Related: Radius enters administration
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cleaning is a chore for most people – but not Rory Trewhella.
Better known as ‘Rock Dog,’ Mr Trewhella is a fixture at Canterbury Park, the home of his beloved Eaglehawk Football Club.
By night, he can be found in The Black Swan or The National, depending on which pub has the better band playing. By day, the ‘Rock Dog’ cleans the Telstra building.
It’s not his only job – over the last few years he’s handled electronic waste, packaged pamphlets and shrink-wrapped goods. But Mr Trewhella loves his cleaning gig.
“It’s just more varied than all the other stuff, there’s always something different to do,” he explained.
And he’s good at it, recently Mr Trewhella was named employee of the year for his efforts.
But trawling through his Facebook feed earlier this week, the 34-year-old Borough man was shocked to discover he may well be out of a job.
That’s because Mr Trewhella was a supported employee of Radius Disability Services, which announced on Monday evening that it would enter into voluntary administration.
“It was very difficult, finding out like that,” he said.
“Forty people lost their jobs on Monday night...I know those people, so it’s really sad.”
Mr Trewhella is articulate and sociable – a common trait among people with the genetic condition known as Williams syndrome.
But he’s worried about what the closure of Radius will mean for him, and he’s even more concerned about the future of his friends and colleagues at the disability service, which has been a Bendigo institution for the last six decades.
“Finding a job is hard for people with a disability,” Mr Trewhella said.
“And people with disabilities need jobs that are secure and, not only that, it helps them get out more often to do stuff, rather than sitting at home doing nothing.”
The ‘Rock Dog,’ however, is not giving up just yet.
He’s sent a heartfelt message to Premier Daniel Andrews, calling on him to intervene and save an institution which, until this Monday, had more than 130 supported employees, more than 100 day service clients and 78 general employees.
“Help us out, help save Radius,” Mr Trewhella said. “We need $500,000,” he said, referring to the estimated operational shortfall for the next year.
I would like to talk to you about the resources needed to see if there could be funding to give clients a second chance.,"
- Rory Trewhella's message to Premier Daniel Andrews
And it’s not just politicians to whom Mr Trewhella is appealing.
The ‘Rock Dog’ is also calling on the community to get behind Radius in its hour of need.