May '23 Bites

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Clubs Band Together to Help Turkey

Following the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey, the NSW club industry was quick to lend a helping hand. Oberon RSL and its sub-branch was the first to begin rallying to raise much-needed funds to help the Turkish people recover and rebuild their lives, starting by collecting donations at the Club before arranging a series of fundraising events, the final proceeds of which are still being tallied.
Soon afterwards, DOOLEYS Lidcombe (see above) presented a cheque for $50,000 to the Republic of Turkey Disaster Relief through the Turkish Embassy in Canberra at a special reception.

Turkey and Australia have a long history that was forged on the battlefields of Gallipoli. This relationship is particularly special for Oberon, having formed sister city ties with the Turkish municipality of Eceabat which encompasses the now quiet battlefield. Oberon also has the unique honour of being one of only three locations in the world, outside of Turkey, to be authorised to exhibit the famous words inscribed above ANZAC Cove. Proudly displayed by the Oberon RSL sub-branch are the words spoken by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the post-World War I leader of Turkey, during a 1934 speech to assure the mothers of the ANZACs whose lives were lost that their sons rest in the heart of a friendly country.

Taking the Beach to the Outback

Recently, Brewarrina RSL held its inaugural Bush Volleyball Competition. Twelve teams from all over the district — including Bourke and Goodooga, a 60-minute and 90-minute drive away respectively — came along to join in. Brewarrina Shire Council provided several truckloads of sand for the day.

The winning team, local lads ‘The Golden Strikers’, received $2000 in prize money and there were also prizes for the best dressed team. The day was such a success that the Club is planning for the event to become an annual fixture on the region’s social calendar.

Club President Donna Jeffries said it was a great community and family day out promoting health and fitness.

“All feedback so far has been extremely positive! Days like this would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our volunteers and organisations like Brewarrina Shire Council,” she said.

Bathurst RSL Earns Bales of Thanks from Farmers

Bathurst RSL is the heart of its community, so when fire ripped through local Hill End area earlier this year, devasting stock and feed supplies, they didn’t hesitate to help out.

The Club initially donated $10,000 to purchase feed. It was then discovered that the cost of transporting that feed was going to be an additional $9,000 and was not covered by any government disaster relief payments. This was no problem for the Club — they provided the additional funds needed to transport the three semi-trailer loads of 550-kilogram bales out to the affected areas.

“We can react immediately; we can move and mobilise funds and support to where it needs to be straight away without having to worry about bureaucracy. We did what clubs do in an emergency, we stepped up and got the job done,” Club CEO Paul Sargent said.