Category: Uncategorized

The Children’s Hospital at Westmead transformed into a fun circus today for their annual Radiothon. The Radiothon Appeal aims to raise $4 million dollars and we are extremely proud to have donated $96,000 towards their goal. This donation will directly go towards 6 new high-tech defibrillators to save children in life or death healthcare emergencies.

The Children’s Hospital at Westmead treats the sickest children throughout metropolitan Sydney, including Blacktown Council area, and all NSW. Last year 81,690 sick children were supported including 56,676 emergency presentations and 14,486 surgeries.

The care required to treat seriously ill and injured children in life-threatening emergency situations can be unpredictable but must be decisive and instantaneous. Every young patient may need access to a defibrillator, a sophisticated life-saving device used to bring someone back to life when their heart stops beating. These machines dramatically increase a person’s chance of survival in emergency care, from less than 5% to over 70%.

When a child needs defibrillator support, they are on the brink of death. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence at the Hospital. Defibrillators are used at least once a week in emergency and intensive care, surgical theatres and recovery, and other key clinical and critical care areas including cancer, cardiac and long-term ventilation wards.

The Hospital’s current fleet of 23 defibrillators is out-dated. Four have completely broken down with the remainder having a limited lifespan. The cost of repairing them isn’t economical compared to replacing them with new, improved technology.
Children usually stop breathing before their heart stops, unlike adults. The devices required for optimum recovery/response are unlike standard defibrillators located elsewhere in the community. They are specially designed to support doctors and nurses to give critically ill children the best chance of survival.

In response to the hospital’s need to upgrade their defibrillator equipment, Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL Club has donated $96,000 to directly fund:

• 3 x High Acuity defibrillators @ $19,350 each – $58,050 (one for each of the Camperdown Ward, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and Edgar Stephans Ward), plus
• 3 x Essential defibrillators @ $12,850 each – $38,550 (one for each of the Grace Centre for Newborn Intensive Care, Operating Theatre and Middelton Recovery Ward).

These defibrillators will make a big difference to saving precious young lives in a heartbeat.

WordPress Portfolio Plugin

The Invictus Games are coming soon to Sydney!

The Games are an international sporting event for wounded or injured service men and women to inspire recovery and support rehabilitation.

Recently, at a very moving presentation, the Australian athletes and support staff were given personalized quilts and laundry bags made by the Aussie Hero Quilt team and their leader, Jan-Maree Ball O.A.M. Each quilt and laundry bag has the symbols of the sports in which the recipient is participating, the symbol of the service in which they served, their initials and done in colours or designs meaningful to them. It has taken months of organisation for this to come to fruition and quilters from all over Australia have been busy sewing. The quilters were inspired by the strength of spirit and motivation of the athletes and the athletes were very moved by the care and thoughtfulness of the quilters.

One of our bowlers from Pennant Hills Womens’ Bowling Club, Beverley Fairbairn, is a member of the group and her recipient is Davin Bretherton, who is participating in three sports, sailing, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby. Davin has above knee amputation and credits sport with saving his life. He has recently returned from completing the Kokoda Track.

Jan-Maree Ball, the founder and co-ordinator of the organization is from West Pennant Hills and served in the RAAF and Navy herself. Jan-Maree explained why she formed AHQ. “Aussie Heroes was formed for three main reasons. Firstly, I have always been ashamed of the way our Vietnam Veterans were treated when they came home from the war. That cannot be allowed to happen and that is why our motto is “We care about the people, not the politics or the mission”.

Secondly, I have always felt we need to let our troops know that we appreciate them. When there is a need, be it fire, flood or earthquake, or any sort of trouble around the world, they answer the call and go wherever they are needed whenever it is. I wanted to be able to say thank you for that.

