Annual Report Coonara Community House
Contents
Chairperson’s report......................................................................................
Adult community education
Nationally accredited training........................................................................
Pre accredited training..................................................................................
Other adult education....................................................................................
Children’s services training in the Northern Territory.....................................
E learning
Linking for e literacy project..........................................................................
E learning at Coonara....................................................................................
Moving from e to m learning project..............................................................
Early learning
Early learning report......................................................................................
Community development
Coonara’s touch is far reaching.....................................................................
Urban harvest swap meets............................................................................
Friday night socials........................................................................................
Gully gardeners.............................................................................................
Clothes swap................................................................................................
Back to basics...............................................................................................
The Foothills...................................................................................................
Volunteers, job seekers & community corrections........................................
Stringybark festival.........................................................................................
Pancake day..................................................................................................
Knox festival...................................................................................................
Book group.....................................................................................................
Biggest morning tea......................................................................................
4 9 10 11 13 16 19 20 25 29 31 31 32 32 33 33 34 35 35 36 36 37
International woman’s day.............................................................................
Woodfired pizza oven...................................................................................
Desert mob trip.............................................................................................
Peg is 40.......................................................................................................
Art at Coonara................................................................................................
Projects, partners and networking
Learn Local in Knox partnership...................................................................
ACFE conference...........................................................................................
Spectrum Connections – auspiced by Care Connect...................................
Visit by the Hon. Peter Garrett MP.................................................................
Home energy savers scheme national launch..............................................
CHAOS bus trip............................................................................................
Recognition
HESTA Outstanding Early Childhood Education award – finalist Dani Campbell
ALA award for CCH...................................................................................................
Financials
Treasurer’s report........................................................................................................
Financial statement....................................................................................................
37 38 41 42 43 46 47 48 48 49 49 52 53 56 58
Chairperson’s report “Coonara has certainly raised the bar this year in both what it has achieved and the recognition it has received for all its hard work and innovation.” It is my privilege as well as pleasure to present the annual Report for 2012. Coonara has certainly raised the bar this year in both what it has achieved and the recognition it has received for all its hard work and innovation. Coonara Community House won the ALA Australian Learning Provider of the Year Award for 2012. Our excellent Early Learning Program has also been recognised with Dani Campbell’s selection as a finalist in the Hesta Awards for outstanding Early Learning Educators. During the year Coonara organised the ACFE Metropolitan Provider Conference. The house has been a pivotal member of the Learn Local Network and Leanne Fitzgerald has also been Chairperson of CHAOS (Community Houses of the Outer Eastern suburbs).
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The projects initiated and delivered have covered both a wide range of activities as well as territory. ‘A House Around the Corner’ has been a great success. We received DEEWR funding to assess staff at Alice Springs Family Day Care for RPL and training of childcare staff at the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress continued with five of our Certificate IIIs graduating in May. Our bi-monthly magazine, Foothills is getting better and better with each issue thanks to the editor, Marina Cook.
Many more programs are in the pipeline. These are just a few examples of why Coonara is highly regarded as an innovative organisation. Accredited courses, recreational short courses and workshops have all been well attended and are progressing well despite the restrictions on government funded places. Our graduates are highly regarded in the community and this is a testimony to the hard work, competence and high level of expertise demonstrated by the Course Coordinators and tutors. The House would not function nearly as well as it does without volunteers. Tracy Verburgt is continuing her wonderful work with Salvation Army Job Seekers, Dept of Justice community service workers, Gully Gardeners as well as volunteers around the house. A chook shed has been built and the garden looks fantastic. Many volunteers are doing computer courses or participating in Nicole Kirkwood’s Art and Craft activities. Their art work decorates most of the buildings at Coonara and has certainly contributed to the volunteer’s feeling of belonging. Our Early Learning Centre is full with waiting lists. The innovative programs have been well recognised for their simulating learning environment. Thanks to the care and dedication of Dani and her band of
assistants and volunteers, the next generation of Coonara members is well looked after. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Leanne and Carol Czaplowski for all their positive energy; we can do this attitude as well as commitment and hard work. They are ably supported by Pam Forrest and the finance team who always seem to be able to balance the books in such a way that funding is available for all the important stuff. Finally there is also the important work done by the committee of management who bring a huge range of expertise and insights to the table and ensure that the governance of this organisation meets all requirements. Each and every member of this committee makes an important contribution and I thank you all for your effort and support. Frankie den Hartog, Chairperson
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Adult community
education
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Nationally accredited training “Eighty-two students undertook their Certificate III in Children’s Services in 2012, thirty-one were enrolled in Certificate IV in Leisure and Health, ten commenced the Diploma of Leisure and Health and fourteen gained their Diploma of Children’s Services.” Accredited training in community services continued to be popular in 2012. Children’s Services and Leisure and Health classes attracted high enrolments. Eighty-two students undertook their Certificate III in Children’s Services in 2012, thirtyone were enrolled in Certificate IV in Leisure and Health, ten commenced the Diploma of Leisure and Health and fourteen gained their Diploma of Children’s Services. Sixty-three other students enrolled in a range of accredited courses including Disability Work, Community Services, Creative Industries and Community Development. Coonara successfully completed a Registered Training Organisation re-registration audit with Australian Skills Quality Authority in November to be registered for a further five year period. Almost thirty percent of all accredited training at Coonara was delivered using an online environment consisting of live classrooms and interactive websites. Student evaluations of our training were overwhelmingly positive in all areas of delivery. 105,535 student contact hours of Victorian government funded training were delivered with a further 35,259 hours of unfunded fee for service delivery. Thanks to the course co-ordinators and the dedicated team of trainers for assisting so many people to achieve their qualifications.
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Pre accredited training “Coonara’s computer courses included; computers for the timid, next step computers, Internet and email and the International computer drivers license.” The Victorian state government also funds vocational education and training that is not accredited. These pre-accredited courses are funded through a contract with the Adult Community and Further Education Board with DEECD funds. The primary purpose of pre-accredited education and training is to provide opportunities that engage and initiate vocational pathways for the most educationally disadvantaged learners. Pre-accredited courses address the particular needs of adults who have experienced barriers to education in the past and find it difficult to undertake accredited programs as their first step into vocational training. The ACFE Board funds four streams of courses; adult literacy/numeracy, employment skills, vocational skills and digital literacy. In 2012 digital literacy, computer courses, were by far the most popular type of pre accredited course. Coonara’s computer courses included; computers for the timid, next step computers, Internet and email and the International computer drivers license. Additional courses included; introduction to diversional therapy, introduction to horticulture, introduction to film and media, first point of contact for reception work and talking about work.
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A total of 6,153 student contact hours of training were delivered with this funding.
