Seven Hills RSL fishing buddies had a great day out fishing on Sunday the 15th of December. We went with Blue Reef Charters, the skipper Adam & deckie Dave really looked after us, they more than earnt their money. The current and sea breeze were at odds with each other making it difficult to get a good drift happening resulting in some monster tangles . I can recommend Blue Reef Charters for anybody wanting a great day out fishing with their friends.
They took us 15 kilometres out off Long Reef in 60 metres of water then hunted reefs all day trying to help us catch some good fish. We caught beautiful Snapper, monster Flatheads, Morwong, Pigfish, Ocean Perche, Pike and a host of other species. I started out recording and photographing the catches for the Seven Hills RSL fishing Club annual competition but the catches were coming in so fast I couldn’t keep up.
We were blessed with perfect weather. The scenery was spectacular. We were out off Harbord, Manly Beach and North Head. It is hard to describe how beautiful Sydney is in the early morning.
On the way home we were treated to spectacular sailing regattas. We all arrived home tired, but happy and relaxed, having enjoyed a great day out.
Club President Barry Wilson and Directors Annie Moore, Bill North, Peter Harrington and Warren Evans played Santa today and delivered all the toys that had been donated to our Christmas Giving Tree to the Children’s Ward at Mt Druitt Hospital.
Over the past month, Seven Hills RSL reception staff have been overwhelmed with the fabulous gifts that our community have been bringing into the Club including Paw Patrol, Hot Wheels cars, My Little Pony toys, arts and crafts, books and the most gorgeous hand knitted dolls.
Mount Druitt Hospital Children’s Ward Nurse Unit Manager, Kate Lowe, said she was surprised by the number of gifts that were donated and was thankful for our Members support.
“Being a child in hospital at any time is hard, but being in hospital near Christmas is even harder,” she said.
“Our staff will put a gift on each child’s bed on Christmas morning so that they have a nice surprise to wake up to. I have not met a child who does not love presents, no matter how sick they are.”
Seven Hills RSL President, Barry Wilson said, “It is a pleasure to be a part of this new Club initiative and it warms my heart to see the generous spirit of our local community. For us, Christmas is about the spirit of giving, and it was wonderful to see so many Members, visitors and staff of the Club donate to our Giving Tree. We really feel for the kids who have to spend time in hospital this Christmas and we hope these gifts can take their mind off their illness and put a smile on their face.”
Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospital’s Better Foundation, chief executive officer, Nermeen Yacoub, also rolled up her sleeves and helped us unload the gifts to place under the Christmas Tree in the Children’s Ward. “I would like to thank Seven Hills RSL not just for their Christmas Giving Tree appeal, but also for their kind $61,842 donation which will go towards medical equipment in the Special Care Nursery at Blacktown Hospital.”
Charles
Frank Bohannan celebrated his 90th Birthday on the 27th
of May. He started working for Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL when he was 54 years
young and has now worked for the Club for 36 years! Everyone knows him as
Frank.
Frank
is a kind-hearted, popular staff member at the Club and loves to have a good
chat with everyone. Frank tells us a bit about his time at the Club:
“When I first got my job at Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL Club I started as a Car Park attendant in a white coat. Jeez I had a lot of fun doing that! I chased little buggers I caught bending car antennas. I tried to chase them all the way up the road, but they could always run a bit faster than me.
I have had so many different jobs at the Club over the years, wherever there was work I wanted to do it. From being a doorman to a courtesy bus driver. From serving beers to giving away cars. From setting up tables and chairs to controlling the lighting in the Shows. You name it, I have done it, and I tell you what, I have loved doing every single one of them!
I’ve lived and worked to see many changes within the Club industry. I remember when women were not allowed near the bar, when people used to smoke inside and I certainly will never forget the disco days.
When I worked in Promotions they used to dress me up in all sorts of outfits like Robin Hood with a sword, cowboy outfits and top hats and bow ties. I have had so many different outfits over the years and they were always a bit of fun!
I used to clean up all the leftover raffle tickets that people left on the tables and when I suggested to the managers that we do a second chance draw for some prizes with the tickets, they thought it was a great idea. I thought it was a great idea too as I never had any more tickets to clean up!
Out of all the jobs I have had in my life, this has been my favourite. Because of the people. The management, the staff and the Members. It just feels like family.
My kids live a fair way away, so I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like to. My son Jason lives in Tasmania, Steven lives in Wauchope and my daughter, Trudie, lives in Port Macquarie so I only really see them a couple of times a year.
The Club has always looked after me and so many people know me that it just feels like home. So, it may sound silly that I’m still working at 90, but there is no place I would rather be. I’m not going anywhere because the Club is my family.”
1 in 20 Aussie kids face a birth defect or genetic disease.
Kids just want to be kids, but instead of playing sports with their friends or catching butterflies on a sunny day, these kids are getting liver transplants, taking dozens of medications, or getting their next dose of chemotherapy. It shouldn’t be this way. You can help the scientists at Children’s Medical Research Institute find cures, so these kids can go back to being kids.
