


The Don Bosco Brunswick
Youth Foundation Inc.

Purpose
The Foundation was established and later incorporated in 1981, to raise funds in support of the Don Bosco Youth Centre and Hostel.
The Foundation organizes fundraising events and seeks financial assistance from philanthropic trusts, business organizations, generous and good-willed individuals and families. In seeking financial, logistic and consultative support from local, State and Federal governments, the Foundation applies for grants and is a driver for related and pertinent government initiatives and visions benefiting the broad range of our multicultural community youth.
The Foundation started an Opportunity Shop in 2001 to raise funds for additional support to the Youth Centre and Hostel as well as provide support to the Salesian Missions in the Pacific.
The Foundation manages the day-to-day running of the Opportunity Shop with the assistance of nearly 40 volunteers (including some disabled volunteers).
Awards
The Don Bosco Brunswick Youth Foundation has received the following awards;
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Trust for Young Australians, 1989 Award for services to teenagers and "street kids" in providing refuge to those unable to reside with relatives.
Rotary Club of Pascoe Vale 1993-94 James Esselemont Award for Service to the Community - awarded to Mr. S. Romanin.
Victoria's Awards for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs - 2005 to the Don Brunswick Youth Foundation Inc. for Service Delivery to Multicultural Community - Youth Services. (Ref. http://www.multicultural.vic.gov.au
Victoria's Awards for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs - 2006 Meritorious Service to the Community Award for outstanding service to the Vietnamese Community - awarded to Fr. A Quang SDB.
Victoria's Awards for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs - 2007 Award for Meritorious Service in the Community - awarded to Mr. S. Romanin.
City of Moreland "Senior Citizen of the Year" awarded to Br Michael Lynch SDB
Please consider the future and wellbeing of young people by offering your help and support, by making a donation or remembering The Don Bosco Youth Foundation Inc. in your Will.
For more information about the Salesians of Don Bosco, please visit http://www.sdb.org.au/
CONTENTS
1. List of Directors – 2008 Page 2
4. Youth Centre Co-ordinator’s Report Page 10
DIRECTORS
Patron
Professor David de Kretser, AO
Governor of
Mr. G. Walters,
A.A.I.V., F.R.E.I.
Judge F. Walsh, A.M.,
Q.C.,
Mr. D. Sowersby,
A.R.E.I.,
Mr. M. Seear
Vice -
Mr. S. Romanin,
C.P.A.
Fr. J. Murphy, S.D.B.
Treasurer
Fr. P. Carroll,
S.D.B.
Mr. A. Frigo, J.P.
Mr. N. Germano,
A.S.A.
Mr. A. Menhennitt
Br. M.
Fr. P. Kerin,
S.D.B.
Mr. J. Richardson
Mr. M. Dubock
Barrister at Law
Telephone: (03) 9383 5333
Fax: (03) 9386 3326
Email: foundation@donbosco.org.au
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
As Chairman of the Foundation I am extremely proud and pleased to present my
fourth Annual Report on another successful 12 months to
Our Foundation was established in 1982 to assist in managing the loan debt
of the Don Bosco Youth Centre and Hostel and to fund the operating deficits
of the Centre. Our task of
supporting the Youth Centre and Hostel has been made easier by the wonderful
support of many generous organisations, philanthropic trusts, Government
entities and benefactors over these many years.
We thank them sincerely for their support.
The Don Bosco Centre, now in its 69th year of unbroken service, continues
to play an important role in the lives of the multiculturally diverse youth
of the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne, as well as providing low cost
accommodation to young students from rural Victoria and overseas.
We, as a Foundation, are very pleased to play an important role in
supporting the operations of the Centre.
Our two major events in 2008 were the Film Night featuring Indiana Jones and
The Kingdom of the Krystal Skull held on Wednesday 4 July 2008, at the
Palace Cinema Centre, Balwyn and the Fun & Food Festa held earlier than
previously, on Saturday 11 October, 2008, at the Coburg Town Hall.
Both events were a great success and I sincerely thank all who helped
in the many tasks associated with these events.
Appended to my report is an article by our Administration,
highlighting the major aspects of the Fun & Food Festa.