Other adult education The following general adult education courses were held at Coonara in 2012. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
Course Soap making Soy candles Introduction to developing an online business Level 2 first aid Face and body creams Cider making and fruit wine Adult migrant volunteer training Meditation Introduction to photography Making your own pasta Making your own gnocchi First aid level 2 CPR update CPR update Cider making and fruit wine Cheese making Bread making Build your own pizza oven Propagation workshop Meditation Gnocchi making Henna workshops First aid level 2 First aid level 2 Felt making CPR update CPR update Cheese making Preserving what you grow Meditation First aid level 2 CPR update Cider making Cheese making Totals
Hours 3 2 12 8 2.5 8 10 10 12 2 2 8 2.5 2.5 8 8 3 20 2 10 3 6 8 8 3 3 3 8 3 10 8 3 8 8 217.5
Enrolments 13 12 6 17 4 1 7 5 7 11 12 13 6 6 1 2 10 6 6 5 11 10 15 9 8 2 3 3 12 9 15 5 2 2 256
SCH 39 24 72 136 10 8 70 50 84 22 24 104 15 15 8 16 30 120 12 50 33 60 120 72 24 6 9 24 36 90 120 15 16 16 1550
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Children’s services training in the Northern Territory “The success of the project with Congress had been spreading through the local community and we began a training relationship with Alice Springs Family Day Care” We began the year with five of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress students who had begun training with us in 2011, successfully completing their Certificate III in Childrens Services. A moving graduation celebration was held at the centre in Alice Springs in March to recognise their achievement and was attended by graduates family, friends, local elders, DEEWR representatives and Congress management. It was an honour for Lynne Gibb and Dani Campbell to be in attendance as they had worked so closely with the graduates over an 18 month period. They assisted students to gain an awareness of their existing skills and develop a knowledge of current practice and expectations as well as a solid belief in their own ability. The success of the project with Congress had been spreading through the local community and we began a training relationship with Alice Springs Family Day Care (FDC). Lynne Gibb and Debbie Whitehead had started the RPL process with a separate project that assisted students with pathways into the training for the FDC organisation in January. In April, Dani and Lynne were trained in the DEEWR RPL initiative – which saw Minister Garret visit Coonara to discuss the initiative with Dani while Lynne was in Alice Springs bedding down the process. Dani and Lynne rolled out the new RPL method with FDC hoping the system would prove easier for the students to show competency as the training units are clustered together. Several visits occurred throughout the year to support the FDC applicants through the RPL
process and to identify areas of training need. Later visits resulted in Dani and Lynne customising both the face to face and online training to fill these gaps. Congress student Des McGrady was awarded a scholarship through DEEWR to visit Melbourne in December to complete 2 units of the Diploma of Children’s Services. Coonara staff set him up with local services; Coonara Early Learning Centre and Sherbrooke Family and Children’s Centre, so he could participate in a variety of high quality programs and visit a local primary school prep grade. Lady Gowrie Children’s Centre Docklands opened their observation session specifically for Des, Lynne and Marlene (another Coonara Trainer) so Des could view the state of the art family-centred service and take back a plethora of new ideas and practices to his own centre in Alice Springs. During the visit, Gowrie staff expressed an interest in continuing the relationship with Des, Congress and Coonara House. It is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to have a close association with such a prestigious early childhood service. We are continuing our Alice Springs training of FDC educatoris in 2013 and four Certificate III students will complete in April and three Diploma students in June 2013. It has been an enriching experience for all of us. Lynne Gibb & Dani Campbell
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E learning
Project manager, Debbie Whitehead.
Linking for E literacy project This federally funded project was managed by Debbie Whitehead with assistance from Lynne Gibb and Dani Campbell. The project was successfully completed between January and June 2012. The following press release was issued by DEEWR to highlight our project to the media. “Courses in e-literacy are boosting the training and employment opportunities for women in the field of children’s services. Aimed at women who are mature aged, Indigenous, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, or live in remote areas, the Linking for e-literacy program is enabling learners to achieve skills that are not only vital for successful training, but are important for day-to-day living in the 21st century. “Flexible online learning promises to make training more achievable for these women, as they usually have commitments that compete strongly with their training ambitions, including family, community and work,” says project manager Leanne Fitzgerald of Coonara Community House.
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“The varied learning approach is responsive to individual student needs and has been constructed to challenge and motivate learners, help them take
responsibility for their own learning and develop confidence and positive attitudes to learning and technology.” This program will also benefit employers by upskilling the workforce to ensure compliance with new regulatory requirements in early childhood training, and increasing the number of potential employees in a market where skilled workers are scarce and itinerant, particularly in the Northern Territory. Coonara Community House, a non-profit, community-based organisation and registered training organisation, is implementing the Linking for e-literacy program to support learners at its training venues in the Northern Territory and in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. The program includes face-to-face learning to build basic skills, followed by online learning to consolidate capabilities and provide support and encouragement. “The online component will help to build relationships and networks between the diverse cultural, ethnic and geographical challenges the learners face, and students will be encouraged to support and learn from each other in a co-operative environment that values all attempts at participation,” says Fitzgerald.
The training will also provide participants with a learning plan and portfolio that will assist in creating strong pathways into further training and employment. The project has been made possible through funding from the National VET E-learning Strategy, whose Partnerships for Participation program offers opportunities to develop e-learning approaches to improve the e-literacy, foundation skills and pre-vocational skills of individuals experiencing disadvantage. The National VET E-learning Strategy is the responsibility of the Flexible Learning Advisory Group (FLAG), a key policy advisory group on national directions and priorities for information and communication technologies in the VET sector. “By sponsoring e-learning programs, we are expanding participation and access for learners, stimulating innovative approaches to training and employment, and improving the skill levels of the Australian workforce,” says FLAG Chair Raymond Garrand, Chief Executive of the South Australian Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology.”
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Coonara e learning center.
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E learning at Coonara
“We now have seven trainers confidently delivering classes in our online classroom. We have three trained Technology Stewards amongst our team who act as technical backup people in the classroom while the trainer gets on with facilitation.” Coonara has really moved ahead over the past few years in the e learning area. We now have seven trainers confidently delivering classes in our online classroom. We have three trained Technology Stewards amongst our team who act as technical backup people in the classroom while the trainer gets on with facilitation. There has been some excellent student feedback on training in the online classroom – the fact that they can join in from home dressed in pyjamas seems to be the major reason given! Online training has broadened the scope of Coonara’s training possibilities and means that we have kept up with, and are ahead of, the rapid changes in technology and teaching practice over the years. It has also assisted us in carrying out training in the Northern Territory. Three Coonara trainers have gone on to be leaders in the learn Local Sector in elearning. Liz Grigg and Lynne Gibb have been chosen by the Adult Community and Further Education branch to act as Ementors to the Southern Region and Eastern Metropolitan Regions respectively. This requires them to assist other Learn Local Organisations to venture into the elearning area and to support them through training their trainers. They do this in person by visiting the centres and also by providing high quality online training sessions for Learn Local Providers. Recently, Karen George joined Lynne’s
team as an eChampion, assisting in the roll out of elearning expertise across the region. Lynne and Karen along with another eChampion, from Pines Learning, organised and presented a professional development day at Coonara for Learn Local Providers who elected to be a part of the Ementor project. Between them they presented a variety of practical presentations on Using and editing Audio, Social media, Using Wikis, Creating interactive presentations, Engaging CALD learners with audio, Screencasting and Converting a face to face class into an online class. It is a big feather in Coonara’s cap to have three of their trainers leading the region as ementors and echampion. In July last year, Lynne presented at several conferences on elearning – the Ementor eLearning Showcase, the ELNET Conference and Converge 2012 as well as co-presenting with Liz at the ACFE Metro Conference. Attending and presenting at these large conferences keeps Coonara at the forefront of new ways of presenting and working flexibly with students and keeps our name as an innovative and forward-thinking organisation up there with other innovators in the industry. We have certainly come a long way from our chalk and talk days! Lynne Gibb
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Moving from E to M learning project “In addition the project had an element of experimentation with new technology, particularly the ipad, so as to investigate the potential for its use in training.�
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This project was funded by the Adult Community and Further Education Board over 2011-2012. It enabled us to further develop and enhance the delivery of e learning at Coonara and The Basin Community Houses using online classrooms and mobile learning devices with a range of new technology. The key project aims were to include remote learners as well as remote trainers and experts in our classrooms and provide remote workplace mentoring and assessment to increase the engagement of full time workers in our training programs. In addition the project had an element of experimentation with new technology, particularly the ipad, so as to investigate the potential for its use in training. Some of our aims proved to be ambitious, however this was balanced by some very successful unexpected outcomes discovered as a result of the experimental approach to using the new technology. The highlight of the project was the success of using social media such as facebook and blogs for sharing learning and creating a learning community of practice that extended well beyond the classroom. The use of ipads to increase mobile learning opportunities was initially disappointing as we were focussing on how learners could use the ipads to communicate with trainers. When we changed the focus to exploring how trainers could improve their delivery and assessment by using the ipads as a tool we had much more success. Capturing video of learners on the job and reviewing it with them to identify their strengths and weaknesses proved very effective.
