Woollahra Council provides $130,000 in grants to support local community initiatives

Published: 17 August 2017

Orchestra performances, fertility support groups, beach clean-up activities and a ‘French Week’ in Queen St, Woollahra, are some of the diverse community initiatives being supported through Woollahra Council’s 2017/18 grants program.

More than $130,000 worth of grants have been awarded to 32 local community groups and charities to support the vital work they do in the Woollahra community in this latest round of grant funding.

The grants were presented to the groups by Mayor of Woollahra Toni Zeltzer at a special event at Council Chambers on 7 August 2017.

This year’s scheme incorporated grants across three categories: Community and Cultural; Environmental; and Placemaking.

Mayor of Woollahra Toni Zeltzer said the council plays an important role supporting individuals and groups that respond to local needs of all kinds. “Our grants program provides us with a meaningful way of demonstrating our commitment to our community,” the Mayor said.

“For the first time this year, we have had the pleasure of being able to up our funding across three grant categories, in particular we’ve increased our funding pool for the Community and Cultural stream by $30,000 to $100,000.

“We’re fortunate to have so many organisations in our local area that come up with great ideas. Most of these organisations are not-for-profits or operate on a shoestring budget. This funding allows their ideas to become reality.

“The activities we’ve supported build social connections in our local area and have the capacity to attract people from other parts of Sydney to come and enjoy our municipality’s natural beauty, our vibrant neighbourhoods and outstanding local businesses,” the Mayor concluded.

One of the groups to benefit through this year’s grants program is Sailability Rushcutters Bay, for their Sailing Access program, which provides sailing activities for people with a disability and their carers on Sydney Harbour.

James Dwyer from Sailability Rushcutters Bay said the grant from Woollahra Council was incredibly valuable to the organisation.

“Woollahra Council has been a long-standing supporter of Sailability and the funding allows us to do so much for people with a disability,” James said.

“With this funding Sailability is able to provide low-cost sailing activities on Sydney Habour for people of all ages and levels of disability.

“Our sailing activities are a unique and exhilarating experience, which allows participants to enjoy one of the best things about living in Sydney – getting out on the harbour. It helps build their self-esteem and it’s a lot of fun.”

The next round of Community & Cultural Grants for amounts of up to $2,000 will be open in September and submissions can be made online.

For more information call 9391 7166 or visit: www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/community/services/community_grants

A full list of all the 2017/18 grants recipients is provided below.

Grant recipient

Project

Marnie Ross

For the 'Little Things Art Competition', encouraging local artists to bring attention to small things that make them happy and express them creatively in a small format.

St Francis Social Services

DRUMBEAT, a 10 week structured learning program using drumming, psychology and neurobiology to build social connections and explore themes such as social responsibility, peer pressure and teamwork for vulnerable young people within the Woollahra LGA.

Sailability Rushcutters Bay

The 'Sailing Access' project engages people with disability and their carers in sailing activities on Sydney Harbour.

NSW Friendship Circle

The 'Friendship Walk' is an annual family fun day in support and celebration of young people living with disability. Held in August, the walk ends at Vaucluse Primary School where there are children's activities and a sausage sizzle.

WAYS Youth & Family

‘A WAYS Safe Summer’ (AWSS) is a youth based peer education project which aims to provide health promotion and education regarding sexual health and the risks associated with alcohol and other drugs to young people in Eastern Sydney, including Woollahra.

Eastern Sydney Suicide Prevention Network

The ESSPN will partner with Jewish Care and the Haymarket Foundation to set up a monthly ‘Suicide Impacting Me’ Group where people worried by aspects of suicide can find support and access professional advice from trained clinicians.

4 Churches + Rose Bay Good Neighbour Group (auspiced by St Michaels Anglican Church)

The annual Rose Bay Neighbourhood Christmas Carols at Pannerong Reserve is hosted by the Rose Bay Good Neighbour Group, Rose Bay retailers, and the Catholic, Greek, Anglican and Presbyterian Churches.

Australian Art Events Foundation

For the Art at Night: Paddington and Woollahra curated walking tours as part of the Art Month Sydney festival.

Critical Path

Funding granted for research residencies for two local choreographic artists (one Indigenous) to explore what it means to acknowledge country. The project culminates in a free performance for the community.

