Annual Report 2013 - 2014bancnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BANC-annual-report-2014-FINAL.pdfMembers Anna Ingham Bryn Town Carmel Vanny Gareth Williams Greg Bull Jo Ridley Kathleen

Blackheath Area

Neighbourhood Centre

Annual Report

2013 - 2014

Blackheath Area

Neighbourhood Centre

Annual Report

2013 - 2014

BANC - Working for people and the small communities at the top of the Mountains Page | 2

ABN 83 058 109 149

BANC acknowledges the Gundungurra and Darug peoples as the traditional owners of the land.

For assistance with funding, BANC acknowledges:

Department of Family and Community Services, incorporating the agencies of Community Service, and Ageing, Disability and Home Care;

NSW Office of Fair Trading; NSW Treasury Community Building Partnership Program;

Department of Social Services; Department of Education and Communities;

Blue Mountains City Council; and the Australian Sports Commission

Gardiner Crescent, BLACKHEATH NSW 2785

Tel: (02) 4787 7770

Fax: (02) 4787 7777

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.banc.org.au

Serving the communities of the Upper Blue Mountains - Blackheath, Medlow Bath, Megalong, Shipley, Bell, Mount Victoria and Mount Irvine, Mount Wilson and Mount Tomah as well as the

broader area for some services.

Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre Inc. (BANC)

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.banc.org.au/


Introduction to BANC 3

Management Committee 2013-2014 4

BANC Staff 5

Volunteers at BANC 6

President’s Report 8

Manager’s Report 10

Community Access Service (CAS) 15

BOOSH Report 21

No Interest Loans (NILS) 24

Neighbourhood Centre Vault 26

Community Development Worker’s Report 27

Cyber_Shed 31

BANC on Air 33

Welcome Table 33

The ‘heathens 34

Blackheath Walkers – Heart Foundation Walking 35

Blackheath School for Seniors 36

Audited Financial Statement – Treasurer’s Report 37

Contents

BANC is also proud to be connected through formal auspice to a number of community

groups and programs including:

Blackheath Philosophy Forum

Blackheath History Forum

Blue Mountains Permaculture Network

One in Five Creative Arts Association


Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre (BANC) is a not-for-profit community based organisation

that is based in Blackheath and serves local communities, principally in the Upper Blue Mountains of

NSW but also more broadly.

BANC supports activities and services that enhance its communities, provides programs that

empower people to improve the quality of their life and realise their potential and works to build a

community that supports its members.

We seek to be inclusive, help people connect, and build community resilience.

BANC exists to serve our community. We believe that a strong, vibrant community holds its

members, supporting each member to meet their potential and to live constructive, meaningful and

participatory lives. BANC holds that a neighbourhood centre is a hub within the community for

organising activities that allow people to meet one another, build skills, align interests, advocate and

work together.

BANC will ensure that sustainability and resilience inform its decisions. Wherever possible we will

select green, recyclable, local options, always mindful that BANC’s area of operation is in the heart

of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

BANC is committed to social justice, access and equity for all through a working methodology of community development. BANC is managed by a voluntary Management Committee. BANC gained its autonomy from Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre Inc. and was incorporated under

the Incorporated Associations Act of 1984 on 27 January 1993. We are funded for core

neighbourhood programs by the Department of Family and Community Services (Community

Services and Ageing, Disability and Home Care). We also receive support of a non-monetary nature

from locally based organisations including Blackheath and District Chamber of Commerce and

Community, the Rotary Club of Blackheath, Rotary Club of Upper Blue Mountains Sunrise and Blue

Mountains City Council. BANC also acknowledges the philanthropic support that the Ian Potter

Foundation and Perpetual Trustees have provided in the past for the NILS program.

Introduction to BANC

BANC MISSION

Connecting people with communities Creating opportunities for inclusion

Contributing to resilience of people and place

BANC values

• Inclusiveness • Sustainability • Equity • Social Justice


From October 2013 to June 2014:

President Judy Spencer (October 2013 to March 2014) Di Shanks (from March 2014)

Vice-President Di Shanks (October 2013 to March 2014) Sandra Hoot (from March 2014)

Secretary Rebekah Strunz Treasurer Chris Arnott Members Anna Ingham

Bryn Town Carmel Vanny Gareth Williams Greg Bull Jo Ridley Kathleen Chirgwin Roger Illingworth

And 2012-2013 Management Committee members who stood down at the AGM in December 2013:

Scott Linstid Member Tim Egan Member

Management Committee 2013-2014

Anna Ingham with Simon Hare

Management Committee – From left: Gareth Williams, Jo Ridley,

Kathleen Chirgwin, Di Shanks, Sandra Hoot, Chris Arnott, Chris Livanos,

Bryn Town.

Management Committee earlier in the year – From left: Sandra Hoot,

Greg Bull, Di Shanks, Carmel Vanny, Chris Arnott, Rebekah Strunz, Roger

Illingworth


Working from the Neighbourhood Centre (the Vault) Manager/Community Development Worker Judy Finch Finance Manager Barbra McCauley Office Administrator Leah Godfrey Community Resilience Worker Deborah Allen Community Development Worker Jo Davies Cleaner Michael Clarke Community Projects Worker Cornelia Gartner Cyber_Shed Coordinator Simon Hare BOOSH - Before and After School and Vacation Care

Co-ordinator Therese Faerie Child Care Worker (and Assistant Coordinator) Alison Rodrigo Casual Child Care Workers Jackie Gilchrist

Bianca Wolff Janet Sylph Clare Carroll Maaike Lauwerens Sana Bilal Meara Robinson Rebecca McCauley Jasmine Muller Jenna Cosgrove Rose Freer Trent Kennaugh Nicky Roxburgh

Community Access Service Recreation Project, Community Based Activities and Katoomba Program

Coordinator Tiffany Coles (until December 2013) Sue Johnston (from April 2014) Recreation Program Coordinator Helen Stanborough Community Based Activities Coordinator Chris Muzzatti Katoomba Program Co-ordinator Sharon Naylor Disability Support Workers Claire Grover Helen Boza

Steve Ainsworth Caroline Mitchell Trent Kennaugh Hilary Thomson Murray Reid Mandy Richards Nancy Ryan Anne Lualua David Oon Michael Corkin Helen Lawrence Jak Callick Nadia Kankindji Andrea Bower

BANC Staff


Allan Kessing Driver Allie Fenton Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Alyson Clucas Reception Anne Dillon Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Anne Muddle Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Annie Mason Reception Arthur Irving Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Barry Cole Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Brigid White Events Bryn Town Radio Blue Mountains host and NILS Committee Carol Ketlehohn Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Catherine Cole Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Chris Arnott NILS Committee David Banks Handyman Emma Franklin Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Esther Shanks BOOSH Eva Ellison Blackheath Walkers Evelyn Straker Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Fran Reid Reception Gabrielle Byrne Reception and CAS Gordon Watson School for Seniors Howard Barton Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Ian Gilchrist Blackheath Walkers John Sim School for Seniors Josee de Fondaumiere Reception Judith Faulder Reception and School for Seniors Judy Kenyon Blackheath Walkers Co-ordinator (resigned during period) Ken Bromilow Reception Lois Horton-James Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Lyndsay Charlton BOOSH Maaike Lauwerens School as Hub Playgroup Margaret Egan Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Marie Jeffrys Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Mark Horton Radio Blue Mountains host Mark Murnane Community Access Service Marlene Baker Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Meara Robinson Events Mel Collins Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Michael Stanley Cyber_Shed Nancy Irving Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Nicky Roxburgh Reception and Projects Nolene Lowes Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Octavia O’Brien School for Seniors and Reception Pat Whitehead School as Hub Playgroup Patrick Lee Community Access Service and Reception Peter Austin Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Peter Karsten Office assistance & Reception Phil Irvine Reception

Volunteers @ BANC

Susan Shipway

Gabrielle Byrne

Peter Karsten


Rebekkah Powderly Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Rob Peters Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Ros Wells Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Ross Danes Community Access Service Scott Linstid Reception and NILS Committee Sherida Currie Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Simon Hare Cyber_Shed Stefan Indyka School for Seniors Sue Town Movie Magic Susan Shipway Reception Tilly Clement Events Tony Sherlock Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School Vera Hartley Community reader at Mt Victoria Public School If you phone BANC, the chances are that the person who answers the phone is a Volunteer. The person who designed and typeset this annual report is a Volunteer. At Playgroup, on the School for Seniors bus trips, tutoring at Cyber_Shed, hosting The Blackheath Hour radio show, leading the Blackheath Walkers group – Volunteers are everywhere at BANC! Hundreds of community members volunteer as part of a wide range of groups and associations, all focused on improving opportunities in our communities and making our towns better places in which to live. This individual and cumulative effort makes our community a rich place to live. Volunteers provide not only time, energy and expertise at BANC. So many of the activities that BANC provides simply could not function without the dedication of our wonderful volunteers. Our heartfelt thanks to you all!