Dani’s facebook site for our students
Dani’s blog for students and parents
We have followers on the FB site from India, New Zealand, Tanzania and the USA .
The blog has been featured several times on ‘Let the children’ play which is an Australian site and then was picked up from that by several other sites - Flights of whimsy and Worlds of imagination as well as by Blocks rock which is an international site.
Via her blog and Facebook, Dani has developed a close relationship with the author of Worlds of imagination who has designed and developed a session on designing creative experiences for our Diploma group.
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Early learning
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Children playing at Coonara Early Learning Centre.
Early learning report “Dani was acknowledged by Leanne and Lynne who nominated her for the HESTA Early Childhood awards, a biennial event which was held in Perth. Dani was chosen as one of the top 5 finalists out of 600 nominees for early educator of the year.” 2012 was another successful year for the early learning centre with all morning sessions running at capacity throughout the year and substantial waiting lists we offered an afternoon session on Wednesdays. The relationship between the Early Learning Centre and the training team strengthened with two certificate III in children’s services classes running at Coonara on Wednesday and one on Fridays. Tutors were able to utilise the service as an opportunity for students to observe educators interactions with children, behaviour guidance techniques, play based learning philosophy and natural environment set up. This role continued with early learning services in the local area meeting with Dani to discuss the outdoor education environment and how they could operate a play based indoor-outdoor program similar to ours. Our team grew this year when Karen snapped her achillies required 12 weeks off. Mandy joined our team and was joined for the short term by Emma who took on the role as 3rd assistant in occasional care. Both Mandy and Emma were studying at Coonara at the time and were able to fit into the team seamlessly. While recovering, Karen was able to complete her certificate III studies which meant each team member now had current early childhood qualifications.
Once again we celebrated special occasions such as International Mud Day and footy week. Our end of year party had a strong turn-out with around 130 parents, grandparents and children attending the graduation celebration that was followed by a visit from Santa. Dani was acknowledged by Leanne and Lynne who nominated her for the HESTA Early Childhood awards, a biennial event which was held in Perth. Dani was chosen as one of the top 5 finalists out of 600 nominees for early educator of the year. Simone Taffe headed our fundraising team this year and worked tirelessly to raise $3000 to put towards the installation of a shade sail above the sandpit. We also raised $500 from the Woolworths earn and learn program to spend on resources from Modern Teaching Aids. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Tracey and her return to work volunteers for their maintenance work in the garden to keep out natural learning environment looking so fantastic. Dani Campbell
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Community
de elopment
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Liz with husband and son.
Coonara’s touch is far reaching
“From Melbourne through Mt Isa, Darwin, Gibb River Road, Mitchell Falls, Broom, Bungle Bungles, Tanami Desert Road, Alice Spring and home – Coonara is well known and loved.” I was lucky enough to be able to take Term 3 off last year to travel the Kimberly with my husband and son. We left overcast Melbourne in early July, and after 14,705km returned to a much colder Melbourne and late September after nearly 11 weeks on the road. The weather in between was warm, warm and warmer. Nothing quite beats the expanse of blue skies and red dirt in the outback. When new people arrive in a caravan park or road side camping area in the afternoon, you will invariably be met with the same conversation and questions “Hi, how are you?”, “Where have you travelled from today?”, “Where are you from?”, and when the conversation continues with those from Melbourne I would add that I work in Upper Ferntree
Gully – more known than Upper Beaconsfield! For those we met from this side of the hills, and surprisingly there were many more than one, the follow up questions was “where do you work?” After nearly 20 years working in community houses I am well used to the follow up explanation as to what a community/neighbourhood house is and does, what did surprise me on this holiday were the number of UFTG “locals” who not only knew of Coonara, but have used Coonara in the past – “my kids attended the childcare at Coonara” (Mt Isa), “my kids did the Kinda program at Coonara” (Darwin) and the more surprising whilst in Broome I was given “Oh Coonara, I’m currently doing a photographic course with the lovely people at Coonara. One of the students works for Coonara” (Leanne). Everyone we spoke to who knew Coonara had only positive comments and fond memories of their time with Coonara. It was great to meet up with the crew for Desert Mob in Alice Springs for a few days before making our way home in time for term 4. So from Melbourne through Mt Isa, Darwin, Gibb River Road, Mitchell Falls, Broom, Bungle Bungles, Tanami Desert Road, Alice Spring and home – Coonara is well known and loved. Liz Grigg
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Urban harvest swap meet.
Urban harvest swap meets “The project also cultivated friendships, the sharing of organic gardening tips and the swapping of recipes.”
Coonara received Knox Council Community Development funding to host four seasonal Urban Harvest swap meets in 2012. Local food growers were encouraged to bring along excess home-grown produce to swap with other local gardeners, from vegetables to herbs, fruit, seeds, seedlings, cuttings – anything edible from the garden. If growers didn’t have excess food to bring they often contributed recipes, compost and even worm juice. The project also cultivated friendships, the sharing of organic gardening tips and the swapping of recipes. Sally Dusting-Laird
Friday night socials “An average of over ten people attended each night with some weeks attracting over thirty people.” In 2012 the Knox Network of Neighbourhood Houses continued with a Friday night social event offered every Friday evening in rotation between the Knox Houses. In 2011 the program had been funded by a Primary Care Partnership grant. In 2012 the project was funded by a Knox City Council community development grant with Rowville Neighbourhood Learning Centre as the lead agency. The events were held each Friday from 6.30 – 8.30pm with a low cost simple meal provided each week. Activities included; film nights, arts and crafts, games, singing and trivia. An average of over ten people attended each night with some weeks attracting over thirty people. The program aims were to address social isolation and to provide members of the community with affordable, inclusive social venues as an alternative to licensed clubs and pubs.
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Gully Gardeners Our garden group enjoyed another year of stimulating guest speakers who shared their passion for gardening of all types. Again the meetings alternated between the Ferntree Gully Library and Coonara with very good attendances. In 2012 the group will meet exclusively at Coonara and a whole host of new guest speakers has been arranged.
Clothes swap You can’t get much for a gold coin these days, except at Coonara’s community clothes swap held on March 18, 2012. Participants brought along unwanted clothing, paid just $1 and received a token for each item of clothing. The tokens were used to “shop” for items that others had brought along. Young and old attended the swap and there were tables loaded with great quality clothes for men, women and children. Some were brand new still with tags attached. In fact we were so overwhelmed with extra clothing, jobseekers and people in need were encouraged to search through the garments left behind to dress up for job interviews. Sally Dusting-Laird
Sally, Clothes swap.
