Get serious about becoming a leader in the fight against climate change and join the journey. There are many simple and easy things we can all do to reduce our carbon footprint and registering for e-statements is one of them!

Most major organisations offer online or email statements/billing options.  If you haven’t already made the switch this is a really simple step you can take to reduce your impact on the environment. It’s amazing just how much paper is used to produce statements.

Ask your financial institution to switch you to online statements now.

1. It’s convenient! You can view or print your e-statements any time you choose.
2. It’s simple! You will receive an email when your e-statement is ready to view online.  
3. It’s fast! Your e-statement is available before paper statements get through snail mail.
4. It’s secure! Your e-statement will not be lost or stolen in the mail.
5. It’s environmentally friendly! Reduces paper waste.

We know we can all do more. Embrace the change and take your first and simple step towards reducing your paper consumption, register for eStatments today.

Ross

Environment Management System Committee Chair

We know you have spent many Saturdays turning sausages for your local footy team or filling your freezer with pies or lamingtons after the inaugural bake sale.

Now there is an easier way to fundraise for your local not-for-profit club, group or charity- the Community Reward Account.

This account takes the average annual balance of all Community Reward Accounts nominating your club, group or charity as the beneficiary, and donates up to 1.5% of this balance directly to your registered organisation!

How to benefit:

1. Find out about becoming a recipient for the Community Reward Account*.
2. Register your club, group or charity as a recipient.
3. Encourage all of your members and supporters to open an account to support your club, group or charity.
4. At the end of each financial year the amount raised is deposited straight to your registered organisation.

What your supporters need to do:

1. Open a Community Reward Account.
2. Select your club, group or charity to receive the benefits.
3. Start saving!
4. Be happy knowing they are supporting their favourite club, group or charity.

We know it works:

Over the past few years many clubs, groups and charities have been recipients of this account with great success.  In 2011 approx. $150,000 was donated to registered organisations.

This could easily be your not-for-profit club, group or charity!

Luke – Product & Segment Analyst

Wagga Mutual in partnership with Xceler8 Fitness Centre, are proud to announce the winners of the 2011/2012 Wagga Mutual Credit Union Junior Sports Scholarship.

The program is designed to help local junior athletes aged 12 to 17 years take the next step in their chosen field of sport. Following the success of the inaugural program in 2010/2011, this year more than 100 scholarship applications were received.

First prize, a sponsorship package valued at $2,700 including an account at Wagga Mutual Credit Union with $1000, was awarded to Kaitlin Jeffries. The 17-year-old taekwondo specialist is a rising star who was recently selected to compete at the Taekwondo World Titles in Czechoslovakia.

The following scholarship winners also received sponsorship funds from Wagga Mutual to be used for their future sporting development:-

James Hay – athletics national champion, Jake Brooker – junior cyclist, Caleb Noble –local Ganmain triathlete and Andrew Emery – talented junior AFL footballer.

The program was an outstanding initiative that supports the development of local junior sporting talent. We are very proud to be associated with Xceler8 and to put our support behind the scholarship program. We are committed to helping the Wagga Wagga community grow and this program is one way we can do this, by offering some of our community’s most talented junior sportspeople a helping hand to pursue their sporting careers.

Congratulations to everyone and we wish you all every success in your future sporting endeavours.

Andrew – Wagga Mutual Regional Manager

My employer Community CPS Australia has sponsored me to attend the CUFA (Credit Union Foundation of Australia) Fijian Leadership Challenge 2012.

To participate in the Leadership Challenge I need to fundraise $3,300.

The Leadership Challenge entails participating in over 100 volunteering hours with local Fijian communities, teaching sound economic practices to ensure these villages are self sustainable. Concepts such saving & budgeting are not widely understood in some communities, and my involvement will assist these locals with a positive economic future and ‘make them smile’.

As part of my fundraising I will be raffling off a BBQ, you can purchase a ticket at our Salisbury Branch.

