The site is now home to Learmonth Foundation - a not-for-profit organisation supporting community learning and innovation - and Learmonth Cider - a cider-making and cider education facility with an on-site orchard.

The new Learmonth precinct was set to host opening celebrations for the community this weekend, but the official opening has now been postponed until spring due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Philip Cormie, owner of 321 Cider and one of the drivers of the Learmonth project, said he was excited to see work begin inside the new precinct, that had been a long-time in the making.

The site was purchased in 2017 after the primary school closed in 2012 due to dwindling student numbers.

"The world changes and there is generational change going on all the time," Mr Cormie said.

"There are a lot of great foundations in Learmonth, but I think it can be an even more vibrant, brighter version of what it is - an engaging village that people would regard as a delightful place to visit and stay.

"We want to support what is already being done here to achieve that."

One of the two buildings on the site is home to Learmonth Cider.

The space will be used as a production venue for Learmonth company 321 Cider.

It will also function as a cider education centre that will teach local community members who are interested in making cider and assist community groups to make cider for fundraising purposes.

The education centre will also attract and host people from out of town who want to learn to make cider, either at a hobby or professional level.

Mr Cormie said 321 Cider had a relationship with a cider company in the United Kingdom and it was possible he could host some international visitors at the education centre.

An orchard that will be planted out the back will also be used for teaching and production purposes.

Mr Cormie said when fully operational, he anticipated Learmonth Cider would create 10 new jobs.

The main school building at the site is now home to Learmonth Foundation.

Learmonth Foundation will work with members of the Learmonth community, and possibly people from further afield, to support the development of new projects and businesses.

The building is home to a library based on innovation and financing new ventures, a creative learning space and a workshop area.

Mr Cormie said the foundation would aim to support business and community initiatives that have both financial and social returns.

"The social returns can be great for Learmonth, with benefits for employment, tourism and related activities," he said.

"The enterprises go through various stages; generating ideas, seeing if they are feasible, and whether they are good enough developed. We will look at getting money to assist them through grants, loans or from investors.

"This is about having an idea and turning it into action; a good example of that is this site here, the cafe over the road and the art hall. There are plenty more things like that that can be happening in the community."

Mr Cormie said there was a great need for models like the Learmonth Foundation in small communities.

"People need to feel empowered and energised to make a difference," he said.

"A lot of it is liberating people from constraints that are placed on them but also constraints they place on themselves.

"It is amazing what happens when people are in an environment where they can get started and create. They can make a big difference to themselves and their communities."

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