Back to basics The Back to Basics program is one of the most successful Coonara activities every year. For the third year in a row the Bendigo Bank community banks of Ferntree Gully and Rowville provided funding for a free monthly workshop on sustainable living skills. In 2012 additional funding was provided to include a page of Back to Basics tips in The Foothills Community Newspaper.
Workshops held in 2012 included; soap making, candle making, budget cooking, organic gardening, bread making, pasta and gnocchi, and preserving techniques. Every one of these workshops was filled to capacity with a waiting list. In all eightyfive people participated in the Back to Basics workshops.
The Foothills The Foothills in 2012 became bigger and better. The size of the newspaper remained the same, but with the additional exposure through social media channels like Facebook - we have gained a loyal following and it is growing. Our fantastic contributors enabled The Foothills to dramatically improve, elevating this humble little newspaper to become a great addition to any coffee table in any home. This is due to the following regular contributors: Sub-editor: Sally Dusting-Laird Graphic Designers: Jessica Hardy, Emily Fitzgerald, Sophie Fitzgerald Photographer: Darren Clarke Regular Writers: Terry Barca Bernadette Dimitrov (Mrs Claus) Andrew Fullagar (Upwey Township Group) Karen George (Cooking on a Budget)
David Jewell (Your Tecoma) Coral Kennedy (Coral’s Gardening Tips) Sandi Wallace And all of our loyal advertisers including: 1812 Theatre,TLC Birth and Beyond, Foodworks, Ken Laurel Dance Studio, Classic Window Furnishings, Abitza Cafe, Magpie House, Quality Auto Services Ferntree Gully, Defi Surf and Skate and Bendigo Bank. We would like to thank Coonara Community House for being such a great supporter of this much loved community newspaper. Our plans for 2013 is to see many more partnerships with local businesses and councils as well as setting up a website for people to locate articles digitally as well as engaging with the community online. It is a newspaper I am personally proud of and am extremely grateful to my wonderful team. Editor, Marina Cook
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Volunteers, job seekers & community corrections
“Our Volunteers are fantastic and they are the reason that Coonara’s grounds stay looking so good as they maintain the gardens, grounds and buildings.” Thanks to all our wonderful volunteers. The girls on the front desk do a fantastic job. The reception can be very busy with phone calls and enquires as well as people waiting to book into classes and parents waiting to pay the weekly childcare fees. All of these things can be happening at the same time! It is the first point of contact for Coonara and all our Front Desk girls and guys (we have had a few blokes on the desk at different times this year) do a great job helping people and especially making them feel welcome. Well done. Coonara has many people on board. We have Job Seekers from The Salvation Army Employment Plus. We have people from the Dept of Justice completing their community hours with us and others who just like to give their time and effort to help out and be part of the Coonara team. Our Volunteers are fantastic and they are the reason that Coonara's grounds stay looking so good as
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they maintain the gardens, grounds and buildings. Morning teas and events are also organised by the volunteer team. Furniture and equipment is moved from room to room as needed by the team. The Willowbrooke folk across the road look forward to the weekly Tuesday visits of our volunteers, we even get hugs and kisses from our adopted Grandparents. Coonara has been lucky enough to have had some very handy men and women, things have been hung up, broken things fixed and we have even had a chook house/palace built (just waiting on the arrival of the baby chickens). So a big thankyou to all for your help and fantastic effort during 2012. Thanks Coonara Volunteers for being part of the Coonara House team. Tracy Verburgt
Stringybark Festival The houses in the Knox network combined to provide activities and workshops for families at the Stringybark festival over the weekend of October 13th and 14th. Students from the Coonara Certificate IV in Community Development class conducted a community consultation and needs assessment focusing on the role of neighbourhood houses to facilitate a sense of community. They created an amazing display and distributed
showbags with information about the Houses to dozens of festival-goers. Coonara staff and volunteers also offered a natural play session for children with wheat, water and clay for free play. It was interesting to see so many parents surprised that their children would be happy to play happily for some time without have a structured activity and “something to make�.
Pancake day For the 14th year in a row we celebrated Shove Tuesday, pancake day, as a fund raiser for Uniting Care. The money raised is used to support homeless people in the community. This year we held a breakfast for the first time rather than our regular morning tea. Thanks to all the volunteers who got up early to make delicious pancakes for the 45 people who attended. It was great to see some of the families from our Early Learning Centre enjoying their pancakes along with residents from Willowbrooke.
Coonara staff and volunteers.
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Knox Festival Henna art was the big hit of our Knox Festival activities in 2012. Thanks to Sav Laird for patiently painting so many hands while we chatted to people about all the other things that Neighbourhood houses can provide. The weather wasn’t the greatest but we still managed to promote Coonara and the Knox Houses to lots of people.
Book group 2012 saw some changes for our Bookgroup. We continued to choose our own novels which proved successful in 2011. To mix things up, and for a bit of fun, we decided to read an author who had written a series. We chose Kerry Greenwood’s Phyrne Fisher series. We each read a different title and then reported back to the group. In the latter part of the year we made the decision to move our meetings to the third Sunday of the month. We thought we would support cafes in the local area and enjoy our discussions over breakfast. Our first few meetings were at Brewd Café in Upper Ferntree Gully. We had a core membership of six. 2012 reads: • The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma, translated by Nick Caistor • The Time Machine by H.G. Wells • Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay • All That I Am by Anna Funder • 11.22.63 by Stephen King • The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Coonara at the Knox Festival.
• We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver • Miss Fisher’s Murder Mystery series by Kerry Greenwood • Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling • The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin Christmas holiday reads: A varied selection including indigenous authors was put forward for members to choose from. The Kerry Greenwood series and Sarah’s Key proved very popular amongst members. Along the way we continued our enthusiasm for attending author talks and movies. 2012 was a great year of lively meetings discussing many varied book genres which, at times, involved stepping out of our comfort zones. Margaret James
Biggest morning tea Thanks to the efforts of our wonderful volunteers, the Biggest morning tea was another successful fundraising event. Nearly $300 was raised for the Cancer Council from the morning tea donations and a raffle. This year's theme was Elton John. Never have so many pairs of over-sized glasses been seen in the one room along with loads of pink and sparkles. It's going to be hard to top this next year.
International women’s day “It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.” International Women’s Day was celebrated at Coonara on March 8, 2012, with a full house and lots of women! International Women’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.
Accountant, Client Attraction & Business Networking Specialist & Author. Maree's experience of 20 years as a business accountant, tax agent & consultant has enabled her to help many businesses raise their profile & become experts in their field.
The special guest speaker was local hill’s resident Maree Hamilton. Maree is a Certified Practising
Sally Dusting-Laird
She feels it is her legacy to help others overcome adversity from her own amazing life experiences this gave rise to her book "Life Sucks but YOU CAN turn it around! A morning tea was also enjoyed by all.
Biggest morning tea.