Jo Davies with Phil Irvine

Ken Bromilow


It is with great pleasure that I present the President's Report for the Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre for 2013/14. I am pleased to be able to acknowledge the important contribution that BANC has made to developing our community during the last year, recognise my fellow members of the Management Committee and speak to the wonderful community of the Upper Mountains. Each year demonstrates particular achievements and challenges and this last year offers many examples of both. I commend the reports from the staff to you and recommend that you read these reports closely for information about achievements across the service. Our neighbourhood centre program continues to provide a suite of services and programs that do meet community needs and expectations. The terrible fires of October 2013 had a massive impact on our community, with many people directly affected through loss of homes and gardens. We also saw a flow on to local businesses and tourism and a down turn to the local economy. The Mt Victoria community as well as the other affected Mounts demonstrated their extraordinary resilience and community spirit as people banded together to assist and support each other and re-build their lives. NILS loans were at a record high in this year and the number of people using the resources of the Centre have steadily increased. Our community development focus has broadened from the highly valued priority on children and their families to encompass young people (skate park and film initiatives) and community events such as Blackheath Day playing a much more prominent role in the annual calendar and building connection in the community. BANC’s role in supporting and linking community groups has strengthened. The now well developed Blue Mountains and Lithgow Neighbourhood Network (BLINN) has resulted in closer collaboration between the neighbourhood centres and new opportunities across the Mountains through to Lithgow. An example of this is the introduction of a new HACC funded community inclusion program. The Blackheath Community Alliance has forged ahead with improvements to town infrastructure (Memorial Park and the toilets in the town centre being two outstanding examples). Within BANC, we have seen some staff changes with the loss of Tiffany Coles from the leadership of the Community Access Service as well as long term CAS workers, Helen Stanborough and Murray Reid, retiring after over 10 years of service each. Sue Johnston joined the CAS team this year and we are very pleased to welcome Sue with her fresh and positive dynamism and experience. Tiffany made a highly valued contribution to the CAS program, introducing a more professional approach amongst the staff team and building a more cohesive program for participants. We are grateful to her for this.

President’s Report

Blackheath Day 2014

Gareth Williams speaking at fire preparation

forum

Di Shanks

Rhodo Parade


This last year has seen many significant changes within CAS as the service has struggled with and met the challenges of the upcoming NDIS and the transition from “block” funding to individual funding. The NDIS philosophy is founded on very much needed human rights principles of choice and self determination and we congratulate government on bringing in this overdue policy approach. There are some real challenges for service providers though and the need to significantly re-think and re-configure how we provide services. The staff have worked hard and are continuing to make big shifts to service provision and the back room processes of planning and administration. Together with the NDIS we are working on the useful exercise of preparing for quality assessment or Third Party Verification as it is called in our industry. Quality accreditation is a highly valued means of gaining an independent assessment of service provision and we welcome the visit from the auditors in October.

BOOSH continues to provide a quality service for working parents and we are indebted to a staff team who pull together, are committed to the children in their care and to providing a safe, harmonious and engaging program of activities. Unfortunately, the service did run a deficit this year and we signal that we will be taking a hard look at efficiencies in the forthcoming year to see how this can be best addressed. I am proud that the Management Committee has worked solidly this last year, not only in the Committee meetings but through involvement in planning, staff interviews, negotiations with government, reviewing finances, representing the organisation in forums, accreditation preparation and more. I am proud to have been involved with these people who contribute their skills and experience to the organisation and who have responded enthusiastically to all opportunities for increasing governance accountability. We have undertaken skills audits, self reviews as well as revamped numerous policies and a range of compliances to meet industry best practice. The last year has seen the resignations of two long term serving members, Greg Bull and Carmel Vanny, and we wish them both very well in their new community endeavours, as well as thank them for their extraordinary contribution over many years. Both Greg and Carmel brought experience from like industries and government that have strongly assisted to shape our direction. New members have been welcomed into the fold – Kathleen Chirgwin, Jo Ridley and more recently, Chris Livanos, and we are gratified to have their skills in the disability and children’s services sector. This report must make particular mention of the outstanding contribution made by Chris Arnott from his position as Treasurer. Thank you! Sandra Hoot and Gareth Williams have been powerhouses supporting the extensive policy review that BANC has embarked upon within the last year. Roger Illingworth and Bryn Town have committed time on a weekly basis sitting on the NILS Committee and for Bryn, this was on top of a long stint as the radio host on the Blackheath Hour on our local radio. Rebekah Strunz resigned also last year and we thank her for her fine work as secretary of the organisation – it was terrific to have her more youthful perspective in our midst. And Anna Ingham, always there for us, always bringing a sound community viewpoint, has remained a solid carrier of the BANC history and torch bearer for the future. In December last year we celebrated BANC’s 20th birthday with over 130 people attending a special occasion of memories and good cheer. Most significant was people getting up and saying that “BANC was really the heart of the community” We would like to think so too! Our year has been a good one and we now are well placed for another strong year. Bring on some more space for the neighbourhood centre and some of our dreams for extending service delivery to the community! Thank you and please read on! Di Shanks, President


What a year we have had! And what a proud manager I am too! And contented community member as well! What good fortune the BANC staff, volunteer and management committee have to be able to work in such a fine community. We have no doubt about the value of our contribution here. We see that we impact on how people get to meet each other and connect, how they find avenues to contribute to their community. We see that people’s lives are enriched and made hopeful, that they gain agency and resilience through the part that we play in individual and community lives. The last year has been a confronting one for our community with October seeing fires devastating many homes in Mt Victoria and Winmalee. There have been so many elements to this impactful event. First and foremost has been the impact on the people who lost their homes and I would like to take this opportunity to express my sorrow for the loss facing so many people. Then there has been the impact on the community more broadly and this has been multi-faceted. On the one hand, we witnessed the community coming together to support each other and to re-build. How extraordinary our community has been! We really see resilience in action, resilience that was palpable, evidenced each and every day. Then there was the impact on small business, tourism and accommodation operators, as the word went out via very unfortunate media reporting that that all was burnt up here. Simply not the case but the correct message was slow to be taken up in the media frenzy of the time. A year later and as we come up to the anniversary of the event, much has been learnt all round. Our community is more mature and more solidly connected. As a sector, we know much more about the emergency and disaster “system” and our place and role is clearly carved out now. We will all be better equipped to respond in the future. Let’s hope that we don’t need to call on these new skills and connections too often! From an internal perspective, BANC turned 20 at the end of the year and we celebrated soberly but in style. Our history was rather quirkily captured in a collection of stories from people who had been a volunteer, a committee member or a staffer for BANC. Our AGM morphed into a party and it was wonderful to have some of the earlier people such as Leonie Cameron, Carol McManus and Bob Weaver attend and for some to speak about their involvement. We were able to see how BANC has grown over time and transitioned from an outsider group that was met with some community suspicion to the “heart of the community” (as coined by Bob Weaver on the night!).

Manager’s Report


The bigger community work scene is not such a hopeful one and daily I hear stories of workers doubting that their work makes a difference, a growing disconnect between larger welfare agencies based in other parts of the city or country operating like businesses and the services that they provide to local communities, funding being dispersed on formulas that have nothing to do with growing and maintaining vibrant, connected and resilient communities that people actually want to live in. There is still a place for community development and for the kind of glue that a neighbourhood centre such as BANC has to “stick” people into community. Community does not happen by itself but is created through opportunities for diverse people to get together, strike a commonality of purpose or need, and then get on to organise themselves. We do this! And so ... what makes this solid for us begins with a strong and dedicated management committee who really understand their responsibility to govern an organisation, make sure that it operates in a sound, legal and ethical manner and that its employees are well led and well managed. The BANC Management Committee does just this. Over the last year, we have been fortunate to have Di Shanks as our outstanding leader in the position of President, thinking ahead of the job, considerate and visionary, always encouraging and acknowledging our efforts and at the same time, chairing the Committee meetings with aplomb and warmth. BANC has entered a new era of professionalism within the Committee under Di’s frank and direct leadership. We have introduced new forms of reporting of activity as well as compliance and this has greatly assisted with MC’s mastery of their responsibilities. In tandem, Chris Arnott has been thoughtful and innovative in his role as Treasurer. Chris not only deeply understands the financial accounts but has taken the step forward to ensure that the rest of the Committee increase their understanding of our financial fortunes and how they pan out over the year. Chris has stretched us as staff too and this is always of value. We have an extraordinarily fine Committee and all play a role outside meetings that is highly valuable and utilises each of their unique skills. The mention is brief here but the gratitude and recognition is immense. Bryn Town has been the compeer on our Blackheath hour and then recently handed over to other volunteers as well as sitting on the NILS Committee, Sandra Hoot has sat on many a recruitment and policy sub-committee, Gareth Williams has also been a policy stalwart and a business planning guru, Roger Illingworth has sat on the NILS Committee together with Chris Arnott and Bryn, Anna Ingham has continued to support me well in my role as manager and also remain the MC member with the BOOSH history and understanding. During the last year we lost Greg Bull from the Committee as his other work world became more pressing. Greg has served on the Committee for many years now, as a general Committee member and as the Vice-President. I cannot speak more highly of Greg and the contribution that he has made to this organisation. Not only did Greg have faith in us but he brought a wise and clear influence to a range of decisions from his work background and knowledge of the funding and service provision scenes. Greg’s contribution was always sound, based in experience and highly relevant. We will miss Greg hugely here and I certainly will miss being able to ring him up in a moment of doubt to seek his advice. Carmel Vanny has also recently signalled that she will not re-stand for the Committee for another round and this is sad news for us. Carmel acted as secretary for many years and also was a reliable and valuable MC rep on recruitment panels and sub-committees. It was always abundantly clear that Carmel “got” community and “got” what BANC offered and her sage advice and support will be very much missed.


