proud of. “To see what the site was like when I first went out to what it looks like now has been amazing thanks to all who were involved,” Malcolm said. According to him, the site was originally a dust bowl during summer and a mud bowl in winter. Now, however, the school finally has a field they can use 365 days of the year, rain, hail, or shine.

Assistant Principal, Tanya Burton was also very satisfied with their new facility, saying “It looks Amazing! Thanks to you and your team we are very happy. Malcolm and Brennan have been great at managing the site and we really appreciated their professionalism and work.”

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Weathering the Storm: Building Morwell’s First AFL-Certified Synthetic Field

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Embarking on a full design and construction of an elite sports field is already a challenging task but imagine building it during times of inclement weather. That is what we had to face when we were awarded the project to build an AFL/FIFA certified synthetic field for the Morwell Recreation Reserve, a first for the region. Thankfully, Tuff Group consists of ‘tuff’ people and it would take more than rain or any other inclement weather conditions to keep us from delivering a high-quality field for the Latrobe City Council and the local community.

Heavy downpours during the project period drenched the subgrade and wreaked havoc on the site. It came to a point wherein we had to push back our timeline and let the site dry out on its own accord if we wanted to deliver the level of quality we are known for. Good thing for us, we tasked Project Manager Brennan Meyer and site manager Anthony Rodriguez, to take on this project. Two people who live near the area and were familiar with the terrain and weather conditions. With their help, we were able to get the project back on track.

We were also extremely fortunate to have found such great clients in Latrobe City Council who shared our perspective and appreciated our efforts to deliver an elite quality facility despite the massive challenges we had to face.

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Once the rain stopped and the site cleared, we immediately got back to work and chose to install an elite all-weather surface using our extremely durable Superb 60 product made from a high-quality C8 polymer. It was a great boon for the local community as they now had a high-class sporting facility to host events in that was available all year round. The new facility also offered over 60 hours of usage per week, helping take the strain away from Morwell Recreation Reserve’s natural AFL field.

Overall, the project was extremely well received by both the Latrobe City Council and the local Morwell community. Their passion and support for this project really helped us deliver a facility that all can truly be proud of. It was also quite fulfilling to witness the field put to good use when the overall venue hosted an AFL practise match between St Kilda & Hawthorn right after the new synthetic fields official opening.

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