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Woodfired pizza oven
“What a fantastic way to spend a couple of weekends with like-minded people learnt new skills, built a great pizza oven, had some fun and shared a few jokes.� It was a fine Autumn morning one Saturday in April when six would-be Wood Fired Pizza Oven Builders arrived for the first day of their two day workshop. Not knowing what to expect, other than we would be here next Saturday as well, we were soon being organised by the workshop leader, Matt Henderson. Matt is a bricklayer who also runs his own mobile catering business using wood fired pizza ovens. And whilst this was his first workshop too, he was quite at ease showing us students what we needed to do and letting us go at it. Pete and Dave and Les showed they had some skill on the brick saw and in no time at all the tiles and the fire bricks were cut for the base and in place to form the lower section of the dome. All hands then shovelled the sand into the middle of the oven and created a big sandcastle to form the dome of the oven. Jedda, Rob and I took command
mixing the special cement which was poured over the sand and with much effort by everyone moulded into shape. The end result was a structure that resembled a small igloo. This was allowed to set for the week and we all returned the following Saturday eager to continue. With some trepidation we shovelled the sand out of the now set dome and were relieved to see it not collapse. Chicken wire, silver foil and insulation were laid over the dome, the chimney set in place then many buckets of render applied over the whole structure. It was finished - but we could not test it out. Matt had done the right thing though and had arrived early in the morning with one of his mobile pizza ovens all fired up and cooked us a lunch of gourmet pizzas and even supplied a few coldies. A big thankyou to Matt for running the workshop and to the other participants who were great to work with. What a fantastic way to spend a couple of weekends with like-minded people - learnt new skills, built a great pizza oven, had some fun and shared a few jokes then sat back and enjoyed some food and refreshment together. Can’t wait for the next workshop! Luigi Pepperoni
Students working on pizza oven at Coonara.
Coonara at Desert Mob, Alice Springs.
40
Desert mob trip “Aboriginal artists from Desart member Art Centres together with interstate guests performed a program of stories, song, images, film and dance about culture, country and art.” On Wednesday September 5th thirteen members of the extended Coonara family left a cool and cloudy Melbourne to travel to Alice Springs sunshine. The group attended the annual Desert Mob Festival. On Thursday the group visited Hermannsburg to view the old mission site and some of the magnificent paintings of Albert Namatjira. Friday was the key day of the trip with the group attending the Desert Mob Symposium. This event is held at the Araluen Cultural Centre every year as an exploration of Aboriginal artists, their art and their Art Centres. This unique program – the only forum of its kind – is a window onto the Aboriginal Art Centre world. Aboriginal artists from Desart member Art Centres together with interstate guests performed a program of stories, song, images, film and dance about culture, country and art. This year’s symposium was MC’d by Constantina Bush who was a work of art in her own right. The following day the group spent at the Desert mob marketplace and viewing the 350 works of contemporary aboriginal art in the exhibition. Our last day in the centre was a big one with a trip to the Western McDonnell Ranges visiting; Simpson Gap, Standley Chasm, Ochre pits, Glen Helen Gorge, Serpentine Gorge and Ellery Creek big hole. Whilst in town we also visited our students at Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Child care centre and Alice Springs Family day care.
Peg is 40 “This piece of text has existed in the same place ever since I can remember. It has fascinated me ever since I was first able to read it.” “There is a large scribe of white graffiti painted onto a train bridge above Burwood Highway in Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia, which reads “Peg is 40!” This piece of text has existed in the same place ever since I can remember. It has fascinated me ever since I was first able to read it. I am surprised that the text has not been weathered away, further graffiti has not overwritten it, and that it hasn’t been removed by council. I find comfort in the knowledge that in this time of rapid cultural transformation and global pressures, Peg is still and has always been 40. There is a certain myth surrounding Peg. Peg is anonymous; Peg is immortal, and timeless. In mid 2011 Brydie contacted Coonara to arrange some venue space for elements of her PEG IS 40! Project – part of her Master of Fine Arts research. It investigated memory, myth and storytelling as
Peg is 40 graffiti.
well as personal and communal identity with a sense of place, and involved collecting stories from surrounding community members in an effort to record and archive local people’s experiences and understandings, stimulated from a reflection of the place, PEG IS 40! The project culminated in mid 2012 with a series of workshops that included Coonara. Byrdie’s installation was in place at Coonara from Tuesday June 5th - Friday June 8th with two workshop sessions on the Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Several members of the community shared their narratives with Brydie and collaborated on the making of an embroidery that incorporated the narratives. Brydie Dyson
Art at Coonara
2012 saw the beginning of the Community Art Program delivered to the various jobseekers and volunteers attending Coonara Community House. Some of the projects were: • The “Dove” mural in the Pergola area • A large house paper lantern for the Belgrave Lantern Parade • Painting the outside of the Community Kitchen wall red • Building an assortment of wooden work tables, outdoor shelves and pot plant holders, utilising palettes • Building a wheeled trolley out of palettes • Decorating a myriad of plastic pots for cuttings and future seed growing • Sourcing free wooden chairs to paint brightly, which are now in the Coonara Foyer • A selection of experiments exploring different art styles, one collection which is now being exhibited in the Sunny room • Making wire ball sculptures that can be seen dotted around the garden beds in the back part of the Coonara Gardens • Decoupage on one of the small coffee tables as well as assorted other items
• Experiments in making assorted small lanterns out of milk containers and assorted jars • Outdoor bunting recycled from material and cloth samples • Outdoor art, utilising found materials such as bark and jigsaw puzzle pieces • Holding a very successful “SummerArts” event/ exhibition to showcase and celebrate the work and achievement of the Coonara volunteers Feedback from many sources at Coonara has been positive and supportive. Everyone seems to be enjoying seeing the back garden of Coonara blossoming. I have even had mothers picking up children from the Early Learning Centre, tell me their children insist coming in the back way now instead of the front. I have also noted many of the office workers at Coonara now take a moment to pause in the garden to enjoy the creative atmosphere and to peruse anything new they spot. The volunteers and jobseekers also enjoy the opportunity to be creative, and have a sense of pride in their teamwork and in what they have achieved. Nicole Kirkwood
Belgrave Latern Festival Parade.
43
Projects, partners
and networking
Learn Local in Knox partnership “As a result all five houses have a full colour brochure with a common style that identifies us to the community as a professional network of service providers.� In January 2012 the Network of Knox Learn Local organisations (The Basin Community House, Orana Neighbourhood House, Mountain District Learning Centre, Rowville Neighbourhood House and Coonara Community House) produced its first combined guide to programs. The printing of 65,000 copies meant that they could be distributed to every household in the Knox LGA as well as libraries, new residents kits, festivals and other major events. The response to this marketing exercise was overwhelmingly positive with all Houses reporting increased enrolments and recognition in the community. Another success of 2012 has been the growing relationship with Knox City Council Economic Development Unit. Not only has the staff of the
46
unit provided valuable feedback on how to meet the needs of small business clients but they have assisted with marketing of our programs to the business community via their small business portal. The Houses also collaborated on the design and printing of new course brochures to reflect our collaborative approach to marketing our programs. As a result all five houses have a full colour brochure with a common style that identifies us to the community as a professional network of service providers. The new marketing initiatives have also built on the ACFE Learn Local branding to maximize community recognition of our brand.
ACFE conference “To provide an opportunity for Learn Local Organisations to explore emerging opportunities.” In early 2012 Coonara was contracted by ACFE to plan and organize a conference for the Learn Local organisations in the three metropolitan regions. After arranging three Eastern Metropolitan Regional conferences in past years this was the biggest adult education conference that we have planned.
Lyrics for the Learn Local Song:
The 2012 Metro Expo was held on October 18th and 19th at the Jasper Hotel in Elizabeth St Melbourne.