We also lost and gained – Rebekah Strunz stood down after two years of contributing a fresh and more youthful perspective. Her insights and recommendations were always sound, based on her understanding of this community, her work in another welfare agency and her studies. But we scored well in the people who came on board. Jo Ridley, coming from a very relevant background in the disability sector and Kathleen Chirgwin from children’s education have complemented and completed the skill set across the Committee. I am extremely grateful for the support and invaluable advice that this fine group of people have offered to BANC and to the community over the last year. Our work continues to be busy, a touch chaotic and deeply purposeful. We have three major areas of activity – the neighbourhood centre, the Community Access Service and BOOSH – and I will touch on each of these in turn very briefly as the relative co-ordinators and staff will cover this work in the appropriate level of detail in their separate reports. The neighbourhood centre continues to be a hive of activity. Each day we organise and manage a number of work scenes, ranging from our volunteers at the reception desk dealing with community requests for information or to use our equipment (computers, photocopiers and so on) and behind the scenes undertaking various administrative tasks (laying out flyers, or this annual report for example), community members meeting in our back room learning languages, reading Shakespeare, swopping craft skills, watching films, being taught computers, drumming, singing, supporting each other, organising and advocating. Many people seek our support daily whether this be for information or to access emergency food or for referral to family support or sometimes to just get their telly to work or understand the piece of paper that arrived in their mail. Each quarter we send out a newsletter into every household’s letter box packed with information about activities that are offered in this community. We hear again and again that this is very useful and stays stuck to fridges as key to community connection. Our NC adjunct programs are also important facets of what we offer. Cyber_Shed continues to grow under Simon’s management and careful tendering. The number of students benefiting from his tutoring and then capable of connecting into the cyber world and family increases each year. Now Simon is actively progressing the development of a new venture in a smart working space that as a social enterprise would cross subsidise Cyber_Shed operations. Gratitude must go to Octavia O’Brien for her work on the School for Seniors program. Since the passing of Shirley Willis a couple of years ago, the program “limped along” until Octavia volunteered her time to go out on the bus trips with the group and cover the co-ordination that is needed to make this program the life enhancing opportunity that it is. Here at BANC, we welcome new and isolated residents in a bundle of ways and one of the foremost of these is through the Welcome Table. Thanks must go to Lindena Robb for your work and big heart in keeping this important community initiative running and for giving people a place to link in – so very important. Last year was a bumper year for NILS with Deb Allen and Cornelia Gartner acting like Trojans to manage the largest number of no interest loans that we have ever seen. This together with the administration of the bookings system for the Phillips and Bates Halls which have seen vastly increased use. This is pleasing because it also means increases in events and programs offered to our community. The Hall Committee, of which I play a part, has been more and more effective too with keeping the building in very good nick and plans for enhanced improvements underway. What a great group of advocates!


I strongly commend Jo Davies’ report on the span of community development undertaken within the organisation. The report, which is very comprehensive, speaks to the excellent range of work that we are involved in and I am proud to stand behind Jo and her commitment to this community. In the last year we have moved from our previous tight priority to families with children and while this group within the community continues to get good attention within our program, Jo has placed stronger emphasis on community building through community events and following a theme of use of video as a means of capturing community meaning. Our Community Access Service has been changing rapidly and I applaud the determination of the staff to change to keep pace with broader community, policy and funding expectations. As is absolutely right, people with disabilities have increased rights to choose their service and direct the programs that they participate in. CAS has responded with much more attention to ensuring that programs are tailored to individual needs and also to working with people and their individual packages. At the same time the NDIS is looming and CAS / BANC is reviewing all its systems to ensure that we will be ready to meet the new NDIS environment. Gone will be the safety net of block funding and all of our clients will come to us with their individual package. Inside CAS, the staff are responding well to clients at both ends of the age spectrum – younger people requesting a service and some clients moving into their older years. Third party verification, scheduled for October this year, has meant a close scrutiny of all aspects of our operations and our policies have seen a vigorous shake-up and are now all looking pretty spiff. From a staffing perspective, we were sorry to receive the resignation of Tiffany Coles from the position of CAS Co-ordinator. Tiffany brought a new level of professionalism to CAS and really did lead the service forward. She has been most ably followed by Sue Johnston and we are thrilled to have a new leader who also brings a wealth of experience and a passion for people with disabilities, not to speak of a background in the creative arts and a fine sense of humour. Welcome Sue! We have also been sorry to see Helen Stanborough, Helen Boza and Murray Reid retire in this year – all three are people who have made a powerful contribution to CAS, all in their own unique ways, and all missed hugely. CAS works well because of great work “on the floor” and great leadership and we continue to be grateful and to admire the extraordinary work of Sharon Naylor and Chris Muzzatti in their roles as co-ordinators. Lastly and importantly, real community inclusion of people linked to CAS has happened – the Rhodo Review, Rhodo Festival parade, the BANC 20th birthday, Blackheath day, the tappers, croquet players and the drummers. BOOSH had a tough year financially and we really felt the loss of support from Council as well as internal financing challenges. But at the same time, led ably by Therese Faerie and supported by Alison Rodrigo, BOOSH continues to provide a high quality and much loved service for the children of working families.

Bob Reid at the Pool Park Action Day

BANC turns 20!


Though numbers have been low we have continued to sustain our commitment to providing a Before School Care service for parents who need care in the early morning. We add to community capital in this way. We hope that next year will be easier for BOOSH and for the staff team that have worked so hard to ensure that the service is the very best that it can be. BOOSH also has risen to the challenges of accreditation, still looming as I write. The building has been given a bit of an overhaul and the grounds are in much better nick now. Together with new cupboards, the kitchen has been repainted and now is clean and modern and appropriate for the preparation of food for the children in our charge. I have taken on some of the partnership development work and I want to shine a bright light on the Blackheath Community Alliance as a great example of community institutions and groups banding together to bring about change in their local community. This cross sector, cross interest work is “collective impact” in action. I am not sure that many other communities can boast of 20 very disparate groups coming together as a force to improve parks, lobby for safer roads for our community, transform public infrastructure, improve trains, get freight off our roads and so on. Council is responsive in new ways as we group together – a terrific force for change in our community and an example that together we are more impactful than as single groups. The Memorial Park working bee held in November was one of the finest examples of community coming together that I have seen in my rather long community work career. Over 100 people turned out with their spades and in their work boots to dig up weeds, trim and build and basically indicate to each other that their community matters to them and they are willing to contribute their backs and sweat. In a similar vein the BLINN or Blue Mountains Integrated Neighbourhood Network is a new consortium of which BANC is a key member. Not only is there the potential for merging of back room functions for increases in efficiency but BLINN has already been successful in achieving a major grant for innovative services for older people. No report can sit without a tribute to the wonderful group of people who volunteer for BANC. Thanks to each and every one of you – we could not function without you! We adore working with you, we learn from you and we are thrilled that you want to contribute to your community – which you do in a very tangible way. Next year – what a lot we have to look forward to! BANC now has been successful in being awarded a grant so that we can take the rebuilding of the Mt Victoria community to its next stage and a second separate grant from MPES to build and expand on the very successful HUFF program. We are vigorously progressing gaining larger office space to house our ever increasing staff team and to be able to offer broader programs for the community. We look forward to the year with enthusiasm. There is always much to get done and challenges to meet. For me, I look forward to another strong and intensely active year working with this team of wonderful professionals and community devotees, all held in such high regard by this community – Leah Godfrey, Barbra McCauley, Sharon Naylor, Deb Allen, Cornelia Gartner, Therese Faerie, Jo Davies, Sue Johnston, Chris Muzzatti and all of the other BANC staff. BANC is the “heart of the community” in the Upper Blue Mountains. We have a place here and our place and contribution is recognised. I am humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to work in the midst of this community. Thank you all. Judy Finch Manager


“to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms

by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity”

