Community Support

Companion Credit Union formed a partnership with RDA Raymond Terrace and Lower Hunter Centre earlier this year. This developed after the Community CPS Foundation, of which Companion Credit Union is a member, donated $5,000 in grant funding to our Centre.

Since our partnership began, Companion Credit Union has generously allowed us to display photos and Centre brochures during Volunteer Week, and recently loaned us their projector (gratefully connected to our President’s laptop) to show a photo display of our riders and volunteers in action during the RTBA Breakfast.

Companion Credit Union staff are active in their local community, and regularly raise funds for charitable organisations. To help RDA, they held a movie night and casual days. They raised $656.10 and requested that this money be used to purchase the ten helmets we need to replace this year. The helmets have since been purchased and are already in use.

We would like to thank the staff of Companion Credit Union for their ongoing support. Watch out guys, you’ll see some helping out at the upcoming Regional Mounted Gamed, and they will have a surprise in store!!

Leading Edge Electronics Raymond Terrace

Riding for the Disabled begins a new association with a local business, Leading Edge Electronics Raymond Terrace. Barry & Michele Clifton own the store and want to help people help themselves. There commitment to the Raymond Terrace community has been long term, and we hope that our association with them will continue into the future.

Barry is the current President of the Raymond Terrace Business Association, and attended our Centre when we hosted the group’s monthly breakfast on Tuesday 5 July. After seeing our specially hosted riding session as part of the breakfast, Barry and Michele generously agreed to host a donation box on our behalf, after discussions with Michael Murphy (Subway Heatherbrae & Raymond Terrace).

Barry and Michele want to help our volunteers and riders, and feel that this is a small way that they can encourage others to make contributions of loose change that will add up to a larger total. The donation box sits prominently on their counter, and is slowly being filled with community support.

Leading Edge Electronics can be found at 14 William Street, Raymond Terrace. Barry and Michele can be contacted on (02) 4987 4909 or via their website at http://leert.com.au/433cube/index.php.

The Nova Team Fix Shower Screen Door

Recently, we faced a new situation. The shower screen door in the caretaker’s cottage was cracked from one side to the other, and posed a possible safety risk. Our main concern was that the crack would open up and that the glass panel would shatter.

Garry Solly owns and operates The Nova Team who specialise in Shower Screens and Wardrobes. Garry had made an offer to help us out, if he could, at last year’s Melbourne Cup Day Share A Horse Display at Muree Golf Club. We approached Garry and the Nova Team to see if they could assist by replacing the toughened glass panel with a new one. This was a rather large request, but as soon as Garry became aware of our unexpected predicament he said yes immediately, and the shower screen door was fixed two days later.

We would like to thank Garry Solly and The Nova Team for their in kind donation to our Centre. Their support means that all of our fundraising efforts go directly to operating our programs for people with a disability.

The Nova Team’s showroom and factory is located at 40 Camfield Drive, Heatherbrae. Garry and his team can be contacted on (02) 4987 1931 or via their website at www.novateam.com.au.

The Good Guys East Maitland Donate Coloured Printer

“On July 1 this year, The Good Guys proudly launched their own charitable Foundation, called The Good Guys Foundation. The Good Guys Foundation is responsible for each store's local giving program, which sees a percentage from each transaction donated back to the local community.”

Brad Sangster of The Good Guys East Maitland was approached to see if they could assist us by providing an in kind donation of a coloured printer. Our previous coloured printer/scanner, which was used to scan Rider Registration Forms and print Certificates of Appreciation, Rider Awards and fundraising event flyers and posters, had ceased to function. The printer head alignment had become permanently damaged and we could no longer repair it.

Brad Sangster The Good Guys East Maitland understood our dilemma, and have kindly donated an Epson Workforce 325 coloured printer and scanner. The printer has been installed and is working wonderfully. This is great timing, especially with the Ride A Thon in full swing!

We would like to thank Brad Sangster and The Good Guys East Maitland for their support of our therapeutic and educational programs for people with a disability. Brad and his team can be found at 2A Chelmsford Drive, East Maitland and can be contacted on (02) 4930 2200 or via their website at www.thegoodguys.com.au/maitland.

BP Salt Ash Host Donation Box

Recently, some of our volunteers were visiting BP Salt Ash, and asked if RDA could have a donation box on their counter. BP Salt Ash is a busy place, with lots of people stopping buy to purchase petrol and visit the convenience store.

We wrote to BP Salt Ash and received permission from their owners, Darton Group Administration , to have a donation box on the counter. BP Salt Ash and the Darton Group Administration are committed to assisting us to raise the funds we need to so that people with a disability can access programs that meet their unique needs.

Steve Nicholson, BP Salt Ash Manager, was very eager to help us. A donation box was delivered and Steve placed it in a prominent position to assist with our fundraising. We would like to thank BP Salt Ash and Darton Group Administration for supporting our Centre. All money donated by the local community will be used to operate our riding and driving programs.

BP Salt Ash can be found at the corner of Richardson and Nelson Bay Road, Salt Ash. Steve and his team can be contacted on (02) 4982 6644 or via their facebook page (just use Bp Salt Ash as your search term). You can always drop in anytime Mon - Fri from 5am - 12am.

