THOMAS MURPHY A TRIBUTE TO VALE

THOMAS MURPHY 1937 - 2023

With the deepest of sadness, we inform you of the passing of Thomas Murphy who passed away peacefully on the evening of Thursday 4 May.

Since the beginning of Mounties Tom has been there. From the idea to create Mounties back in the 1960s, he has been there for every step of the journey. As a Founding Member of Mounties Group, as well as a life member with decades of service. Tom has served the Club in many roles including a member of the Board of Directors for the past 28 years and President of our Indoor Bowls for the past 31 years.

Tom was passionate about our community, creating the very first Mounties Sub Club, paving the way for social inclusion for all those who live in our communities. Thanks to Tom’s tenure Mounties Group now has over 50 Sub Clubs in operation with thousands able to enjoy shared community experiences.

Our thoughts are with Tom’s entire family and friends who will be grieving the passing of such an amazing man.

Forever part of our Mounties family.

GUIDE DOGS NSW/ACT WHAT’S ‘SUP ON THE COAST

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is Australia’s most well-known guide dog provider, but beyond training and preparing dogs to support their companions, the organisation also provides a host of other support services to those who experience low vision or blindness.

Thanks to a grant from Club Wyong in 2022, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT were able to host a stand-up paddle (SUP) boarding event on the Central Coast in January this year.

The event, held at Ettalong, supported participants in SUP to develop new skills, build social connections with peers, enhance social wellbeing and encourage healthy lifestyle activities.

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Area Manager for the region, Belinda Latimore, said the event was a huge success.

“Our Central Coast SUP event saw 30 participants join us to take on the excitement of learning a new skill as well as be challenged by the importance of communication in stand up paddleboarding,” explained Belinda.

“We partnered with Bombora SUPFIT as well as SUP and Yoga with Tina for the event which provided an accessible, inclusive and safe environment for people with low vision or blindness and their families.

SUP provides a range of positive physical and mental benefits to participants particularly for those who the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT support.

“A key advantage of SUP for this audience is improving balance and spatial awareness but also flexibility to be guided and move the body by touch and feel.

“Stand up paddleboarding also offers people with low vision or blindness access to an inclusive outdoor activity in a group setting where confidence is built or enhanced, supportive networks are created and access to the community is provided,” continued Belinda.

As part of the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Orientation and Mobility services, specialists equipped participants with the skills and mindset to get the most out of the activity on the day.

“It is hard enough to stand up paddleboard with full vision, but the extra challenge we witnessed was also seeing family and friends effectively communicate to their loved ones.

“Guided by our volunteers on the day and the SUP experts, our participants started the activity on the beach to learn about the feel of the board and leg ropes, moving hands along the board to find the right place for the feet and best use of the paddle for balance.

“They quickly progressed onto the water and it was incredible to see the confidence of participants shift to feeling their way amongst the small waves,” added Belinda.

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT said the best outcome from this program was the increase in social wellbeing and peer connections for those who attended, with more than 12 on the day recognised to have low vision or blindness.

“It’s so important for people experiencing vision loss to have these opportunities –this is the kind of activity you would hope any young person should be doing,” continued Belinda.

“People with low incident disabilities often find themselves quite isolated in their communities and COVID-19 has only made this situation worse.

“The event provided an opportunity for participants to meet other people and share stories.

“It was also so wonderful for community members to observe what we do here at Guide Dogs – we’re so much more than just the guide dogs,” she concluded.

Club Wyong provided a $2,600 grant to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT as part of the Category 1 ClubGRANTS in 2022. With a commitment to support the local community, Mounties Group has donated more than $1 million to 75 worthy projects last year, including those that support youth, families, seniors, children, and vulnerable members of our community across Sydney and the Central Coast.