Inala (Miroma)

The annual Miroma Art Exhibition showcases the creative talents of individuals living with disability who live in the Eastern Suburbs. The exhibition will be held at Gaden Cafe, Woollahra in September.

Beaches Outreach Project (BOP)

BOP’s 'Save a Mate' project aims to empower young people to care for each other and provide their friends and community with support to reduce the harm and shame caused by drug/alcohol abuse, depression and other forms of psychological distress associated with domestic abuse and bullying.

REELise Inc.

The REELise Film Festival uses pocket filmmaking to change the culture surrounding passive acceptance of cyberbullying and promoting positive mental health outcomes. The 2018 Festival project theme TBH (to be honest) encourages the sharing of authentic stories by young people 10 – 18 years about what it’s like to navigate adolescence and adulthood in a digital world.

Sir Roden & Lady Cutler Foundation Inc.

The Pick Me Up service provides free door to door medical related transport to people in the Woollahra LGA who are physically, mentally, socially or financially disadvantaged.

The Paddington Society

'The Definitive History of Paddington', a hardcover print book describing the development and many lives of Paddington, including Indigenous life, European settlement, early land grants and subdivision, and Paddington today.

Woollahra Philharmonic Orchestra (WPO)

The Orchestra plans a continuation of its core program, delivering eight symphonic concerts. They aim to provide access to orchestral performances to the community, including family- and children-focussed programming.

Woollahra Primary Schools Recognition

For primary schools in the area to recognise community-mindedness in its pupils.

Jewish Family Centre

Funding granted for the Fertility Friends pilot program - an opportunity for women struggling with fertility issues to have a close contact with someone who has been through the process themselves.

Waverley Woollahra Art School

Funding granted to support the 9x5 Impressionism Prize, open to amateur to professional submissions alike and culminating in an exhibition.

Grant recipient

Project

Rose Bay Community Garden

For a new hen house and a new retaining wall made from recycled waste from local building sites.

St Stephen's Children's Centre

Upgrade the existing chicken coop to continue educating the children about sustainability and animal welfare.

Angels of the Bay Preschool

For a waste reduction and recycling education program to reduce paper use at the centre through engagement of the children and their families.

Kincoppal Rose Bay School - Joigny Centre

To restart a vegetable garden in a new permanent area onsite so the preschool children continue to grow, taste and cook with the fruits and vegetables produced in the garden.

Kambala - Hampshire House

Greening the garden with vertical beds so the children are able to further practice gardening. Grow native plants in the vertical garden to attract native birds to the preschool.

Responsible Runners Rose Bay

To support volunteer beach clean-up activities at Rose Bayand educate members of the community (especially children) about plastic pollution in the harbour and our waterways.

Cooper Park Community Garden

To build a lockable garden shed to provide safe storage for all tools and materials needed to establish and maintain the garden plots. The shed will also be used to host workshops and public talks to help educate the community in gardening skills, while promoting sustainable activities in the local area.

Laneway Community Space

To establish and maintain vertical herb gardens and grow lemon, lime and passionfruit aspalias that will help keep the laneway clean and healthy for children to play and support community gatherings

Ballykin Early Learning Centre

To build raised garden beds and a rainwater tank in the Ballykin Community Edible Garden to provide the children with an environment where they can observe and practice gardening to help create an understanding about how food reaches our tables.

Vaucluse Public School

For new signage to promote sustainability initiatives including reducing playground litter and promoting ‘nude’ food lunches to reduce waste. School motto sustainable signage.

Grant recipient

Project

Cambridge Markets

To host the Rose Bay Farmers Market and Cambridge Seasonal Markets in Watsons Bay.

Double Bay Chamber of Commerce

To host the Family Night Out in Double Bay which will include an outdoor cinema, entertainment and food stalls.

Rose Bay Chamber of Commerce

For the Rose Bay Digital Summer Nights outdoor digital animation projection festival in the Rose Bay village.

Queen Street and West Woollahra Association

For the ‘French Week’ in Queen Street – a week of French themed activities in and around Queen St, Woollahra, including painting classes, French themed dinners, and French art exhibitions.

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