Inspirations Paint & Colour Donate Paint

Inspirations Paint and Colour, whose head office is at East Maitland, were approached to see if they could provide an in kind donation of paint to make urgent repairs to our Caretaker’s Cottage.

Inspirations Paint and Colour understood that our Centre receives no government funding to run our riding and driving programs, and that every year we must raise the money needed to keep our therapeutic programs available to people with a disability in our community. This means that maintenance work can only be performed if additional donations or fundraising amounts are left over after meeting our program costs.

The Caretaker’s Cottage has required some major work for some time, but we have not been able to set aside the funds needed to get these tasks done. David Gillespie, Franchise Business Manager (NSW North), received our application for support and immediately informed us that Inspirations Paint and Colour, 140 Melbourne Street, East Maitland had the paint we needed. They generously provided 45 litres of Hadrian Contractor Low Sheen (quarter Hog Bristle tint) for the walls, 20 litres of Australis Ceiling Flat and 4 litres of Dulux Professional Premium Full Gloss for the trims.

We would like to thank Inspirations Paint and Colour for their support of our Centre. In kind donations such as this, from local companies that serve our region, emphasises the important role that RDA performs and highlights that we are part of a larger community of generous organisations.

To minimise the effects on our new Caretaker, our trusty volunteers are preparing and painting rooms one at a time. A number of volunteers helping out will share the load and mean that the task will be done more quickly. If you can help by giving a few hours of your time, please let Vicki in the office know on (02) 4987 1402.

Inspirations Paint & Colour can be found at 140 Melbourne Street, East Maitland and can be contact on (02) 4934 5511. Why not check out their website at www.inspirationspaint.com.au

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Silver 7 Photography Takes Share A Horse Sponsor Photos

Phil Stefans, from Sliver 7 Photography, generously donated his time and expertise to take all of the photos from our Share A Horse Moring Tea on Thursday 19 May. At Silver 7 Photography, they offer a fresh approach to photography. T hey specialise in wedding, portrait and corporate photography, ensuring that you get the images you are looking for, with minimal fuss and disruption. They use efficient image processing techniques which means that you get your photos quicker - in days instead of weeks or months.

They have a number of competitively priced packages available for both weddings and portraits, which can be viewed at www.silver7photography.com, or if you'd prefer a personalised quote, feel free to email Phil at info@silver7photography.com.

The Share A Horse Team would like to thank Phil for capturing wonderful images of our sponsors and their horses.

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Paul Harrison Transport Assists RDA

Paul Harrison Transport has played an instrumental role in moving a storage shed from Farley to RDA on Wednesday 20 April. Paul Harrison Transport is “an industry leader in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley with respect to the provision of transport, relocation and lifting services. [Their] service, equipment and resources are tailored to meet the individual needs of [their] local, national and internationally based customers.”

Recently, RDA was able to purchase a storage shed from John Woolmer in Farley. As we were able to purchase the shed for such a reduced price, it became an affordable option to help us with our storage problems at the Centre. We would never have been able to purchase anything at commercial prices.

The shed was in pieces, and needed to be transported to RDA in a hurry, as John is selling his property. Paul Harrison Transport came to the rescue, and offered to pick up and transport the shed to RDA for free, including the driver’s wages and use of the truck. This generous offer was greatly accepted and we acted quickly to get the shed bundled into sections.

Peter, our amiable driver, was a wiz with the loader. He took great care in creating a safe load out of pylons, metal sheets and supports. This took some time, but by the time it was loaded and tied down, it was the securest load possible. The shed was placed near the shipping container behind the indoor arena. After heavy rain a few days before, we were concerned that the truck would not be able to get to the designated spot, but Peter did it with ease on slippery ground and in limited turning space.

RDA would like to thank Paul Harrison Transport for their ongoing support. They can be found at 6 Nelson Road, Cardiff and can be contact by phone on 4954 7196. If you need help with your transport, you can find out more at www.paulharrisontransport.com.au.

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EmbriodMe Community Fund and EmbroidMe Cardiff

The EmbroidMe franchise group introduced their new Community Fund to support Not for Profit groups across Australia in 2010. The EmbroidMe Community Fund began as EmbroidMe franchise group’s way of helping not-for-profit charities, schools and clubs by providing “branded apparel and promotional products”.

The EmbroidMe Community Fund aims to “support and strengthen our local civic organisations, not-for-profits and schools with donations of apparel, custom embroidery and garment printing as well as self-promotional and fund-raising items”. The EmbroidMe Community Fund is funded by the contributions of 33 franchises.

The EmbroidMe Community Fund agreed to provide grant funding for the provision of shirts and caps for our volunteers. This is wonderful news, but the support for our Centre and our therapeutic programs gets even better. EmbroidMe Cardiff is a franchise which contributes to the EmbroidMe Community Fund. As a locally based company, Phill Broom and EmbroidMe Cardiff, wanted to show their appreciation of the efforts and work of our volunteers by matching dollar for dollar the EmbroidMe Community Fund grant funding. This additional funding comes directly from EmbroidMe Cardiff, who provided our shirts and caps.