All profits will be donated to CUFA & the Fijian Leadership Challenge.

Want to help online?

Please share, retweet or post this story to your facebook and spread the word. You can also donate securely online, donations of $2.00 or more are tax deductible.

Donate here!

Thankyou in advance for your generosity and assistance.

Angelique Joy

We are extremely proud to have partnered up Royal District Nursing (RDNS) the largest and oldest provider of home nursing and healthcare services in Australia.

Since our partnership commenced in 2007 we have been able to purchase a car for RDNS through our foundation grant to help nurses get out to do their home visits and our staff have been volunteering each year to pack food hampers for disadvantaged families.

This year was no different with an amazing 400 Christmas hampers packed! A big thanks to all our staff involved!  ^VR

Welcome to ‘We Are Listening’, the social voice for the Community CPS Australia Group. The Community CPS Australia Group trades in other parts of the country under the brands of Companion Credit Union in the Hunter region in NSW, United Community in WA and Wagga Mutual Credit Union in the Riverina region of NSW for all of our banking services. Eastwoods Limited covers our professional services business which includes wealth management and tax and accounting business.

This blog and our facebook and Twitter accounts form what I’d like to call the ‘We Are Listening Network’, giving our members and the general public the opportunity to interact with us and keep connected with what is happening in our community.

Through this network you can also find out about the latest finance news, financial advice and information. It also is a platform to share with you the latest volunteer opportunities that you can participate in, to help your local community. Most importantly we are available to listen and have a chat about what is important to you.

Our values are about putting our members and clients first and we have a great team of committed people to ensure we provide the necessary level of support. We are part of the community and the community is part of us. So we don’t want this to be ‘just another corporate blog’. You will find contributors from all of the regions in which we operate covering all facets of our member owned organisation.

We believe in people empowerment and share of voice and pledge to treat everyone’s opinions with respect. View our community guidelines.

Our ‘We Are Listening Network’ is here for you between 9am and 5pm (Australian Central Time) Monday to Friday, so please join us for a chat. If you urgently need to get in touch with us outside these times or you require personal assistance call us or drop into one of our branches.

As the CEO I take great pleasure in launching the We Are Listening network. I hope it’s a place you’ll enjoy contributing to and sharing your opinion. The Community CPS Group is one of the largest customer owned mutual in Australia. It’s your organisation, your community, and we’re listening. ^Robert

The Hunter Climate Challenge saw over 400 Hunter Valley households participate in cutting their carbon footprint.

The Challenge commenced with measuring the current household carbon footprint, and then worked through weekly challenges to reduce electricity, water, petrol and waste consumption.

The winner of the 12 week long challenge was Tully Vorobioff and his family, with a special mention to Alison Ludriks for her efforts throughout the challenge.

You can donate at any Companion Credit Union Branch towards Variety’s Vision for Life. This is for the purchase of a virtual telemedicine device for Maitland Hospital. Telemedicine means that no matter where the best surgeon is they can operate on you locally at Maitland hospital using the virtual technology.

MIX 106.FM Special Kids Xmas Party happening on the 10th December.

When – Saturday 10th December between 10am and 4pm

Who (charity partner or credit union) MIX 106.3FM Special Kids Xmas Party

ACT staff will be volunteering their time to ensure these kids have an enjoyable time this festive season.

Country Hope  is a country based family centred support organisation for children diagnosed with cancer and other life threatening illnesses.

Staff at Wagga Mutual have been working in close partnership with Country Hope and recently hosted a gift appeal in support of Country Hope’s Kids Christmas Party.

The appeal saw locals drop off well over 100 gifts  at the local Wagga, Collamon and Ganmain branches for the Children’s Christmas party, which show cases the true sprit of locals in the Wagga & Riverina area.

We are again sponsoring Mission Australia’s Christmas Lunch in the Park (CLIP). CLIP is a well known annual event which has been running for 35 years and now provides over 1,600 homeless and disadvantaged individuals and families with the opportunity to enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch, receive a gift and enjoy the entertainment throughout the day.