Seven Hills RSL is taking part in Jeans for Genes Day on Friday 2 August. Our staff will be wearing jeans to raise money for the Children’s Medical Research Institute to help find treatments and cures for children’s genetic diseases. We will also be selling Jeans for Genes merchandise from our Club reception and will have a donation box out for gold coin donations. Every dollar counts.
On Sunday the 24th of March the Snooker Club held it’s annual Croc Cup snooker doubles fund raising day to raise money for the Westmead Children’s Hospital.
We had a fantastic day full of smiling faces and intense concentration. Thank you to all the members of the RSL, Snooker, Fishing, Swimming & Golf Clubs for helping to make the day such a great success.
The Croc Cup champions were Gary Arlidge & George Neradilek but the real winners were the Westmead Children’s Hospital. We received generous donations from numerous Seven Hills RSL Patrons.
When the Fishing Club President and Vice President Al Davis and Al Vaughan offered to sell the tickets for the raffle tray donated by Woodcroft Quality Meats the same patrons bought generously. A special mention must go to the Golf Club table.
With the help of all our friends we raised a total of $680 for the sick children at Westmead Hospital which we are sure will go some way to bringing them some joy.
Did you know that the Blacktown region has the highest number of non-fatal drownings in the State? That’s why Seven Hills RSL places huge importance on educating our community about Water Safety in partnership with Royal Life Saving Society – Australia.
Today, one of our directors, Bill North, was thankful for the opportunity to see the Preschool Water Safety Project we funded in action at First Grammar Seven Hills saying, “It was great to see Water Safety principles communicated to the preschoolers in an engaging way through story telling, songs and movement. Seven Hills RSL hopes this interactive and educational program teaches the kids vital water safety skills to increase their awareness of the dangers associated with familiar aquatic environments.”
The Royal Life Saving NSW Preschool Water Safety Project has been developed in response to the unacceptably high number of children under the age of 5 losing their life to drowning in preventable circumstances.
With backyard swimming pools being the leading location for drowning of young children, this initiative specifically aims to educate children (aged 3-5) about the dangers associated with backyard swimming pools and enhance a child’s ability to keep themselves safe.
Royal Life Saving Water Safety Story Telling to the Pre-Schoolers at First Grammar Seven Hills Bill North presenting a First Aid Kit to the Director of First Grammar Seven Hills
On Sunday the 10th of February the Seven Hills RSL Swimming Club competed in the annual Western Metropolitan Swimming Carnival.
They had a great time and swam their hearts out for the RSL, their mother club.
Unfortunately they were unsuccessful in taking home any silverware, but the results were so close and they did our Club proud, missing out in the 10 man by 50 metre relay by just 0.15 seconds.
After the Carnival 200 people came back to the RSL for presentations and lunch at Star Buffet.
These people come from clubs all over Sydney and as far away as Gosford. They love coming to our club with all it’s fantastic facilities.
A special thank you to the ‘Star Buffet’ restaurant for the food that was enjoyed by all.
Royal Life Saving’s Aquatic Safety Training Academy is now able to provide free transportation to even more schools and community groups to access vital swimming and water safety education thanks to the new addition of a bus with the support of the Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL.
Royal Life Saving NSW CEO Michael Ilinsky says the continued rising costs of transport and logistical challenges schools face is presenting a significant barrier to schools accessing practical water safety experiences.
“For many families, private swimming lessons are out of reach and they are dependent on access to school-based swimming programs to provide their children the opportunity to participate in water safety education.
“We don’t want children missing out because schools can’t afford the high cost of transport on top of lesson fees. Thanks to the addition of a new bus, Royal Life Saving can ensure more children are able to access these vital skills,” says Mr. Ilinsky.
The Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report revealed that 37 children under the age of 10 died due to drowning in Australian waterways last year. For every child that loses their life to drowning, a further 8 are admitted to hospital for non-fatal drowning which can result in permanent brain damage.
With a booming population in Western Sydney, more people than ever require access to water safety education at a reasonable cost.
Royal Life Saving NSW has provided transportation to schools as part of its swimming and water safety for the past 5 years with the support of the Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL. The demand for transport was so high that Royal Life Saving needed a second bus to keep up with the requests.
The purchase of a new bus allows the Aquatic Safety Training Academy to double its capabilities to transport two primary school classes at a time to service more local students and schools.
Royal Life Saving NSW CEO Michael Ilinsky says, “Royal Life Saving’s Aquatic Safety Training Academy has always aimed to make learn to swim classes more accessible by keeping costs as low as possible. We are incredibly grateful for the Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL’s support in helping us to bring water safety education to more local children.”
The state-of-the-art facility located at Seven Hills features a 25 metre training pool, a 20 metre program pool as well as seminar and training rooms. The Academy maintains a strong commitment to water safety in the local community through its many water safety initiatives targeting young children and culturally diverse communities.
“Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL are extremely proud to continue their longstanding support of the Aquatic Safety Training Academy and sponsor the bus. We believe that together with Royal Life Saving we can have a huge impact on children’s lives. All Australian children should be given the opportunity to learn to Swim and Survive” says RSL President Barry Wilson.
To learn more about Royal Life Saving NSW and their programs please visit royalnsw.com.au
