4 NEWS CS

Canterbury City Community Centre 130 Railway Pde Lakemba 2195 PO Box 66 Lakemba 2195

T 9750 9344 F 9740 6332 W ww.4cs.org.au

Annual Report welcomed...

Volume 13 Issue 4 October 2014

Liz Messih, CEO

The last few months have been a difficult time in our community. With events overseas having an impact locally, in media reporting and public discourse. It is important that we continue to trust in our relationships at a local level. We have a resilient community and stand with that community in respect, unity and peace.

The Centre celebrated its 42nd Annual General Meeting in September where our reports were presented and the 4cs community came together to reflect on the success and some of the challenges of the past year. Copies of our annual report are available at the Centre or can be viewed under publications on our website.

The AGM also included the election of

our 2014/15 Board and it was great to

see most Directors returning for another

year. Long term Director Layla Lavorato

has retired this year and we thank Layla

for her support of the Centre over many

years.

The Stars Training Award was presented

to Robert Randall – Robert volunteers in

our Garden Care and Centre Based Day

Care programs and has undertaken an

extensive amount of training during the

year including completing a Certificate III

in Home and Community Care.

Congratulations Robert!

Life membership was awarded to

Garden Care volunteers Erica Saville and

Dot Macleay who are both entering

their tenth year volunteering at the 4cs!

Congratulations ladies and thank you!

The Ted Yallop Award was presented to

Lakemba MP Robert Furolo – this award

was created in honour of past President

Ted Yallop and is presented by the

Board in recognition of someone who

has drawn others into community life ...

a skill that Ted was particularly good at.

Robert is retiring as our local member

of the NSW Parliament and his unbiased

support and ability to connect

individuals and groups within the City

has been greatly appreciated by all of us

at the Centre. Thank you Robert and

congratulations.

Straight after the AGM we replaced the

carpet at the Centre – using a NSW

Community Building Partnership grant

secured through Robert’s Office last

year. The new carpet looks great and is

a lot safer.

Thanks to Council staff for their help in

disassembling some of our larger items

of furniture and moving them so the

carpet could be laid. The week of

disruption put our Newsletter behind

schedule … and I’m still trying to find

things … but it was well worth the

trouble. Why not pop in and have a

look.

The last three months have been quite

busy with various events on top of the

usual happenings! Chand Raat was

highly successful at the end of July with

an estimated 500 people passing

through on the night. Congratulations

to all stall holders who participated.

August and September also saw us

participate in the Haldon St Festival and

hold our annual Open Day at the

Lakemba Community Garden.

One of the greatest pleasures about

working at the 4cs is to meet so many

amazing people in our community –

people who participate in different

activities or who work with us to

provide services. We have been coaxing

a few people to share their stories

through the newsletter – a very big

thanks to Rom, Phil and Ayako for their

input to this edition!

Finally … we are getting closer to

establishing the Lakemba Community

Market! We hope to be launching our

Social Enterprise in the new year … keep

an eye on our facebook page for details

for an upcoming Summer Market!

An Open Day and Eco Event was celebrated at Lakemba Community Garden on Saturday 6th September …

unfortunately the rain put a dampener on things! Gardeners welcomed community members to a tour of the garden, to

enjoy the free sausage sizzle and this year to listen to a performance of EcoPella – the Inner West environmental choir.

Other activities were cancelled due to the weather but it was a pleasant day none the less … and we got to meet the

amazing people from EcoPella! What a bonus!!

Whats Been Happening Lately...

Haldon St Festival

In August we were appalled by an

article in the Daily Telegraph which

described our suburb of Lakemba as

a mono culture where English was

rarely spoken and extremism

flourished. Although the 4cs provides

services across a broad area in the

Inner West – Lakemba is our

community and we did not recognise

it in the words of Journalist Tim Blair.

Coming the week before the Haldon

St Festival it was a provocative

opinion piece which we felt did not

present the facts. Ironically we had

been discussing whether or not it was

time to retire our “I Lakemba”

tattoos, mugs and badges which first

made an appearance 10 years ago as

a subtle way of countering the

negative language which unfairly

attached itself to our community. We

were to be inspired by that

community who responded with

grace and humour – from social

media to the Lakemba women who

spent a day at the Cottage making a

hand sewn “I Lakemba” banner

and marched with it in the Haldon St

Festival Parade. We joined others

who spoke out against the article and

were pleased to be interviewed by

The Guardian Australia.

The Haldon St Festival was a great

success – with our Mugs proving a sell

out! Neither the weather or poor

journalism ruined our day!

