BALES FROM THE BEACH 2019
An Avalon RSL Community Crew Initiative - Supported by Barrenjoey Designs

CURRENT TOTAL : $10,876!
20/12/2019 - 11:15am

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Tottenham NSW - 2019
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OUR 2018 BALES FROM THE BEACH TRUCK
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Tottenham - 2019

Opening Address ...

Last year you were all amazing in your support of our 'Bales from the Beach' Fundraiser and we were able assist in getting close to $18,000 to farming communities through Aussie Helpers. We thank you so much for this however in the lead up to Christmas we again are asking you to dig deep.

Sadly the drought has not improved and farming communities are doing tougher than ever with some towns on the verge of running out of water. Many farmers are sending their livestock for slaughter, and for many there are no crops to harvest leaving no income for these farmers. This then has a ripple effect throughout these towns and their businesses, some of which are completely reliant on the farming community. Many in these communities are at breaking point, and the mental health of many in these communities is of great concern.

This time we are taking an 'adopt a town' strategy whereby we have decided to concentrate on raising funds for the small farming community of Tottenham in central NSW. Tottenham is in an area severely affect by the drought with a population of around 450. 100% of funds raised will be injected directly into the community in way of gift vouchers for local businesses and supermarkets and eftpos cards. Along with the raising of funds through bales we will also be collecting any goods to take to the community however would like to request Kids Xmas Gifts as the priority. We will be engaging with the local schools and kindergartens in from Newport to Palm Beach who were so amazing in their contributions last year and would love to have Christmas Cards from the local schools to deliver to the families in Tottenham.

In December representatives from the Avalon RSL Club Community Crew will travel to Tottenham to deliver any good and all funds raised to be delivered just in time for Christmas.

We know the Avalon Community can't make it rain, but what we do know is that we can bring a little joy, hope, and support to our friends in the bush through a very difficult time.

Bales will be for sale in the club and online. We will also have packs available for the local schools and businesses at request. We have set a target for this year is $20,000.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Angus Rimmer - General Manager

GM Update ... (19/11/2019)

I wanted to provide an update on the 2019 Bales from the beach fundraiser. It’s been a slow start however we know we can get there with your support! Please read on.

As mentioned, this year we are taking an adopt a town strategy and the town we have chosen in Tottenham in Central NSW which is an area severely affected by drought.

This is a little community town with a big spirit, and they are really doing it tough. Not being able to have proper showers and having to go to the local bowling club to do their clothes washing, the little things that we take for granted are not possible for many in the community of Tottenham.
It is our mission for Avalon RSL Club with the help of the community to make a few little things happen for this community.

We have contacts in the town of Tottenham (Central, NSW) and we have established a specific wish list that we are aiming to raise funds for:

  • The Tottenham Community Christmas Tree Event – Amount $3000
  • The local Preschool - Christmas Party and Art & Craft Supplies - $1500-3000
  • The Day Centre (Seniors) & Hospital Patients – Christmas Party – $1500-2500

Times are very tough in drought affected regions such as Tottenham and it is important for the communities to be able to come together at a time like these. Being able to assist with funding these events takes the financial pressure off local families ensuring they can attend and take a break from the harsh realities of the effects of the drought. Mental health is a huge issue in these drought affected regions and attending local community gatherings ensures the facilitation of those who are struggling getting much needed emotional support.

I want to thank all who have donated so far to our cause however we still have a way to go. Presently we have donations of around $1800. We would like to at least achieve a target of $6000 to be able to fund the events listed to a minimum. The club will be also contributing some funds and further initiatives will be announced in the coming days.
So what can you do? Please take the time to donate as little as $10 to bring some Xmas Joy to Tottenham. Bales are available on our website or anywhere in the club on your next visit. You can be assured that all funds donated will go directly to the Tottenham community and a few of our own crew will be attending the Community Christmas Tree event to assist and we will be sure to share some photos from the trip.
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More about the events:
The Community Christmas Tree - The main aim of the Christmas Tree event is to get everyone in the Tottenham together to celebrate Christmas. The school/town band together with the Salvation Army Band from Dubbo play Christmas carols into the evening. The local Lions Club cooks the BBQ, the Youth Club sell the drinks and Men’s Shed do supper.  Santa arrives in town on our old town fire engine, a Garford, and he proceeds to hand out presents to the children. The presents are pre-arranged (parents put kids names down). There is a raffle of which all prizes are purchased from local businesses to support them in the current economic climate. Funds raised by ‘Bales from the Beach’ will help purchase raffle prizes, kids presents, and fund the bbq, supper and drinks for approximately 500 people who attend.

The Day Centre – This centre looks after the older members of the Tottenham Community. They will be having a Christmas Party for the ones who are able to get out and about at a local hotel called the Rabbit Trap. They will also have a party in the hospital for those unable to leave the hospital and their families.
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The Local Preschool – The local preschool has been struggling as they also act as the community day care. As many families have struggled to be able to send their kids due to financial difficulty stemmed from the drought, this has had a flow on affect to the centre. The funds will assist with their end of year celebration and go towards supplies for art and craft for the little ones. 
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GM Update (29/11/2019)

We are now up to $5400 in donations so we have made approximately another $1200 since our update on Wednesday. We are now 2 weeks away from our visit to Tottenham on the 15th December. I am pleased to say we have almost funded the 3 projects as I have previous mentioned however there is still a list of projects we wish to assist with in the town of Tottenham. Please consider a bale for as little as $10.

Online donations can be made here: https://www.avalonrsl.com.au/balesfromthebeach2019.html

We now have our Xmas tree up in the club and are commencing our next part of this project called the Tree for Tottenham where by we are asking the community to donate gifts and items for hampers that will be distributed directly into the community when we travel there on the 15th December. The gifts have started to arrive so please if you could consider dropping something in that would be fantastic.
Thanks again for your support.
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Angus Rimmer - GM

GM Update (26/11/2019)

Dear Avalon Community,
I am pleased to update on our Bales from the Beach progress. WE HAVE NOW RAISED OVER $4000!

Thank you so much to all those who donated – the generosity of the extended Avalon community is just sensational.
What this means is that we have now fully funded the Tottenham Xmas Community Tree event, and almost $1500 towards the Day Club event for some of the elderly and hospitalised in the community. We still would at least like to raise another few thousand to also fully fund the Tottenham Local Preschool along with some other initiatives that will directly assist the community.

As of this week we will also be commencing the ‘Tree for Tottenham’ drive where we would love gifts or hamper/hamper items to be able to deliver to the Tottenham community when a few of the Avalon RSL Club Community Crew will deliver these at their event on Sunday 15th December. We will look forward to sharing this experience with you.

Please consider 1) Buying a Bale 2) Donating a gift to our Tottenham Christmas Tree which will be in the club entrance.

Thank you all again so much for the generous support thus far!

Please take a 5 minutes of your day to watch this video…
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“There’s cracks in the ground, there’s cracks in the community” and this is why we must support our regional communities.

Angus Rimmer - GM
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY BARRENJOEY DESIGNS