Location:

Wellington Square Park, East Perth

Time:

11:30am – 2.30pm

Community CPS together with our community partner Camp Quality, recently held a charity luncheon at the Watermark Glenelg.

The aim of the event was to raise enough funds to send all South Australian teen’s to Senior Camp in Sydney in 2012.

The Luncheon was hosted by Wayne Phillips with special guest Matt Cowdry. Other special guests included Chad Cornes, Dean Brogan, Brent Reilly, Michael Doughty and Bernie Vince. Camp Quality CEO, Simon Rowntree, thanked Community CPS for our continued support and effort of building awareness through our community partnership.

The day was a huge success and again raised just over $15,000! We would like to say a big thank you to everyone for your support, commitment and fantastic efforts with this community partnership!

In the coming weeks you’ll notice a few changes to our blog. We’re excited to announce a fresh new – look We’re Listening is on it’s way.

You’ll still find the same great contributions here and we look forward to many more.

We hope to meet up with you online soon to join in on the conversation.

Newcastle Youth Accommodation Services Ltd (NYASL) provides an early prevention, transitional program to assist local youth from troubled homes within the Newcastle/Lake Macquarie community to gain essential livings skills to be self-sufficient, whilst receiving support from caseworkers.

This month we have provided a Foundation grant of $19,000 to NYASL for three professional development programs for approximately 300 caseworkers as well as further development of their ongoing ‘Living Skills’ program provided to the youth.

The Living Skills program assists young people to successfully transition from supported care to independent living. The workshops cover organisational skills, decision making, financial accountability and goal setting around education and employment.

For more information visit their website.

Local family support provider, Country Hope, has been provided $25,000 as the first recipient of the newly launched Wagga Wagga Regional Fund, during a special event in the Botanic Gardens on 6 September 2011.

Country Hope was founded in 2003 and is the region’s largest community based, family support organisation caring for children diagnosed with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. Country Hope provides financial, emotional and practical support to the families of these seriously ill children.

The funding will allow Country Hope to add a family room to its Blake Street centre, which supports more than 120 families with two or three children each year. Increasing numbers have made it challenging to accommodate the growing demand within the existing premises.

In addition to the $25,000 grant, Wagga Mutual Credit Union has committed to drive fundraising activities aimed at raising further funds for Country Hope’s new family room.

As the local arm of the Community CPS Foundation, the Wagga Wagga Regional Fund will distribute grants to non-profit organisations across Wagga and surrounding areas that make a positive environmental, economic and social contribution to the region.

The Community CPS Foundation recently provided Bosom Buddies in ACT with a $9,500 grant for the production of 15,000 shower tags which contain important information for women on how to self-examine.

Bosom Buddies ACT was established in 1995 as a non-profit organisation of volunteers who provide personal support to breast cancer patients and their families and supporters in the ACT and surrounding regions. All their volunteers have experienced breast cancer personally or through loved ones – and are committed to providing support to every person who is going through the breast cancer journey in their community.

Canberra has the highest rate of breast cancer reported in Australia. Our best defence against these rising statistics is to detect breast cancer early.

As part of a program of early detection, the Community CPS Foundation was pleased to provide a grant to Bosom Buddies for the production of the shower tags.

The shower tags inform women how to be aware of their breasts, how to detect any changes early, and provide a reminder in the shower to regularly check. The tags will be distributed to 15,000 individual women of all ages and to men.

The annual Nameless Jarndunmunha Festival is a gala event held on the first weekend in August. The Festival includes a street parade which is the opening event for the Saturday celebrations, sideshows, novelty games and races, art and craft exhibits and spectacular fireworks displays. Also this year Diesel performed live, with Stone Circle as the opening act.

The whole town becomes involved in the event, by making floats for the parade, putting up a stall or partaking in the King of the Mountain race.

