Rotarians young and old chip in to restore popular Old Kate locomotive at Margaret River’s Rotary Park

Margaret River Rotary has brought the popular Old Kate train into the 21st Century as part of maintenance works at its namesake park.

Earlier this month volunteers undertook a busy bee at Rotary Park that included a complete repaint of the in-site train engine featured as part of the existing play facilities.

Rotary president Fran Temby said the painting job underscored the importance of the service club’s international exchange program that was halted during the pandemic.

“The club had a lot of fun doing the painting and were helped by a former Rotary exchange student from Copenhagen in Denmark,” Mrs Temby said.

She also said Rotary hoped to revive the exchange program and directed interested youngsters to the local Rotary website to register interest.

Old Kate was relocated to Rotary Park in 1963.

The engine was originally built in England in 1889 and worked at mills across the Capes region before retirement in 1962 after 45 years work at Wyndham Jetty.

The locomotive was lovingly restored back in 2001 in work that included removal of the old asbestos boiler.

Rotarian Charles Johnson said children watching the weekend painting job were enthusiastic about the chance to get back on board Old Kate.