Recent Events

The Fourth Annual Volunteers Luncheon and Awards Presentation, on Tuesday 27 September, got off to a great start due to the excellence preparation and organisation of the day by Carol Brown.

By 11am some of our volunteers had started to arrive and they were greeted by Jan Sharp. They were ushered to the Murphy’s Room balcony to Terrey Dalmazzo for drinks and coffee. Kevin Gordon warmly welcomed our volunteers and MC’d the day for us.

At 11.30 am, the nibblies were served by our young waitresses Kristy Dalmazzo, Michelle Dalmazzo, Aletia Pepperall and Jessica Storey. While all were mingling and munching, the kitchen was a hive of activity with Myra Henry and Doreen Sinclair putting the finishing touches on lunch, under the guidance of Linda Pepperall.

Jude Oliver had prepared a photo slide show (with the aid of a digital projector, kindly loaned to us for the day by Companion Credit Union), which showcased some of our volunteers “in action” with their riders. These photos “said it all”, and are a reminder of the joy we get out of seeing our riders participate and progress.

A lovely meal of chicken or cold meat with salad was followed by a very tasty cheesecake with cream. Judging by the noise in the room, it was a chance for many to catch up on a chat, and enjoy the day in civvies rather than their regular RDA gear.

To the formal part of the day. This day gives us an opportunity to acknowledge our volunteers on whom the running of RDA depends. The hours they so generously give, to provide an opportunity for our riders to enjoy and extend themselves by riding, is much appreciated.

The awards were presented after lunch by our past Volunteer Coordinator, Jack Henry. Jack was the driving force behind introducing and steering the first Volunteer Luncheon and Awards Presentation, and it was fitting that he undertook this role for us:

In recognition for years of service, Volunteer Service Badges were given out to our 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 year recipients

Companion Credit Union proudly sponsored the 2011 Regional Mounted Games which was held the RT&LH on Sunday 18 September.

Companion Credit Union provided $600 to purchase the presentation ribbons for three years and to meet the costs of the lunch time barbeque. Companion Credit Union also provided drink bottles for all participants, and loaned us their marquee, which was prominently displayed at the indoor arena entrance.

The weather for the day was very kind to us, and everyone was greeted with sunny skies. The day was loaded with fun, and lots of riders came with so many friends and family that the Centre was filled very quickly. We were joined by visitors from Taree and the Central Coast. Jenny Cameron, our RDANSW Regional Representative, also travelled to see the riders take part in the Mounted Games.

The most important part of the day was that every rider had fun. For some, who come to RDA as part of a school group, it was the first time their families or friends had seen them ride, and they swelled with pride as they introduced their horses and their volunteer helpers.

We would like to thank everyone who came on the day, especially the volunteers who gave an extra day to make sure that their rider could take part. We would also like to thank Companion Credit Union for their ongoing support of our Centre during 2011.

Event	Rider	Horse	Bending	Flagging	Barrels	Keyhole
Free Trot	Jordan Brown	Aria	3	2	3	3
	Brittany Carter	Aria	1	1	2	1
	Rebecca Gordon	Ragtime (Own)	2	3	4	2
	Karley Moran	Apache	5	5
	Shannon Woods	Nirvana	4	4	1
Free Walk	Daniel Burns	Katie	2	2		2
	Kristy Dalmazzo	Holly	3	3	2	3
	Sharni Thompson	Buddy	1	1	1	1
Lead Walk	Robert Deaves	Wedge	Participation Ribbon Awarded
	Christian Dorhauer	Toby			5	2
	Carolyn Earl	Wedge	3	1	5
	Ina HIlkmann	Katie	Participation Ribbon Awarded
	David McDonald	Wedge	4	2	1
	Lachlan Morgan	Sprinkles	1	5	2	1
	Jake Pietras	Aria				4
	Daniel Prior	Buddy				5
	Elizabeth Purkiss	Holly	Participation Ribbon Awarded
	Laura Scrace	Bobby	3	4	4
	Sali Tipa	Gypsy	2	3

Our Inaugural Spring Fair was held at the Centre on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September. The Spring Fair incorporated our Annual Book Sale, and introduced for the first time a plant sale, car boot sale, sulky rides, musical entertainment and a sausage sizzle.

As you may or may not know, our riders pay one third of the cost of a programme and we at RDA need to raise the other two thirds of the programme costs. The good news is, that the hard work involved in planning and manning the Spring Fair, has paid off. We raised a net profit of $2,789.46. This is a fabulous result. Your hard work, and the generous support of people from the local community who attended the sale, will provide the funding needed to pay the Centre’s costs for 220 individual rides.

It was great to meet the generous stallholders who supported and encouraged us. We do appreciate their efforts in contacting friends and the valuable advice given to improve next years Spring Fair/Book Sale.

Our own RDA helpers from 12 to 84 years of age, including Vicki Manaul and Merryl Case, contributed innovative ideas and worked so hard and cheerfully – as you recover I do hope you experience a deep sense of satisfaction in knowing how many riders/drivers will experience the special magic at RDA, resulting from your efforts.

If you have any ideas and/or are willing to take on overseeing a particular area next year, please contact Jan Sharp on either email at jan.sharp@rdansw.org.au or by phone on (02) 4982 2932. Well done all!!