The Foundation’s Opportunity Shop, located at
Funds distributed in 2008 by the Opportunity Shop were as follows:
·
$35,000 Don Bosco Youth Centre
and Hostel ($20K July 08 + $15K December 08)
·
$35,000 Australian Salesian
Missions Overseas Aid Fund ($20K July 08 + $15K December 08)
·
$15,052 Australian Salesian
Missions Overseas Aid Fund for specific distribution to the Burmese after
their devastating floods. *
* The above $15,052 resulted
directly from the ‘Burma Appeal’, launched in late May by the Opportunity
Shop and included the donation of the gross proceeds of the shop during the
month of June 2008. Our Patron,
Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser, gave his personal support
which, in turn gave great impetus to the appeal and the volunteers working
within the appeal.
Mr Richardson’s report on the year’s Opportunity Shop’s activities follows
later in this Annual Report and provides interesting details of the year’s
Opportunity Shop operations.
The Don Bosco Youth Centre, and the Hostel, are both high maintenance areas
requiring regular replacement and updating of equipment and facilities,
particularly with the need to comply with stringent health and safety
requirements. Significant
projects completed this year, or to be undertaken early next year, include
the carpeting and the installation of ceiling fans in the Hostel bedrooms
for improved comfort for the residents, realignment of flooring and
refurbishment of the main Hostel shower block to incorporate aesthetic era
retention for the building, installation of new hot water systems that draw
their energy from the atmosphere and potentially save $20,000 annually in
maintenance for the Centre, forty new beds, ergonomic chairs and work tables
for the resident’s rooms as well as redesign and refurbishment of the Youth
Centre entrance, kitchen and office area.
As you can see our work and commitments continue to play and important role in maintaining the viability of the Centre and I wish to specifically thank and gratefully acknowledge the following philanthropic organisations for their financial support in year 2008.
We also thank the Try Youth Organisation which has incorporated the Don
Bosco Centre in its fundraising activities; and helps keep the name of ‘Don
Bosco’ in the minds of the travelling public of
The Moreland City Council again provided their generous annual Community
Grant of $10,000 to the Youth Centre which significantly helps the Youth
Centre provide many services free of charge to the culturally diverse youth
of Moreland. In addition,
support is received from Moreland City Council in the running of the Fun &
Food Festa, as well as other projects.
Br Michael was the first graduate of
We were very pleased to have the opportunity this year to sponsor two
representatives of the Salesian community, Br. David O’Brien, Don Bosco
Brunswick Youth Centre and Chris Tonner to attend the World Youth Day
celebration in
In closing I refer you to the accompanying reports by the Rector/Hostel
Co-ordinator, the Co-ordinator of the Youth Centre, the Manager of our
Opportunity Shop, as well as the financial statements of the Centre for the
year ended
As Chairman of the Foundation I offer my sincere thanks to our Secretary,
Mr. Martin Seear and our Treasurer, Mr. Nino Romanin for their sterling work
and to my fellow Directors for their continued commitment to the Foundation
and to the wellbeing of the Don Bosco Youth Centre and Hostel.
Finally deep appreciation is conveyed by all to Mr. Jim Soulsby who, retired
as a Director of the Foundation and Co-Manager of the Opportunity Shop in
late December 2008, as well as his wife Mrs Ursula Soulsby, who also
supported Jim throughout. We’ll
miss their humour and camaraderie as well as their work ethos.
Greg Walters
Chairman
The Don Bosco Brunswick
Youth Foundation’s
Annual ‘Fun & Food Festa’
held
on
Report
by M.R. Seear
The 2008 ‘Fun & Food Festa’ was the Foundation’s 15th Community Celebration
of its kind. The first ‘Festa’
was held in the Don Bosco Brunswick Youth Centre in 1994 as a thank you and
celebration for all our wonderful supporters of diverse cultural
backgrounds, whose efforts enable the Youth Centre and Hostel to succeed.
The occasion has always been highlighted by the drawing of our Major
Raffle.
Our ‘Major Raffle’ tickets were distributed to our supporters throughout
1st Prize:
Airline tickets to the total value of $2,000, plus $500 spending money.
Supplied by Pan Australian Travel.
Valued at $2,500.
2nd Prize:
Ski
It should be further highlighted that this
prize featured in previous years as an auction item on the night of the
Festa and its transfer to a Major Raffle item gave an even greater impetus
to ticket sales.
3rd Prize:
4th Prize:
Christmas Hamper. Supplied by
Piedimonte’s Supermarket. Valued at
$350.
5th Prize:
Dozen bottles of ‘Fairbank’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2003.
Compliments of Sutton Grange Winery.
Valued at $300.
Our 2008 Festa commenced with a blessing from the Youth Centre’s, Rector, Fr
John Murphy and was hosted by our Foundation’s Chairman Mr Greg Walters.