Each year the Festival has a theme. This year it was celebrating 40 years, many of the float entries reflected the theme as a big birthday celebration. The community really gets involved in the street parade event with the event being a focal point for the children of the town.

This year United Community’s Tom Price branch joined the parade with our Junior Saver mascot, SuperBug. This went down a treat with the children who lined up for a balloon and sweet from the big green bug. The motor cross and BMX bikes were also impressive as were the school floats and pony club displays.

The staff at United Community’s Mandurah branch recently presented West Aus Crisis Care with $700 worth of blankets, pillows, toiletry packs and some $20 KMart vouchers.

The funds were collected from a 67-strong car cruise from Meadow Springs to Fremantle, with members of the public also coming down to donate.

Congratulations to our staff at Mandurah on their fantastic efforts!

Community CPS recently entered into a community partnership with Lifeline Canberra, who are currently celebrating their 40th anniversary.

For 40 years, Lifeline Canberra has been part of a national network offering telephone counselling to the people of Canberra and the surrounding region. Counselling is possible because of the dedication of some 200 trained volunteer telephone counsellors who fill shifts to ensure that the phone will be answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As part of our fundraising activities with Lifeline, we became the major sponsor of their recent Willy Wonka Gala Ball held at the Hotel Realm on Saturday 13 August with over 500 guests in attendance. The ball was themed entirely around the movie classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”.

A highlight of the night was the guests opening their Community CPS chocolate bars in the hope of finding the ‘Golden Ticket’ with the prize being a $500 hamper. The event was a great success with over $60,000 being raised on the night!

As part of Community CPS’s ongoing support of Australian Red Cross and in particular their corporate blood donor program, during June, July and August we participated in their recent community initiative ‘Credit Union Blood Challenge’.

The objective for this initiative is to obtain a high level of blood donations for Australian Red Cross – as winter proves a challenging time for them due to a higher level of illnesses while the demand for blood donations remain strong.

We were joined in the challenge by Police Credit Union and Credit Union SA, together we have assisted the Australian Red Cross enormously.

Some quick facts:

• 1 in 3 Australians will need blood in their lifetime but only 1 in 30 donates,
• 34% of all donated blood is used for cancer and blood related diseases,
• Every blood donation can save 3 lives.

Call the Red Cross on 13 14 95 to become a donor today!

Further to our ongoing partnership with Greening Australia, Nursery day is Thursday 8th September at their seed & tree nursery at Pasadena. 10 Community CPS staff will use their annual community leave day to volunteer and assist Greening Australia staff by undertaking a variety of important tasks like seed propagation, watering and sorting. This work is paramount to the ongoing success of the environmental field work which is undertaken by Greening Australia staff.

This volunteering opportunity for staff follows the success of Arbor Day (25 staff and family members volunteered) and is part of our community partnership with Greening Australia we commenced in May 2011.

Our community partnership with Riding for the Disabled in Raymond Terrace & Lower Hunter, NSW is going strong with Companion Credit Union (http://www.companion.com.au/aspx/home.aspx)  being recognised in the centre’s newsletter for our fundraising efforts.

Our partnership with the Centre kicked off with a $5,000 Foundation Grant in late 2010 for horse related matters for their 17 horses providing therapeutic riding services to people with a range of disabilities from across the Hunter.

They were recently able to purchase 10 specialist riding helmets with the $656 provided by Companion through our Casual for Community fundraising days and the Life Member Movie night fundraising from late last year. It is great to see these funds being put to good use in purchasing important equipment.

Thank you to everyone who assisted in raising the funds over the Casual Days for Riding for the Disabled in Raymond Terrace & Lower Hunter. It is very much appreciated by the people who benefit from the support.

It is with great pleasure that we announce that our Pageant Princess, Amy Fenna, has been selected to be the Pageant Queen of the Credit Union Christmas Pageant.

