InForm Newsletter - July 2017 - Latest News

July 2017

INFORM
Q&A WITH LOUISE
A lady of many talents

MEET ROBBIE

Learn about the
popular Robbie

PHILLIP’S PASSION
FOR TRAVEL

Jet-setter Phillip shares
his latest travel stories

CEO
MESSAGE

Sharing your
stories

Welcome to our new-look InForm.

Every single person that Sylvanvale supports has their
own unique interests, abilities and talents. And each
person has their own story to tell.

We love sharing your stories, so we’ve changed the
look and feel of InForm to make it more about you –
while still including all the latest news and information.

If you’ve got a story to share please email us at
[email protected]. We’d love to hear
from you.

Leanne Fretten

“Chief Executive Officer

Each person has their own
story to tell.

Got News? 2 Mikarie Place Kirrawee NSW 2232
PO Box 29 Sutherland NSW 1499
We want to hear it! Sydney Australia
No matter how big or small, please contact
us at [email protected] or T +61 (02) 8536 0100
phone 1300 244 577 with your latest news, F +61 (02) 9521 3610
events or ideas. E [email protected]
www.sylvanvale.com.au

2 SYLVANVALE INFORM

IN THIS ISSUE Page 4
Page 6
OUR STORIES Page 8

Q&A with Louise Page 10

Olympian, chef, marketer, fashionista. Louise is a lady of many talents! Page 12

Person Profile - Robbie

Meet the happy, energetic and gregarious Robbie.

Phillip’s Passion for Travel

Jet-setter Phillip tells us about his recent adventures in New Zealand.

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS

Sylvanvale Anniversary Poster

See how far we’ve come since our inception 70 years ago.

REPORT BACK

Get the photos and news from our recent events.

www.sylvanvale.com.au 3

QA
WITH LOUISE
LOUISE IS THE LATEST
EDITION TO SYLVANVALE’S
MARKETING TEAM,
PROVIDING ADMINISTRATIVE
SUPPORT EACH THURSDAY.
BUT THIS IS ONLY ONE OF
MANY THINGS LOUISE PACKS
INTO HER BUSY LIFE.
LOUISE TOOK THE TIME OUT
OF HER FULL SCHEDULE TO
ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS
FOR INFORM.

4 SYLVANVALE INFORM

WHAT DO YOU LIKE WHAT’S YOUR WHO IS YOUR
TO DO WITH YOUR BIGGEST SUPPORT WORKER
TIME, LOUISE? ACHIEVEMENT? NOW?

AI work in Sylvanvale’s I am a Special Olympics Athlete My support worker is the
Marketing team every and Ambassador for Special famous Dannie. She’s funny,
Thursday. I do lots of things Olympians. I travel a lot for happy and makes me laugh.
like entering VIP forms, swimming and went to New She likes kids’ music and
laminating, franking and Zealand in November 2016 for dancing and doing fun things.
stuffing envelopes. I also work the Special Olympics. She’s also honest and tells
at Sylvanvale Catering and I competed in the Freestyle, the truth. She always checks
am about to start working Breaststroke, Butterfly and Relay. things with my Mum. Dannie
with Jodie at Retail Therapy was recommended to me by
Vintage & Café in Caringbah. HAVE YOU GOT my friend Tara.
ANY OTHER TRIPS
I really like photography; I PLANNED?
take photos of everything. I’m
making a recipe book, typing In June I am going overseas to
out recipes and baking cakes England, Scotland and France
and decorating them. I love to visit my brother Peter. Peter
my craft – I’m a crafty person. I is overseas for a year in the
do sewing. I’ve done a blanket UK. I’m going to visit him in
and patchwork. France with my Mum, Dad and
my brother Michael. We’re
I also like going to the library getting someone to mind our
and getting out DVDs and house and my dog Toby.
CDS, as well as books. I go
to the movies a lot. I’ve seen I’m going to see my first
‘Beauty and the Beast’ twice. support worker in England,
I also really enjoy swimming Anna. Anna and her family live
and going to the gym, doing in England. I started working
boxing, bench pressing, with Anna in 2014 and finished
weights and cardio. I like in 2015.
bushwalking in the Royal
National Park.

I like my fashion and love
posing for photos – I love
showing off. I like people
taking photos of me.

www.sylvanvale.com.au 5

Meet Robbie

Hi, I’m Robbie.
I’m 24, going on 25.

