Funding of $55,000 provided to Halinda School for Special Purposes
May 3, 2010 by ern
Funding of $55,000 was provided for indoor and outdoor fitness equipment as part of the school’s Healthy Life Style/ Healthy Living Program. This equipment is to promote active, challenging fitness and climbing facilities for 55 students in years 7 to 12.
A Synthetic Turf Softfall was also installed to provide a safe ground covering for the playground.
Richie Benaud’s Challenge to Primary Club members in UK and Australia
July 10, 2009 by geoff
Richie Benaud, Twelfth Man and Patron of The Primary Club of Australia, has issued an open letter to members of the Primary Club (UK) and his own Club relating to the current Ashes Test Series in the UK.
Dated 17 June 2009, Richie says to Derek Underwood, Patron, The Primary Club, Beckenham Kent:
Dear Derek,
We’ve come to that wonderful time in a cricket supporter’s life when England plays Australia for the Ashes on your home turf. Such a magnificent occasion provides a great opportunity for our respective charities to raise funds through the misfortune of players on each side failing safely to negotiate the first ball on their innings – the dreaded ‘Primary’, or ‘Golden Duck’ as we call it in Australia.
In fact, the members of the PCA will be very happy if your club can raise plenty of money as a result of the misfortune of members of the English team throughout the Ashes Series. In fairness, at the PCA, we will be cheering whatever fundraising opportunities come our way even if it happens to involve a similar number of Australians.
I have ‘convinced’ members of the PCA to pay a bonus for each English Primary. Of course our members will still be up for our standard fee of $5 for each Australian Golden Duck, but a bonus fine of $10 will also be levied for each English Primary during the Series.
Here’s a challenge. If you think there is a chance of any Australian Golden Ducks then you might want to open your wallets and make the required bonus payment of four pounds to your club. Beware Rule 5(c) though, hiding away in the small print. The one that would require you to pay a small fortune if by chance there is a dangerous run on English Primaries.
A Primary and Golden Duck bring misery to the victims but good times to our charities. Making a duck is bad enough and I recall at Headingley in 1961 Fred Trueman knocked me over for two ducks, but when he came into the dressing room after England had won, he consoled me with a gentle, ‘never mind old son, it would have bowled even a decent batsman!’
Here’s to a great Ashes Series played in the proper spirit.
With my personal best wishes.
Yours sincerely, Richie.
A copy of the original letter is available here –
The Primary Club of Australia provide funding to build shelter
April 11, 2009 by ern
From the Riding for the Disabled Association NSW – Raymond Terrace and Lower Hunter Centre newsletter March 2009
The Primary Club of Australia is registered charity whose aim is to “give people with disabilities the opportunity to experience the joy and exhilaration that comes from any form of physical activity.”
The Primary Club of Australia are proudly supporting our Centre by providing $62,818.80 to build an all weather multi-purpose shelter.
This shelter will be 34.6 metres long, 15 metres wide and 30 metres at its highest point of the roof. In honour of their support, the shelter will be known as The Primary Club Shed.
The shelter has been our focal point for a number of years now, and the project is now coming to its final stage. With council approval received for the construction, we can now proceed with beginning the foundations. The shelter will be located on the ground that was levelled with soil and fill (donated by Energy Australia) on the left hand side of the outdoor arena. Construction of the shelter is expected to take approximately 6 – 8 weeks.
At a suitable time in the construction phase, we will also begin work on the Allyson Smith Memorial Horse Yards. Once complete, we will be able to offer an innovative hands on learning program for people with disabilities across the Hunter Region. This program will create an opportunity for our riders and drivers to become directly involved in horse care and management activities that will increase their skills and abilities, while at the same time build self confidence, self esteem, leadership and personal skills in a safe and fun atmosphere.
The additional benefit of this shelter will be that our horses can be brought in for each program and kept dry and shaded regardless of the weather. Our volunteers, riders and drivers will be kept safe from all weather conditions from rain to extreme heat whilst they prepare the horses.
The Primary Club was founded in 1974 and has been helping organisations around Australia to purchase much needed sporting and recreational equipment and facilities for people with disabilities. Their support of RDA will directly benefit people with all types of disabilities into the future and will be a lasting testimony to their contribution for many years to come.
The Primary Club raises their funds for distribution to registered charities from annual registration fees and “fines” for golden ducks, or primaries, in Australian cricket test matches and one day internationals throughout the year. They also hosts special functions which include breakfasts, luncheons, golf days, a day at the races, dinner and cocktail parties.
Launch of “Howzat” for Sailability
March 9, 2009 by Primary Club of Australia
FORMER Australian international cricketer Shane Lee recently launched a special single-seater dinghy ‘Howzat’ for Sailability Dobroyd at Rodd Point, Five Dock.
The dinghy was designed and built by Access Dinghies in Melbourne and can be sailed manually or via Electric servo motors. It can even be
sailed by ventilated quadriplegics (same as the late actor Christopher Reeve who played Superman).
The steering and sails can be operated via a joystick – similar to controls on an electric wheel chair, or via chin controls, There is a waterproof compartment for a portable ventilator.
