Townsville Toy Library has new home at Vincent Community Hall

One of Australia’s oldest toy libraries has been given a new lease on life, but needs help moving more than 2,000 toys.

Lachlan, 1, and William Prenter, 3, and Peyton Wehrman, 3, at the Townsville Toy Library. Picture: Evan Morgan.

A Townsville toy borrowing service that has saved families thousands and spread joy to kids has been given a new lease on life.

Townsville’s Toy Library is one of Australia’s oldest toy libraries and will move more than 2,500 toys to their new home at the Vincent Community Hall in August.

Treasurer, and mother of two, Stacey Prenter, and the team of 45 volunteers have been searching for a new venue after losing their building and most of their toys in a flood in 2019.

Local businesses and Townsville City Council have rallied behind the toy library, including Townsville Grammar School which offered them a temporary home for 18 months and Geon Property which gave them their current two-year lease at Fairfield Home Maker Centre.

Lachlan, 1, and William Prenter, 3, and Peyton Wehrman, 3, at the Townsville Toy Library. Picture: Evan Morgan.

Thanks to toy donations that kept rolling in from the community, the sustainable sharing model has saved many families during a difficult increase in the cost of living.

Mrs Prenter uses the toy service for her two boys, aged one and three, and claims she has saved more than $15,000 on toys, especially through the developmental leap when some toys were only used for a few months.

Mrs Prenter, treasurer of Townsville Toy Library, also uses the toy service for her two boys and claims she has saved more than $15,000 on toys.

The Townsville Toy Library prides itself on being a sustainable organisation.

Even though many toy shelves are still stocked with plastic, the toy library rehomes discarded playthings to another 20 to 50 families before the toy is retired and turned into something bigger through TerraCycle.

The Townsville Toy Library services a range of members from new parents to grandparents, teachers and daycare centres, offering memberships from a casual $20 a month to $100 for an entire year, allowing families to borrow up to eight toys a month.

But cost isn’t the only consideration for Mrs Prenter who says she loves the sustainability aspect of the toy library while also getting a variety of toys that match the development stage of her children.

“As a mum, I want my children to thrive and grow up learning the shared ability to borrow toys,” Mrs Prenter said.

“And I love the community. I’ve made some really good friends through the toy library. It’s an all-round great thing for me and my boys.”

Mrs Prenter sees the library as a great asset for new families to the region, including defence members who come to Townsville without knowing anyone and “bravely put their hand up to volunteer and meet and make amazing friendships.”

“It’s such a welcoming service for families new to the area or recently returning too,” said Rebecca Ashmore, a member and volunteer of the Townsville Toy Library.

The new location at Vincent Community Hall on 67 Hodges Crescent will be transformed into the new Townsville Toy Library, opening in early August and the team need packing boxes and volunteers to help them move more than 2,000 toys.

People can offer their help and stay up to date via the Townsville Toy Library Facebook page.

Originally published as Townsville Toy Library has new home at Vincent Community Hall