SJA Meeting, 8 Sept 2022, 7 p.m.
The new committee members have now been fully inducted and are involved with their roles. Anne Wykes as Deputy Chair, Beryl McGrath as Minute Secretary and Peter Reid as Treasurer. A huge thank you to Karen Gilliespie, Di Beckett and Celi Kennedy for their amazing contributions over their years of service.
On the emergency housing front, it’s been a whirlwind of a month with all 5 transportable units now fitted out and with tenants. That is 5 in total – 3 in Bega at the Bega Uniting Church site and 2 at Reflections Caravan Park, Pambula. Mick will provide greater information in his report.
The It’s Up to Us Fund has now raised over $258,000 since July 2021. What an amazing effort!
We have been represented at a meeting to assist with volunteers at an event called Stand Tall to be held at the Pambula Beach Sporting Complex, November 10, 2022. See https://www.standtallevent.com/about-us
There will be approx 2,000 secondary school students in attendance. The Volunteers job will be to usher the various groups to their allocated areas and other duties on the day.
The MARSS Weekend Oct 20 to 23 is progressing well. We still need 2 more host families please. One is for a parent and child from Iran the other for a family of 4 from Syria. Please let me know if you can help. The events are basically organised with a school event to be finalised for the Bega group on the Friday. Lumen Christ have again willingly allowed us to visit their school.
Mick, Wendy Wait and I attended a Youth Forum at the Bega Valley Shire Council recently where we set up a table demonstrating our various activities.
I addressed the Bega Rotary Club recently and we have now arranged for a load of our furniture to be delivered to Bega Monday, Sept 12th to assist in furnishing some houses for newly arrived overseas workers to be employed at Hillgrove House and Imlay House. This is a great development with us being able to help newly arrived migrants and connecting with Bega Rotary.
We are holding a Multicultural Day at Wolumla Hall, Saturday November 12th. Posters will be available at the meeting and in future correspondence.
Coffee for Fundraising for Timor Leste Tertiary students is now being purchased through Wild Rye. The cost to us is $8, so the retail is now $12 available through Jason Harley Optometrists in Merimbula and Bega.
Gavin Bell, Co-Chair