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MSWA Bulletin Magazine Autumn 2020

A fresh look for NDIS support We’re all in this together – a message from our CEO Myth busting the stigma of attending counselling Food matters

VOLUNTEERING VOLUNTEER

VOLUNTEERING VOLUNTEER UPDATE Members and Volunteers Christmas Party 2019: Endera Padmanathan, Bee Lean Kim, Mary Cross, Swee Yong Fong and Maria Mades. Hello again, and welcome to the first Bulletin for 2020. I like to think of this as the ’Big Bash Issue’. All diehard cricket fans will know what I am talking about. For those who don’t, 20/20 is the fast paced cricket matches that are over in half a day. The idea is to bash as many balls as far as you can in 20 overs, hence the name ‘Big Bash’. And of course, January and February is definitely cricket season. On the other side of the coin, and by the time you are reading through this Bulletin, Footy season will be upon us. It is amazing how quickly the seasons come and go. Sometimes it feels like the years are flicking over like the pages of this Bulletin. Firstly, belated Happy New Year to you all! Between Christmas and January is always a blur, with departments shutting down, staff, volunteers and Members going away and trying to hide from the heat. Come February though, everything is back in full swing and it is Go! Go! Go! A new year always brings new beginnings, and this is true when it comes to new volunteers wishing to be part of our wonderful MSWA team. This is one of the busiest times of the year for recruiting, as many people seek a change for many reasons, and luckily for us, this includes volunteering. People may choose to volunteer because they have recently retired; have a loved one or have themselves been diagnosed with MS; have started studying and are looking for experience and new skills; and those who have completed their studies and are looking for experience to get into the workforce. No matter what the reason you have chosen to become a new volunteer with MSWA, we are truly appreciative of what you can bring to us in the way of experience, skill, knowledge and personal flair. So, I send to all our newbies a very heartfelt welcome. To those who continue with us year after year, welcome back and may the new year bring you just as much joy as the last! Since we last spoke, we had our amazing Members and Volunteers Christmas Party. This event always takes quite some planning and I can report it went off without any hitches. Thank you again to QBE volunteers for assisting with set up, serving and pack up. To all the numerous staff that helped behind the scenes in the months leading up to the day and on the day to make it all happen, thank you for your support. As we all know, these things don’t just happen. I can’t thank you all enough and am already looking forward to this year’s celebration. My outfit – or, as my daughter calls it, my Outfit Of The Day (OOTT) – was a wonderful sleigh hanging around my waist and an elf hat with piggy tails on my head with jingling elf boots. As always, I was very busy dancing and waving my ribbon around entertaining, or possibly annoying, many. The food was great, the entertainment exceptional and Santa amazing as always. I trust you all enjoyed it as much as I did. If you know of someone wanting to volunteer, please encourage them to call me on 9365 4843 or email volunteer.coordinator@mswa.org. au and we can discuss current opportunities available. Once again, thank you for your time, it is truly valued and appreciated. I look forward to catching up with you throughout the year; my door is always open, and as always, I am happy to have a chat, even if it is just to say g’day. Take care and bye for now. DAWN BURKE VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR 28

FROM THE EVENTS TEAM Welcome to 2020! It’s been a busy start to the year here in the Events Team. We kicked off this quarter with our MSWA Albany Ride, which saw the event break records with participants and fundraising. Due to current social distancing advice, we’ve made the decision to postpone regular events, such as Step Up, but we really look forward to bringing these MSWA favourites to you again soon. When we do, we’ll need new and past volunteers to come and join our team, so do get in touch to express your interest and we’ll let you know when it’s time for the fun to start! If you would like to get involved, please give me a call on 6454 3116 or email events@mswa.org.au for any further information. I hope to see you at an event soon. TRISH WATSON COMMUNITY EVENTS AND FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR Volunteer, Ann Wallington, directing participants at the Albany Ride. MSWA ALBANY RIDE 2020 Well done to everyone who participated in this fabulous event. 29

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