Thirdly, I heard of a soldier who was in hospital here in Australia. He was injured in Afghanistan in 2010 and flown to Germany. Whilst there he was given a quilt by the American organization Hero Quilts so that he would not be the only man in the ward without a quilt. I was grateful that the Americans were so generous but was ashamed that there was not an Australian quilt for him. These days we have Wounded Warrior Quilts in Iraq and Afghanistan and do our best to make sure that no Australian service personnel seriously wounded goes uncovered by one of our quilts.”

Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL Swimming Club and our friends from Gosford RSL held our annual winter swimming carnival at Blacktown Aquatic Centre on Sunday the 24^th of June.

As usual it was a hard fought contest. The winners were:

100 metres

• 1^st place Ray Dickens – Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL
• 2^nd place Rob Lewis – Gosford RSL
• 3^rd place Rodger Bruce – Gosford RSL

50 metres

• 1st place Paul Munns – Gosford RSL
• 2^nd place Col Bullard – Gosford RSL
• 3^rd place Pat Kirkman – Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL

25 metres

• 1^st place Mike Stringfellow – Gosford RSL
• 2^nd John McQueen – Gosford RSL
• 3^rd place Rob Lewis – Gosford RSL

10 man 50 metres relay (this is always the highlight of our carnivals)

• 1^st place – Gosford RSL
• 2^nd place – Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL

The Swimming Club thanks Anthony Casaol, Blacktown Bowling Club Manager, for opening the club early for us, Jane & Karina for their great service behind the bar and Alpha & Co manager Nick & head chef David for looking after us with a sumptuous bay-marie breakfast.

We had a terrific day, our guests were most impressed with the Bowling Club renovations.

WHEN the wooden balls began dropping from the barrel 52 years ago, there were many people who were hoping that this was one lottery in which their number wouldn’t be called.

Often known as the “birthday lottery”, the draw was done from a barrel that had been used for Tattersall’s cup sweeps, filled with 181 numbered marbles representing the days of the year from January 1 to June 30. Alternate lotteries would have 184 balls for the dates of the rest of the year.

If one of the balls drawn corresponded to the birthdate of one of the thousands of Australian men, aged 20, who had registered for National Service, it meant they were eligible for call-up.

It was 22 December 1966 when Les Wilkinson’s birthday numbers were drawn from the barrel. He was drafted as a National Serviceman with orders to report to the Marrickville depot. From there he was sent straight to Kapooka for recruit training. Les remembers, “It was here where I learnt to make my bed, iron and neatly fold my clothes, spit polish my boots, and more importantly, make new friends.”

Les was then marched out to do his Corps training at Bandiana, and 3 months later moved up the ranks to Private. Before long, Les Wilkinson was told he was going to Vietnam. The day he arrived in Vung Tau, Vietnam he was told the TET offence had begun.

His posting at Nui Dat was hot and dusty and he can still recall the sound of artillery going off every day and night. Les recalls, “It was certainly a new experience, but one that I got used to quickly.”

On the 10^th May, 1968 he was told he was going to fire support base Coral. On the way they stopped at a US Army Base called Bearcat. Les saw a US Soldier drinking chocolate milk, he told Les where he could get some and they instantly clicked. They had a BBQ and exchanged girls’ addresses as well as their uniforms. Les later wrote to his cousin and found out his friend had been killed.

On his second night at support base Coral they were attacked and lost all their stores from a mortar attack.

Les tries not to remember those days but he says there are things that still haunt him. “They were horrific times. The sound of the enemy’s bugle, the smell of cordite, firing at gun ships, being overrun by the enemy and the burying of the dead in enemy holes. I can still remember Lieutenant Brown saying, “Don’t shoot until you can see the whites of their eyes,” as we had the company of one RAR in front of us and he didn’t want us to shoot one of our own men in the darkness.”

The battle lasted a month and it was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Vietnam war.

