Red Shield needs you

The Salvation Army is kicking off its Red Shield Appeal with a new leader at the helm and the same mission to help those in the community that are struggling.

The annual charity drive, which officially takes place 20-21May, will look to raise $1.9 million in donations across New South Wales through community collection, door knocking and online fundraising.

The organisation is urging anyone interested in volunteering to participate, as the last few years have been particularly challenging for everyone, and particularly those already living below the breadline.

“If you’ve ever thought about volunteering, now is the time,” said Salvation Army Public Relations Secretary Major David Collinson.

“Grab your friends, your workmates, or make it a family outing or a group activity for your club – just get involved. The community needs your support more than ever.”

This year marks the second time the Kiama and Jamberoo Appeal has been managed by new zone director Tracey Wicks, who took over from long-time director Graeme Packer. Graeme retired in 2021 after 23 years of organising the local event. What a feat!

Ms Wicks is a 24-year Salvation Army officer, and has seen first-hand how import- ant these initiatives are for local services like domestic violence agencies.

“I’ve worked with the Salvation Army in social services, housing, domestic violence, etc. so I’ve seen where the funds actually go and how vital donations are for their survival,” Ms Wicks told The Bugle

“In the Illawarra, we have services like crisis accommodation that don’t receive any government funding, so events like the Red Shield Appeal are a big part of how we’re able to fund these services.”

Ms Wicks said fundrais- ing efforts will continue for some time after the official collection dates. As well as collecting donations at local markets across Kiama and Jamberoo, Minamurra Lions’ Club will also be involved in door-knocking.

The Salvation Army is accepting online donations for those that can’t participate in person. You can check out the Kiama Salvos donation page below.

A concert is planned in Wollongong on 20 May to raise funds for the Appeal. Go to wollcon.com.au for details.

by Brendon Foye

Event funding round now open

To continue to drive events and festivals within the local community, funding is available via the Destination Events Funding Program for events that support the visitor economy.

The Municipality is fortunate enough to hold an array of events that feature live music, arts and culture, sport, and food and wine that encourage tourism and the community to thrive.

Events such as the Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival, Kiama Sevens and more recently the SurfLife Music

Festival have been funded by the program.

Eligible events will include those that:

• attract intra and interstate visitation

• appeal to Kiama’s key visitor markets

• occur outside of recognised peak periods

• encourage overnight stays and inspire repeat visitation over the longer term.

Destination Kiama is considering whether a separate budget and funding program would be more appropriate for community events.

This would mean assessing events such as Kiama Jazz & Blues and KISS Arts Festival based on their community and social impacts rather than having to respond mainly to economic and tourism related benchmarks.

The next big event, which we will tell more about in our next issue, is the Kiama Winter Festival (7-12 July), designed to build on the success of the ice skating rink last year.

Applications close 22 June. Enquiries to events@ kiama.nsw.gov.au

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Volunteering in Kiama LGA

Not a single event, community service or initiative happens in our community without the hard work and dedication of volunteers.

This National Volunteer Week (15-21 May), the focus is on how volunteers are change makers.

As Councillors, we celebrate ‘Change Makers’ – and this means taking the opportunity to thank the many volunteers in our local community who give their time, expertise and theircare to others.

This week, I reflect on the many change-making initiatives started right here in Kiama, such as the Man Walk, that are changing the lives of people across the country.

To play our important part in all of this, Kiama Council is holding our first ever Volunteer Expo on 24 May at the Kiama Farmers Markets (postponed from 17 May due to inclement weather).

We’re keen to celebrate the positive changes our volunteers make in and around our municipality.

We also want to promote volunteering and help our local organisations to recruit more volunteers.

Although Kiama has a slightly higher proportion of volunteers than the national average, statistics from Volunteering Australia show the rate of volunteering through an organisation has declined over time.

For people aged 18 years and over, the rate has declined from 36.2% in 2010 to 28.8% in 2019. Both men and women are volunteering less.

Therefore I urge any locals who have been thinking about how they might ‘give back’ or contribute more to our community to consider giving volunteering a go.

Not sure where to begin?

We’ve made it easy to explore opportunities in volunteering.

Our Volunteer Expo provides a chance for you to chat to around 30 different local organisations and find out what activities you can support and get involved with.

There’s something for everyone – with representatives of organisations on hand including the Red Cross, Vinnies, Sing Australia the CWA, Lions Club, The University of the Third Age and more.

You can also speak to Council representatives about volunteering at Blue Haven or the Kiama Visitor Centre.

According to Volunteering Australia, the most common types of organisations for which people volunteered were those relating to sport and physical recreation (30.7% of volunteers), religious groups (23.1%) and education and training (18.8%).

Volunteering Australia’s definition of volunteering is

Local Dental Team • Kiama

“time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain.” And it is estimated that around a fifth (over 5 million) of Australians volunteer at some point each year. I hope you’ll be one of them.

Finally, on behalf of the community, I’d like to thank all of our volunteers – for all the early starts, patrols, rescues and fundraising that you do to make our community thrive.

Flowers for Pacific Ave’s first album

Local alternative rock band Pacific Avenue have made waves with their first album debuting at #3 on the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) charts, beating out the likes of rock legends The Smashing Pumpkins.

Flowers is the band’s first full-length album since the group formed in 2017. Pacific Avenue signed an exclusive recording deal with BMG in 2022, allowing the band to release two full albums as well as use the major label’s Sydney recording studios.

Call 4233

As well as a stellar debut on the ARIA charts, Flowers debuted at #10 on the Australian iTunes charts. Pacific Avenue, which consists of members Harry O’Brien, Ben Fryer, Jack Kay and Dom Littrich, is currently on tour in the UK before returning home later this year to tour Australia in July and August.

The boys received a rapturous reception from longtime local fans at the recent SurfLife Festival in Gerringong.