NSW Roads and Ports Minister Duncan Gay said of the four that had been judged as having made outstanding and sustained contributions to the maritime community, two hailed from Ballina, one from Port Stephens and one from Sydney.

“A panel of independent representatives from the boating community joined Maritime to judge the nominations and selected the four winners,” Mr Gay said.

“Since the inaugural presentation of State Maritime Medals, 39 individuals or groups have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to boating.

“These medals are an opportunity to recognise special individuals or groups who through their dedication, passion and toil are delivering benefits to a countless number of people.

“They have enriched our community through their self-less commitment.”

The four recipients were presented with individually engraved cast bronze-alloy medallions with lapel pins in a hand-crafted timber case at an awards presentation at the Cruising Yacht Club, Rushcutters Bay.

Maritime Medals are presented in three categories of Safety and Community and judged by an independent selection panel.

2011 Maritime Medal recipients are:

Michael (Mick) O’Connor:
 
Mick, from Ballina, a hardworking teacher for 37 years, established the Marine Teachers Association – of which he is President – where he has grown membership from two to 120 statewide.

The Association is responsible for establishing and offering Marine Studies as a subject, which includes boating safety education, to more than 8000 students each year.

Mick is known as a Marine Studies syllabus writing expert for the Department of Education and Communities.

Mick is responsible for establishing an agreement with Maritime that has resulted in the recognition of the boating component of the Marine Studies course as appropriate for students to attain a licence to drive a powerboat, thereby encouraging the next generation of boaters to attain a solid foundation in safe and responsible behaviour on our waterways.

Additionally, he has a related side project which sees him busy building the Ballina Marine Discovery Centre – with his own hands – which will stand as an ongoing legacy to support marine education on the North Coast for years to come.

Ballina Jet Boat Surf Rescue Inc:

This stand-alone volunteer-run maritime rescue group has been an institution in Ballina for 40 years.

The group, through their own fundraising efforts, operate and staff a rescue jet boat which is often first at the scene of a maritime emergency – including assistance in coastal bar crossing incidents, rock fishing mishaps and general boating distress situations.

The Ballina Jet Boat Surf Rescue Inc is unique in its set up and operation. It is highly regarded and operates with the support of the local Surf Life Saving Club.

Rear Admiral (ret) Tony Hunt AO (Community Medal):

Tony, who is Sydney-based, is the current President of the Sydney Heritage Fleet, a not-for-profit organisation where he has volunteered his time and expertise for 15 years.

Tony is highly regarded for his leadership skills, notably, but not limited to, the restoration of iconic Tall Ship the James Craig.

This award-winning Tall Ship is now based in Sydney Harbour and gives thousands of people each year a rare and unique opportunity to experience sailing aboard a piece of working history.

In 2003 the James Craig was awarded the World Ships Trust Medal for authentic restoration. She joins a select band of restored ships throughout the world, including the Mary Rose (UK 1510), Vasa (Sweden 1627), USS Constitution (USA 1797), Great Britain (UK 1843) and Cutty Sark (UK 1869), which have received this honour.

Peter Phillipson:
 
Peter has for 22 years volunteered his time as a tireless and passionate advocate for volunteer marine rescue in NSW (based in Fingal Bay, Port Stephens).

He was an early supporter and instrumental in encouraging his fellow volunteers in realising the benefits of the formation of one central marine rescue organisation, which is now in operation as the State Government- supported Marine Rescue NSW.

Due to commitment and drive of people such as Peter, Marine Rescue NSW is now providing vital rescue services up and down the coast of NSW.

With a current total of 56 Units and Bases from Eden to Point Danger, Marine Rescue NSW supplies three core services:

• Search and rescue for marine emergencies
• Boating safety education and training
• Radio coverage along NSW coastline

There were also three highly commended nominations:
• Charlie Weir
• Peter Hunter
• Avoca SurfCom

“Our aim is to provide people of all ages and tastes with a great day out. As in previous years, we will have a huge variety of fresh local produce, great food, fun-filled children’s activities, live entertainment and lots of bargains,” said School Principal Ginny Latta.