Learning local changes lives If we work together we will thrive. Strength in numbers – collaborate Spreading out, across the state.
The theme for the conference was articulated by the Steering Group in a list of specifications for the conference planner and further developed through three steering group meetings during 2012 To provide an opportunity for Learn Local Organisations to explore emerging opportunities. The key opportunities identified by the steering group were: Partnerships within the Learn Local sector, Partnerships with organisations and businesses outside of the Learn Local sector, Pathways to employment and further study for learners, Marketing and promotion and Use of new technology. There was a total of 163 registrations for the conference with overwhelmingly positive feedback on the conference evaluations. The most popular workshops were: • • • • • • •
Planning innovative pre-accredited programs Building relationships with market facilitation E marketing (Brett deHoedt) Embedding career development in the A frame Partnerships and pathways (Victoria Uni) The potential of social enterprise Learn local partnerships and collaboration
A highlight of the conference was the plenary session conducted by Song Division. They led the conference delegates in writing and performing a song about Learn Local.
Learn Local is the place for learning Creating, growing, passions burning. In unity with collaboration We’ll journey to our destination.
CHORUS Strength in numbers Sing it loud, learn it local. Strength in numbers Sing it loud and let’s get vocal! We are the champions in our community Lifelong learning leads to opportunity. Taking the journey for a new direction Learner and Provider – complete perfection. Put Learn Local to the test Our lifelong learning is the best. Committed people changing lives Of every person who arrives. CHORUS Strength in numbers Sing it loud, learn it local. Strength in numbers Sing it loud and let’s get vocal! We say yes and not no We have learned the way to go. Local learning maps the way We could ACE it every day. CHORUS Strength in numbers Sing it loud, learn it local. Strength in numbers Sing it loud and let’s get vocal!
47
Spectrum Connections – auspiced by Care Connect Coonara provides space for many community groups to meet. Care connect have been utilising the long room space for approximately. two years to host the Spectrum Connections group. The peer support group meets regularly to support families of children with autism and aspergers . It provides a much needed opportunity to talk to other parents with similar experiences and share their combined knowledge. The group is hosted by a Client Facilitator who provides a vital link to information relating to services available to these families. The facilitator will organise guest speakers based on the needs of the group such as, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, nutritionists and many more.
Peter Garrett at Coonara.
Visit by the Hon. Peter Garrett MP The Minister visited Coonara on Wednesday May 16th as part of the Community Cabinet trip to the local area. He spent some time talking to Dani about her recently completed training as a DEEWR approved Early Childhood Education RPL assessor. He was very interested in the training that Coonara has already provided in Alice Springs. Pam accompanied him on a tour of Coonara and he was kind enough to autograph LPs and CDs for staff as well as signing a CD to be used as a fund-raiser.
Home energy savers scheme national launch CHAOS bus trip Julie Collins, the Federal Minister for Community Services, visited Coonara on Wednesday June 6th to launch the government’s Home energy savers scheme. She made the launch announcement at 1pm and then spoke to some of the parents from the Early Learning Centre about how the scheme will affect them. She was accompanied by the CEO and project manager from Killdonnan Family Services which will be managing the project in Victoria.
Our very versatile Karen George led the annual CHAOS (Community Houses Association of the Outer-eastern Suburbs) bus trip on October 24th. The group of 18 visited Karingal Place Frankston, Cribb Point Community House and Keysborough Learning Centre. These organisations provided a range of interest areas including multi-use hubs, men’s sheds, youth programs and sustainability and community gardens. A wonderful lunch was provided by the Cribb Point team using lots of the produce from their lush gardens.
49
Recognition
Dani Campbell
Dani Campbell, far left.
HESTA Outstanding Early Childhood Education award – finalist Dani Campbell
In September I answered a phone call while shopping. The friendly voice on the other end was ringing to notify me that I had been selected as one of the top five finalists in the HESTA Early Childhood Awards. Shocked and thinking it was a practical joke, she reassured me that it was serious and I had two nominations from my workplace, I had been chosen from over 600 nominations for the Outstanding Educator Award. This began a two week whirlwind of media, phone interviews, finding a dress and shoes to wear and arranging flights to the awards ceremony in Perth. The evening was held as part of the Early Childhood Australia Conference and was a wonderful opportunity to network and discover what amazing programs were operating throughout Australia. Two awards were given for the evening – Outstanding service and Outstanding educator. My fellow nominees were nominated for breakthrough practices in the field, providing individual programs for infants, supporting children emotionally and psychologically in a defence force early years program, developing programs and training parents with children with additional needs and blogging. Overall it was an amazing and humbling experience and reinforced what a high quality program we are offering the children and families at Coonara.
52
Dani Campbell
ALA award for CCH
At the Annual Adult Learning Australia conference in Byron Bay in mid October 2012 Coonara Community House was named the Community Based Adult Learning Organisation of the Year for Australia. Team Leader, Leanne FitzGerald, was presented with a crystal trophy in recognition of this award. Leanne acknowledged that the award was very much a team effort with contributions from staff, committee and volunteers. She stated that the award was much-welcomed recognition for the great Coonara team.
53
Financials
Treasurer’s report
“The staff has settled into their new accommodation in the buildings which were previously the Coonara School while we await news of the future of the stone cottage.” Coonara has had another busy year in 2012. Turnover increased by 17% on the previous year. This as usual, has kept our dedicated finance team busy. Due to changes to funding requirements for RTO’S, at the end of last year we found that we had to change our auditor. We are appreciative of the assistance that our outgoing auditor David Petersen provided in this change. Continuing funding changes are impacting on student numbers and the courses we are able to run. Our staffcontinue to find innovative ways to teach including e-learning and m-learning. Our teaching in the Northern Territory has also been successful with our first group of graduating students. The staff has settled into their new accommodation in the buildings which were previously the Coonara School while we await news of the future of the stone cottage. Our wonderful volunteers have been busy in the grounds and gardens, not only looking after them, but also enhancing them with the lovely artworks they have created. As Treasurer I would like to thank all of the staff for their commitment and efforts over the past year. We are fortunate to have a very talented group of people working at Coonara. This was recognised this year with the award of Adult Learning Provider of the Year. Our wonderful Team Leader Leanne Fitzgerald deserves a special mention as she is the one who is across all of Coonara’s many and varied projects and courses. Well done everyone!
56
57
Coonara’s original stone building.
Coonara Community House Financial Statement 1st January to 31st December 2012 Table of contents Income Statement Balance Sheet Statement of Cash Flows Statement of Changes in Equity Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements Statement by Committee and the Principal Accounting Officer Independent Auditor’s Report
58
Coonara Community House Inc. Income Statement For the year ended 31st December 2012
Notes
2012
2011
$
$
Revenue From Ordinary Activities Fees
229,410
217,236
1,201,483
1,012,138
Other
11,731
5,288
Interest
33,315
21,680
1,475,939
1,256,342
791,029
796,258
638,043
404,862
34,098
31,328
3,872
21,442
1,467,042
1,253,890
8,897
2,452
Grants
2 1e,4
Total Revenue
Expenditure from Ordinary Activities Salaries
3
Materials and Contracts Depreciation Other
Total Expenses Net Profit / (Loss) From Ordinary Activities
5
The above Income statement should be read in conjunction with the attached Notes.