(The United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disability, 2006) The 2013/2014 financial year has been a year of change and development for the Community Access Service (CAS) and it is with immense anticipation of the opportunities and challenges ahead that I write my first report as manager of CAS. I commenced with the service at the end of April 2014. Services The Community Access Service is funded by Family and Community Services via Aging, Disability and Home Care and includes Community Based Activities – formerly known as Day Programs, a Recreational program and individually funded Stronger Together, Life Choices and Active Ageing packages in Nepean and Blue Mountains Region. From July 2013 to June 2014, CAS had 60 participants and we delivered in excess of 34,000 hours of support to people with disability and mental health issues in the Blue Mountains Region. Service participants engage in both small group and individual activities which they choose as part of their person-centred plan. Since January 2014, CAS has had accreditation to offer self-managed packages, which enables service participant’s a range of option in terms of how they access support for community access. As a result of this self-managed approval, participants are able to access options such as specialist skills development, music lessons, internet access, accessible transport, sensory equipment and the provision of support to join in family events and activities. CAS in the Community CAS facilitates a number of activities and special events including a monthly disco in Lawson, the provision of Kat café – a community café in partnership with Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre, and is currently seeding a visual arts mentorship program – where interested participants can spend time with a professional artist to develop their skills. CAS Participated in Arty bras –decorating bras to join in raising funds for Blue Mountains Cancer Help. Our drumming group performed at Blackheath Day, and we joined in the parade for the Rhododendron Festival. CAS participants volunteer, including sharing news on Blue Mountains Radio, delivering Meals on Wheels to people who receive support to assist them to stay living at home and watering plants in the local business community. A big thank you to Fran, one of our service participants who spends some of her time doing reception at CAS – your help is very much appreciated.

Community Access Service Report

Tiffany Coles

Murray and Steve

Croquet Group

Sue Johnston


Human Resources In December 2013, Tiffany Coles, who managed CAS services for almost 3 years left the organisation to take up another opportunity. Tiffany had implemented some excellent directions for the Community Access Service during her tenure and the staff and participants of CAS wish her well in her future endeavours. 3 long term CAS staff members retired in the first half of 2014 including Coordinator (Recreation), Helen Stanborough and support workers Helen Boza and Murray Reid. A farewell was held in early June which included BANC staff and volunteers past and present. The evening was packed full of people wishing the two Helen’s and Murray all the best for the future, and was a testament to their excellent service to the community over many years. As a result of the staffing changes which have occurred, CAS has welcomed new support staff to the service and is developing a new role which will provide communications, event and program support. CAS Staff engaged in a number of training opportunities over the year including medication training, driver safety training, dementia support, and is involved in a sector wide training initiative – People for People Training. We have formulated a training plan for the coming reporting period which will include Positive Behaviour Support, training in use of digital equipment, Manual Handling, Epilepsy and Intellectual disability and dementia. Service and Sector Planning The Disability Services Sector is experiencing significant change during the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme which is planned to be realised throughout NSW by 2018. CAS is actively engaged in planning for the changes to the way services are delivered and our priorities include:

The completion of Third Party verification Third Party Verification is an independent audit which all ADHC funded services must undertake once in every funding cycle (usually 3 years). The audit will certify that CAS delivers services in line with the NSW Disability Service Standards, ensuring our services comply with the National Disability Service standards which all agencies must adopt by January 2015. CAS is undergoing this audit in October 2014.

Delivery of a 2014-2016 Business plan. During the first business planning phase (2013/4), CAS quantified its strengths and areas for improvement including growing the human resources base of the service and refining person centred planning practices. CAS’s ability to deliver highly personalised support was acknowledged through accreditation for the delivery of self-managed individual plans in addition to the accreditation it holds for the delivery of Life Choices and Active Ageing packages. Phase 2 business planning (2014-6) includes strategies for aligning our operational infrastructure with the individualisation of service provision, exploring options for service diversification including capitalising on our strengths in individual support and arts access opportunities, and, positioning of our brand and services in the emerging National Disability Insurance Scheme marketplace.


The Community Access Service works in partnership with a broad range of service providers and stakeholders in the community. We thank our residential partners for their genuine engagement with us as we provide services and support to their residents: Kirinari Community Services, Ageing Disability and Home Care, Sylvanvale Foundation, Civic Community Services and Blue Mountains Disability Services. We thank Balance Healthcare, whose provision of a lease enables CAS to have a secure home base. We would like to acknowledge the support of Blue Mountains Food Services, Blue Mountains City Council, Katoomba Aquatic Centre, Blue Mountains Women’s Health and Resource Centre, Blackheath Baptist Church, Blue Mountains Croquet, Prue Hardgrove from Blue Mountains City Council, NADO Day programs, Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre, Lee O’Dowd-Austin from the Department of Ageing, Disability and Homecare, The Paragon Café, Katoomba and National Disability Services Australia. We also wish to thank the creative people from the local community who engage with our services through sharing their skills - Diane Jones, wonderful volunteer Gabrielle Burns, Christine Wheeler and guest musician Snez. In conclusion The sector we work in is undergoing the biggest changes in a generation. These changes present us with unprecedented opportunities to create more equitable communities for the future. I wish to thank staff and participants of Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre, and the Community Access Service for your warm welcome as I commenced my role in late April. Thanks especially to Judy Finch, Barbra McCauley, Sharon Naylor, Chris Muzatti and Caroline Mitchell for your support in orientating and supporting my transition into the role. Thanks also to the Management Committee of BANC for your commitment to supporting a diversity of people throughout the community. Sue Johnston, Community Access Service Manager

Summary report: CAS Katoomba Project, The past twelve months has been a time of consolidation for the Katoomba Project, with staff working hard to ensure that person centeredness is both the determiner of service shape and the driver of service delivery. During this period service participants have been supported to run the KAT Community Cafe each Friday in partnership with Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre, with this initiative providing opportunities for five service participants to support their local community, whilst also earning extra money. The CASKAT weekend volunteer driver project has been a quiet success, with this project supporting a volunteer service participant to drive a service vehicle each weekend and provide transport for their fellow participants who want to access the community outside of service hours. Service participants have also been supported to visit family outside of the local area, enjoy overnight mini-breaks, attend special events and of course access and enjoy much on offer within our fantastic mountains. CAS has recently become a member of the P4P (people 4 people) initiative, which is an ADHC funded program supporting local NGO’s to build capacity amongst their staff, in order to achieve best outcomes for service participants. This project provides a set of comprehensive training modules to be delivered in-service including, Positive Behaviour Support, Person Centred Planning, Data Collection, Skills Development and Restrictive Practice Awareness.


The first training module, Positive Behaviour Support has been delivered to staff, with excellent feedback from attendees, with the remaining modules scheduled for delivery over the next six months. P4P provides resources and support to member NGO’s at no cost and is providing an invaluable mechanism towards staff development. The success of any service relies on the competence and commitment of its staff and as such, many thanks are extended to the Katoomba Project team for their readiness to think and work ‘outside of the box’, in order to ensure that service participants receive supports that are meaningful to them. Further thanks to our residential service partners, The Sylvanvale Foundation and Kirinari Services for their willingness to collaborate towards best outcomes for participants, with a final thanks to BANC’s Management Committed for their commitment to providing quality Disability Services to those within our local community. Sharon Naylor, Coordinator.

Summary report: Blackheath Project I am pleased to provide this report for the Blackheath Project The Blackheath Project is funded through ADHC (Dept. of Ageing Disability and Homecare). The program runs five days a week, with 39 service participants currently. This encompasses living skills and recreational activities in both group and individual support settings. Regular client activities involve art, photography, and community access such as accessing cafes and pubs. The most popular Bus Trip activity for our service participants is 10 Pin bowling. Other activities include drama, bingo, tap dancing, indoor bowls, and croquet. The Blackheath Project has seen an increasing focus on supporting clients in individual pursuits within the scope of its service. Examples of this include travel training, computer tuition, learning to play pool, and swimming. CAS hosted its “Life’s is a Beach” concert in April .The concert commenced with a musical production written and performed by CAS staff and service participants. A disco and lunch was then enjoyed by all in attendance. This event attracted people from Lithgow to the lower mountains and is a great opportunity for CAS participants to meet others. CAS continues to run the Lawson Community Disco on a monthly basis. The Disco is staffed each month by CAS staff. The Disco represents an opportunity to increase our profile beyond Blackheath and Katoomba. I have reprised my role of representing BANC Community Access Services on the Blue Mountains “International Day of People with a Disability” Committee. The Committee has d aims to lift the profile of people with disabilities, with the focus on International Day of People with a Disability. Ambassadors for this have been nominated and selected. There will be various events hosted by BANC and other services celebrating IDPwD. I have also been working with other services representing CAS on the Blue Mountains NGO Restrictive Practice Authorisation Panel. No such panel currently exists for smaller NGO’s to comply with ADHC guidelines in ensuring their service is transparent in any application of “Restricted Practice”, such as administering medication for their clients. I look forward to seeing CAS grow and develop into the continuing era of change within the sector. Chris Muzatti, Coordinator.