“It is hard to believe but this is the school’s 17th Country Fair, and proceeds from the day will be used to purchase much-needed shade cover for our fixed equipment.”

Visitors to the Fair will have the opportunity to visit the ‘Home Made’ corner, where they can purchase a range of wholesome local produce, including a mega cake stall, jams and preserves and cut flowers. Then there’s the ever-popular plant stall, which has a great selection of trees, shrubs, indoor plants and seedlings.

Bargain hunters will love the bric-a-brac and toy stall, and there will be a wide selection of secondhand books for sale.

Making a welcome return this year is the crowd pleasing ‘Moo Poo Lotto’, with great prizes on offer which have been generously donated by local businesses.
 
For the kids there will be a jumping castle, footy shoot-out game, giant slide and laser skirmish, a golf putting competition, face painting, plaster moulds, sieve-a-gem, show bags, plus lots more fun competitions and activities including a treasure hunt.

Live entertainment will run throughout the day, with performances by the LSTT Band, Teven Tintenbar school choir, and a salsa dancing group.

“We are delighted this year to have well-known local gourmet chef and school parent Peter Fassos, who will be running a Greek stall selling souvlaki (Greek kebabs), baklava and other Greek delicacies. In addition, we will have our T&T Café selling gourmet cakes, tea and fresh fruit salad, coffee from the Caffeine Capsule, as well as a BBQ, and stalls selling pies, hotdogs and sushi,” Giny said.

“We are pleased to offer the event on a Sunday this year to avoid traditional clashes with sporting finals.

“School parents, teachers and students are working extremely hard behind the scenes in preparation for the big day, and I invite the community to come along and see our wonderful community based school in action, whilst enjoying our beautiful hinterland location.”

Teven-Tintenbar Public School is located in Fredericks Lane, Tintenbar.

PICTURES: All the fun of Fair at Teven Tintenbar Public School.

The new life jackets, which provide the highest level of buoyancy and are designed to keep the wearer’s head above and out of the water when unconscious, were funded by NSW Maritime as part of a statewide program to support schools running boating safety programs.

“Ballina High School’s Marine Studies unit does a fantastic job teaching young people about safe and responsible boating,” Mr Page said.

“New life jacket laws came into effect on the 1 November 2010, requiring life jackets to be worn more frequently by boat passengers on more types of vessels.

“This donation of life jackets from NSW Maritime will be well utilised by students from Ballina High as part of their Marine Studies course which has a strong focus on boating safety.

“If students are learning the importance of wearing life jackets at a young age, this will reap long-term benefits because, after all, a life jacket will not save a life if you’re not wearing it.

“This donation of 100 life jackets to Ballina High School is part of a statewide program involving the Marine Teachers Association, NSW Maritime and the Boating Industry Association.

“Marine teachers provide an excellent service to communities such as Ballina, which has a sometimes-treacherous bar crossing, and large numbers of recreational fishers.

“The presentation of new life jackets will not only raise awareness of the new laws, it will highlight the need for people to wear life jackets at times of heightened risk such as boating alone, or boating offshore.”

NSW Maritime has recently increased its safety education and advisory program. Safe boating practices have seen a drop in fatalities by 79 per cent and a drop in serious injuries by 58 per cent compared with the same period last year, Mr Page said.

School Principal Ginny Latta said that the students worked collaboratively to design and create the Christmas display, and were delighted with the finished result.

“When Malcolm from Wendys rang and asked if we would like to decorate his shop for Christmas, we thought this would be a great initiative for our Year Four/Five students. Not only did it give them an opportunity to showcase their creative skills, but also their leadership and communication abilities,” Ginny said.

“The children were responsible for the idea and execution of the decorations, and they worked collaboratively with some school parents to decorate the shop.

“I especially love the red nose on the lead dolphin – surfing the waves with Santa riding behind – a very Australian Christmas.”