In August, we announced that South Newcastle Rugby League Club chose to support our Centre by providing $8,000 in grant funding as part of the Newcastle Community Development Support Expenditure Scheme. The Club has increased their support to $8,400 to assist riders who reside or attend school in the Newcastle Local Government Area.

Steve Pringle (South’s CEO), Tim Butler (South's President) and Mark Murphy (Murphy Plumbing) visited the Centre on Thursday 15 September to see for themselves the amazing work our riders and volunteers do and how their support will empower people with a disability to improve their quality of life. They had a tour of the Centre and had the opportunity to watch two different school groups in action.

The South Newcastle Rugby League Club is located at 46 Llewellyn Street, Merewether. For information call (02) 4963 1120 or visit their website at www.southleagues.com.au.

The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes Grand Lodge of New South Wales approached us last year to inform us that this state wide group had chosen our Centre as their fundraising charity for 2011. The Buffaloes understood, even before they approached us, that our Centre does not receive state or federal government funding to run our programs and that community support is vital.

The Buffaloes quietly fundraised for almost nine months. They are a hard working group, who put aside what they could, when they could. Unfortunately, one of their lodges suffered fire during the year and the damage was extensive, but they still kept RDA in the forefront of their mind and we are grateful for their devotion to the cause.

Arthur Anderson and his wife visited our Centre on Thursday 15 September. Arthur accepted the offer to see our programs, on behalf of the entire Buffalo Order. We were able to give them a tour of the Centre and they were able to watch a group of school children as they rode, had fun, learnt and improved their skills.

Arthur presented us with a cheque of $1,500 on behalf of The Buffaloes, which will be used to meet the Centre’s costs for over 54 individual rides in 2011. This is an incredible achievement, and we would like to thank The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes and their lodges throughout NSW for their donation.

Our Centre was invited to have a fundraising display as part of the Medowie Garden Club Meet and Greet on Saturday 3 September.

The function was held in the grounds of Sailability, located on the edge of Grahamstown Dam, and members of garden clubs from across the Hunter Region attended.

As usual, our replica horse, Pluto, was dressed in his RDA coat and looked smashing in all of the photos taken by the visitors on the day. The Share A Horse team had a great time meeting devoted garden enthusiasts, buying tickets in tombala raffles and a few plants, and checking out the other stalls from local businesses, cottage crafts and community organisations.

To assist with our Centre’s fundraising, we were able to sell raffle tickets for our Spring Fair Raffle, and were kindly allocated a prime spot, thanks to Jenny Nicholls (Medowie Garden Club President). We were well supported and raised $150.

We would like to thank the Medowie Garden Club for their generous support of RDA. It was a fun day, with everyone had a wonderful time, in an extremely beautiful location.

Salamander resident, Ray Tucker, was selected to appear on the cover of this year’s Port Stephens Yellow Pages® and White Pages® book available from June 2011. The theme for this year’s covers, Australians Creating a Better Future, recognises people throughout Australia who have made a positive contribution to their community through projects or initiatives that help to make a better future for Australia.

Ray’s selection recognises his years of active involvement in his community, dedicating countless hours to a number of local organisations including Ronald McDonald House in the Hunter, Legacy War Widows and Relay for Life. Since starting with Ronald McDonald House in the Hunter in 2005, Ray has volunteered over 1500 hours of his time to help provide support for local and visiting families with sick children. A performer at heart, each week Ray also spends his time entertaining residents at local aged care facilities.

A new interest for Ray is as a volunteer with Riding for the Disabled Association (NSW) Raymond Terrace and Lower Hunter Centre. Here he has the opportunity to work with children and to learn more about the disabled, their families and carers. He says his knowledge of horses is improving rapidly.

Every Australian Counts is the campaign for the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The NDIS will be a new support system for people with a disability, their families and carers. It will transform the way services are funded and delivered, ensuring people are better supported and enabling them to have greater choice and control.

Jan Sharp, Thursday Coach & RTLH Treasurer, hosted a DisabiliTea at her home in Bobs Farm on Tuesday 2 August. It was well attended, with familiar faces and new. DisabiliTeas were held Australia wide to get the message out that people with a disability are important to the community, and they need support from everyone. This support will force the government to make changes to legislation that will result in better quality health care, access to education and work, physical assistance, improved adaptive equipment and access to mobility and communication aids that meet their individual needs and personal development.

We need every Australian to stand up and say that people with a disability, their families and carers in this country deserve better and that it’s time for change. We need every Australian to say that people with a disability, their families and carers are Australians too, and that their hopes and dreams count. We need people in the wider community to speak loudly that people with a disability are an important part of our community, and that they count.

We need to show the government that there is widespread community support for change – and that the time for action has come. Jan Sharp’s DisabiliTea, hosted on behalf of RDA, was the only registered tea in Port Stephens area and became the focal point of people wanting to make change for, and with, people with a disability.

You can support the campaign, by taking action to make every Australian count. We need 100,000 people to register and join the campaign of peaceful protest. So far, we have 60,244. If you would like to add your name to the supporters list, please visit http://www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au and sign on for change.