Congratulations to the following organisations which were successful applicants to the Veolia Mulwaree Trust’s recent November 2011 funding round and will receive grants toward their community projects as follows:

Braidwood Men’s Shed Inc a grant of $15,974 toward the construction of new Braidwood Men’s Shed building.         

Exeter Sings Choir, auspiced by the Exeter Village Association, $3,800 grant toward the Exeter Sings Equipment Car Trailer project to purchase a trailer to store and transport choir equipment.                     

Sussex Inlet Foundation for Community Development Inc $21,659 grant toward the Community Transport Bus project for the purchase of a new eight seater van.

Bowral Public School a grant of $22,638 for new playground equipment, a rope climber system, as part of the school’s playground enhancement program.

$8,568 grant for Burrawang Public School toward funding the installation of new playground equipment.

$13,580 grant to Berrima Public School for its School Kitchen Project which includes the construction and installation of joinery/cabinetry in the new kitchen classroom.

A grant of $2,541 to the Robertson Heritage Railway Station Inc toward the purchase of a tractor/mower to maintain community areas.

A grant of $43,174 to Trinity Catholic College in Goulburn toward its School Canteen Refurbishment Project, to provide students with a new canteen area in line with healthy canteen guidelines

$20,000 grant to the Bowral and District Art Society to complete stage two of the Expansion of Bowral and District Art Society Community Art Facility Project, to construct a new room for workshops and storage.

The following organisations were successful under the Veolia Mulwaree Trust donation program in November:

St Georges Basin Football Club – $1000 donation to provide light poles, goals & fences for new field.

Picton Junior Rugby League Football Club – $1000 donation towards building an equipment trailer.

Taralga Historical Society – $1000 donation to purchase display frames for historical items.Members of the Historical Society are pictured left with their new permanent display, assisted through Veolia Mulwaree Trust funding, which opened last month.

Callala Junior Sailing School – $1000 donation to maintain sail craft and help pay insurance.

Moss Vale Rotary Club – $1000 donation to assist with Dream Cricket Day 2012 costs.

Bungendore Branch of the CWA of NSW – $1000 donation to help replace a fridge/freezer.

The Oaks Public School P&C Association – $1000 donation toward educational support program.

Convoy For Kids Goulburn Inc – $1000 donation to support families of sick children in Goulburn and surrounding districts.

Southern Highlands Woodies Group Inc – $1000 donation to purchase items for club house.

Wollondilly Redbacks Junior Australian Football Club – $1000 donation to purchase training equipment.

Buxton Netball Club Inc – $1000 donation to purchase playing/training equipment.

St Vincent De Paul Society Goulburn – $1000 donation toward the St Vincent de Paul Society 2011 Christmas Hamper program in Goulburn.

Moss Vale Community Garden – $970 donation to support the operating costs of the community garden.

Wingello Progress Association – $1000 donation to support stage one of a program of village beautification including avenue tree planting.

Collector Village Pumpkin Festival – $1000 donation to purchase ten folding tables for use at the Pumpkin Festival and by the users of the Collector Hall.

Australian Red Cross, Goulburn Charity Store – $790 donation to purchase a vacuum cleaner for the Goulburn charity store.

Goulburn Strikers Football Club – $1000 donation to provide new junior soccer team players with playing strips and coaching development.

Mittagong Preschool Kindergarten Inc – $1000 donation to upgrade an outdoor area into imaginative playspace.

Bungendore State Emergency Service – $1000 donation to install a new roller door between the kitchen and training room.

Applications to be considered in the first Veolia Mulwaree Trust funding round in 2012 close on 15 February.

Recently the Milton Ulladulla Preschool received funding of $11,390 from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust for their Sensory Garden Learning Area project.

The preschool held the official opening at the 50th Anniversary Fete on Saturday 1st October 2011. The sunny day saw families spend hours together at the fete enjoying the facilities, shady backyard and play equipment. The new area allows children of all ages and abilities the opportunity to learn through their senses while simply being interactive in the play activities.

The garden was officially opened by Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock, and was attended by Member for Gilmore Joanna Gash, Mayor Paul Green and Chairman Paul Stephenson from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust.