In December 1968 Les Wilkinson arrived home at 2am to avoid any protests. He was discharged in January 1969 and had no contact from any of his war mates until their Welcome Home in 1987. “It was great to see the boys again but I, like a lot of the boys, suffer from PTSD and still to this day have nightmares. I lost a lot of my close friends whom I had before Vietnam as I couldn’t talk about it to them. So I found new friends who did not know I was in Vietnam. I now regret this very much.”

Les will be attending the Dawn Service at Seven Hills RSL this year to remember his fallen friends.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will Remember Them. Lest We Forget.

It is extremely sad, but unfortunately thousands of sick newborn babies rely on the facilities and services available at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead each year. They rely on doctors, nurses and specialised equipment for help.

Seven Hills RSL recently donated $105,000 to fund five Philips Intellivue Patient Monitors for babies at the Grace Centre’s NICU. These monitors support the most at-risk newborn babies at the hospital by facilitating early diagnosis, accelerating care delivery and enabling informed decision-making.

Today the hospital staff were very generous with their time and invited our Directors to see first-hand how our contribution is helping to save lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those little patients and their families doing it tough ahead of Easter. The visit certainly does put things into perspective!

WordPress Portfolio Plugin

Aquatic recreation is intrinsic to Australia culture. Whether it be a trip to the local pool, river, lake, or coastline to undertake a range of activities such as swimming, fishing, boating, or, simply for solace – Australian’s typically love the water.

Exposure to these aquatic environments, however, comes with certain risks and responsibilities. Each year in NSW 100 people tragically lose their life to drowning, most of which are preventable. Every drowning death represents a tragic loss to a whole community.

Royal Life Saving NSW (RLSNSW) has been working closely with Seven Hills RSL for many years now in an attempt to save lives in the Blacktown community and surrounding areas. Over the last financial year alone, Seven Hills RSL has funded four major projects of RLSNSW, which has seen more than 3,200 young people in the Blacktown and Seven Hills local area learn vital water safety or lifesaving skills.

An overview view of the 2017/18 funded projects are below:

Preschool Water Safety Project $8,320
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. The program also briefly discusses beach safety. A 30 minute interactive water safety presentation has – or will be – conducted at 15 pre-school centres in the Blacktown and Seven Hills area, reaching almost 500 children and their families.

Water Smart Kindy Kids $9,900
An interactive, educational program designed to teach students aged 5-6 vital water safety information and skills in order to increase awareness of the dangers associated with familiar aquatic environments; promote safe behaviour and enhance students ability to deal with a basic emergency situation. Presentations have been conducted at 15 primary schools in the Blacktown and Seven Hills area engaging 1,700 kindergarten students.

Water Safety Project – Primary $9,800
Rivers are the leading location for drowning in Australia. This initiative aims to teach stage 3 students about the dangers associated with various inland waterways (rivers, creeks, lakes, dams, etc.) and equip students with basic survival and rescue skills. A one hour interactive presentation has been delivered at 9 participating primary schools, for all of year 5 and 6.

Youth Life Saver Project $19,420
As part of this initiative, 200 year 11 students in the Blacktown and Seven Hills local area will have the opportunity to undertake their First Aid and CPR training for free. The aim of this initiative is to equip students with the skills and confidence to be able to respond in a basic emergency situation. Competent students will receive nationally recognised qualifications as well as the honour of becoming a skilled ‘community lifesaver’. This initiative is important for this age group, who are our next generation of drivers and school leavers.

IMG_0897

IMG_0889

Rouse Hill Anglican (9)

Walters Rd (3)

The Meadows (4)

The Meadows (2)

Rouse Hill Anglican (12)

Lynwood (2)

The Meadows (8)

Lynwood (1)

Lalor Park Preschool (1)

Twinklestars Kings Langely (6)

WordPress Portfolio Plugin

We’re extremely proud of our General Manager, Joe Bayssari, who today embarked on the last leg of his 160km journey for the Save Our Sons organisation.

The group of walkers are presently travelling from Kogarah to Cronulla and will be celebrating their week-long walk-a-thon with a hard-earned BBQ!

