CDSE funding: valuable contribution to community

August 23, 2007: Registered clubs across the Bega Valley Shire have dug deep as part of the 2007 Community Development Support Expenditure program.

This year there are 39 successful projects under the program which recognises registered clubs’ significant financial support for projects and services that contribute to the wellbeing of their communities.

More than $100,000 was distributed in Category 1 this year with the Bega Valley Shire CDSE committee receiving more than 60 applications.

Chair of the CDSE Committee and Secretary Manager of the Eden Fishermen’s Club, Mr Peter Cook, said the selection process was again a difficult process because of the number of applications. “This is important funding across the shire and the committee is faced with some difficult decisions when it comes to making recommendations to the various club boards,” Mr Cook said.

The funding is provided by eight clubs across the Bega Valley. They are the Eden Fishermen’s Club, The Pambula-Merimbula Golf Club, The Merimbula-Imlay Bowling Club, The Merimbula RSL Club, Tura Beach Country Club, Bega RSL, the Tathra Beach Bowling Club and the Bermagui Country Club.

The CDSE Committee comprises club representatives, Bega Valley Shire Council’s social planner Simon Schweitzer, Andrea Powell (NCOSS representative) and a representative from the Department of Community Services (DOCS).

“Registered clubs across the Bega Valley are always looking to support their communities. We do this in many ways, but one of our key funding components remains the CDSE allocations,” Mr Cook said.

“Clubs take all considerations into calculation to ensure this funding is directed to projects and services across the shire that will have the biggest impact on our community.

“We want to ensure funding goes to areas that will see results. We know this funding makes a real difference to people in our shire and we have seen many projects prosper from the support of registered clubs.”

Council’s social planner Simon Schweitzer thanked all the clubs for their generosity and the positive impact the funding would have on the community.

“I would encourage all community groups to look at the guidelines concerning this funding and consider applying next year,” Mr Schweitzer said.

“Every application that meets the category one guidelines is given equal opportunity for funding.”

The application process for 2008 commences in March. Guidelines can be accessed at www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au or www.clubsnsw.com.au.

The successful projects for 2007 are:-
Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol
Funding will be spent on purchasing up-to-date VHF marine radio equipment using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) which will improve response time to maritime emergencies to all amateur and professional fisherman, yachts and other sea going vessels.

Merimbula RSL $500.00
Tura Beach Country Club $345.00
Bermagui Country Club $2,155.00
Total $3,000.00
Starlight Children’s Foundation
Full funding would be used to provide access for a local child to the Wishgranting
programme that Starlight Children’s Foundation run. A seriously ill child in the Bega
Valley was referred to Starlight by the Sydney Children’s Hospital in July 2006 and is
still waiting for her wish to become a reality.

Eden Fishermen’s Club $500.00
Merimbula RSL $500.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Total $1,500.00
Aboriginal Evangelical Church Eden
Funding will enable purchase of 7 canoes and equipment and fund counselling and
group training for youth entering crime and those youth who have potential to enter
crime which will work towards changing attitudes of youth involved in unsocial
behaviour.

Eden Fishermen’s Club $1,000.00
Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $1,000.00
Total $3,500.00
Panorama Day Club
Funding will cover bus rental fees to provide subsidised bi-monthly social bus outings to elderly clients who are isolated and house bound with no available transport. Panorama Day Club gives this target group the opportunity to socialise with their peers.

Merimbula RSL $2,000.00
Total $2,000.00
Delta Society Australia
Funding will be used to recruit, assess and train volunteers to meet the growing demand for animal assisted activities and therapies. Pet Partner teams will then visit local facilities such as Hillgrove House on a weekly basis to bring joy and improve the quality of life for the residents of these facilities.

Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Total $1,000.00
The Spastic Centre
Funding will pay for printed material for “Parent Toolbox” one day seminar to provide
information about the services that the Spastic Centre can offer to families with
children who have disabilities. Funding will also pay for the “Fathers Fishing Day” -
this is an outing for a maximum of 10 fathers of children with disabilities to bond socially, enjoy a day of fishing and form friendships with parents in similar situations.

Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Merimbula RSL $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $2,000.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $80.00
Total $3,080.00

Camp Quality
Funding will be used for local children living with cancer to attend the annual Camp Quality event as well as other weekend camps and day activities and outings throughout the year. The nearest camp to the Bega Valley is held in the Illawarra area.
Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Bega RSL $500.00
Total $2,000.00

Imlay Special Needs Group
ISNG is a community based early intervention service running playgroups, after school and vacation care. Funding will enable the production and printing of a handbook and brochure to provide more detailed information and to promote the range of services offered by ISNG.
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $1,000.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $500.00
Merimbula RSL $500.00
Total $2,500.00
Alzheimer’s Australia NSW
Funding will help deliver the Alzheimer’s Dementia Helpline - a vital telephone support and education service, provided by trained healthcare professionals and volunteers, available to people and their families living with dementia in our Local Government area. Funding will also enable a dementia education session to be held.

Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Bega RSL $1,000.00
Tathra Beach Bowling Club $500.00
Total $2,500.00

Multiple Sclerosis Society of NSW
Funds will be used to continue to provide support services to those in the Bega Valley living with multiple sclerosis, through the Flexible Assistance Package. This package will be available to 160 people in the Shire who are affected by MS.

Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $500.00
Tathra Beach Bowling Club $500.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $1,000.00
Total $3,500.00
Quaama Rural Fire Service
Funding will be used to purchase a Bushmans 22,500 litre water tank and install it at the Upper Brogo fire shed. The tank will act as a water source in the event of an emergency bushfire situation in the area and will save a 30 km round trip from the village of Quaama to access a water main to refill the fire truck.

Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $500.00
Total $2,000.00
Imlay House - Op Shop Committee
Op Shop Committee was established in 1982 to raise funds for additional services and amenities required at Imlay House. There are 130 volunteers on a roster system working at the op shop and the funding will be used to purchase and install a wall mounted split system air-conditioner in the sorting and pricing room where conditions are either very hot or cold.

Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Tura Beach Country Club $500.00
Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Total $2,000.00
Nethercote Resident’s Association
Funding will be used to purchase equipment for their new Neighbourhood Centre. They wish to purchase trestle tables for use within the (almost completed) hall and a shade marquee for protection of community members and volunteers when operating bbq’s, craft stalls etc outside the building.

Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $500.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $1,000.00
Merimbula RSL $500.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Total $2,500.00
Rocky Hall Preschool Association
Funds will be used to cover ongoing costs associated with the Community Access IT Centre which is located at Rocky Hall Preschool. The existing program consists of providing free training and internet use for all community members as well as being a drop-in centre for youth.

Merimbula RSL $500.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Total $1,000.00
Bega District Volunteer Rescue Squad
Funding will enable the purchase of an all-terrain 4WD rescue vehicle that can access farmland and forest tracks where a 4WD is required. The acquisition of this vehicle would mean a rapid response and treatment in inaccessible terrain, providing a better outcome for the casualties.

Merimbula RSL $2,000.00
Bega RSL $1,000.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $2,000.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $1,000.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Total $6,500.00

Technical Aids to the Disabled (TAD)
The project will help three children aged between 10 and 16 who live in the Bega Valley Shire and have disabilities (both physical and mental), providing them with access to the internet to engage in educational programs. It will also alleviate time and stress on parents and carers and give the child a way to connect to their community, enhancing self esteem and independence.

Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $1,860.00
Total $1,860.00
Pambula Surf Life Saving Club Inc
Funding will be used to have an internal lift fitted inside their new clubhouse - which is used by many community groups as well. An internal lift will ensure the safety and accessibility of all aged and disabled community members using the clubhouse.

Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $1,000.00
Merimbula RSL $3,000.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $4,000.00
Total $8,000.00
Pambula Preschool
Funding will be used to upgrade their existing playground equipment, which is old, worn and limiting in its application to skills development in children. There are currently 88 enrolled children aged from 2 - 6 who attend the preschool.

Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $1,017.00
Total $1,517.00
Tathra Childrens Services
Funding will be used to remove an Iron Bark and Casuarina tree which have been identified as unsafe, as well as to replace old and damaged shade cloth in the sandpit and install new shade cloth over areas open to the sun, once the trees have been removed in line with Sun Safe Guidelines and DOCS regulations.

Tathra Beach Bowling Club $1,000.00
Total $1,000.00
Pambula Wetlands and Heritage Project
Funding will be used to enable the purchase of a box trailer to transport tools and equipment from their storage facility to locations over the 77 hectare site as required. It will also assist in transporting mulch and collecting and relocating of prunings and rubbish.

Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Tura Beach Country Club $454.00
Total $954.00

Old Bega Hospital Reserve Trust
Funding will be used to construct an outdoor activity area for use by various community groups. This would include paving, cementing, outdoor electrics, garden beds and drainage works.

Merimbula RSL $500.00
Bega RSL $1,000.00
Tathra Beach Bowling Club $500.00
Total $2,000.00
Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club
Funds will be used to purchase a beach wheelchair to improve the physical and mental health of the aged and people with a disability by giving them the means to access the beach at Horseshoe Bay.

Bermagui Country Club $2,000.00
Total $2,000.00

Nullica Lodge
Funding will be used to replace the existing carpet in the kitchen / dining area of the
hostel with commercial grade vinyl. This will make the area safer and easier for the
elderly residents to move. It will also aid in the improvement of infection control
measures.

Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $1,000.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $1,000.00
Total $3,500.00
Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
The funding will be used to produce a promotional brochure of the new “backyard buddies” program and have them distributed to every household in the Bega Valley. The backyard buddies program provides community education regarding ways in which everyday people can make a difference in their own environment and promoting healthy lifestyle choices.

Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $1,000.00
Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Total $2,000.00
Telstra Child Flight
Emergency helicopter retrieval service dedicated to providing emergency transport
and intensive care for babies and children in NSW and ACT. In the past 12 months,
38 patients have been transferred from the wider Bega Valley region, including 2
from Bega itself. The average cost of each transfer is $9300 which is what this funding will go towards.