This was the first opportunity for the children to enjoy the garden with its play panels and they loved it – as did their families.

Estelle Lewis from the preschool said that the children were her inspiration for the idea and design of the sensory garden and their smiling faces were reward enough for all the hard work that had gone into creating the area.

President, Debbie Geerlings, said “we were looking at ways to engage all children, including additional needs children in our outdoor area. A sensory garden is something I have always admired for the flexibility, variety of interests and that it is inclusive play area. We were very excitied to receive our funding.

“Many weekends work followed, a few sleepless nights, great tradesmen and help from the parent’s committee. It has been extremely rewarding seeing the children make such good use of this space, particularly our additional needs children who were the motivation for this project,” Mrs Geerlings added.

Lake George Men’s Shed received a donation of $1000 from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust which they have used to purchase tools.

Mick Andrews, the Lake George Men’s Shed Secretary, said “the tools have allowed the men to start restoring the Old Railway Goods Shed in Bungendore. This is our new ‘home’. The tools are allowing the men to start building small community projects. The work at the shed has enabled the men to invite friends along and for us to advertise our activities in the local newspaper, which has double our membership.”

Pictured are some of the tools at the Old Railway Goods Shed in Bungendore, now ‘home’ to the Lake George Men’s Shed.

Four Shoalhaven Surf Life Saving clubs have launched into the new patrol season rescue – ready thanks to a grant from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust. The $14,942 grant was used to purchase four new inflatable rescue boat (IRB) engines to assist surf life savers from Shoalhaven Heads, Nowra-Culburra, Sussex Inlet and Mollymook clubs to be fully equipped and able to respond to any emergencies in the coming season.

“We understand the positive impact the South Coast Surf Life Saving Clubs have on our community and are happy that our contribution will ensure ongoing community safety,” said Mr Paul Stephenson, Chairman of Veolia Mulwaree Trust, at a presentation on Sunday 20th November.

IRBs are the fastest and most effective equipment for surf rescue in Australia, as they can quickly transport victims to shore where they can receive immediate first aid treatment if required.

Steve Jones, the South Coast Branch President is thrilled with the replacement engines. “Our IRBs will be fully functioning and we can continue to prevent loss of life and minimise danger thanks to the Veolia Mulwaree Trust” Mr Jones said.

“The Shoalhaven area is popular with tourists and locals, with the four clubs benefitting from this grant watching over almost 60,000 visitors on its beaches last season. The use of effective and reliable equipment is vital.”

The goal for Surf Life Saving as an organisation is to have zero preventable deaths on our coastline. “The upgrade of our IRBs may bring the South Coast Branch closer to achieving this,” says Mr Jones.

The Berry and District Garden Club hosted the annual Garden Clubs Australia Zone Friendship Day on 22 September 2011. The Friendship Day included presentations by guest speakers on garden related topics, the opportunity to browse local produce, as well as plant and garden product stalls.

Berry and District Garden Club Secretary, Jennifer Swan, wrote to thanks the Veolia Mulwaree Trust for its donation to the Club. “Many thanks for the very generous donation towards the cost of our Zone Friendship Day. It made a huge difference to the calibre of the day.”

“Your donation allowed us to cover the cost of guest speakers, which enabled us to invite two renowned members of the horticultural media – one landscaper and one an editor.

“We received tremendous positive feedback from participants, with many saying it will be a very hard act to follow.”

With a grant of $6,823 from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust, the Berry Men’s Shed has upgraded its equipment to enable members to become more productive and to work in a safer environment.

The Veolia Mulwaree Trust was one of the organisations thanked at the official opening of the Berry Men’s Shed by NSW Governor Her Excellency Marie Bashir on Friday 18 November.

Members are now able to store all paint equipment in fire proof cupboards, something they had not been able to do in the past. “The manner in which we stored paint tins in the past has always been a concern to us but now with the brand new storage containers we can store the paint in a safe working environment,” said Chris Benning from the Men’s Shed.

In addition to receiving the new fire proof cupboards, the grant also enabled the Shed to purchase welding blankets for the new welding room, as well as first aid kits and training materials to ensure members are safe at all times.