Community Access Activity & Events Participation Report by Fran Visser Overview There will be days you can go out to the movies as well as grabbing something to eat before entering the movie .On Mondays you would like to have your nails done Tuesdays you would like to do bingo once a month as well as Wednesday you can do drama down at Wentworth Falls. Fridays Tai Chi, some Ball Games and swimming .But also on Thursdays you can also you can go shopping. And also you can come to the coffee club for only $1 for coffee and cake. But you could go to the discos on a Fridays nights once a month .On a Tuesday we have exercises 9.30am till 10.30am on Tuesdays then we break for morning tea and sometimes we have a bit of craft as well till lunch time .In the afternoon we do more craft or watch a DVD or listening to Music .Also on a Saturday when you are at the winter magic grab yourself a coffee and cake by walking up and down Katoomba Street Drumming on Thursday for half day then come back to CAS for lunch .Or if you can afford it come to our Centre and we will take you out for just for coffee only On every week we have in door bowling ,croquet out to lunch and picnics The following day is drama in Wentworth Falls with Andy and other services. Thursday is drumming in the hall at Blackheath, and Friday is swimming at the Katoomba Aquatic Centre. Activities Crafts There are lots of Craft Activities that we do throughout the Year at CAS. People are always making Cards, Jewellery, Painting and drawing Pictures, making Photo Frames, Scrap Booking, Mosaics, Ceramics such as Pots, Decoupage and Photo Albums. Dave is one of our best Painters and he loves to do them, doing a lot of Painting all the time. Women's Group A small group attended a workshop for six weeks, held at the Women's Resource Centre in Katoomba, where they explored various aspects of sexual health education. They discussed the human body and the different feelings associated with our bodies and minds. The program was presented by Maeve Dunnitt and she encouraged the group to talk about themselves and any concerns or questions they had. Katoomba Café Every Friday People like to go to the Katoomba Café to support the Katoomba Project. We pay $1 for Cake and Coffee and sometimes there is Entertainment such as the beautiful Snez Singing and playing Guitar which we really love.

Fran Visser

Darren Proctor

Art by David Murphy


Tai Chi & Ball Games On a Friday there is Tai Chi and Ball Games. Everybody has lots of fun in the Hall and sometimes Bill plays the Piano for everybody. During Tai Chi everybody gets to relax and stretch their Bodies. Drama We have started Drama every Friday at CAS in the Hall and Jak runs this Class. So far they have played with Hoops and have done some games like Charades and playing Animal Games. Morning Melodies Once a Month we go to Morning Melodies at the Dame Joan Sutherland Centre and so far this Year, we have seen the ‘Stomping Ivories’, the ‘Musical of the Night’, ‘Fiddlers Feast’, ‘Chalk & Cheese’, ‘I could have Danced all Night’, ‘Two for the Show’, ‘A tribute to Liberace’ and ‘Memories of Bandstand’. People really like going and enjoy their Scones and Tea for Morning Tea. Croquet Twice a Month we access the Blackheath Croquet Greens and have great fun playing Croquet with terrific volunteers. Community Morning Tea & Lunch On Tuesdays we like to participate within the Community by attending the Community Lunch and sometimes Moring Tea at the Civic Centre in Katoomba. This is run by lovely Volunteers and many of us like the food and especially when its Fish and Chips. Life is a Beach! On the 30th of April, CAS, put on a Concert at Bates Hall, it was called Life is a Beach .there were participants from other services we watched them perform. and there singing and dancing .So popular was this event that another, similar, day is planned for next year. Kirinari Presentation Night On presentation night the whole Kirinari people from the houses went to the Fairmont and they hand out the awards and prizes as well as dancing with the staff while Fran danced with the mayor twice.

Petting the animals

Drumming on stage

Art by David Murphy

Drumming on stage


Who can believe we are racing toward the end of 2014? There have been a number of positive changes and advancements at BOOSH throughout the year. A real focus for staff this year has been on training and further education. Just as a truly child focussed service should, we were guided by the changing support requirements and needs of the children. We were also required to undergo a self assessment in April as part of our yearly Quality Improvement Plan. Though there are few opportunities for training OOSH workers in the Mountains, staff have really embraced those opportunities and we have been open to honestly reviewing BOOSH practices as well as to opening up a dialogue of theory and methodology around behaviour guidance and relationship building. This has been a success with staff enthusiastic to evolve with the current needs and wants of the BOOSH community. This reflective practice has been the force behind a very new and exciting method of individualised program planning at OOSH. Staffing We have experienced a number of staffing changes throughout the year. We were very sorry to lose Jenna Cosgrove and Rose Freer early in the year as well as Jackie Gilchrist and Claire Carroll who pursued teaching positions. We welcome Fiona Loeb, Chantel Kus Vale and Irene Traucki . Many of you will have noticed that Ben Croser has been a familiar face for a while now. Nicky has taken up Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and is a familiar face in the mornings. We are also very sorry to lose Trent from his regular Tuesday afternoon due to a necessary roster alteration and hope to see him still for casual shifts in the future. National Quality Standards As aforementioned, the Quality Improvement Plan was updated in April. This is a yearly document and requires services to reflect upon their current practice in accordance with the 7 quality areas that govern any child care service which cares for children from birth to age 12. We did so expecting that our Assessment and Ratings process would begin within a few months however, there has been no word from ECECD yet. I believe the quality of the care at BOOSH is exceptional and I hope the rating we receive will reflect this. Program As I mentioned in the introduction our method of programming has evolved quite a lot. We have recently embarked on an individualised program which allows staff to focus and plan for a small group of children for two months. Having 'focus children' involves observing using a number of different observation styles. We program for areas in which children are competent and for which we can 'scaffold' their learning. We program for areas in which we observe where children's interests lie and also areas in which we see they may need assistance. Once the two month period is over staff evaluate their program and swap groups. This method has a number of advantages. The first is that BOOSH staff believe that children learn best when they have secure relationships with the adults in their world.

BOOSH Report


Having 'focus groups' allows us to concentrate on certain children and bring them experiences catered to their needs and that build relationships and trust. Secondly, it gives all staff an opportunity to have input into the program. Staff all have their own interests and talents to enrich the program. What is the value of a program which becomes stale and repetitious with only the coordinator's contribution? Thirdly, this approach also ensures that all children are being observed and considered and none are 'falling under the radar'. Children can express their desires freely when staff ask specifically for their ideas. As well as individual observations, staff make daily group evaluations which centre on group dynamics, group interests and areas for progress. Thank you to Alison and Meara who took the reins with the spring vacation care program and to Meara who has recently taken up the weekly program. Your creativity and hard work does not go unnoticed and is very much appreciated. As well, a big thank you to Nicky who has recently temporarily taken on some of the administration duties. Active After School Sports is concluding at the end of the year to make room for a new initiative within the school setting called Sporting Schools. We are thankful for the dedication of our local facilitator Kirk Carroll who has trained Meara and I over the past year to be coaches. The children have benefited much from having BOOSH staff as their coaches over the years and the program has really encourage children and staff to be active during the afternoon hours and we aim to continue to be as engaged in physical activity when the program has ceased. We are thankful for all the wonderful equipment we have gained through being a part of the program. Building and Grounds The grounds have been maintained over the year by a few volunteers. Thank you to David Banks for working throughout autumn in rain, hail or shine to keep our play space in tip top condition. Thank you John Clarke for your myriad of ideas. Your hard work has made all the difference to the safety and aesthetics of the yard. Administration The aim for this area is to publicise the program during the term in a similar way that we do the vacation care program. We would like to encourage families to not only utilise BOOSH as a child care service but also as an important place of socialisation for children outside of school hours where they can play and bond freely. BOOSH has put into place a thorough orientation procedure for new staff as well as new supervisors. We want to support staff any way we can to ensure they are competent and confident in their position. Part of this has also been the development of a staff handbook which was distributed to new and existing staff. This handbook will be updated whenever necessary or at least every year. Policies within BANC were ratified by the management committee and BOOSH received its newest set of policies and procedures due to be reviewed next year.


Volunteers I would especially like to thank our volunteers this year. David Banks who maintained our yard. Annabel Pettit and Jessica de Latour whose contribution through the Duke of Edinburgh Award program brought us two extra pairs of hands each Tuesday afternoon. We wish you the best in your future and hope you found the work experience valuable. Finally, I want to thank Nicky Roxburgh who donated many precious hours of her free time to volunteer in the afternoons to meet ratios. I think I can speak for all BOOSH staff when I say you really made a difference during that first hour of After School Care when we had to make the bus run. To the Neighbourhood Centre and the BOOSH community I wish you all the best for 2015, Therese Faerie BOOSH Coordinator.