In total, the EmbroidMe Community Fund has provided 134 polo shirts and 134 caps. As a result, our RT&LH volunteers will be a well dressed and cohesive team in 2011!! The shirts all have the RDA Raymond Terrace and Lower Hunter Centre name and logo, and come in ladies sizes 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18. These shirts then progress in size to men’s sizes of M, L, XL and XXL. We have attempted to order a mixture of sizes that would meet most people’s needs. The caps have been embroidered with our name and logo, and are one size fits all with an adjustable band.

We would like to thank Phil and EmbriodMe Community Fund for their generous support. EmbroidMe Cardiff can be found at 5/41a Munibung Road
Cardiff, or you can contact them on (02) 4956 6291 or on their website at www.embroidme.com.au/2285

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Kiwanis Club of East Maitland Support Sensory Garden

The Kiwanis Club of East Maitland is the driving force behind the development of RDA's Sensory Garden Trail Ride. The Kiwanis Club of East Maitland is “dedicated to changing the world one child, one community at a time”, and in 2010 held a Charity Ball held at the Maitland Town Hall to raise funds for the project. They raised over $3,000 from the Charity Ball and have committed $4,000 towards the project!

The idea of creating a sensory garden at RDA captured Kiwanis’ imagination. Their support is invaluable to the project’s success. They have already completed stage 1 of the project, which involved moving and building fences to enclose the 80m x 20m area which will become the sensory garden.

The irrigation system has been installed and the paving area was completed in September.

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Raymond Terrace Rural Traders Host Donation Box

Our Centre has a long relationship with Raymond Terrace Rural Traders. We have purchased a number of horse related products from them over the years, and intend to continue this in to the future . Our Centre recently made a written application to Raymond Terrace Rural Traders’ Director, Jeannie Smith. We asked if the store would host a fundraising donation box on their counter on our behalf.

Jeannie contacted us almost immediately to let us know that Raymond Terrace Rural Traders would host a donation box. The fund raising donation box has been delivered, and patrons are already donating their loose change for us. All money raised via the donation box will be used to meet the delivery costs of our programs.

Raymond Terrace Rural Traders provides a diverse combination of superior animal feed and pet supplies for pet owners, breeders and rural farmers. Their operating hours are Mon - Fri 8am - 5.30pm and Sat 9am - 1pm. They are located at 2A Kangaroo Street, Raymond Terrace and can be contacted on (02) 4987 1301, or check out there website at www.rtruraltraders.com.au.

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Subway Heatherbrae and Raymond Terrace Donation Boxes

Michael Murphy continues to support people with a disability, and RDA, by having a fundraising money tin on the counters of his two stores at Heatherbrae and Raymond Terrace. In March, we distributed a new style of money tins, in the style of a perspex donation box, with a fully lockable lid and safety chain. These replaced the older style tins, and are working very well. So far this year, we have received over $800 from the Subway donation boxes. All money has been used to provide our therapeutic and education riding and driving programs.

We would like to thank Michael and his staff for their ongoing support. Don’t forget, if you would like to ‘Eat Fresh’, why not pop in to Subway Heatherbrae at Shop 1, 1A Hank Street, Heatherbrae, (02) 4983 2448 or Subway Raymond Terrace at Kiosk 2, Raymond Terrace Market Place, William Street, Raymond Terrace, (02) 4987 5767. Why not call and pre-order your meal!

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Horselands Raymond Terrace Host Donation Box

Horselands Raymond Terrace supports our Centre by hosting a money tin on their counter. This allows their customers to place their loose change in the tins, and all money goes to RDA. In March, we issued Horselands Raymond Terrace with a new style donation box, as mentioned above. The perspex style of donation box sits more prominently on the counter and we hope it will attract even more donations.

We counted the contents of the old money tin and $72.25 was donated to our Centre. We would like to thank Horselands Raymond Terrace owners and staff for their ongoing support and look forward to continuing to work with them in 2011 to improve the quality of lives of people with a disability in our community. If you would like to contact them, why not drop in to see them at 4 Hank Street, Heatherbrae or call them on (02) 4987 3655.

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Gracie Barra Newcastle Gym Host Money Tin

Jamie Ballard from Gracie Barra Newcastle is providing ongoing support to our Centre by having a money tin on display. In early February, the tin was counted and $129.55 was donated to RDA.

Recently, Gracie Barra Newcastle was broken in to. Damage was cause to the premises and a number of items were stolen. This included our money tin. This is very disappointing news, but Jamie is not deterred by this, and is determined to raise money for our therapeutic programs. The tin has been replaced and gym visitors are again donating their change for us. We appreciate Jamie’s efforts on our behalf.

Gracie Barra Newcastle is a gym located at 9 Beresford Avenue, Beresfield. Jamie teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts, and also offers an open mat program. It is open to all ages and skill levels. If you would like to find out more, contact Jamie on 0431 443 692 or check out his website at www.graciebarranewcastle.com/index.php.

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Revised: 17 October, 2011.