When Gayle Dunn's 18-year-old son Craig and one of his best mates, Danny Lewis, 19, were killed in the 2002 Bali bombings, their mates held a fundraiser and dropped off a cheque for $10,000.
She didn't want it.
"I asked them what was missing in town," Ms Dunn, from Ulladulla on the NSW south coast, said.
They replied: "Not a stone or a park bench, something living."
Twenty years later, a two-storey building with a bowling alley, climbing wall, auditorium, art gallery and multiple meeting rooms utilised by community groups is providing services not many small regional towns can boast.
It even includes alternate education programs for kids struggling with school.
"We've had a lot of kids here who dropped out of school and started coming here and we just persist with them," Ms Dunn said.
"It's really nice to see the young people achieving. I think it's made a lot of impact over the years.
"We're here every day, we do everything, it doesn't matter what."
'Something good' after tragedy
The Dunn Lewis Centre is run mostly by volunteers including Ms Dunn and her daughter.
She said the project had been a way for her to manage her grief.
"It's kept me really busy, there's always something to do and always people to talk to," she said.
Craig's dad David Dunn said he too was proud of what they had been able to achieve in the Dunn Lewis Centre.
"I can't tell you how proud I am, there's no words for it," he said.
Mr Dunn travelled to Bali in the wake of the attacks to search for his son after receiving a 4am phone call to say there had been a bombing at the nightclub where his son was partying with friends and Craig was missing.
He said it was still difficult to reflect on that time, but he was glad something positive had come from the tragedy.
"Something good has come out of all this," he said.
"But it's hard every year to remember."
Memorial wall latest addition
A memorial wall for all 88 Australian victims was unveiled at the centre this morning to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the bombings.
It features 88 mosaics, one for each of the victims, and was created by community members.
The memorial project was coordinated by former local federal MP Ann Sudmalis, who is also an artist and helped with the mosaics.
"I just wanted to do something to help. I was just brining Gayle's vision to life," she said.
Construction began on the centre in 2006 and it has cost around $12 million so far, mostly funded through government grants, with some minor works and landscaping still to be done.