The BANC No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) provides loans of up to $1,200 to people living on low incomes in the upper Blue Mountains area (from Leura out to the Mounts). Applicants typically receive income support or a low wage. In the 2013-14 financial year, BANC provided 109 loans which was an increase of 21% on the 2012-13 financial year. In dollar terms, $97,267 was borrowed by applicants. Car related loans were the most popular (repairs and registration) followed by washing machines, computers and refrigerators. The increased numbers of loans for washing machines and refrigerators was related to the Home Energy Saver Scheme (HESS) where borrowers were provided with subsides in order to purchase energy efficient appliances. Good Shepherd Microfinance and the Federal Department of Social Services enabled this scheme to operate for a year. In that time, BANC processed 18 loans under the HESS scheme. Unfortunately the scheme did not continue beyond June 2014. However, it did result in a useful partnership between NILS programs across the country and The Good Guys who provided discounts on some appliances to NILS borrowers. In 2012 the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) at the University of New South Wales was commissioned by Good Shepherd Microfinance to conduct the first national quantitative outcome evaluation of the NILS in Australia. Some of the findings concluded that a NILS loan creates positive changes in clients’ financial capabilities, and in their economic and social outcomes. As a result of a NILS loan:

82% of the 710 surveyed NILS clients experienced a net improvement in social and economic outcomes, with only 2% experiencing a net worsening of outcomes.

The economic outcomes of more than a third of the surveyed clients improved due to increases in cost savings (33%) and financial independence (46%).

74% experienced an improvement in their social and health outcomes due to positive changes in their standard of living, stress and anxiety levels, confidence in achievements, general confidence and self-esteem, physical health, personal relationships and participation in society.

The financial capabilities of 47% of surveyed clients improved: they followed a budget, paid bills on time, saved

money, maintained emergency savings funds and comparison shopped more often.

In addition, the evaluation report found that NILS reaches vulnerable Australians and directly improves their lives. The NILS clients surveyed were characteristic of vulnerable Australians, in that they were:

three times more likely to be severely financially excluded (55%) than the average Australian (17%)

No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) Report

Deborah Allen


predominantly (94%) living below the poverty line, were reliant on government allowance as their main source of income (92%), were unemployed or out of the labour force (85%) and had an average fortnightly income of $856.80

more likely to be female (74%), live in a single parent family with dependents (43%) and rent either privately (38%) or through public housing (47%) and

6.5 times more likely to identify themselves as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (17%) than the Australian average (2.5%).

(Life Changing Loans and No Interest: An Outcomes Evaluation of Good Shepherd Microfinance’s No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) – March 2014 http://goodshepherdmicrofinance.org.au/sites/default/files/GSM_NILS_Report.pdf ) NILS@BANC continues to support NILS clients with multiple social disadvantage issues through appropriate referrals to other community agencies in the Blue Mountains. Inadequate housing or homelessness, mental health issues and/or drug and alcohol issues as well as financial assistance are the most common referral pathways. During the year, NILS staff attended the National NILS Conference in Brisbane and met regularly with other NILS program in the Blue Mountains to share experiences and ideas about the administration of programs. BANC is grateful for the contribution of Scott Linstid and the continued participation of Chris Arnott, Bryn Town and Roger Illingworth as volunteers on the NILS Committee.

Thank you – Scott Linstid

Actually, more than an eye, because Scott has never shied away from doing some work – for many years he took responsibility for the reporting to Committee, producing impeccable Excel spreadsheets. Scott served on the NILS Committee and through this avenue has contributed to the well being of hundreds of people struggling to keep their lives on track. Scott has also volunteered at the BANC reception desk for many years. As a reception volunteer Scott brought humour and spirit to the office. Despite having an unpredictable and debilitating illness it was very rare for Scott to ever miss his rostered shift or complain about his discomfort. He always did his best to make sure that anyone who comes through the door at BANC was well looked after. Scott received a NSW Seniors Week Achievement Award in 2011. The NSW Seniors Week Achievement Awards recognise NSW seniors for their contribution to the development of our community, for their leadership and for their initiative. BANC thanks Scott for his considerable contribution to BANC and to the wider community.

http://goodshepherdmicrofinance.org.au/sites/default/files/GSM_NILS_Report.pdf


The spectacular thing about BANC is that everyone can use us. And everyone does! The well-to-do and those with nothing. The seriously smart and the not so. The sick and the fit. The well-read and the illiterate. The happy and the sad. The tone deaf and the rhythmless. Everyone is welcomed. Everyone fits. Somehow, in our tiny space, everyone fits. And together we laugh and cry, sing and drum, listen and talk, knit and sew, learn and read, mourn and celebrate, connect and care. People come to the Neighbourhood Centre for all manner of things. They use our computers and Wi-Fi. They print, scan and fax. They come for groups and classes of all description. They come for information and advice. Some just want a cup of tea and a chat. Some people need emergency food supplies to get them through to the next pay. Others need help using their smartphone or email. The spectacular thing about BANC is that in our tiny space so many things get done. Big things and small things that all matter to someone. Drop in and visit us too!

In Memoriam – Dawn Baker

Dawn lived in Blackheath for nearly 50 years and was well known to many. Sadly Dawn died on 25th May 2013. Dawn raised three kids in Blackheath. She loved cats and would regularly take strays to the vet to be de-sexed. Dawn will be remembered with great fondness at BANC for the life she shared with us. It was extremely moving to witness the community’s response to Dawn’s passing. This community actually cares for all its members and people have been deeply moved at her loss. How wonderful is this!

Neighbourhood Centre Vault


As I write this year’s report I am spending time reflecting on the year gone past and remembering in particular the fires that impacted our community in October 2014. While there were several people from Mount Victoria who tragically lost their homes, we are very fortunate that no-one here lost their lives. What was inspiring was the relentless hard work of our Emergency Services, the outpouring of kindness and generosity from our local Blue Mountains community as well as the greater community of Australia and beyond. Emergencies can pose serious risks to both the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of young children, individuals and families but support within a wider community can alleviate these risks (Cogan and Hayden 2012). Additionally there is evidence that participation at community levels has been shown to promote healing and cohesion in the wider community. We are fortunate, therefore, that we do live in the fantastic Upper Mountains, a place where community is valued and so actively participated in, which would have surely made a difference to the resilience and recovery aspects of those impacted by fire, at the time and now. Below is a snapshot of some of our happenings over the period between July 2013 and June 2014. The Stronger Family Alliance: “Strong, healthy children are our future. The Blue Mountains City Council and the Stronger Families Alliance (SFA) share a vision of vibrant communities where child and family services work together with one aim – maximising the wellbeing and resilience of children and their families” (Child and Family Plan, 2012). BANC is part of this alliance of government, non-government, community and voluntary organisations. This group and other sub groups that we also participate in, meet on a regular basis in order to form partnerships, exchange ideas and commit to working with our common philosophy and direction which is to support children and families in our region. This year we have been focussing on the development of a Collective Impact framework of practice. This is not a new concept but is a structured and comprehensive description of the elements needed to create social change using a multi-structured approach. It encompasses a common agenda, a shared measurement system, continuous communication, mutually reinforcing activities under a backbone organisation (Stronger Families Alliance, 2012). Under our already existing Stronger Families network, we hope to continue to collectively improve and enable the connection and collaboration between ourselves and our communities. Recent statistics from the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) 2012 show that children in the Blue Mountains are doing better over a number of areas since 2009. These include measures such as physical health and wellbeing, social competence, maturity and communication skills.

Community Development Worker Report


An area that has been identified for improvement is the reported increase in the rates of anxiety of children in our communities (notably, this was prior to the Oct 2013 bushfires). Groups such as The Gunnedoo Project in Katoomba have responded to this in ways such as running a group in Blackheath in 2013. We are very fortunate to have such a number of skilled and dedicated child and family focussed workers/ services to support families in this area. Under the umbrella of the Stronger Family Alliance, BANC participates in the sub-groups of Child Friendly Communities, Paint the Blue REaD and the School as a Hub network. The Hub At The Top: The Hub at The Top (HATT) group is another way that BANC is supporting the SFA initiative, by bringing together the children and families of Blackheath, Mount Victoria and other local groups and communities. There are Hub Playgroups in operation in Blackheath (Mondays in the school hall during term-time from 9am – 11am) and Mount Victoria (Wednesdays in the library during term-time from 9.30am – 11.30am). Both playgroups are currently facilitated by workers from Blue Mountains Family Support Service as well as wonderful volunteers with additional support from BANC. Blackheath playgroup also operates as a Toy Library courtesy of Pat Whitehead, our volunteer from Connect Child and Family Services. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my grateful thanks to Maaike Lauwerens who ensured that this playgroup kept running for the two years between service handovers. There are regular meetings for the HATT committee group, comprising of representatives from the local library, schools, pre-schools, playgroups, government and non-government organisations. These involve regular discussions and planning sessions in support of the Blue Mountains’ Child and Family plan. Any member of the community is welcome to attend these sessions which occur quarterly. Please feel free to contact me for further information. BANC facilitates a Family Fun Night once a year, in partnership with a number of local organisations who come together to stage a low cost outing for families. This idea is to not only stage an event that will be fun and affordable, but one that will also engender community building capacity and an awareness of the services that are available in the Blue Mountains area that offer support to families. In February this year we held the event at Mount Victoria Public School and were treated to a delicious dinner c ourtesy of the Rotary Club of Upper Blue Mountains Sunrise. Paint the Blue REaD: Paint the Blue REaD (PTBR) is a Blue- Mountains wide literacy initiative which aims to encourage and support a love of reading form birth in children by their care-givers. Are you aware that the architecture of the brains of babies and young children is actually formed through the relationship of primary attachment figures such as parents and other care-givers?