Pictured are Chris Benning and John Hudson from the Berry Men’s Shed taking delivery of the new equipment.

Thanks to a grant of $3370 from the Trust, local and through traffic will soon notice newly designed Bywong Community Association noticeboards on the main roads into Bywong. The Association was recently successful in their application for a grant to refurbish the tired and rusty noticeboards and provide some better facilities for the Bywong Hall.

The new signs allowed a redesign of something a little more relaxed, brighter and less formal – to encourage more connection to the area. The improved surface will be much easier for anyone writing up notices on the boards. A cover over the top of the signs will remove the need to refresh notices after every rainfall.

Also purchased with the grant funding was new kitchenware and chairs which will provide Hall users with safer, better tableware and the chairs are functional and safe, consistent with the needs of community and other Hall users. The secretary, Anne Goonan, said “the Hall has benefitted far beyond our original expectations. We have a range of chairs to meet all needs – sturdy and appealing timber chairs, which will blend very well with the timber of the hall, and some lower plastic chairs.”

Grant funding of $4,400 has helped the Murramarang Community Garden group to construct 32 new garden beds using pine sleepers. A windbreak has been planted using 250 plants raised from seed and plants from the local area. Beds have been filled with vegetable-mix soil and the first crops harvested and shared.

The new group has successfully completed the establishment phase of its development. There are now 60 members of the Community Garden group drawn from the communities of Kiola, Bawley Point and Termeil. The membership consists of people aged 4 to 87 years, achieving their aim of inter-generational diversity. Secretary, Judith Carroll, said “working bees have brought our community together with people of all ages. None of this could have been achieved without this grant and our community is enormously grateful.”

Local University and TAFE students can now apply for assistance through the Veolia Mulwaree Trust’s 2012 scholarship program. Ten scholarships valued at up to $3000 each are available.

Veolia Mulwaree Trust scholarships will be offered through the University of Canberra, Charles Sturt University, University of Wollongong and TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute.

The 2012 scholarships are available to students from any one of the seven Local Government Areas serviced by the Veolia Mulwaree Trust, including the Goulburn Mulwaree, Palerang, Shoalhaven, Oberon, Wingecarribee, Upper Lachlan and Wollondilly Shire Council areas.

Two $3000 scholarships will be available to students studying at each of the University of Canberra, University of Wollongong and Charles Sturt University. Four scholarships valued at $1500 each will be provided to students studying through TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute.  Recipients of the 2011 TAFE Scholarships are pictured above with Trust Chairman Paul Stephenson, left, Trustee Cr Geoff Kettle, centre, and TAFE’s Manager of District Operations – Highlands, David Guthrey, right.

Trust Chairman Paul Stephenson said the Veolia Mulwaree Trust scholarships were established in 2010 to provide financial support for students, but also to encourage professional relationships between students and employers from the region, to encourage graduates to bring their knowledge and experience back to the local area.

The scholarships will provide assistance for any purpose including travel, educational resources or course fees. Mr Stephenson encouraged all school leavers and prospective students to apply.

All administration and scholarship selection will be undertaken directly by the educational institutions and prospective applicants should contact their education provider for application forms.

Further information about the Veolia Mulwaree Trust Scholarship Program is available directly through the relevant University/TAFE via links here.

Over the past five years the Veolia Mulwaree Trust has also supported a rural doctor scholarship with the Australian National University, bringing trainee doctors to the Goulburn Base Hospital. This scholarship program will also continue in 2012.

Local University and TAFE students can now apply for assistance through the Veolia Mulwaree Trust’s 2012 scholarship program. Ten scholarships valued at up to $3000 each are available.

Veolia Mulwaree Trust scholarships will be offered through the University of Canberra, Charles Sturt University, University of Wollongong and TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute.

The 2012 scholarships are available to students from any one of the seven Local Government Areas serviced by the Veolia Mulwaree Trust, including the Goulburn Mulwaree, Palerang, Shoalhaven, Oberon, Wingecarribee, Upper Lachlan and Wollondilly Shire Council areas.