Lakemba Environment Day

Lakemba Women’s Health Clinic

A big welcome to the new Women’s Health Nurse, Kathy Lynch from Leichhardt Women’s Community

Health Centre. Having said a sad farewell to the nurse Fiona Crawley at the end of June, it’s great to see the

clinic open again and have the lovely Kathy working with us every second Wednesday.

The service is free and confidential and women are seen by

appointment for a range of women’s health issues including:

cervical screening, pap smears and breast checks

contraception and menopause advice

post natal checks

emotional health and well being

General health screening including: blood pressure,

cholesterol, diabetes and vitamin D levels.

Kathy also makes referrals to general practitioners, health and

community services.

To make your appointment call the Centre on 9750 9344.

volunteers newsletter October 2014

STARS Hosts 2014 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards for the

Inner West Region

One of the highlights on the STARS events calendar is the Annual NSW Volunteer of the Year Award, which STARS co-hosts with Volunteer Network. This year it was STARS turn to hold the event – and what a day it was. The Awards are organised by the Centre for Volunteering and are in their 8th year. Categories include Junior Volunteer, Student Volunteer, Senior Volunteer, Adult Volunteer and Volunteer Teams. Entrants are judged in their regions with the winners converging on Parliament House for the overall state Awards. On September 24th Award nominees, their friends and families, representatives from The Centre for Volunteering Gemma Rygate and Rachel Rainbird, STARS, Volunteer Network and VIP guests – Robert Furolo, MP, Member for Lakemba; Charles Casuscelli, MP, Member for Strathfield; Clr Lucille McKenna, OAM, Mayor, Ashfield Council; and Angela Chaperon from the Office of Communities, packed the hall at Canterbury City Community Centre to the rafters! On arrival they were welcomed by soothing violin music courtesy of musicians Vivian Jeffery and Anita Crawford . Gemma Rygate, CEO of the Centre for Volunteering, gave the opening address and congratulated all the nominees. All nominees were acknowledged, and received a certificate from one of the VIP guests – local MPs, Mayors and Council representatives. Robert Furolo, MP, Member for Lakemba, spoke of the valuable contribution that volunteers make to our community. He noted that he had been involved with Canterbury City Community Centre for many years and was aware of the number of volunteers working with the organisation across a range of services and that the Centre simply could not function without them.

Indeed the Centre Based Day Care Team of 20 volunteers was nominated in the Team Category and our very own Robert Randall and Saiful Islam Sharif, both nominees in the Adult Individual Category. Unfortunately they were not successful in progressing to the next round, but as Gemma Rygate pointed out “There are no winners and losers – you are all winners!” We were very proud of our volunteers and happy to see them honoured in this way. The Awards are one way of highlighting the contribution of volunteers and showing our appreciation to them. The nominees were from a range of services in the Inner West area (this includes Canterbury), making judging a very difficult task. Volunteers worked with a diverse range of services including the RSPCA, Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, SES, Sydney Bus Museum, the Cancer Council. Primary Ethics, and local Football Clubs. The overall winner, Rose Cox, was a 14 year old school girl whose amazing story touched everyone in the room. Rose volunteers with the Exodus Foundation every Saturday despite the enormous challenges in her own life. That she has turned this into a positive is a credit to this very impressive young woman. After the official proceedings everyone was able to gather for photo opportunities, to mingle and chat and to enjoy the delicious food – catering done by one of the Centre’s Women’s Microbusiness ladies, Sahar Elsemary. Her vine leaves were the talk of the afternoon! The event was a great success and STARS is pleased to co-host the local event each year – it is just one of the ways to show our volunteers just how much we appreciate their efforts. Congratulations to all involved.

STARS welcomed participants to a wonderful

afternoon of cabaret presented by the Older

Women’s Network Theatre Group on 18

September at the Lakemba Senior Citizens

Centre. Participants had the option of attending

a morning workshop on Looking after our

Mental Wellbeing facilitated by Jane Massa ,

Coordinator Older Peoples Suicide and

Depression Prevention. The theme of looking

after our wellbeing was continued in the

theatre performance in a light hearted show.

There were lots of laughs which celebrated

our wellbeing with wackiness, wit and wisdom.

Mental Wellbeing - OWN Performance

We have a number of Working Bees coming up ... at

different times to suit just about everyone.

Saturday 25th October 9:00 am to 11:30 am

Saturday 22nd November 9:00 am to 11:30 am

Saturday 13th December 10:00 am to 11:00 am

Working Bees Members and friends of Lakemba Community Garden

meet to maintain and develop the shared/communal

spaces of the garden. This is when the entire garden

becomes the focus and not individual plots. It is also a

great time for you to meet other gardeners and share

ideas and learn from one another. We all use these

spaces so it is important that we all help out when we

can.