Rod Tout and Bob Reid from the Rotary

Club of Upper Blue Mountains Sunrise at

the Mount Victoria Family Fun Night


Therefore, a shared, interactive activity such as reading with babies and young children is not only fun and promotes early literacy, it also facilitates brain development. There are a number of different agencies and services that collaborate with this initiative, along with Billy and Billie Booksie who are our local reading mascots. I am grateful for the participation of our local HATT group (representatives from our schools, pre-schools, child well-being services, libraries and volunteers) who all make such a vital contribution to this activity. Reading Week was held in June this year and over 100 children joined us in a giant reading session at the Community Centre. Again, our fantastic volunteers read to the children and did a wonderful job in bringing their stories alive. Billie also made a surprise visit to the playgroup at Mount Victoria Public School, Possums Patch and Kookaburra Kindy in Blackheath. Child Friendly Community: The Child Friendly Community (CFC) is a United Nations initiative that declares that a child’s wellbeing and quality of life is the ultimate indicator of a health environment, good governance and sustainable development (UNICEF 1997). Therefore it is committed to fulfilling the rights of a child to influence decisions about their town, walk safely in the streets on their own, to be an equal citizen of their city and so on. This year, the Hub At The Top steering group have been working on a survey, asking the children how they feel about the village that they live – the places that they like to play in and their wishes for future play. Other Literacy Programs: Community Readers: Literacy is one of the most fundamental foundations for success in school and life and has many benefits for children, their families, the community and society as a whole. BANC supports the Community Readers Program at Mount Victoria Public School. These volunteers are given training by the school. There are currently approximately 12 volunteers who attend the school once a week for about an hour and listen to the children read and other word-based activities. This scheme is great fun and is assisting in raising the literacy levels of the children in the school. Partnerships with BOOSH: It has been exciting to work with the children who attend BOOSH as well as children in our community to run affordable activities during the school holidays. Over the past twelve months we have held puppet workshops, cardboard sculpture workshops, hat-making and magic shows. Partnerships with Western Sydney Institute TAFE: Students from the Community Services Certificate 1V made a terrific contribution to both the Rhododendron Festival in November 2013 as well as Blackheath Day in May 2014.

The TAFE team for Blackheath Day 2014


The students had some interesting learning opportunities and I felt very fortunate to have the experience of supporting them and seeing their ideas and visions come to fruition on the event days. Other initiatives: BANC has actively partnered with Tom Pappas and Murray Reid to run ‘Screen My Shorts’ which is a showing of short films that have made the cut in local and international short film festivals. We also had the privilege of working with Sean O’Keefe and students from Lithgow High School who supported some students from Blackheath and Mt Victoria to make a documentary using the story of a local senior resident, Shelagh Gillis. There is still a little more work to go with this, and then we hope to have a screening of this work. In Lak’esh BANC has been happy to partner with In Lak’esh, a local independent group of musicians, artists and more, supporting them to run 3 music events in the Blackheath area over the past year. Senior’s Week: During Senior’s Week in March this year, we held a low cost movie, dance and lunch event at Mount Vic Flicks, supported by Blue Mountains Food Services. Women’s Groups: BANC has partnered with Blue Mountains Women’s Health and Resource Centre to run 2 Women Living Well groups in the Upper Mountains over the past year. And finally.... I feel very fortunate to work with such a great team here at BANC as well as so many talented and generous and hardworking people from our community and from other affiliated organisations. If you are interested in volunteering or would like to know how to might be able to contribute to your community, please drop us a line or pop in for a visit. References and other useful contacts: Blue Mountains Child and Family Plan (2010) Blue Mountains City Council, Australia. Cologan, K., and Hayden, J. (2012) Children in Emergencies: An International Perspective, Bowes, J., Grace, R., Hodge, K. (Eds) in Children, Families and Communities: Contexts and Consequences. Oxford University Press, Australia. For information about the Stronger Families Alliance please contact www.strongerfamilies.co AEDI can now be found at www.aedc.gov.au Jo Davies, Community Development Worker.

http://www.strongerfamilies.co/

http://www.aedc.gov.au/


Cyber_Shed has consolidated its digital literacy tuition over a second year of operation. Tuition sessions are now fully booked on an almost continuous basis. Cyber_Shed’s principal aim is to empower our local community through the teaching of digital literacy on a one-to-one basis. We see digital literacy as a matter of social equity, opening the online realm to those who would otherwise be left behind. We educate & up-skill community members so they can stay connected with far-flung family, participate in the broader community & stay safe online. In January 2014 we added two touch-screen Windows8 desktops to our existing teaching array. Cyber_Shed is equipped with Wi-Fi so students are also encouraged to bring along their own laptops and tablets. TUITION Cyber_Shed has been occupying temporary shared accommodation at the Principals Cottage for two years. Cyber_Shed is open 15 hours a week & teaches between 60 and 100 students per year. We have a permanent waiting list. Cyber_Shed is staffed by 3 volunteer tutors. Pat Rayner & Stuart English are our two volunteer tutors. Simon Hare continues as Cyber_Shed Co-ordinator & senior volunteer tutor working 15 hours/week (4hrs paid + 11hrs voluntary). Cyber_Shed also provides fee-for-service classes to CAS clients; and staff development IT tuition will join the mix in late 2014. PROMOTION Cyber_Shed actively promotes its activities online. We use Twitter daily, and recently our follower-base topped 200! Once a week we harvest material from our Twitter feed to compile a newsletter published both online & via email alert. Find this at www.cybershed.org.au In a cross-promotional exercise, Cyber_Shed hosted TEDxSydney@BANC for a fourth year in May 2014. We are now the event’s longest running satellite partner, as we were one of the first to join them in 2011. This year’s event was our best yet. The all day live stream from the Sydney Opera House was attended by 60 participants across the day. The invitation to bring a shared lunch & participate in discussion was most successful. And technically the BANC wi-fi & YouTube feed operated hitch-free. ADVOCACY] Cyber_Shed also plays a technology advocacy role. Early in 2014 we advocated on behalf of digital literacy student who had been ‘oversold’ a 24 month package by local Lithgow franchise of a major telecommunication company. With the assistance of the NSW Telecommunications Ombudsman we negotiated an exit from the contract & a 50% reduction in monthly charges. This is a prime example of any area of work Cyber_Shed could build on were we able to operate full time. We continue ‘quiet diplomacy’ to improve both mobile phone coverage & internet speeds in the upper mountains, and to champion early rollout of the NBN across the whole mountains region.

Cyber_Shed @ BANC

http://www.cybershed.org.au/


ADVOCACY] Cyber_Shed also plays a technology advocacy role. Early in 2014 we advocated on behalf of digital literacy student who had been ‘oversold’ a 24 month package by local Lithgow franchise of a major telecommunication company. With the assistance of the NSW Telecommunications Ombudsman we negotiated an exit from the contract & a 50% reduction in monthly charges. This is a prime example of any area of work Cyber_Shed could build on were we able to operate full time. We continue ‘quiet diplomacy’ to improve both mobile phone coverage & internet speeds in the upper mountains, and to champion early rollout of the NBN across the whole mountains region. PROPOSED Cyber_Shed EXPANSION During the second half of this annual reporting period Cyber_Shed began canvassing community interest in a Smart Work Hub. The upper Blue Mountains has a long-haul commuter population, so there is interest in the option to work remotely one or two days per week. At present Cyber_Shed operates as a volunteer-run project of Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre (BANC), with a pepper-corn support from Broadband for Seniors (B4S). Establishing a Cyber_Shed Smart Work Hub would enable us to move to a dedicated teaching space, that we would share with hire-able, income generating, remote-work desks. Smart work hubs are facilities offering workers an alternative to working in their normal workplace or working from home. A reconfigured Cyber_Shed would run as a social enterprise. Social enterprises reinvest generated profit into community projects. Income generated by smart work desks would cross-subsidizing Cyber_Shed entry-level digital literacy tuition. We have identified a suitable space in Blackheath. It would operate as both a digital literacy teaching venue and a regional smart work hub, rebranded as Cyber_Shed (Digital Literacy & Smart Work) Hub. We have been researching the market for a smart work service in the upper mountains. Initial research shows that 59% of the Blue Mountains workforce leaves the area for work (i). And that 60% of mature age workers & 66% of people with a disability who are not in the labour force would take up employment if a remote work option was available. As a result mature workers would delay retirement by an average of 6.6 years (ii). There are proven positive impacts on other sectors of the workforce too. So we believe Cyber_Shed (Digital Literacy & Smart Work Hub) has potential as an income generating business over time. We would aim to be entirely self-sufficient within 24 months. Simon Hare Cyber_Shed Co-ordinator & volunteer tutor