The Credit Union Christmas Pageant is not only an icon to all South Australians – it is also an important sponsorship commitment for Community CPS. It enables us to give something back to the community as well as associate ourselves with South Australia’s most loved event.

The person chosen for the position of Pageant Queen must have some very special qualities as it’s an important role as spokesperson for credit unions.

Amy and our Pageant Prince Josh are looking forward to visiting a number of regional areas throughout South Australia to help bring the Christmas spirit to schools, libraries and special needs centres.

Both Amy and Josh have demonstrated a passion and commitment for the Pageant and the credit union movement and we congratulate them both.

To find out more about the Pageant visit www.cupageant.com.au and we’ll see you on Pageant Day – Saturday 12 November!

We are continuing our long term sponsorship of the 103^rd Ganmain Show coming up on Saturday 20 August 2011.

For more than 10 years Wagga Mutual has proudly supported the NSW Yard Dog Championships at the Show and we are looking forward to this year’s event.

We encourage our members to come along to the Show which features all the regular competitions and classes as well as the new Great Ganmain Pie Eating Contest, a motorcross stunt demonstration and a fantastic fireworks finale.

We hope to see you there! For more information visit their website.

In 2010, the Community CPS Foundation was proud to support the Cerebral Palsy Alliance with a grant of $20,000 to enable the continuation of their youth program ‘Get Out There’ and the ‘ACTive Kids’ program for preschool aged children with cerebral palsy.

In 2011, the staff at Community CPS  were committed to raising much needed funds to support the local programs and to provide staff volunteers to further enhance the relationship we share. “Our involvement with the Cerebral Palsy team in the ACT is about building a partnership that supports the families touched by Cerebral Palsy,” said Chris Blight, State Manager.

The staff and families of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance touched the hearts of the staff of Community CPS Australia in a big way. “Our branch staff have matched the $20,000 grant given by the Community CPS Foundation with a donation of their own through various fundraising methods such as chocolate drives, barbecues and donation boxes in branches as we look forward to assisting with the Summer and Winter Escape programs,” said Karen Gassner, Human Resource Consultant.

“We have enjoyed our credit union’s relationship with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance so far and seeing how we can help make a difference by putting a smile on a child’s face,” said Chris Blight.

In April 2011 the Community CPS Foundation approved a Foundation Grant of $5,000 to support a new community partnership with Greening Australia. The funding supported Arbor Day, a tree planting event that was held at Gemtree Wetlands in McLaren Vale on Sunday 19 June 2011.

Greening Australia is a national environmental not-for-profit organisation with a mission to increase quantity and quality of native habitat and to restore ecological systems. They deliver this mission through conservation planting, native vegetation managements and re-vegetation services.

Community CPS provided 2,000 native seedlings for planting to create a sustainable environment for native flora and fauna in the Gemtree Wetlands area. 28 staff members and their families volunteered on the day to plant seedlings.

Community CPS staff member Angelique Joy, said her children loved the experience of being in the outdoors planting, “they really enjoyed having the opportunity to use the gardening tools and getting to spend time with the staff at mum’s work,” she said.

Angelique said the best part of the day was “the sense of community and achievement we all felt at the end of the day. I enjoyed sharing in the sense of fun and pride my children felt for the day.”

Greening Australia is committed to protecting and restoring Australia’s unique landscapes, but also knows that to be truly effective they must work with others who can help them make a difference and we believe that we have a critical role to play in sustaining our natural environment.

Operation Flinders Foundation is a South Australian based charitable organisation that runs a world leading wilderness adventure program for young offenders and young people at risk. The program takes participants between the age of 14 and 18 years on an eight day exercise in the far northern Flinders Ranges, providing an opportunity for its participants to break away from their past and grow as valued members of the community.

From 15-17 May two of our staff members – Katrina Behrendt and Matt Nolis visited the May exercise in the Flinders Ranges to see what it was all about and provide them with a Foundation Grant of $10,000 to assist with their fantastic work in the community.