The special dinghy and its accompanying safety boat were generously donated by The Primary Club of Australia “the Cricketers’ charity.
(Cricketers donate to The Primary Club when they are dismissed for a duck).
Sailability Dobroyd was very pleased to have Shane Lee as their guest of honour at the ceremony. ‘Howzat’ was taken for its maiden voyage
by Dale Williams.
PICTURED at the dinghy launch left to right are Primary Club president Bruce Collins; Neil Anderson Shane LEE and Sailablity Dobroyd Volunteer co-ordinator Robert Domone of Denistone.
The Primary Club of Australia Gait Centre
March 9, 2009 by Primary Club of Australia
Brett Lee, winner of the prestigious Allan Border Medal was the first to trial the new Gait Centre facility at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre, following the official opening by the President of the Primary Club of Australia, Mr Bruce Collins QC.
The Primary Club Gait Centre was opened on Thursday 13th March 2008 at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney.
The Primary Club of Australia selected the Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney for this project, donating $300,000 to establish the Primary Club Gait Centre.
Primary Club President Bruce Collins QC said “this project is very important to the aims of the Primary Club because it has the potential to give those with disabilities the opportunity to experience the joy and exhilaration that physical activity of any kind brings.” The Primary Club of Australia Gait Centre at the Royal Rehabilitation Centre will utilise state-of-the-art technology that will allow the three dimensional assessment of gait and mobility in adults and children with incomplete spinal cord injuries, brain injury, stroke, severe musculoskeletal injuries, spina bifida, cerebral palsy and other conditions. The new Primary Club Gait Centre will provide better insight into rehabilitation for these clients.
Primary Club Gait Centre equipment will record and integrate complex information about disturbances in balance, muscle control and patterns of movement in the trunk, pelvis and limbs during functional mobility tasks. Located within a specialised rehabilitation facility, the Primary Club Gait Centre has been developed by Dr James Middleton, MBBS, PhD who said: “Mobility is a key factor enabling functional independence and active community participation.” The Primary Club Gait Centre equipment includes:
- A motion analysis system using electromagnetic sensors positioned over body joints and segments to capture and analyse three-dimensional movements.
- Force platforms to record ground reaction forces acting on the body.
- Walking aids and pressure sensitive mat to measure stride length, timing and symmetry of gait.
- Electromyographic recordings of separate muscle activity patterns.
- Two video cameras with dual image mixing and overlay for observational analysis will also be used.
Royal Rehabilitation Centre Chairman Clive Austin said “This is the first of many steps for our organisation to implement the latest technology to benefit our clients and many others through research. This would not have been possible without the incredible support of the Primary Club of Australia.” The Primary Club of Australia Inc is a registered charity founded in 1974 by a group of cricket lovers to enrich the lives of people with disabilities through sport and recreation.
The Royal Rehabilitation Centre provides rehabilitation for adults suffering from a wide range of disabilities associated with spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, burns, amputations, and other age-related injuries.
Media contact: Jim Towers, Community Relations ph: 9808 9268
From then till now
December 7, 2008 by The Primary Club of Australia
The Primary Club of Australia has been giving to charities that assist those with disabilities since 1975. To date it has donated over $3 million and it is interesting to look back at the donations made by the Club.
When the Club started, there was very little sport for those with disability. Most lived in large institutions or were isolated at home. Early donations were often modest, such as a trampoline for $73 to Inala, the group home at Castle Hill, and to places such as The Handicapped Children of New South Wales. Our first major project, in 1978, was the hydrotherapy pool at Royal North Shore Hospital with a donation of $90,000 to match similar donations from the State Government and the Hospital.
This was the first of many hydrotherapy pools which were built around New South Wales. Developments such as these allowed for the integration of people with disabilities into community activities and during the 1980’s there was a continuation of the gradual evolution of other community groups such as Riding for the Disabled (RDA) which offered these opportunities..
Our first major donation to RDA at Kellyville, in 1982, was a large arena. More recently RDA Kellyville has moved to Boxhill and the arena was able to be relocated to the new premises. The original arena has now been extended and an extra covered area added so it conforms to standard Olympic conditions. This has just been completed with a donation of $77,300 from the Primary Club and will be named “The Primary Club of Australia Arena”. Another large covered arena was also completed in Wagga Wagga in 1991. Not all donations to RDA have been large. A retired grazier in Narrabri asked for funding to buy material to build a sulky to take people in wheelchairs carriage driving. For a cost of $2,700 these sulkies provide much enjoyment for our disabled friends.
Our largest donation to date has been to the Royal Rehabilitation Centre for The Primary Club of Australia Gait Facility. This donation was in excess of $200,000. The facility is now completed and an official opening was held on Thursday 13th March, 2008.
Sailability is another group that the Primary Club has supported many times. Many of these donations have been for access dinghies. However we have also donated sonar yachts, cranes, wheelchair ramps, and recently a rescue boat. These donations have seen the Primary Club support Sailability groups as far north as Southport, Qld. In total nearly $200,000 has been donated to Sailability.
We still continue to be approached by many charities and in the past thirty three years we have helped many organisations and made many lives happier.
