Committee Meeting Feedback

---- Veterans Health Week Event - Port Parham 29 SEP 23 ----At our Management Committee meeting on Monday, 11 September 23 we discussed numerous routine matters of little interest to members and a few issues that may be of interest. Details follow:

Our new Honour Board Wall

We're delighted to say that after years of wishful thinking, the Honour Board Wall has been completed to stage one. 

This was a long-term wish of President Trevor Klose and I know he's delighted to see it eventually come true during his presidency. It's the most significant change to the Hut since the kitchen revamp several years ago. Stage two promises to be even more exciting.

Thanks to a grant from the Department of Veteran's Affairs via its "Saluting their Service" program and with a small amount of our own funding, we've been able to get stage one completed.

Liddy Building has done an exceptional job constructing this wall for us. The brickwork on the bottom looks amazing and when you look through the door in the middle, in the background is our cross on which we focus during our ode. There is some work to do on the background wall and in the two boxes shown as black backgrounds, we'll have the names of our fallen heroes.

At the rear of the wall are some open spaces in which we intend to build storage spaces.

When next you visit, take a good look at our Honour Board Wall and tell us what you think. We'd love to hear from you.

Veterans Health Week - Port Parham

The Committee has arranged for a Veterans Health Week crabbing and Mental Wellness event on 29 September 23. Everyone on our mailing list would have received an invitation. If you didn't and you'd like one, please email us, but be fast, there are limited spaces.

Donation to Legacy

In keeping with our policy to give back to our community who so generously give to us, the Committee has approved for a $250 donation to Legacy Barossa-Light in support of their recent Legacy Week fundraising campaign. The money goes towards supporting veterans families.

Flooring Replacement

Funds have been approved to replace the linoleum flooring between the main hall and the kitchen which is in a sorry state of repair. That will be replaced by Carpet Court on 10-11 October 23.

Fathers' Day Raffle

Thanks largely to Committee members Jan and Denis Tompkins, our raffle was a huge success. It exceeded all expectations and reflected on the quality of the prizes on offer. All prizes were donated by local businesses.

Barossa Regional Gallery Meetings

Meetings between our Executive Committee members and staff at the Gallery are continuing with a view to having a permanent display of ADF memorabilia placed there on our behalf.

Grant for Audio System

A grant application has been submitted to Mr Tony Pasin MP for the purchase of an audio system we can use in-house and also at the Tanunda Memorial Garden on our two commemorative days annually.

Remembrance Day Planning

Remembrance Day planning has commenced and Charmane Klose is seeking volunteers to staff our memorabilia sales kiosk outside Foodland Tanunda on 8-9 November respectively. If you would like to help out, please let us know.

Our Honour Board Wall - A Work in Progress

---- We open most Fridays from 5 pm. Everyone is welcome you don't need to be an ADF service member or a veteran ---- I just had to tell you about our new Honour Board Wall.

We applied to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) under their 'Saluting their Service' grants offering and were granted sufficient to begin work on our new Honour Board wall.

We've been waiting for months to get started because construction trades are so busy, our little job had to wait.

However, Liddy Building, a Barossa-based company gave us a quote and this week work began. These guys really know their stuff.

The image shows the first stage of construction.

Later, electrical work will be completed - lighting to light up our honour boards that go in the recessed parts, and we'll transfer the names of our veterans from all wars into their new display space.

Through the doorway we will see our lighted cross towards which we look when stating our RSL Ode: "They grow not old as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget."

Our Hut was transferred to its current location at the Tanunda Recreation Park in 1946 and hopefully will be here for many years to come.

We'll post more images when the Honour Board is completed.

Veterans Health Week

---- The next Committee Meeting is on Monday, 11 Sep 23 ----Every year we hold a Veterans Health Week in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs who fund our activity.

Every year there is a different theme. As you can see on the image at left, the theme this year is "Mental Wellness Matters." It's all about mental health, which is an important matter for veterans, many who experience Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the many horrors they experienced during their service.

Those of us who have never experienced combat will never understand how they feel, but we are here to help and that is what these type events are for. To help the healing process and to let our fellow veterans know that we are here for them. They aren't forgotten.

Your committee is working on an activity for this year and the event will occur on 29 September 23, an earlier alternative date than that shown on the image.

Bookmark this space and we'll let you know all the details about what we have planned in the next week or two.

Legacy South Australia Needs our Help

---- Legacy supports the families of veterans ---- Legacy has an annual fundraising week that commences on 28 August and runs until 2 September this year.

With the large number of Australian Defence Force members who serve/have served in the Middle East over extended periods, there are now numerous families who have lost a serving member. 

The widows and widowers now tend to be a younger group than those from the previous wars and peace-keeping operations, some with young children.

This year is Legacy's 100th anniversary of 'Serving the families of those who served' and Legacy services will be needed well into the future.

The Barossa-Light Legacy Group is active in serving the needs of numerous benefactors within our region.

Any donations or purchase of products you make helps these families and is greatly appreciated.