59
Coonara Community House Inc Balance Sheet As at 31 December 2012
Notes
2012
2011
$
$
Current Assets Cash
6
204,407
49,333
Investments
7
426,371
517,069
Accounts Receivable
8
43,252
115,617
1,969
943
675,999
682,962
82,293
105,757
82,293
105,757
758,292
788,719
Prepayments Total Current Assets Non Current Assets Furniture & Equipment
11
Total Non Current Assets TOTAL ASSETS
Current Liabilities Accounts Payable
9
217,650
290,981
Provisions
10
34,437
38,560
252,087
329,541
147,330
109,200
Total Non Current Liabilities
147,330
109,200
TOTAL LIABILITIES
399,417
438,741
NET ASSETS
358,875
349,978
8,897
2,452
269,978
267,526
80,000
80,000
TOTAL EQUITY 358,875 The above Balance Sheet should be read in conjunction with the attached Notes.
349,978
Total Current Liabilities Non Current Liabilities Provisions
10
Equity Operating Surplus (Deficit) Retained Earnings Building Development Reserve
Coonara Community House Inc Statement of Cash Flows For the year ended 31 December 2012
Notes
2012
2011
$
$
228,378
227,527
1,327,473
1,117,657
(1,433,177)
(1,184,710)
Cash Flows from Operating Activities Receipts from customers Receipts from government Payments to suppliers and staff Net GST
(80,979)
Interest received
33,316
21,680
75,011
182,154
(10,634)
(28,676)
64,377
153,478
Cash at the beginning of the reporting period
566,401
412,923
Cash at the end of the reporting period
630,778
566,401
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities.
13
Cash Flows From Investing Activities Payment for Plant and Equipment Net Increase (Decrease) In Cash Held
The above Statement of Cash Flows should be read in conjunction with the Attached Notes.
61
Coonara Community House Inc Statement of Changes in Equity For the year ended 31 December 2012
Notes
2012
2011
$
$
Building Development Reserve Balance at the beginning of the year
80,000
80,000
-
-
80,000
80,000
269,978
267,526
8,897
2,452
278,885
269,978
80,000
80,000
Retained profit/(loss)
278,885
269,978
Total Equity
358,875
349,978
Movements in reserves Balance at the end of the year Retained profit/(loss) Balance at the beginning of the year Profit/(loss) for the year Balance at the end of the year Total Equity Reserves
The above Statement of Changes in Equity should be read in conjunction with the Attached Notes.
62
Coonara Community House Inc Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2012
Note 1. Statement of Significant Accounting Policies This financial report is a special purpose financial report prepared in order to satisfy the financial reporting requirements of the Associations Incorporations Act 1981 (Vic). The committee has determined that the Association is not a reporting entity. The financial report has been prepared on an accruals basis and is based on historical costs and does not take into account changing money values or, except where specifically stated, current valuation of non-current assets. The following significant accounting policies, which are consistent with the previous period unless otherwise stated, have been adopted in preparation of this financial report. (a) Fixed assets: The depreciable amount of fixed assets with a cost in excess of $1,000 are bought to account on a straight line basis over the useful lives of the assets of the association commencing from the time the asset is held ready for use. Assets costing less than $1,000 are expensed in the year of acquisition. The depreciation rate used for each class of depreciable asset is: Furniture and Fixtures 20% Computer and Teaching Equipment 25% Building and Ground Improvements 5-10% The carrying amount of fixed assets is reviewed annually to ensure it is not in excess of the recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is assessed on the basis of expected net cash flows which will be received from the assets use and subsequent disposal. The expected net cash flows have not been discounted to their present values in determining the recoverable amount. (b) Employee Entitlements: Provision is made for the association’s liability for employee entitlements arising from services rendered by employees to balance date. Employee entitlements expected to be settled within one year together with entitlements arising from wages and salaries, annual leave and sick leave which will be settled after one year, have been measured at their nominal amount. Other entitlements payable later than one year have been measured at the present value of the estimated future cash outflows to be made for these entitlements. Contributions are made by the association to an employee superannuation fund are charged as an expense when incurred (c) Investments: Investments are brought to account at cost. Interest revenues are recognised as they accrue. (d) Leases: Lease payments in relation to operating leases, where the lessor effectively retains substantially all risks and benefits incidental to ownership of the lease item, are charged as an expense over the term of the lease.
63
Coonara Community House Inc Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2012 (e) Grants, Donations and Other Contributions: Grants and Contributions are recognised as revenues when the association obtains control over the assets comprising the contribution. Control over grants is normally obtained upon their receipt or upon notification that a grant has been secured. Unexpended grants are recorded as grants in advance. Unpaid fees at balance date are treated as a current receivable. (f) Contractors, Services and Utilities: Contractors, Services and Utilities are recognised as expenses as they are incurred. Charges represent payments made, or due to be made, by the association for energy and water resources, consultants, maintenance contractors, contract staff and other associated industries. (g) Rounding: All figures in the Financial Statements are rounded to the nearest dollar. (h) Goods and Services Tax (GST): GST is paid on the majority of purchases and is refunded from the Taxation Office. Some sales are GST free but other services attract GST. All revenue and expenses are stated net of the amount of GST. (i) Taxation: No income tax is payable by the Association as it has been granted tax exempt status under Section 50 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. (j) Impairment of Assets: At the end of each reporting period, the entity reviews the carrying values of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have been impaired. If such an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset, being the higher of the asset’s fair value less costs to sell and value in use, is compared to the asset’s carrying value. Any excess of the asset’s carrying value over its recoverable amount is recognised immediately in profit or loss. (k) Cash and Cash Equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, deposits held at-call with banks, other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within short-term borrowings in current liabilities on the statement of financial position. (l) Trade Receivables Accounts receivable and other debtors include amounts due from donors and any outstanding grants receipts. Receivables expected to be collected within 12 months of the end of the reporting period are classified as current assets. All other receivables are classified as non-current assets. (m) Trade Payables Trade and other payables represent the liability outstanding at the end of the reporting period for goods and services received by the company during the reporting period which remain unpaid. The balance is recognised as a current liability with the amount being normally paid within 30 days of recognition of the liability.