During 2011 Companion is partnering with Variety’s Vision for Life to raise funds for a much-needed telemedicine system for the Hunter Region based in the paediatric department at Maitland Hospital.

Telemedicine is a leading technology that enables the lives of children in regional centres across Australia to be saved as well as improving their recovery, without having to transport them to a capital city. Each telemedicine system costs around $25,000 and offers the priceless ability of saving a child’s life.

On Friday 13 May Companion held a Community Golf Day, teaming up with local businesses and supporters to raise funds for Vision for Life. More than $4,200 was raised on the day, thanks to contributions from locals, Companion’s generous members and participating businesses.

If you would like to make a donation towards the telemedicine system please visit your local Personal Financial Centre or call us on 13 25 85.

A morning tea was held at Calvary John James Maternity Unit on the 15 June to celebrate the recent improvements Community CPS  has made to the ante-natal room at the hospital. CPS’s latest community initiative – upgrading of resources in the ante-natal room at the John James Maternity Unit to help local nurses prepare new parents for the life changing experiences ahead.

Through personal experience staff at CPS identified a need in this area of the community and responded by engaging the nursing staff at the Calvary John James Maternity Unit to identify what improvements were most urgent to the ante-natal room.

With generous discounts from a long time supporter of our community initiatives, Richard Singh from Bing Lee, the hospital received the following items they required. CPS went out and bought items such as a brand new flat screen TV with built-in DVD player, a projector, a laptop and new models for  demonstrating resuscitation techniques and breast feeding.

With the support of our members, it is our goal to work hand in hand with charitable organisations, staff and the public, to make a meaningful and positive difference in the community. Our Community Development program includes sponsoring local community organisations and clubs and as a result we are pleased to be sponsoring the West Coast Waves. The West Coast Waves provide young female basketballers in Western Australia with an opportunity to reach the highest levels of their sport.

The fundraising event for Sids 4 Kids was held at the Murrumbidgee Golf Club on Thursday 7 April, in memory of Jackson Asher.

The day started early in the morning, with the Ambrose scored 18 holes kicking off at 9:30 am. With 164 players participating and a further 50 volunteers supporting the event day was a success and over $70.000 were raised. Community CPS entered a team of three and had a cracking start on the first few holes, but ended up scoring 4 over par, 76.

Community CPS donated two $300 savings accounts, which were won by making a donation and having a go at chipping a golf ball into the ‘Community CPS Boat’ in the lagoon at hole 8. Zara Warne and Deb Lyons (from our Civic Branch) kept the chippers in check and promoted the credit union as well. The day finished with pizzas, raffles and an auction. Overall, it was a fun day for all involved.

Recently Community CPS donated a hamper to the ACT Rover Scouts for their Solomon Islands Project. The Rover Scouts are a branch of the scouting movement aimed at young people aged 18-25. A team of the Rover Scouts from the ACT region has set out to provide a complete refurbishment of the Red Cross Special Development Centre for Children in Honiara, Solomon Islands. This is the only school in the Solomon Islands which caters to the needs of students with disabilities. The project is also designed to give young people from the ACT the opportunity to raise awareness of this cause and develop their leadership skills.

The picture shows Richard Dwyer (Manager of Civic Branch) and Maureen Weekes (Civic staff member) handing over the $500 fundraising hamper to the Rover Scouts.

Tuggeranong United Football Club for Women is run by a Committee of volunteers and aims to promote health & fitness of women in the Tuggeranong Valley, through football. The club consists of eight teams, which represents a playing group in the order of 120 registered participants. The club requested sponsors to assist them in their efforts to raise between $10,000 – $15,000 to support the club for the 2011 season. To make a contribution to their request, Community CPS donated a $500 fundraiser hamper to the club.

The picture shows Chris Blight (ACT State Manager) donating the $500 hamper.

Community CPS  donated a hamper to Wests U15 Junior Rugby team, this hamper was used as a prize for a raffle. The hamper included items like a coffee machine and much more! The team sold raffle tickets to ensure they are able to go on tour and represent Wests. The hamper was won by Liz and Brendan Lynch of Hall.