Two $3000 scholarships will be available to students studying at each of the University of Canberra, University of Wollongong and Charles Sturt University. Four scholarships valued at $1500 each will be provided to students studying through TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute.  Recipients of the 2011 TAFE Scholarships are pictured above with Trust Chairman Paul Stephenson, left, Trustee Cr Geoff Kettle, centre, and TAFE’s Manager of District Operations – Highlands, David Guthrey, right.

Trust Chairman Paul Stephenson said the Veolia Mulwaree Trust scholarships were established in 2010 to provide financial support for students, but also to encourage professional relationships between students and employers from the region, to encourage graduates to bring their knowledge and experience back to the local area.

The scholarships will provide assistance for any purpose including travel, educational resources or course fees. Mr Stephenson encouraged all school leavers and prospective students to apply.

All administration and scholarship selection will be undertaken directly by the educational institutions and prospective applicants should contact their education provider for application forms.

Further information about the Veolia Mulwaree Trust Scholarship Program is available directly through the relevant University/TAFE via links here.

Over the past five years the Veolia Mulwaree Trust has also supported a rural doctor scholarship with the Australian National University, bringing trainee doctors to the Goulburn Base Hospital. This scholarship program will also continue in 2012.

The Veolia Mulwaree Trust was pleased to support the 2011 Goulburn Relay for Life fundraiser with a donation of $5000.

Trustee John Reynolds presented the cheque to Relay for Life Committee President Rosie Curtis (pictured left) during last Saturday’s opening  ceremony at Eastgrove Park.

Organisers reported a very successful weekend with hundreds participating and around $60,000 raised towards this very worthy cause.

With a grant of $25,346 Tarago now has a recreational facility that can be enjoyed and utilised by the local community and visitors. The opening ceremony for the 1.2km walking track was held on Sunday 4th September on a typical Tarago blustery day, but the sun was welcomed by the group. Pictured are some of the Tarago and District Sporting Association members, Veolia Mulwaree Trustees, representatives from Veolia, residents and others who attended the ceremony and sausage sizzle.

Secretary, Gill Shepherd, said the Tarago Sporting Association, on behalf of it’s members and the whole community, sincerely thanks the Trust for making it possible to add the track to the recreation area, to continue to improve recreation facilities in the district.

The Veolia Mulwaree Trust funded $5883 towards a water tank and creating vegetable gardens as part of the educational environment and environmental sustainability at the SDN Crookwell Preschool.

Centre Director, Anne Reeves, said the children who attend Crookwell Preschool have been involved in nurturing the garden and enjoying fresh vegetables. Families have taken home fresh rocket to enjoy and the water tank is full and enables watering of the garden.

The project aims to encourage students to learn about the environment through ‘outdoor learning’ and interaction in developing their own garden, learn about the importance of nutrition in leading a healthy lifestyle and help Crookwell Preschool to reduce water consumption from town water supply.

The small community of Breadalbane has celebrated the completion of its new Breadalbane Community Hall which has become a vital asset to the township. An official opening ceremony, pictured left, was held on Saturday 15th October with many local people being recognised for their contribution toward the hall’s completion. The Veolia Mulwaree Trust was proud to contribute to the facility by providing a grant of $17,371 toward the cost of installing a new kitchen in the hall.

This has been a major project for the community which did not have a local hall. Upper Lachlan Shire Council Director of Environment and Planning Tina Dodson said ‘the fit out of the kitchen at the Breadalbane Community Hall has enabled full use of the facility by the local community. It will provide a long term focus for the local and wider community.” Already the hall is receiving regular usage with a local book club meeting regularly, yoga classes on offer and community social events proving popular.

The Veolia Mulwaree Trust was proud to support the township of Appin in its recent celebrations to mark the town’s bicentennary. Appin’s celebrations included a street parade, fun activities throughout the town and an address from Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair. The Trust provided a donation of $1000 which was used to provide the display of historical articles compiled by the Appin Historical Society. Society Treasurer Leanne Zautsen said it was wonderful to celebrate Appin’s 200th birthday and was a benefit to the local and surrounding communities to enjoy the history of Appin.