64
Coonara Community House Inc Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2012
(n) Significant accounting judgements and estimates The committee evaluate estimates and judgements incorporated into the financial statements based on historical knowledge and best available current information. Estimates assume a reasonable expectation of future events and are based on current trends and economic data, obtained both externally and within the Association. (o) Revenue in Advance When revenue is received whereby the Association incurs an obligation to deliver economic value directly back to the contributor, this is considered a reciprocal transaction and the revenue is recognised in the statement of financial position as a liability until the service has been delivered to the contributor, otherwise the revenue is recognised as income on receipt. Note 2. Fees 2012
2011
$
$
Childcare
93,445
89,337
Courses
126,744
102,583
Projects
9,221
25,316
229,410
217,236
Note 3. Salaries
Childcare
2012
2011
$
$ 52,776
55,579
Tutors
188,279
186,798
Co-ordination
352,172
352,373
Administration
82,192
78,006
Superannuation and other payroll expenses
71,348
71,686
On costs (leave and workcover)
44,262
51,816
791,029
796,258
65
Coonara Community House Inc Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2012 Note 4. Grants 2012
2011
$
$
Council of Adult Community and Further Education Accredited Delivery Funding Pre accredited Delivery Funding Concessions Commonwealth Equipment Grant
-
30307
44,276
36,005
707
25,188
4,000
2,758
47,512
21,465
Projects: Moving from ‘E’ to ‘M’ Learning A Frame Moderation
180,101
20,039
House Around The Corner
107,145
127,128
373
-
A Frame Moderation Project 2 Kickstart Moderation Payments
45,603
-
Next Step
4,675
-
ACE Business Capacity Conference
2,400
-
Targetted Priority Access
9,946
-
Learn Local Metro Expo
82,264
-
Hawthorn Community House students
2,560
-
Community Learning Partnership
-
10,470
CALD Learners - Ames
-
15,739
Flexible Business Development
-
12,800
Regional Conference 2010
-
2,860
Vet Network Training
-
400
Smart Delivery
-
15,000
531,562
320,159
Skills for Victoria – Delivery Funding
-
466,070
Priority Education Training Program
-
7,211
421,107
-
7,925
14,671
7,919
7,798
56,181
54,874
-
28,000
41,845
26,575
32,283
16,071
Total ACFE funding: Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development
Department of Education & Early Childhood Development Higher Education and Skills Group Childcare Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Childcare Department of Human Services Neighbourhood House Grant Small Inclusion Grant Northern Territory – Department of Education & Training
Productivity Places Program
Work Experience Projects Salvation Army
Coonara Community House Inc Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2012 Note 4. Grants continued 2012
2011
$
$
Knox City Council Operational Funding
12,189
11,780
1,301
-
Community Food Garden
-
12,000
Relocation Grant
-
6,000
2,000
3,825
55
173
21,280
8,000
CHAOS (Coonara – 3 party)
6,450
21,528
Growing Skills for Knox (The Basin)
4,562
-
39,040
-
Indigenous Responsive Program
3,348
-
Northern Territory RPL
6,436
-
TAFE Teaching Fellowship
6,000
-
Problem Gambling Initiative
-
4,623
Telstra Connected Seniors Grant
-
2,780
1,201,483
1,012,138
Urban Harvest Swap Market
Other Grants Bendigo Bank – Back to Basics Local History CAE e mentor rd
Linking for e literacy
Total Grants
67
Coonara Community House Inc Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2012 Note 5. Depreciation 2012
2011
$
$
Depreciation was charged in respect of: Improvements, Furniture and Equipment Note 6. Cash Cash Management
34,098
31,328
34,098
31,328
204,014
48,962
Petty Cash
350
350
Debit Card
43
21
204,407 49,333 Cash is on hand or available on demand. The majority of funds held in bank account are interest bearing at an average rate of 2.9% Cash Management Note 7. Investments Term Deposit 5
156,407
100,000
Term Deposit 4
100,000
255,847
Term Deposit 3
169,964
161,222
426,371 517,069 All cash investments are at call or will mature within 12 months. The average interest rate is 4.2% The following restrictions are imposed by regulation or other external requirements on investments. Long Service Leave
147,330
109,200
147,330
109,200
Debtors
18,028
12,589
Grants
25,224
103,028
43,252
115,617
Note 8. Receivables
Current receivables are carried at nominal amounts due less any provision for doubtful debts. A doubtful debt is recognised when collection of the full nominal amount is no longer probable. Normal term for receivables require payment within 30 days. The association may charge interest on debts outstanding which is determined on an individual basis.
68
Coonara Community House Inc Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2012 Note 9. Accounts Payable 2012
2011
$
$
172,942
243,457
21,326
23,665
Fees in Advance
8,629
15,953
Trade Creditors
14,753
7,906
217,650
290,981
Grants Received in Advance Taxes
Trade Creditors are amounts due to external parties for the purchase of goods and services and are recognised as liabilities when the goods and services are received. Creditors are normally paid 30 days after the initial recognition. Interest is not payable on these liabilities. Note 10. Provisions Annual Leave Current Long Service Leave Non-Current
34,437
38,560
147,330
109,200
181,767
147,760
Note 11. Furniture and Equipment Furniture and Equipment at Cost
188,191
184,031
Less: Accumulated Depreciation
(105,898)
(78,274)
82,293
105,757
105,757
108,409
10,634
28,676
Depreciation
34,098
31,328
Carrying amount at end
82,293
105,757
Furniture and Equipment Reconciliation Carrying amount at start Additions Disposals
Note 12. Lease Commitments No operating leases are held. Note 13. DEEWR Project DEEWR ICET Income
-
-
DEEWR ICET Expenditure (excluding Capital) 15,355 The Community house acted as managing agent for the regional development of Growing Skills for Knox and incurred extraordinary income and expenditure.
69
Coonara Community House Inc Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2012 Note 14. Reconciliation of Operating Profit (Loss) to Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities
Operating Profit (Loss)
2012
2011
$
$ 8,897
2,452
Depreciation
34,098
31,328
Provisions
34,007
42,843
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operation Activities Before Changes in Assets and Liabilities
68,105
74,171
(73,331)
210,802
Decrease(Increase) in Current Assets
71,340
(105,271)
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities
75,011
182,154
Non Cash Items
Changes in Assets and Liabilities Increase(Decrease) in Current Liabilities
Note 15. Related Parties All transactions between related parties are on normal commercial terms and conditions unless otherwise stated.
Note 16. Financial Instruments (a) Interest Rate Risk: The associations exposure to interest rate risk, which is the risk that financial investments value will fluctuate as a result of changes in interest rate and the effective weighted average interest rates on those financial assets and financial liabilities as follows. Weighted Average Interest Rate %
Non Interest Bearing $
Interest Bearing $
Financial Assets Cash at Bank Cash on Deposit Receivables
393 56,975
204,014 426,371 -
57,368
630,385
Accounts Payable
217,650
-
Total Financial Liabilities
217,650
-
Total Financial Assets
1.8 4.2
Financial Liabilities
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LDAssurance CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
LDAssurance Pty Ltd Level 6, 250 Collins Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 PO Box 18184 Collins Street East 8003 TELEPHONE +61 3 9655 3922 FACSIMILE +61 3 9655 3910 www.ldassurance.com.au ACN 146 147 202
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF COONARA COMMUNITY HOUSE INCORPORATED We have audited the accompanying financial report, being a special purpose financial report, of Coonara Community House Incorporated (the Association), which comprises the balance sheet as at 31 December 2012, and the income statement for the year then ended, statement of cash flows, statement of changes in equity, a summary of significant accounting policies, other explanatory notes and the Statement by Committee and the Principal Accounting Officer. Committee’s responsibility for the financial report The committee are responsible for the preparation of the financial report, and have determined that the basis of preparation described in Note 1 is appropriate to meet the financial reporting requirements of its constitution and are appropriate to meet the needs of the members. The committees’ responsibilities also includes such internal control as they determine necessary to enable the preparation of a financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. Auditor’s responsibility Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on our audit. We have conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. Those standards require that we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement. An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the internal controls. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the board, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion. Opinion In our opinion, the financial report presents fairly, in all material respects the financial position of Coonara Community House Incorporated as of 31 December 2012, and of its financial performance and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with the accounting policies described in Note 1 to the financial statements. Basis of accounting Without modifying our opinion, we draw attention to Note 1 to the financial report, which describes the basis of accounting. The financial report has been prepared for distribution to members for the purpose of fulfilling the committees’ financial reporting under their constitution. As a result, the financial report may not be suitable for another purpose. LDAssurance Chartered Accountants
Stephen O’Kane Partner 250 Collins Street, Melbourne Dated: 2 May 2013
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
Coonara Community House acknowledges ongoing funding from Adult, Community and Further Education Board, Knox City Council and Department of Human Services.
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