The 300 plus guests and helpers proceeded to enjoy a sumptuous meal
of traditionally cooked ‘Porchetta’ (expertly prepared by Peter De Cinque
and his team), volumes of king prawns, pasta, salads and vegetables followed
by cassata for dessert.
The music this year was again provided by staunch supporters Enrico and Rita
Constantini and their wonderful band ‘
Other entertainment provided throughout the night included auction items,
spinning wheel segment and towards the end of the night the very popular
lucky envelopes for some great prizes.
The last major event of the evening was the drawing of the Major Raffle
which, in addition to prior sales, was very well supported on the evening.
To
enable high attendance on the night from our diverse multicultural groups,
we have kept our admission fee as low as possible ($45 this year).
We could not put on a major raffle and community celebration without
the wonderful work of many volunteers, sponsors and support groups.
The
Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) who through their Community Grants
Program, awarded the Foundation a grant to pay for buses to safely transport
a large number of our Italian supporters from the South Eastern Suburbs.
The VMC is always looking to support and encourage diverse cultures
and we thank the Commission for its support this year.
The Moreland Council and the Don Bosco Brunswick Youth Foundation have
formed close ties over the years to support and service the culturally
diverse communities of Moreland and in particular its youth.
Moreland Council’s continuing support is acknowledged with
appreciation.
Special mention to our Vietnamese community who through our ex-officio Fr
Anthony Quang organised the sound system for the evening.
Our sponsors on the night, many of whom have supported us over many years
are mentioned below and we ask that readers please note and support their
services wherever possible.
·
A & A
Meat Company P/L
·
Abruzzo Club
·
Alepat
Taylor P/L
·
Bergerac Restaurant
·
Bertocchi Smallgoods
Thomastown
9355 5100
·
Cecconi’s Cantina
·
Central Catholic Bookshop
·
Chelston Pty Ltd
·
Classy
Colour Copy
·
Coffee
Mio
Thornbury
9484 0776
·
da
Vinci Foods
Campbellfield
9305 1333
·
Dan
Murphy’s
·
Enoteca Sileno
·
Fabbris Meats
Campbellfield
9357 0900
·
Georgelin’s Florist
·
Grollo
Australia Pty Ltd
Northland
8480 0400
·
Incani
Imports
·
Jerome
Gauder
Prahran
·
Joe &
Daughters Fruit Supply
·
Kyneton Springs Water
Campbellfield
9359 6000
·
La
Manna Fresh
·
Montal
Printing
·
Moreland Council
Moreland
9240 1111
·
Mulqueen Services
·
Palace
Cinemas
Balwyn
98161777
·
Pan
Australian Travel
·
Paul’s
Uni Hair Saloon
·
Piedimonte’s Supermarket
·
Pizza
Farro
Thornbury
9484 2040
·
Primo
Detergents
·
Romano’s Service Centre
·
·
S & S
Fruits
·
·
Savor
Smallgoods
·
Sutton
Grange Winery
Sutton Grange
(03) 5474 8277
·
The
Office Cafe
·
·
Victorian Multicultural Commission
·
Vinnie’s Fruits
·
Whelan
Kartaway
For any enquiries about the Don Bosco Brunswick Youth Foundation, Foundation Opportunity Shop or Youth Centre and Hostel please refer to either our website www.donbosco.org.au, phone direct on 03 9386 3948 or contact our Secretary, Mr. Martin Seear on 03 9380 8759, mobile 0428 195544 (specifically regarding the Foundation).
RECTOR/HOSTEL
CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT
It is that
time of year again when I need to put pen to paper and share with you my
thoughts regarding the past twelve months.
Don Bosco Youth Centre and Hostel is indeed a great place; they are
not my words but they are words expressed by many young people who use these
facilities at
These past
twelve months have seen us up-grade the Hostel’s main shower and toilet
block, recarpet the bedrooms and install a ceiling fan in every bedroom.
Also, since Christmas we have installed a kitchenette for the use of
the students for those ‘early hours’ of study they need to do while working
on assignments. We strive at
every opportunity to help make easier the study load and work commitments of
our forty young men of all cultures and religions who stay at the Hostel (we
have been at capacity for two years now). Our
prices are kept as low as possible, with a tight budget observed to assist
us to manage our operating costs and still maintain this wonderful and
appreciated facility.
In the Youth
Centre, considerable maintenance work was done on the trampolines, with
safety mats surrounding each unit. An
upgrade of the Youth Centre’s shower/change rooms and toilets was completed.
All this was possible because of the generous support of many people
and organizations, in particular Try Youth Organisation, The Melbourne
Newsboys Club, The William Angliss (Victoria) Charitable Fund and the
Moreland City Council.
