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Upcoming Events
'Get to know us' night
28-May-2012 7.30pm
Upstairs at PJ Gallagher's Irish Pub, Drummoyne
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2012 AGM
19-Jun-2012 7.30pm
Drummoyne Civic Centre
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Trivia Night
22-Jun-2012
Concord RSL
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2012 Charity Ball
27-Jul-2012 7pm
Dockside Darling Harbour
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INFO FROM SOME OF OUR EVENTS IN 2012

(events are in chronological order starting with the most recent)
 
Community Bush Dance, Drummoyne Civic Centre, Sat 28 April 2012
Our first Community Bush Dance was great fun! The Currawong Bush Band kept everyone dancing, and we were also joined by Jack Brooks and John Conden as fantastic guest singers during one of the band's breaks.

It was a sensational community building event, with proceeds going to help our partner community in Rainbow Village, South Vietnam.

Thank you to Warwick Williams for being our Major Sponsor for the Bush Dance. And a big thank you PJ Gallagher's Irish Pub, Over the Top Hair, and Thai Orchid Cuisine for their generous donations toward our raffle on the night. Thank you too to our band of enthusiastic volunteers who helped organise and run the night. Here are some photos...

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Immersion Trip to Cebu in the Philippines, 11 - 21 April 2012
In April, a group of 15 Communities for Communities volunteers visited Cebu in the Philippines. The location, San Pio Village, was the destination of the first C4C immersion trip in 2006. In many ways the 2012 trip was a homecoming. The links between C4C Canada Bay and San Pio Village are strong, built on the goodwill generated by the original trip and the ongoing financial support provided by C4C to the village building program.

San Pio Village is being built to house some of the poorest of Cebu's residents, many living on the nearby Inayawan garbage tip and eking out a living scavenging. The plan is to build 300 houses on the site plus a Livelihood Centre which can be used by the residents for income generating activities. The first group of families moved into the village in 2008.

Our 2012 team was a lively group, mostly women and with five Year 9 and 10 girls. Our oldest member was Josie, who is a grandmother.

On our first morning we had a briefing from a number of the community leaders from the village and Father John Iacono, an Australian Catholic priest who has been ministering to the people of Inayawan for 15 years and who was instrumental in establishing San Pio. We then set to work doing brickwork, painting and transporting gravel for concrete. While the weather was quite mild for the Philippines, we all took some adjustment to working in the hot humid conditions.

The families of San Pio could not have been more welcoming. The children (who were on school holidays) loved having visitors and many of the adults remembered C4C from the 2006 trip. Everyone was aware of the financial support that the people of Canada Bay had provided and often expressed their thanks. Of course, some thought we were crazy to come over and work in the heat but what they perhaps didn't appreciate was how much we learnt from spending time in their community.

On the third day we visited the Inayawan garbage dump. This was a very powerful experience for everyone. Several hundred families live on the dumpsite in cramped makeshift shanties with no running water or electricity. It is filthy and the stench unbelievable. And we were there on a sunny day. We could imagine what it would be like in the wet season. The garbage dump is not only deeply unhygenic it is also dangerous and has many social problems. It is no place for children to grow up. Thankfully, another group of families from Inayawan are about to move to San Pio, but there will still be many left behind.

We also visited the Bethlehem Day Care Centre, which was set up by the Australian based Bethlehem foundation to provide early schooling to the children of Inayawan. We were regaled with 2 verses of Advance Australia Fair and spent some time with the children.

On another day we went with Father John to the local prison where he also ministers. This was a somewhat unnerving experience at first but we soon found ourselves being made very welcome. There was singing and a number of the inmates gave short testimonials on why they were in prison and their plans for the future. Interestingly, not all were from poor families.

Over the week we managed to do a lot of useful work at the village. One of the main tasks was to paint the outside of the newest row of houses. We also worked on the second floor of the new Livelihood Centre and dug trenches for the wall being built around the site. As we worked we had constant company from the children.

