RSL & SERVICES CLUBS ASSOCIATION
Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge 2009
Nominations are now open for the 2009 Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge to be held from 17-28 August.
The Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge is aimed at young people at school or disadvantaged or unemployed young people in the community who are having difficulty in finding their way in society. It is also used to encourage young achievers with natural leadership skills. Alternatively, it may be used by clubs as a leadership incentive program for younger staff. A full outline of the trek is attached.
Sponsorship of participants on the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge is eligible expenditure under CDSE category 1.
Special Incentive
Association Corporate Partner, Cashcard, has again provided a special incentive for clubs to send a second trekker on the 2009 Challenge. Member clubs nominating a trekker/s and paying the required deposit by 1st March 2009 will go into a draw to receive full sponsorship of an additional trekker, courtesy of Cashcard. The generous offer by Cashcard was announced at this year’s Association Conference Dinner and Awards presentation in Canberra.
Kokoda Golf Challenge
A date for your diary - Stargames will again sponsor the Kokoda Golf Challenge to be staged at Carnarvon Golf Club on Monday 9th March 2009. Profits from the day will be used by the Association to sponsor a young person on the 2009 Trek. Information and nomination forms will be sent to clubs early in the New Year.
Trek Commitment
Clubs intending to sponsor a young person on the trek should advise the Association as soon as possible to ensure a booking and the necessary paperwork will be forwarded to you for completion. This year’s trek had a total of 26 trekkers and the numbers are expected to increase next year. Bookings and deposits of $500 are required by 1st March 2009.
Trek participants should ideally be aged between 16-21 and have a very high level of fitness as the trek is classed as ’very difficult’. Their final acceptance for the trek is subject to medical fitness checks and approval by Adventure Kokoda leader, Charlie Lynn. Selection should be made as soon as possible to ensure participants reach the required level of physical condition. Past participants have been generally sourced through local high schools, Legacy, the Salvation Army or local PCYC or RSL Youth groups.
Trek costs
Final costings provided by Adventure Kokoda for the 10-day trek are:
Operation of the trek (ex-Sydney) $5,195
(ex-Brisbane) $4,995
Kokoda Trust administration/marketing - per person $250
Total Est. Cost (ex-Sydney) $5,445
Further inquiries can be directed to Rachel Pfrengle on (02) 9579 4555 or Graeme Carroll on (02) 9579 4555 or 0412 188 097.
Conference Info
The RSL & Services Clubs Association has staged its 7th Annual Conference at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra and initial feedback from delegates is that the conference was the 'best ever'.
Almost 300 delegates attended the conference with the theme of "Managing in Crisis - The Road to Recovery".
The conference canvassed issues ranging from the new gaming legislation to EBITDARD, Triple Bottom Line reporting, engaging your community and gaming, to building trust in your brand.
The conference focused on the recurring theme of managing in crisis from the work of Peter Baines following the Boxing Day Tsunami, to Rachel Robertson being literally thrown in at the deep end in Antarctica to Olympian, Brennon Dorwick – all speakers demonstrated what can be achieved with your back to the wall and the right attitude.
The Conference was again sponsored by IGT and Channel 7 personality, Chris Bath, delighted delegates with her down to earth approach as MC. Supporting IGT as major sponsor were Lion-Nathan, De Bortoli Wines, Maxgaming, First Data-Cashcard, Coca Cola, Rocket Event Services, Russell Corporate Advisory, Club Data Online, Gopher Graphics, Infogensis, Datacard and Lahood Corporation.
Spirit of Anzac Awards
Castle Hill RSL Club was awarded the second annual Spirit of Anzac Award at the Association’s 7th annual conference dinner at the Australian NationalMuseum in Canberra.
The awards, presented by Association Patron, Major General Arthur Fittock and Association Chairman, Tony Jeffcott, recognise the unique and specific role of RSL and services clubs in the community including veteran welfare activities and covered the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008.
The Spirit of Anzac Award recognises a club that has made an outstanding contribution throughout the year to its members and the local community which epitomises Anzac traditions on which RSL and services clubs were founded.
“Castle Hill RSL Club is a major supporter of community and charitable events within ‘The Hills” district providing in excess of $600,000 on local activities, well above its CDSE expenditure obligation of $350,000. A major thrust of its community work has been support of the Essere (to be) organization established to teach children skills and strategies to deal with the day to day pressures of growing up and finding their way in society, particularly anti-bullying workshops. More than 2000 children have now attended the Essere Anti-bullying programs with amazing results”.
Highly commended awards were presented to Adelong Services and Citizens Club and the Albury SS&A Club.
The Outstanding Community Member Award was presented to Johnny Rowe of Wagga RSL Club. The award recognises the community member, including a club employee, who has demonstrated outstanding loyalty and service towards their club or the local community in the spirit of the ANZACs.
Johnny Rowe has been a member of Wagga RSL for more than 40 years and was awarded life membership in 1993 for extraordinary service to the Club and its members. For more than 30 years he assisted with the organising of Anzac Day activities and has been the Club’s hospital visitor since 1978 until a recent illness.
The judges presented Highly Commended awards to Claude ‘Blue’`Wilson of Wagga RSL Club and David Cassidy, the General Manager of Katoomba RSL Club.
The Spirit of Kokoda Award was presented to Jennifer Purcell who was sponsored by ClubsNSW on the 2007 Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge, a major project of the RSL & Services Clubs Association. The award recognises the trekker who has used the Leadership Challenge experience to most advance his or her life goals and taken significant steps towards those aspirations.
As a consequence of the trek, in addition to acting as an ambassador and sharing the Kokoda story with high school students, Jennifer has worked to establish a non-government organization called ‘tara.Ed’. Backed by a Goldman Sachs Social Entrepreneur grant, the organization aims to promote sustainable primary education for children in developing nations as well as provide an avenue for Australian youth to make a positive impact and change the world they will inherit through volunteer opportunities and service learning.
The judging panel presented a Highly Commended award to Louise Gauci who was sponsored on the 2005 trek by City of Fairfield RSL Club.
Move to Melbourne in 2009
As announced at the conference in Canberra the 2009 RSL & Services Clubs Association event will move to Melbourne – on the 25th – 28th October.
The move has been canvassed with members at a number of Association meetings over the past six months and is due to a number of reasons, namely the need to refresh the event after seven years in the one venue; and the fact that the conference has outgrown the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra.
The Grand Hyatt in Melbourne has 400+ rooms and is undergoing a $40m refurbishment and has state-of-the-art conference facilities – the Association has secured sufficient rooms to house all delegates in the hotel. The conference will also be able to continue the tradition of remembrance services at the nearby Shrine of Remembrance.
Association CEO, Graeme Carroll, said that counterparts in the Victorian RSL Licensed Sub-Branch Association have offered to assist in the event planning and optional tours of Melbourne clubs and hotels will be incorporated in to the conference program.
Visit the website HERE to find out more.
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