Of course
the valiant work of our Foundation Committee and the untiring and dedicated
efforts of the many volunteers who man our Opportunity Shop at
We look
forward to early next year when we also intend to pursue ergonomic and
environmentally sound projects for the Centre.
My prayers
and thanks along with and including our dedicated team, Fr Peter Kerin, Br
Michael Lynch and Br David O’Brien, go to each person and every organisation
that helps support the Don Bosco Brunswick Youth Centre and Hostel.
Fr. John Murphy, SDB
It is most
encouraging to hear the appreciative remarks from many parents such as:
“Your Centre is the best thing going for young people in
“My children just love coming here”
“What a wonderful place for children, teenagers and
families”.
One of my
greatest joys is to meet the parents who were here themselves as children
when I was the Director of the Centre from 1977-1990.
Now they bring their own children to enjoy our Centre; they often
recall their own wonderful fun-filled memories of yesteryear and it is
happening all over again with their own children.
Prevention
and early intervention is much better than cure!
When you give children and teenagers a fun place that is friendly and
well supervised, with a whole range of recreational facilities and
activities to enjoy with their friends, they are not tempted to transgress.
The heart of our Don Bosco Youth Centre is the ‘Weekend’, ‘After
School’ and ‘School Holiday Programs’ which we run free of charge for all
the local children, teenagers and families.
We have almost no graffiti or wilful damage as the children and
teenagers regard the place as their own.
Every week we are open, some 1,500 children and teenagers use the
Centre.
There is an
extensive network of school groups and community youth groups from all
cultures who come here to use our Youth Centre:
Moreland Council and other local Council School Holiday Programs,
Br David
O’Brien and I are two full-time staff at the Youth Centre, but we have a
large number of youth leaders, adult volunteers, parents and youth work
students, who work together with us.
We usually have two youth work students from various tertiary
colleges on a 200 hour work experience, here at any one time; we train them
and supervise their placement and in return they help us run the Centre.
This year
the Melbourne Newsboys Club has enabled us to ensure that our four
trampolines are maintained at the required health and safety standards.
The ‘wriggly bars’ on all four steel frames were replaced with high
tensile steel bars and the safety padding and vinyl covering has also been
renewed. The Melbourne Newsboys
Club has supported our Youth Centre over many years, for which we are very
grateful. We also thank the
Moreland City Council, Philanthropic Trusts and other generous donors who
continue to support the Centre.
We have also
painted the girls’ and boys’ toilets and change rooms, re-covered three
billiard tables, bought nine dust covers for the billiard tables and
replaced the old billiard cues.
Our Centre
is like a big mixing bowl of cultures, different countries of origins and
religions; almost 50% of the children and teenagers are Christian and almost
50% Muslim. The countries of
origin include
Fr. Peter Kerin, SDB
OPPORTUNITY SHOP CO-ORDINATOR’S
REPORT
It is my
pleasure to report that 2008 has been another successful year for the shop,
with gross sales increasing by $28,000 to a total $176,000.
The total
distribution for the year was $85,052 including $15,052 raised for the
Burmese people after their tragedy, which was distributed through the
Australian Salesian Missions Overseas Aid Fund.
Total proceeds distributed since the shop’s inception in 2001 is
$380,205.
We are
grateful to the hard working volunteers who prepare and sell donated goods
to our many good customers, who are ever willing to support the Don Bosco
shop and its purpose.
This year’s
Annual Reward Luncheon to our volunteers was held at the
We are
fortunate to receive donations of so much good quality stock which comes
from all quarters of the community; towards the end of last year we received
300 odd boxes of brand new clothing, including work jeans and overalls,
which we will distribute in the up coming months at reasonable prices.
In addition we are able to supply excess stock to our friends in the
Collingwood Parish, who assist many new overseas arrivals.
I wish to
thank those of my fellow Directors who are also daily Managers of the
Opportunity Shop, for their great assistance and dedication to the operation
and objectives of the shop. We
are open Monday to Saturday each week and occasionally on special festival
days. Special thanks also to Mr.
Jim Soulsby and his wife Ursula who retired at the end of 2008, with
honourable and dedicated service to the cause of Don Bosco.
Finally,
special thanks to the Salesians of Don Bosco at the Brunswick Youth Centre
and Hostel and in particular Rector Fr John Murphy and Bro Michael Lynch,
Manager of the Salesian Overseas Aid Missions Fund, who continue to give us
great support.
Joe
Richardson