Joe’s initial goal was to raise $8,000 for children suffering with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, when that challenge was smashed he increased his target to $20,000. To date, he has now raised a massive $31,700.

We are extremely grateful to our suppliers, staff, members and friends who have made a contribution. It is heartwarming to see so many generous souls in our community.

UPDATES FROM SUNRISE

Can you spot Joe Bayssari, our General Manager, in the Sunrise coverage of the Save our Sons Walk?

What is Muscular Dystrophy?

Logan goes for a sick joyride

Seniors from our local community recently celebrated The Hills Day Club’s 35th Birthday with a luncheon at Fox Hills Golf Club on Monday 5th March.

The volunteer-run club meet each Monday as a place for seniors to keep social and fit with activities such as mobility exercises and bingo. The group meet for morning tea and lunch and are entertained each week with performances by singers, dancers and comedians.
The Hills Day Club first opened its doors in 1983. In the early years it was a small organisation.

One of the Day Club Managers, Bill North, remembers calling into the community hall and finding one table with a few members and even fewer volunteers. “Now we have over 50 members, 20 volunteers and are only restricted in growth by the facilities available to us.”

Although the Day Club had an operational hiccup when it went into recess at the end of 2008, the Club has been re-established to even greater heights.

Bill said, “It’s the friendship and camaraderie of our group of volunteers and Members that has allowed the club to remain strong. It’s been well-run and the members take pride in their club”.

Club Member, Margaret Bennett says, “Monday is my favourite day of the week. The Hills Day Club gives me an opportunity to see my friends and has a wonderful bunch of volunteers; they’re always there to help and make us feel welcome.”

The successes, friendships and fun were toasted at the 35th birthday luncheon, which included attendance by the Mayor of Blacktown, Stephen Bali.

Last year the Hills Day Club won a Local Seniors Achievement Award for their contribution to the local senior community.

The Hills Day Club is a successful club due to the dedication of the volunteers with the cooperation of the members and the ongoing support from the Seven Hills Toongabbie Wentworthville RSL Sub-branch and Seven Hills RSL. The Day Club hopes this strong partnership will continue for many more years to come.

WordPress Portfolio Plugin

Be Brave & Shave for the Leukaemia Foundation!

We’re taking part in the World’s Greatest Shave for the Leukaemia Foundation and encouraging everyone in the community to take part too!

Blood cancer claims more lives than breast cancer or melanoma. And today another 35 people will be given the devastating news they have leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma or another blood disorder.

The World’s Greatest Shave will take place at Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL Club on Friday March 16 at 11.30am with the Master of the Clippers, Club President Barry Wilson.

We would love you to join us and raise money and awareness for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Hair shaves and colours (temporary bright colour spray) will be $10 on the day, with all proceeds going to the Leukaemia Foundation.

Our Finance Manager, Anthony Holmes, and Fox Hills Golf Club/Blacktown Bowling Club Manager, Anthony Casaol will be heading our Seven Hills RSL Team and have set-up a donation page for anyone wishing to donate. Our goal is to raise $1,000. Please sponsor us to give Aussie families facing blood cancer the emotional and practical support they need.

Please CLICK HERE to sponsor our team today.

If you are interested in shaving/colouring your hair on the day please phone Club Reception on 9622 2800 to book in your preferred time.

What if you couldn’t walk?

Walking is something most people take for granted but this is something that anyone living with Duchenne’s Disease has lost or will lose because of this condition.

In just 7 days our General Manager, Joe Bayssari, will be walking a 160km journey to raise money for those who can no longer walk.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (a muscle wasting condition) affects young boys and in rare cases girls. Currently there is no cure and no one survives.

Joe’s goal is to raise $20,000 and is requesting any donation, big or small, to go towards this great cause.

Please make a donation to support him on this epic journey by following this link:
https://www.saveoursons.org.au/give-now/the-walk/joe-bayssari/