Captions:

1. Teven Tintenbar School Year 4/5 students, proudly pictured outside the newly decorated Wendy’s in Ballina Fair.

2. Santa surfs the waves, with a little help from some dolphins.

3. Christmas cheer at Wendy’s, Ballina Fair .

The Australian Government provided $3.28 million towards the project to build new purpose-built facilities for general education, maritime, retail, welfare and computing training.

The NSW Government contributed more than $696,600 to the project.

The facilities were opened today on behalf of the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Chris Evans.

Ms Saffin said the project will offer students access to industry-standard equipment and facilities.

“These facilities give our students the great advantage of training with equipment that is being used by industry now,” she said.

“Students who complete training here will enter the workforce with invaluable experience.

“The Government is committed to investing in infrastructure that improves vocational education and training to ensure Australia has the skills base we need for the future growth of our economy.”

The $3.28 million grant for the new facilities was provided under the Australian Government’s National Training Infrastructure Program which funds the purchase, construction, fit-out or refurbishment of facilities for vocational education and training.

The Government’s investment in vocational education includes $2.5 billion to establish Trades Training Centres in schools across Australia, and more than a billion dollars per year in apprenticeship incentives.

The Government announced the Teaching and Learning Capital Fund for Vocational Education and Training in December 2008. This fund is investing $500 million into the vocational sector for capital infrastructure works and purchases. All projects that received funding will be completed by June 2011.

Ballina MP Don Page also welcomed the official opening of Stage 3 at the Ballina campus.

Mr Page said Ballina TAFE Stage 3 commenced in June 2009. The project included replacement of general purpose classrooms, computer rooms, teacher accommodation, construction of a new maritime workshop, covered walkways, as well as the refurbishment of student services offices, a new board room and Campus Manager Office.

The project was jointly funded by the State and Federal governments. It was managed by TAFE NSW, the NSW Department of Education and Training, the NSW Department of Commerce and the project contractors Bennett Industries.

“Ballina TAFE provides vocational training in general education, information technology, business, retail and welfare. It is also a specialist centre for maritime and nursing programs,” Mr Page said. 

“These extensions to Ballina TAFE provide increased opportunities for local people to access a variety of training and skills development which in turn makes them more employable.

“Established in the late 1980s, Ballina TAFE has become a significant campus in its own right.

“These $4million extensions provide extra opportunities for local people to increase their skills and get jobs.”

Mr Page commended retiring Ballina TAFE Campus Manager Judy Leahy, who has managed the campus for the past seven years and overseen a big expansion of the Ballina TAFE campus.

“Judy has given over 20 years to TAFE and we have been very fortunate to have her in Ballina these past seven years,” he said.

Teven Tintenbar P & C will buys a new school bell and PA system and is one of 625 local community not-for-profit organisations across Australia sharing in $750,000 of Telstra’s Kids Fund grants this year from the Telstra Foundation.

Telstra Foundation Chairman and Olympic gold medallist, Herb Elliott, AC, MBE, said Telstra’s Kids Fund grants helped not-for-profit organisations purchase much-needed equipment to help make learning fun and interactive.

“Telstra’s Kids Fund is delighted to be able to assist and help children have access to as many opportunities as possible to develop a wide range of skills and experiences – particularly during their developmental years,” Mr Elliott said.

“From musical instruments, to educational resources, sports and recreational equipment – even building upgrades – there are many areas where local community organisations can use the grants to provide new and exciting opportunities for kids.

“Children around the country benefit from the number of initiatives implemented through Telstra’s Kids Fund grants.”

The program allows Telstra employees to nominate local community organisations for a grant. Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager North Coast NSW, Michael Sharpe, said the grants were an example of Telstra’s commitment to staff and the local communities in which it operates.

“Telstra’s Kids Fund grants are a wonderful way for employees to make a difference to the children in their local community. We’re getting behind our local kids at a grass roots level, and supporting children around the country,” said Mr Sharpe.

“For nine years the Telstra Foundation has strengthened local communities through programs like the Telstra’s Kids Fund,” he said.

Since it was established in 2002, the Telstra Foundation has provided more than $35 million to 6490 projects and programs.