Bega RSL $910.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $2,000.00
Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Total $4,410.00

Eden Community Access Centre
This project is to enable the centre to upgrade their facilities by providing ergonomic
chairs for their training room. They have noticed a marked increase in the number of
seniors using the facility and participants are being seated for extended periods. The
ergonomic chairs will effectively cater for the comfort and wellbeing of their clients.

Eden Fishermen’s Club $1,200.00
Total $1,200.00
Ageing and Disability Services
Funding will be used to purchase new equipment to enhance and update the existing disability equipment pool. Items required are two new manual wheelchairs, four new toilet surrounds and a replacement “pivot frame” for the ceiling hoist installed at the Bega Village Motor Inn pool.

Merimbula RSL $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $500.00
Total $1,000.00
Bega Senior Citizens
Project is to fund three functions or outings in 2007 for their elderly members. These
activities will allow access to transport for the senior citizens group and enhance
their quality of life by providing social interaction and enjoyment. The funding
requested would pay for all meals, bus fares and entry fees for their members.

Bega RSL $1,000.00
Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Tura Beach Country Club $100.00
Total $2,100.00
Bega Lions Club Inc
The funding will be used to build a shelter and amenities to the local Skatebowl in Bega to help provide somewhere out of the sun and weather for the young children and youth of the town. This project will also improve the visual amenity of the site and encourage more children to use the Skatebowl.

Eden Fishermen’s Club $500.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Merimbula RSL $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $640.00
Total $2,140.00
Bermagui Senior Citizens Association
Funding will be used to fund three bus trips and refreshments for their elderly
members to assist many who are house-bound and need the company of others to
assist them to live healthier and happier lives.

Bermagui Country Club $1,500.00
Total $1,500.00
Australian Red Cross
The project will enable Red Cross to run Save-A-Mate (SAM) courses at Bega High
School during 2007. SAM educates young people who use drugs, those who work
with them, their friends and families on how to administer life saving skills in case of a
drug related overdose. SAM is a free community service provided by Red Cross.

Bega RSL $500.00
Merimbula RSL $500.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $500.00
Tathra Beach Bowling Club $500.00
Total $2,500.00
Wokability Personnel
The project will expand their “Homeworks” program to train their clients in painting,
yard cleans, mulching and expand the possibility of commercial work. The aged
community would benefit by having their homes as well as their gardens maintained
and the disabled clients who volunteer in the program would get a broader range of work experience and pre-employment training.

Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $1,000.00
Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Total $2,500.00
Bandara Childrens Services
Funding will provide additional shading area and safe surfaces for play in the outdoor area. The construction of a covered walkway and verandah will provide the children with a sheltered playspace during hours when the sun presents a risk as it currently does not meet sun safety requirements.

Merimbula RSL $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $500.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $720.00
Total $1,720.00
Eden Childcare Centre
Funding will be used to upgrade the play area by providing improved soft-fall under
climbing equipment to ensure that it meets ASNZ standards and OH&S guidelines for
children’s playgrounds.

Merimbula RSL $500.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $983.00
Total $1,483.00
Epilepsy Action
Funding required for the “Strong Foundations” program. This program targets
children under the age of five who suffer from epilepsy. “Strong Foundations”
works with children and their families towards better seizure management and to
increase confidence and self-esteem by providing young children and their families the necessary tools to move confidently into adolescence and adulthood.

Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Total $1,000.00

Bega Valley Shire Youth Council
Funds will be used to run the Summer Bus initiative that discourages drink driving.
This year it is hoped that funds will allow the inclusion of the smaller towns to the
service.

Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $1,000.00
Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Total $3,000.00
Lions Club of Pambula-Merimbula Inc
The project will restore safe family access to Middle Beach in Merimbula which was
destroyed by the New Years Day fire in 2006. Funds are required to construct
wooden steps and boardwalks on a steep path that descends from Cliff Street to
Middle Beach.

Merimbula RSL $2,000.00
Bega RSL $500.00
Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Tura Beach Country Club $340.00
Total $3,340.00
Pambula-Merimbula Hospital Auxiliary
Grant money will facilitate purchase of ultrasound equipment for the Pambula District
Hospital emergency department. Anyone presenting to the emergency department
could potentially benefit from improved access to timely diagnostic procedures
offered by this new equipment.

Pambula Merimbula Golf Club $500.00
Total $500.00

DaisyChain Productions Incorporated
Funding will provide youth specific entertainment for the young people of
the Shire (aged between 12-25 years). They aim to hold one large summer music
event in the summer of 07/08 and several small events throughout the remainder of
2007. CDSE funds will go towards covering musician expenses, promotion, venue fee, insurance costs and purchase of a PA sound system.

Merimbula RSL $1,000.00
Eden Fishermen’s Club $500.00
Bega RSL $500.00
Merimbula/Imlay Bowling Club $1,000.00
Total $3,000