Lakemba Community GardenLakemba Community Garden

Harvest Share … the end of our working bees are a

time to share harvest, seeds, food, company and

conversation. Come along and meet your fellow

gardeners!

Steering Committee

The 2014/15 Community Garden Steering Committee is comprised of gardeners and FROGS Annette B,

Sylvia, Jeanette, Sundari and Mary with 4cs staff Madi and Liz providing some admin and organising

support. The next Steering Committee meeting is to be held on Tuesday 11th November 2014 at 6pm …

please raise any issues you want discussed with Steering Committee members or Liz or Madi.

End of Year Picnic All gardeners and FROGS (Friends and Relatives of

the Garden) are invited to enjoy a picnic lunch

together at the garden on

Saturday 13th December 2014

We are organising some games and lolly bags for

the kids … and a delicious lunch to share. Please

bring something to sit on and ingredients for a big

shared salad. Call Liz or Madi on 9750 9344 by 10th

December to let us know if you are coming … it

helps us know how much food to buy!

Sow What When October - November - December

Amaranth

Basil

Beans

Beetroot

Capsicum

Chilli

Chives

Carrot

Coriander

Cucumber

Eggplant

Kohl rabi

Lettuce

Okra

Parsley

Pumpkin

Radish

Rockmelon

Silverbeet

Sweet corn

Sunflower

Tomato

Watermelon

Zucchini

Ayako The Lakemba Community Garden is an incredible space. There are 29 plot

holders representing our diverse community. Ayako is in plot number 22

and has recently helped to replant the herb spiral at a working bee! Join us

for a quick chat with Ayako…

Ayako, can you tell us how you found out about the community garden?

About 4 years ago my friend told me about the community garden, and I

shared a plot with her. Then I decided to get my own plot.

Which plot is yours? 22

What do you grow in your plot? Now I am growing many varieties of lettuce,

I am also growing parsley, rosemary, chives, carrots and baby beetroot.

Who helps you in the garden? Do your children like being down there? My

husband helps me by watering the plants when he goes for a walk. When my

children were young they used to love gardening but as they grow older they do not like it as much as they did then.

What are your favourite things about community gardening? It enables me to meet the local people and make new

friends. Another thing I like about the community garden is that the workshops give me more knowledge about

gardening

Community Bike Shed

Community Bike Shed volunteers have had the opportunity of participating in recent community events, the

Campsie Food Festival and the Lakemba Haldon Street Festival. Although volunteers were primarily

responsible for bicycle valet parking, the event has enabled the Shed to promote its program and to learn

about other cycling organizations within the community.

We’d like to thank Canterbury City Council and numerous other community organisations on their dependable

partnership for the past few years. We look forward with anticipation for the continuance of this partnership.

We also like to thank volunteers for their continued support. Needless to say the Bike Shed project would not

realise its aspirations without their unselfish contribution

to the community with the outcome of placing

numerous bicycles into the hands of those in need who

may otherwise be deprived of healthy living.

For more information on becoming a volunteer bike

mechanic contact Jegan Nadeson on 9750 9344 or email

communitybikeshed@4cs.org.au.

Alternatively you can visit our website www.4cs.org.au.

The Community Bike Shed meets on the 1st and

3rd Saturday of each month at the Canterbury

Men’s Shed, 109 Clissold Parade, Campsie.

We meet between 9am and 12pm.

Upcoming Dates are:

4 and 18 October 2014

1 and 15 November 2014

6 and 20 December 2014

Member Profile I was born in war torn Latvia in 1941, the youngest of six. My

oldest brother used to carry me to the local shelter during air

raids. My father died when I was three and my mother, with me,

one sister and a brother, took refuge in Germany.

My memories of refugee camps, unlike those of the adults, are

mostly happy ones. I quickly forgot the Russian my nanny had

taught me and learned German. There were always friends to

play with, and with one of them, when I was about six, I had my

first bicycle experience. In some bomb rubble, we found a bicycle

wheel. We shared it, pushing it along with a stick and running

behind it – definitely a boy thing, I never saw girls playing this

game.

When I was 10 I left Europe as a “displaced person”, with my family, headed for a new life and more bicycle

adventures in Australia. We lived for about a year in Mildura Migrant Camp, where my mother worked as a

translator, until my eldest brother and sister found us a house in Bankstown, where we were reunited as a family

once my older siblings had fulfilled their two year work contract work obligations.

My big brother bought me a bike when I was 13. It was a Malvern Star, built in the factory at Chippendale. To me it

meant freedom and independence. I could visit friends and go on trips with them from Bankstown, where we lived,

to places like Picnic Point and explore interesting places further afield like Camden and Penrith and later the Blue

Mountains.

All this came to an end with an interest in girls and cars and my bike was replaced first by a Singer Sports 9 and later

an FJ Holden.

