It is my privilege to present to
you my first annual report as
GM of BUSHkids. The last 12
months has been packed with
action and achievements, and
throughout this year every
Council member, as well as
our staff, volunteers, mentors
and contractors have all
contributed to the growth
of our organisation.
Here is an overview of what we have achieved during
2012
and our plans and priorities for the coming year.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Current funding comes principally from Queensland
Health and Education Queensland and, against a
difficult financial backdrop, we have managed to
retain most of our state government funding. This
goes towards the cost of our much-needed frontline
services and, in particular, to our therapists’ salaries
in regional and rural areas. At current levels this
funding does not cover the full cost of these services.
We have worked hard to match our government
funding dollar-for-dollar through direct donations,
fundraising events, bequests, corporate support and
self-funding, but we continue to rely heavily on the
financial support of the Queensland Government.
Further cuts in our government funding would see
us unable to fully meet the needs of the children
and families we support on a daily basis in the
communities we serve.
We have long enjoyed the strong support of the
Queensland Government and for that we are very
appreciative. In context of the recent government
cuts we have urged the state government to consider
thoughtfully the benefits we provide to rural and
remote Queensland children, and the strong and
beneficial relationships we have built in rural
communities. Government funding enables us to
continue to deliver a highly-valued and highly-
utilised FREE service and we offer an important
supplement to the other health and education
providers in regional communities.
EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS
We have been involved with and supported by local
communities in a number of very successful fund-
raising events. These events have been held at a
number of Centres and their success has not only
demonstrated local community spirit but also the
affection in which our Centres’ teams are held in their
communities. These events have been coordinated by
our Corporate Relations and Events Coordinator,
Tiffany Bannier-King, and our local Centre teams.
Key events and partnerships include:
North QueenslandToyota Cowboys
The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys raised
money by auctioning the full team’s home jerseys in
an online auction supported by the NRL. The team
continues to donate Cowboys merchandise for us
to auction at our events, and also finds time in their
players’ busy schedules to make them available for
BUSHkids functions, in particular our Mount Isa Ball.
Mount Isa Rodeo Queen –Tash Jessen
Tash Jessen raised an amazing $23,047.54 through her
fundraising events in the lead up to being crowned
the Mount Isa Rodeo Queen for 2012, all proceeds
going to BUSHkids Mount Isa. Tash raised the funds
through events over the year including a Mother’s
Day Lunch, Easter Bunny Egg Delivery, Paintball
Tournament, ‘Boots & Bling Ball’, a raffle and much
more. Tash achieved a life-long dream when she was
crowned Rodeo Queen at the Bell and Moir Toyota
Rodeo Ball on 4 August 2012. “Rodeo Queen has been
a dream of mine since I was a little girl, I have always
wanted to participate,” beamed the primary school
teacher. “Rodeo queens are my type of princesses,
hard-working and hands-on. It’s not all about hair
and make-up. It’s about a commitment and passion
for rodeo and Mount Isa.”
Thank you very much to Tash for selecting BUSHkids
as her chosen charity!
From the General Manager
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