Community groups to receive Telstra’s Kids Fund grants have included schools, art and culture groups, sport and recreational clubs, disability services and environmental organisations.

Page MP Janelle Saffin has congratulated Southern Cross School K-12/Distance Education Centre in Ballina and South Grafton High School which have received grants under Round Two of Becoming Asia Literate: Grants to Schools outreach program.

“The aim of the Government’s program is to significantly increase the number of young Australians studying the languages and culture of China, Indonesia, Japan and Korea,” she said.

“As more of our trade takes place with Asian partners, Australian businesses will be looking for employees who can engage confidently with people from across our region.

“Students have a huge advantage in our globalised economy if they have a strong knowledge and understanding of Asian languages and culture.

“Southern Cross School has received a grant of $20,000 for its Mandarin program, as part of its distance education program which reaches schools across Page and across New South Wales.

“The head teacher of languages at Southern Cross School, Greg Armstrong, is enthusiastic about the growing interest in Mandarin but says because of the lack of Chinese-background teachers there is a big need for quality resources, particularly for listening to the language.

“The Government grant will be used to develop Mandarin language resources that will be useful for distance education students and will also be available online to all students studying Mandarin across Australia.

“South Grafton High School has been granted $37,000 for its Clarence Asian Studies Language Initiative, which will provide language outreach to Coutts Crossing, Gillwinga, South Grafton and Ulmarra primary schools that feed in to South Grafton High.”

Schools First is brought to life by National Australia Bank (NAB) in partnership with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and The Foundation for Young Australians.

The awards are based on research from ACER that proves young people benefit when they are engaged with their community throughout their education.

The award is in recognition of the outstanding results the school has achieved in partnership with the Ballina Shire Council in establishing and maintaining the Ballina Marine Discovery and Resource Centre.

Students have benefited from hands-on learning opportunities, and this has resulted in increased attendance rates and transition into alternate educational pathways such as courses in Aquaculture at TAFE.

Schools First judges assessed this community partnership as being NSW’s leading example of the benefits that can be achieved when schools and communities work together.

“This is a true partnership that demonstrates the benefits that can be achieved for all parties when students and the community work together and one that Schools First is proud to declare a State Impact winner,” said Jodi Cryan, Head of Schools First, NAB.

“Educating students on ecological and marine issues to allow them to use, enjoy and protect environments they encounter during their lives, the Centre has led to innovative and hands-on learning opportunities, and provided practical life skills for students.”

Ballina High School was one of 21 $50,000 New South Wales Local Impact winners vying for the state title, and will now go on to represent NSW at the National Impact awards, where one school will walk away with a $500,000 award.

“The calibre of Schools First Local Impact award winners has been remarkable. This year we received 880 incredibly strong applications from around the country, so Ballina High School has every reason to feel exceptionally proud of their achievements,” said Cryan.

Ballina High School will now represent NSW at the Schools First National Impact awards in Sydney on Friday 26th November.

The competition was part of the Let’s Live Better program, a partnership with the Children’s Food Education Foundation to grow healthier communities.

The winners of the competition are two students from Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Year 1 and Year 4.

The Little Green Thumbs Tomato Patch program is a hands-on activity whereby students will learn about gardening, sun safety, backyard hazards, the correct way to handle and care for gardening tools.

Students will also learn how to grow their own edible plants and develop healthy eating habits.

The Member for Ballina, Don Page, hosted Grace Skehan, Luke Myles, Jack Jeffery, Allison Koellner, Ivy D’Orsogna, Elliot Johnson, Georgia Playford, Jasmia Bavaresco, Angeline Daniels and Jan Gewin, taking them on a tour of Parliament House and explaining to them some of the processes of Parliament.

“It was a great pleasure to meet the 10 student leaders who are wonderful ambassadors for their schools,” Mr Page said.

“Not only did they have a close look at Parliament House, I think they now have a good understanding of how Government in NSW works.

“They also met the NSW Governor, Professor Marie Bashir, who hosted an afternoon tea for them at Government House.

“I enjoyed meeting the students and I hope the trip provided them with some lifelong memories.”