A busy family and work life left little time to renew my interest until six years ago when we moved to Hurlstone

Park, right near the Cooks River Cycleway. Now, with only fellow cyclists, pedestrians and dogs to negotiate, I can

ride to Brighton le Sands, and explore other cycle ways, as they are developed.

Finding the bike shed has been an unexpected bonus. Repairing and recycling bikes seems to me very worthwhile, if

the recipients get even a fraction of the pleasure from cycling as I have had over the years.

And what an interesting bunch we bike shed members are, coming together in a shared activity from such diverse

cultural backgrounds and viewpoints. No wonder our morning tea discussions of current events and life experiences

are so enjoyable and stimulating. Rom

Rom

Steering Committee Dates

The Social and Activities Group of Canterbury City Community Centre and Uniting Care Disability are pleased to announce a unique and original Art Exhibition.

Showcasing the art work created by Canterbury residents attending each group.

The Art Exhibition will be held at the Uniting Church Friendship Centre, 36 Evaline Street, Campsie.

When: Tuesday 25th November, 2014.

Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm

Join us and celebrate this wonderful display of original talent with music, a light lunch and drinks.

Art work will be available for sale to the public.

RSVP: Tuesday 11th November, 2014

ochoy@unitingcarenswact.org.au or 0425 333 608

The men have been as busy as usual at the

Shed. Most major projects have come to end

with members focusing on completing toys

and craft items for the End of Year Sale on

29th November.

We also have a couple of other opportunities

to promote the great work of the men and the

benefits of being a member of the Men’s

Shed.

On 11th October 2014, we will have a stall at

the Experience Croydon Park! Festival. Along

with 50 satellite events featuring live music,

pampering tours and food stalls, there will

also be interactive workshops and

demonstrations.

And on 17th October, we will be hosting an

Open Day and BBQ as part of the Canterbury

Cares Mental Health and Wellbeing Campaign.

The 2 month campaign includes information

sessions about stress, mental health services

and caring for people with a mental illness

across a variety of community services in the

Canterbury area.

Garden Care

Volunteer Profile - Phil

In 2010, I retired from the New South Wales Fire Brigade (NSWFB) after 27 years, and was considering what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I felt I needed to give something back, something that would give a helping hand to people and at the same time occupy me too. I considered the State Emergency Service (SES), but felt it was too similar to the work I had previously done.

Finally, one day, fortune smiled on me, whilst reading the Torch newspaper, I discovered an article about volunteer gardening with the 4C's, and the rest they say is history.

This is my fourth year gardening and I have loved every minute. I have met some wonderful people, and it is a privilege to be invited into their homes to share fellowship over a cuppa and discover their life's journey. I met a former Firie, who has sadly passed, but it was great to catch up with him, and help make his beloved garden a better place.

The staff at the four C's are all great. The team do a great job and are always a pleasure to work with. All the other volunteers are fabulous to work with and all have different personalities.

I am involved with two other volunteer groups. I am on the Committee of NSW Churches Football (soccer) and Sisters of Charity Outreach through St. Vincents Hospital, so between these three organisations and three grandchildren, I have plenty to occupy my time.

Of the three roles, I find gardening the most pleasurable. At the end of the day, it is great to see the big smile on the clients face and see the transformation of the garden for another twelve months. I hope to be able to keep gardening for a long time into the future.

Thanks for the opportunity to express my gratitude to everybody involved with the WONDERFUL 4c's

STAFF NEWS

Garden Lovers Group

Since 2012, local Environment@Lakemba

volunteers have been working hard to

keep Lakemba clean and litter free.

In the next few months we will be focusing

on the The Boulevard and Plaza to:

Install extra cigarette bins and signs

about littering

Several litter clean up days

Promote Council's household clean

up service

Help reduce illegal dumping

Hand out posters and flyers about litter

and illegal dumping

Please contact Kate at lnc@4cs.org.au or

9750 9344 to find how you can help keep

Lakemba beautiful.

The next Environment@Lakemba

will be held on:

Wednesday 22nd October at

5.30pm to 7.00pm at Canterbury

City Community Centre,

130 Railway Parade, Lakemba.

A big welcome to our new Social Support Co ordinator Leanne Kelleher

who is now co ordinating our Community Visitors Scheme and HACC

Social Support Services.

Nice to have you join the team Leanne!

Welcome also to Social Work student Souha Drac who is on placement

in our Community Builders program until November.

Thanks for making us part of your studies Sue!

End of Year Closure Dates

The Centre will be closing at 2 pm on

Tuesday 23rd December 2014 and will

re-open at 10 am on Monday 5th

January 2015.

Happy Holidays!