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MSWA Bulletin Magazine Summer 17

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VOLUNTEERING DAWN BURKE,

VOLUNTEERING DAWN BURKE, MSWA COORDINATOR VOLUNTEERS Hello again and into another season we go. Summer and Christmas are here with some beautiful weather along the way, 2017 is drawing to an end, and new beginnings are approaching for 2018. It’s nice to be catching up with you all again. I was missing in action over the months of September and October, but never fear, I am back on board and ready to rock ‘n’ roll. I must say, I missed seeing my volunteers and staff over these months, but don’t you worry, I will be making up for it. The last official engagement I did, prior to this article, was to attend the Members Camp on Rottnest. What a lovely few days everyone had, and these events don’t happen on their own. With four staff working and volunteering after hours on camp, as well as the two very special volunteers, Rosalind and Kim, it was head down and get into it! This was Kim’s first camp helping in the kitchen, and preparing food for everyone for the first night was a massive job. Thanks to Justine and Kim, we were able to feed the masses an amazing feast. The weather was perfect, beaches serene and the sunrise was marvellous. As you know, I’m very fond of dressing up on these occasions and everyone got on board and joined in. My sincerest apologies to all the volunteers who celebrated their birthdays throughout September and October, due to my unexpected absence I was unable to send you a birthday card. I’m wishing your year ahead to be as beautiful as you all are, and I hope you had a great birthday. So much goes on here at Wilson and the other Centres, especially acknowledging different themes. For those who joined in with Halloween celebrations, the kitchen at Wilson looked very spooky. Melbourne Cup came and went! To the volunteers in the kitchen and those running the sweeps and raffles on the day, my hat goes off to you for the extra work you put in to make this annual lunch successful. Without our volunteers and the extra bit of effort they put in, events like these couldn’t happen. Volunteering WA are a great resource and assist with training and advertising any vacancies we may have here at MSWA. VWA are trying to get volunteer managers recognised for the work they do and have created different levels of criteria to meet to reach certain levels. I have been fortunate to meet their first level of recognition and have received a Certificate for Administrator Level Endorsement. I will strive to reach the next level by the end of 2018. I will keep you posted on my endeavours. Sunday, 5 November was International Volunteer Managers day. Many of the Volunteer Resource Centres put on events to recognise the managers and coordinators in the efforts they do in working with you, our wonderful volunteers. I feel truly privileged to work alongside you all and look forward to our bright and wonderful future together here at MSWA. Tuesday, 7 November was International Volunteers Day. This day recognises volunteers all over the world and the fantastic work, commitment and achievements they provide to people and organisations. Some organisations are run solely by volunteers, and without them the organisations and those they serve just wouldn’t exist. Other organisation’s volunteers, such as ours at MSWA, help make the impossible happen and provide that little bit extra that makes a difference to our Members, carers and staff. International Volunteers Day provides a forum to applaud you all and recognise the contribution you make to the world. On a more sombre note, one of our long serving volunteers, Jean Kelly has died. Jean volunteered with MSWA from 1983, mainly with the fundraising team, in the mail room and collecting the envelopes and removing the stamps. Jean was MSWA’s Commitment Award recipient in 2003. She died a week before she was to be awarded the Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary, for her work in the community over the years. Jean’s award was accepted by her family. We send our condolences to her family and acknowledge the valued contribution Jean made to MSWA and the wider community. By the time you receive this newsletter the Christmas Party for Members, volunteers and staff will be well and truly over. I will write more in the next Bulletin with all the goss, but needless to say I will probably be looking a bit wild and wacky in the photos, in the themed colours of red and gold with a splash of green. I must say, for someone who has been MIA, I found enough to say for this edition of the Bulletin. Imagine what I have to say on a day to day basis! I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the wonderful job that you do. MSWA wouldn’t be the same without you, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. I hope you had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and summer break, and let’s bring in 2018 as loud as we can. Until next time, Dawn. 28 | MSWA BULLETIN SUMMER 2017

FUNDRAISING NEWS The MSWA Mega Home Lottery, our biggest fundraiser! It’s the phone call Chris Burness will never forget. A call to tell him that he and his partner Alida van Bosch had become multi-millionaires as the Grand Prize winners of a fully furnished, luxury .75 million Webb & Brown-Neaves City Beach show home and 0,000 cash, courtesy of MSWA’s Mega Home Lottery. “I was driving when the phone rang, so I had to pull over, and I heard the lady say something about MSWA lottery and I remembered that Alida had sent me a message to remind me that the lottery was being drawn today, I’d forgotten all about it. I thought I might have won a holiday, so it was such a surprise to hear I’d won the house and the money. It still feels quite surreal,” said Chris. “It’s life changing and we’re both so grateful, but we believe that with a gift like this comes responsibilities. It won’t change who we are as people, I’ll still keep going to work,” said Alida. Funds raised from this MSWA Mega Home Lottery will stay in WA to directly support people living with MS and all other neurological conditions, their families and carers. CEO Marcus Stafford said, “When I heard Chris and Alida’s story I couldn’t think of a more deserving and down-to-earth couple, it’s a prize that’s changed their lives forever and I wish them all the best for the future. I’d like to thank them and everyone else who bought a ticket in the MSWA Mega Home Lottery because the money raised helps us to change the lives of people with multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions. “This year alone we’ve invested a record .6 million dollars into research to help to find the cause and cure for MS and all other neurological conditions. We’re spending almost million to build a 10-unit high-support accommodation facility, with a services hub adjacent in Butler. And in the not-too-distant future we’re looking to establish high-support accommodation facilities in Albany and Shenton Park. We’re also increasing the number of services we can provide to our Members, their families and carers. All this is made possible because of the generosity of the people of Western Australia.” If you are interested in the MSWA 2018 Mega Home Lottery, please visit: www.mswalottery.com.au BUSSELTON TUESDAY ART GROUP A few months ago, one of our Busselton Members, Jeanette, suggested we start up an art group, with a few ladies that she had met through a fund-raising event and at our MSWA Busselton Outreach Group. So, an art group was created. After much discussion and many ideas, we decided that our first project would be making something using mosaics and the results are amazing. Our Tuesday Busselton Art Group meets every second Tuesday of each month from 10am until 2pm. At the end of each Tuesday we decide at whose house we will host next month’s meeting. The ladies have enjoyed using mosaics so much they are planning to create another project with ideas already being considered. If you are interested please contact MSWA Busselton on 9754 2320. To celebrate our success, we treated ourselves to a High Tea. MSWA BULLETIN SUMMER 2017 | 29

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