Image left to right: Major tour Sponsor- Andrew Cunich from Australian Unity, Liz and Brendan Lynch (winners of the hamper) and Paul Webb (Wests Sponsorship Coordinator).

In May the Cessnock/Kurri Kurri/Singleton Palliative Care arranged the production ’4 Funerals in one day’ by Molly Carlile to be performed in the local region to promote community education and development to nurture ill and grieving people.

Due to support from the local community, including a $500 donation from Companion, the performance was free for anyone who wished to attend. This was a great outcome as the objective was to promote palliative care philosophy by allowing people to talk about death and grief and encourage community support.

The performance was highly spoken of and the staff from Companion who attended the performance have said it was a very positive experience.

We are pleased to announce that the Community CPS Foundation in South Australia has provided a grant of $5,000 for 2,000 native seedlings to be planted in support of Greening Australia’s tree planting Arbor Day event, held on Sunday 19 June 2011 in McLaren Vale.

This community initiative aims to create a sustainable environment for native flora and fauna in the Gemtree Wetlands area.

Greening Australia is a national environmental not-for-profit organisation with a mission to increase the quantity and quality of native habitat and to restore ecological systems. They deliver this mission through conservation planting, native vegetation management and re-vegetation services.

Greening Australia in SA recognises the importance of developing strong links with the corporate sector in their efforts to restore the unique Australian landscapes and believe that by working together our partnership can make a visible difference.

This is the beginning of a new and exciting partnership with Greening Australia in SA and we look forward to the many opportunities to work together on community initiatives in the near future.

Below: Arbor Day at the wetlands. Mark Anderson (CEO Greening Australia SA) and Community CPS staff and families volunteered their time to assist.

During February, March and April United Community is proud to sponsor the Constable Care Child Safety Foundation for their life skills program which equips young children with the skills to deal with tough issues such as bullying, respect and personal safety.

Constable Care currently reaches more than 180,000 children aged between two and 12 years of age with their program that brings to life community and personal safety messages through puppetry and interactive performance in classrooms.

Constable Care relies on the support of the West Australian business community to maximise its reach across all children in WA as there are more than 100,000 primary school children who are still missing out on Constable Care’s programs.

With the support from United Community and other businesses, teams of specially trained actors were able to perform the Constable Care shows at several Kalgoorlie primary schools in February and March and will continue to tour regional WA throughout the year.

For more information on Constable Care and their programs please visit their website.

Tourism Minister John Rau has announced a five year extension to the naming rights sponsorship of the Credit Union Christmas Pageant that will further enhance the longevity and stability of the famous South Australian icon.

Community CPS Australia along with 3 leading South Australian credit unions, Australian Central Savings & Loans, Credit Union SA and Police Credit Union, will invest approximately $2.5 million as well as providing a major time and resource commitment for the next five years in support of the Credit Union Christmas Pageant.

The Credit Union Christmas Pageant is a significant event on South Australia’s annual event calendar which has been supported by credit unions for the past 15 years – since 1996.

Companion Credit Union has signed a partnership with the Newcastle and Hunter Rugby League (NHRL) for the impending 2011 season, involving financial contribution to the League’s overall running costs for the year.

State Manager of Companion, Chris Blight said he was proud to put the credit union’s support behind a local organisation as deeply embedded in the community as NHRL, creating a sense of belonging for the players and their families as well as fans and supporters.

“As a mutually owned organisation, Companion has its members’ best interests at heart and is constantly looking for ways to support local organisations dedicated to the communities in which we live and work,” said Mr Blight.

The NHRL was formed in 2007 and consists of nearly 1,000 players, representing approximately 35 clubs within the Newcastle and Hunter Valley region from Swansea to Tea Gardens and Gloucester to Wangi.

To read more see the Bush Telegraph website.