I’ve been part of the Sylvanvale family
since 2010 and currently live in Sylvanvale
supported independent living in West
Pennant Hills.
I’m very energetic and never sit down.
I love swimming, walking and going on picnics.

6 SYLVANVALE INFORM

And I love seeing my brothers really like to help around the “I LOVE SWIMMING,
John and Ben. house – my support workers
tell me I’m very helpful. WALKING AND
I’m well liked and can be GOING ON PICNICS.
very gregarious – particularly I like music and singing.
when I’m the centre of I like my own noise, but I AND I LOVE
attention. I generally enjoy prefer not to have to listen to SEEING MY
other people’s company, other people’s noise. BROTHERS...
especially that of girls!
It’s much better when people
I like going to social occasions, take the time to talk to me,
as long as those events aren’t such as telling me what’s
too confronting and there happening, as I understand
aren’t too many people. a lot.

I’m cheeky, laugh a lot and It’s also good to listen to me.
have been told I have a lovely I like to use my words.
smile. I’m very happy most I can say things like “I want
of the time and am happiest biscuit” and very often I’ll
when there’s a routine. use the words “Mummy”
and “Daddy”.
I love looking at myself in the
mirror that my parents bought
me when I moved into my new
home. I love to shower,
I change my clothes a lot and
am very neat and tidy. I also

www.sylvanvale.com.au 7

PfohrilTlipR’As pVaEsLsion

Phillip from Yala loves going away and going on holidays.
“Travelling makes me feel good, and more important
in the community,” he says. “I can show the community
that I can get around with the wheelchair.”
“I like being included in the community. I get on good
with people.”

PHILLIP’S
TRAVEL TIP

If you want to go on a
cruise or a plane you can,
because they cater for it.

8 SYLVANVALE INFORM

RECENT HOLIDAY TO FUTURE

NEW ZEALAND TRAVEL PLANS

Phillip’s most recent trip, Phillip’s dream is to travel
which he took in January this around Australia. Because
year, was a holiday to New the cost of doing this is
Zealand. This was also Phillip’s so expensive, he’s visiting
first ever time travelling on an different parts of Australia
airplane. “I felt nervous”, he in stages. His next goal is
says, “I thought it would never Western Australia.
land.”
“I would like to go to Western
In New Zealand, Phillip spent Australia and to Alice Springs.
eight days travelling the I’ve never been there. I’ve
North Island and doing lots been as far as Logan because
of exciting things including my brother lives there. He
seeing the hot pools in comes down every Christmas.”
Rotorua, visiting Hobbit Town,
riding on a gondola and “I just hope I can go all around
caving, and visiting Te Papa Australia soon.”
museum in Wellington.
PHILLIP’S
“The best bit was the hangi. BUDGETING TIPS
I liked the food.”
Travel of course isn’t cheap, It took two years of
Phillip chose New Zealand as and Phillip has become a disciplined saving for Phillip
his destination for this holiday savvy budgeter and saver. to pay for his first ever trip –
because “I wanted to see For his first-ever cruise, Phillip a cruise to Brisbane.
what it’s like”. made an agreement with the Since then, Phillip has
Trustee that if he saved for become so good at saving
OTHER half of the holiday they would that he paid for last year’s
PREVIOUS TRIPS pay the other half. cruise and his trip to New
He then worked with his Zealand entirely from his
Phillip isn’t new to travel and Sylvanvale support workers own dedicated saving.
his previous trips include to prepare a budget, which “I don’t go up the road and
Tasmania, Berry, Nelson he stuck to. buy ice cream or any cakes.
Bay, Norfolk Island, Bathurst, I buy a big jar of coffee
Queensland, Newcastle lasts for six months.”
(twice), Dubbo and Logan.