For me the greatest pleasure was mixing with the host families. As well as having fun, I was moved by the dignity and good grace with which these families persevered to improve their lives under very trying circumstances. The women who provided our breakfast and cooked us lunch quickly became friends. There was a lot of laughter. A number of events were organised, including a sports afternoon and, on the last night, a farewell concert and a rare feast including a suckling pig. There was some beautiful local dancing and some not-so-traditional singing. The Australian visitors sang 'We are Australian' followed by a version of the 'Dougie' dance, led by our younger team members!

As well as developing relationships with the community, we also had fun amongst ourselves. We celebrated two birthdays while we were away, a 15th and a 16th. We had some fun nights including karaoke and a visit to Cebu's tallest building for a sky walk.

So what did the trip mean to me? As always, when doing these immersions, it is a reminder of how fortunate we are to live in a prosperous country like Australia. And I was gratified to see the money raised in Canada Bay turned into bricks and mortar, providing homes for families and, in the Livelihood Centre, a place to earn a living.

However, it was also a reminder to me of our connectedness and the importance of community. At San Pio Village community and belonging is vitally important and is at the heart of how they live. We were touched by that sense of shared endeavour and concern during our visit and, I would like to think, brought some of it back to Australia.

Rob Neely
Trip Leader
Cinema in the Park, Rhodes Foreshore Park, Sat 24th March 2012

We enjoyed a lovely community gathering with the screening of Disney's 'Tangled' by the bay at Rhodes. Hosted in partnership with the City of Canada Bay Council, several hundred people sat under the stars on a mild evening, many of whom had taken part in Neighbour Day activities held by Council throughout the afternoon.

No Frills Honey provided some great live music before the movie got underway, and we also screened our 2009 film of the Immersion Trip to Rainbow Village in South Vietnam. A huge thank you to our big group of volunteers (including Five Dock and Drummoyne Rotary) who worked during the daytime and/or evening activities in a variety of roles - we could not do it without you!

A special thank you to the people of Rhodes who have embraced this family event so warmly and who contributed to building homes and community facilities in Rainbow Village through purchasing food and refreshments, glowsticks and candles.

Enjoy some photos from the night:
 
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And here are some photos from Neighbour Day:
10th Annual Charity Golf Day and 10th birthday dinner, Concord Golf Club, 3.2.12
 

           
What a fantastic start we have had to 2012!

In uncharacteristic cool and damp conditions, a full field of golfers enjoyed a round at the prestigious Concord Golf Club. Special mention must go to Tony Watson - a veteran of all of our ten golf days to date - who not only beat the Pro on the 14th hole - but also managed to score a hole-in-one on the 14th. The word is that it is the first hole-in-one in this event's history. Congratulations Tony!

A day like this does not happen without the unfailing support of our tireless team of volunteers who planned and ran the day so well, those who turned up to play, and of course our amazing sponsors:

Double Platinum
Stuart Zadel of Think & Grow Rich books
Gold
City of Canada Bay Council
Briars at Greenlees
Seasonal Suppliers
Silver
Alex Ebert Accounting and Taxation Services
Caring Funerals
Haywards Solicitors

Thank you all!

The day was set off beautifully by our wonderful 10th birthday dinner. Around 200 supporters turned up for a banquet dinner, great speakers (thank you to guest comedian John Kelly and keynote speaker, the Hon Charlie Lynn MLA), a well-supported auction capably and enthusiastically run by our good friend Charlie Powell, fantastic live music and a tribute to Communities for Communities ten years by our President, Jacque Weaver and Founder, Lance Brooks. Thank you to our wonderful MC Chris Castle (who stepped up at the last minute) and all the great staff at Concord Golf Club too!

We now look forward to the next ten years of Communities for Communities!

Please enjoy some photos from this event:
 
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Last Updated 22-May-2012 07:41 AM