BANC presents The Blackheath Hour on Radio Blue Mountains from 10am each Thursday. The show runs for an hour, and includes local news, weather, and music. There have been many changes to The Blackheath Hour this year. Our host, Bryn Town, took a well-earned overseas holiday and Mark Horton kindly took on duties in his absence. On his return Bryn sadly decided not to return to his former role. BANC thanks Bryn for his hard work over several years presenting a dynamic show chock full of local information and great music. Local identities Ken Bromilow and Murray Reid agreed to take on hosting the show. And Cornelia Gartner has taken on the role of producer, ensuring our lively hosts have regular guests to interview about local happenings. Tune in on 89.1FM or stream it live on www.rbm.org.au from 10am each Thursday! The Welcome Table is an initiative to develop integration in the community. It is an idea which developed after noticing the challenges that people face when they move to a new area. We meet at a local cafe once a week from 2.30 till 4pm to enjoy the company of locals. Some of the locals have lived here since birth, others may have been here for 10 years, other may have just arrived a few weeks ago. It is a gift when locals arrive to welcome new people. It may be as simple as chatting for a while, or telling people about the activities they enjoy in the town. Everyone is welcome. Some come weekly, others when they can, and some come till other activities fill their lives. Our youngest participant is 2 months and oldest has been 90Partnerships and deep friendships have developed through the Welcome Table. It is a source of local knowledge, and support. Through email I keep participants in touch with the cultural centre, markets, art, garden and flower shows, jazz and trivia at the pub, music performances, movies at Vic's Flicks etc. through enthusiasm, invitations and email. The advantages to the community are; an integrated community, a mentally healthy community, secure happier residents, less depression and loneliness. Participants are more likely to stay and contribute to and participate in the community, as they feel accepted.

Welcome Table

BANC on Air

Sue & Bryn Town

Mark Horton

Sue Ainsworth and Lindena Robb

http://www.rbm.org.au/


The Heathens is a community choir based in Blackheath. The choir was founded in 2009 by our musical director Christine Wheeler, and sings a mixture of folk, world and popular music. The Heathens is auspiced by Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre, and rehearses for two hours in the BANC offices every Wednesday at 2pm during school terms. The choir now numbers over 30 members from across the Blue Mountains. We have members ranging from their 80’s to teenage. We cater for a range of interests and abilities from keen starters, who have never read music before, to fluent music readers familiar with singing in four parts. The common factor is an interest in music and a community of people who want to have fun whilst performing music to a high standard and entertaining others. We welcome new members. Our name, The Heathens, is an oblique reference to where we rehearse (Blackheath), but we seek to be part of our wider community. We performed at local festivals, including Blackheath Day, the Choir Festival, the Flower and Craft show, the Lithgow Ironfest and Daffodils at Rydal. We sing at community and BANC events in the upper Mountains and Lithgow area. We were a feature act at the Ivanhoe Folk Club. We also entertain residents of local residential care facilities. During the year we were able to mount a concert with the proceeds going to BANC to support their work. Together with some 30 musicians from Loosely Woven, a Sydney based group, we raised some $1,000. It is said that singing comes to us as naturally as breathing. Our mothers sang to us from the moment we were born and we all did it freely as children. But these days, chances are that most of us confine our joyous singing to the privacy of the shower, or long drives in the car. It’s time that we all discovered our inner ‘soprano’ because a growing body of research shows that singing can be as good for us as taking up yoga or going to the gym!

The Heathens

http://heathenschoir.org/

http://heathenschoir.org/christine-wheeler/

http://banc.org.au/

http://heathenschoir.org/to-join/


After our walking group founder, Judy Kenyon, retired as leader a year ago, after 8 years, we all wondered what would become of us. Would we keep walking? Would our numbers dwindle? Well, yes, we kept walking and no, our numbers haven't dwindled. There have been some changes, obviously because Judy was the linchpin of the group, still joining us when she can. We now walk as one group with faster walkers at the front and those slower at the back. We all walk the same route, different every week taking in the picturesque scenery of our Blackheath village. We still do our exercises before each walk, now on the grass near the swings at Jubilee Park - and we still have a cuppa at the end of the walk. On the first Monday of the month, our 'cuppa' becomes a decadent cappuccino and scones or muffins at Kubba Roonga Guest House - what a way to end a walk! For those who would like to join us, we meet at 8.25 am at Jubilee Park setting off after stretching at 8.35 am and walking for just over an hour. Finally... We would like to take this opportunity to thank Judy for her generosity and her passionate commitment to opening up the world of walking and fitness to so many in our community over such a long time. Judy has been a vigorous leader in encouraging walking, exercise and health in the Upper Mountains for many years. She established the Just Walk It group in Blackheath. The benefits have gone beyond physical health as friendships and connections have been fostered and members have embarked on ambitious walking trips overseas and within Australia. Judy has been a most willing mentor to other groups wishing to set up walking programs. Judy has also been a key competitor in the Masters Games and she is a regular medal winner in her age category. Judy is also an enthusiastic and passionate community member, having served on the Blackheath Memorial Park Committee and for a number of years on the BANC Management Committee. Congratulations to you, Judy! We thank, acknowledge and honour you. New walkers are always welcome.

Blackheath Walkers – Keep On Keeping On


It’s now been 25 years since the School for Seniors Bus Journeys began. With the current volunteer support of Gordon Watson our fabulous Bus Driver, as well as Octavia O’Brien whose job as the Coordinator leads us to some amazing destinations. The group visits various places around New South Wales throughout the year. From enjoying a roast at the country pub in Oberon, Fish & Chips by the sea at Bundeena & Devonshire Tea amongst the daffodils in Rydal. Giving much room for catch-up and lots of laughs. We would like to make a special mention to Betty Scott, who was on the bus from day one who sadly passed this year and will be greatly missed. Her stories and laughs were always entertaining and insightful. The wisdom shared amongst the group is valuable and welcomed into the history of the Blackheath community, showing a true reflection of where we live. An essential part of our Blackheath Senior’s Community is to stay connected or meet new friends and share stories well into their senior years. We have an open line for all seniors who would like to come along and join in the fun.

Blackheath School for Seniors

Seniors Christmas in 2013


As Treasurer, I am pleased to report another successful year for the finances of Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre (BANC). We managed our 3 operations of CAS, BOOSH and NILS without major financial strain, and continued to expand our community development activities in the upper Blue Mountains. BANC received some $1.4 million in grant monies, and we also obtain income from donations, payments for services and user-pays contributions. With some 30 staff and volunteers delivering our programs in a typical week, BANC is of significant size. It requires a degree of administrative and management support. There is an excellent Management Committee. Judy Finch as General Manager is a tower of strength, and during the year she managed CAS for some 4 months in addition to her usual duties. Staff that report to her, with the administrative and financial management roles, safely managed their responsibilities. All staff share the vision of BANC, and contribute to make this local community so vibrant, connected and supportive. Our main source of funding is from State Government Departments and Agencies. We acknowledge particularly the contributions of the Department of Family and Community Services and the Department of Disability and Home Care. We also receive some support from Federal Government. Blue Mountains Council, as the 3rd tier of government, also contributes. We all know BMCC has felt the pressures of reduced funding and enhanced demand for them to provide services and BANC, as a 4th and neighbourhood level, is not immune from these pressures. It is a tribute to management and staff that we have achieved so much in the past year. As most will be aware, we need to maintain the numerous accounting records that are printed in this Annual Report so we can acquit our expenses to the relevant individual grant provider. As part of our CAS activity, we have started creating individual packages for clients, which has added further accounting experience. Special thanks are again due to Barbra McCauley, our Finance Manager. She maintains our financial records, manages our payroll, constructs our budgets and does all internal and external reporting. Shelley Rodwell, our auditor, continues to ensure our accounts are in good order. Finally... We pay our respects to Scott Linstid who has been a member of the BANC Management Committee for the last 11 years. He has played the role of Treasurer for many of these years, and even when not formally acting as Treasurer or keeper of the BANC safe, Scott has kept a strong eye on the organisation’s finances.

Barbra McCauley

Audited Financial Statement – Treasurer’s Report

Cornelia Gartner

Chris Arnott


Documents

Annual Report 2013 - 2014bancnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BANC-annual-report-2014-FINAL.pdfMembers Anna Ingham Bryn Town Carmel Vanny Gareth Williams Greg Bull Jo Ridley Kathleen