He’s also been on two cruises,
including one which he went
on to New Caledonia and
Vanuatu in November last year.

www.sylvanvale.com.au 9

1940s 1960s In 1968 the name
“Sylvanvale”
Parents and workers was introduced
with some of the
children with disability The Baptist Church,
in the Sutherland Shire Flora St
First location of
1950s the Handicapped
Children’s Centre
Flora Street
1952 In 1961
Flora street
The first expanded
building owned
with
by The Centre three new
classrooms

Mrs W J Scarff The Centre’s first residential
Mrs Scarff arranged a meeting property was established
on Sunday, 28th Sept 1947 in 1963 in Kurrajong and
at 3pm at the Odeon Theatre it was called Rainbow
in Sutherland where the Lodge. It was a boarding
Handicapped Children’s style house with a capacity
Centre became a reality for permanent or short
respite stays, with a school
for children with intellectual

disabilities

HMAS Vendetta
Commander

with trainees at
Sylvanvale Industries

1970s
The New
Rainbow Lodge
(Haddon Hall)

In 1970
the original
Rainbow Lodge
was closed
and Haddon Hall
was purchased
partially by a parent,
Mr Ross McKinnon
and the 2nd version
of Rainbow Lodge
was born at Woodford

One of the new classrooms
at Sylvanvale School
1972

10 S Y L V A N V A L E I N F O R M

1980s New 2000s
training
Laying centre New Centres
of the in Sutherland and
Foundation Kirrawee Rockdale Activity
Stone at Centres were
KIrrawee South West officially opened
Sydney in 2006 and 2008,
on respectively
16th June In 2008/09 new
services opened Garden House
1981 opens in 2007
in South West at Sutherland
Sydney at

Theresa Park,
Campbelltown,

Grasmere,
Catherine Fields

and Liverpool

Stamp from 1981 - Flying High
International Year The transition into the
of People NDIS has allowed people
with a Disability we support to do things

1990s they never thought
Working at would be possible
Sylvanvale Catering
In 1992 Sylvanvale 2010s
Catering opened Mikarie Child
at Kirrawee as Care Centre
a way for people opens
with a disability in 2011 at
to learn Kirrawee
new skills

Hillview Sylvanvale
Group established a
Home number of group
Katoomba homes throughout
1995 the Blue Mountains
and Sutherland Shire
to accommodate
everyone

DISCOVER OUR HISTORY AT SYLVANVALE.COM.AU #SYLVANVALE70

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BREAPCOKRT

CAMBELLTOWN CITY
CHALLENGE WALK

On Sunday 12 March, people from our sites at Bonniefield,
Grasmere, DHASI Campbelltown and Townview, as well as staff from
Head Office in Kirrawee, participated in the Campbelltown City
Challenge Walk.

The participants completed a six kilometre Fun Walk around
beautiful Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan and by all
accounts had a really great day.

PRE WWII VINTAGE 70 YEAR
CAR & BIKE SHOW MORNING TEAS

The ever popular Pre WWII Sylvanvale hosted a series of high profile morning teas around
Vintage Car and Bike Show Cronulla, the Blue Mountains and Camden in February and March
drew strong crowds to Cronulla to mark the significant milestone of our 70th Anniversary.
on Sunday 19 March 2016.
Spectators flocked to see an Guests at the events included Federal Member for Macquarie Susan
incredible selection of vintage Templeman, Federal Member for Macarthur Dr Mike Freelander,
cars and bikes, to admire State Member for Blue Mountains Trish Doyle and Sutherland Shire
spectacular vintage buses, as Council Mayor, Councillor Carmelo Pesce.
well as to ride the ‘Red Rattler’
vintage electric train. Thank you to everyone who attended, including the people who
Sylvanvale supports, their families, supporters, board members
The event was presented by and staff.
the Rotary Club of Cronulla
and supported by Sutherland
Shire Council. Event director
Ken Warburton has a close
connection with Sylvanvale as his
family were founding members.
Special guests included the Hon.
Mark Speakman SC, MP, Member
for Cronulla; Rob Mason,
Chairman of Transport Heritage
NSW; and Howard Collins OBE,
CEO of Sydney Trains.

A huge thank you to everyone
who came along, volunteered
and supported the event to help
make it such a great success.

12 S Y L V A N V A L E I N F O R M

IMB BANK COLOURING
COMPETITION

An enormous thank you to all those
families who submitted an entry for
Sylvanvale in the IMB Bank 2016
Cook Community Classic Colouring
Competition. And of course a
huge thanks to IMB. We received
a cheque for $1,190 because of all
your support.

YOUTH ENDEAVOUR
YOUTH SCHEME

Thanks to the Young Endeavour Youth
Scheme, a group of people we support and
staff had an amazing day sailing the stunning
Sydney harbour on Tuesday 18 April. We are
very grateful to the Young Endeavour Youth
Scheme for hosting this Community Sailing
Day for Sylvanvale.

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