Delegates’ Report: Disability Services and Community Partnerships

On the 3rd of September I had the pleasure of attending the Ringwood Spiders Trophy Presentation Evening, a football team for people with disabilities, which competes in the Football Integration Development Association (FIDA) league comprising of teams across Victoria.

The Trophy Presentation Evening provides an opportunity to reflect on the Spiders achievements throughout the year, including the formation of a second team and the continuation of their Junior Development Squad, which has seen new members over the past season. In addition, the Ringwood Spiders Cheerleader Squad continues to provide an opportunity for people unable to play football to still support and be a part of the team.

The Ringwood Spiders are eagerly awaiting the 2011 Football Season but have a range of activities planned over the summer months, including lawn bowls organised in partnership with the Ringwood Bowls Club. The Ringwood Bowls Club is one of the many organisations that have formed partnerships with the Ringwood Spiders and it was great to see the Trophy Presentation Evening held once again at the Bowls Club.

On the 9th of September I attended the Spring Formal of the Croydon Special Development School. The school specialises in education for people with disabilities while providing connections with the wider community. The Spring Formal demonstrated the strength of the school’s connections to the wider community, with several students from local high schools being partners to participants in the formal.

It was fantastic to see students from local high schools supporting students from the Croydon Special Development School and I commend each of them for their involvement in the Spring Formal.

On the 15th of September I attended the Eastern Volunteer Business Booster Breakfast, a new initiative of Eastern Volunteers designed to create mutually beneficial partnerships between the business and community sectors. The breakfast included the launch of Friends of EV, a new program which will create partnerships between Eastern Volunteers and the business community. It is worth noting that Eastern Volunteers is a stable organisation that has existed for 30 years, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable and positive outcomes for the community.

Lastly, on the 20th of September I participated in the filming of Monkami’s Drama Group, “Hey Hey It’s Monkami”, the fourth production from the Group. Hey Hey It’s Monkami, is the fourth performance of the group and will be performed on Thursday the 28th of September at the Karralyka Centre.

Ringwood Spiders – Last home game for 2010

The Ringwood Spiders is a football team for people with disabilities and works alongside the Ringwood Redbacks who share the facilities at Jubilee Park in Ringwood.

Due to a rescheduling of grounds the games schedule was modified and this morning the Ringwood Spiders returned to Jubilee Park to play their final home game for 2010. The Ringwood Spiders has grown and developed throughout the year and it is great to see the ongoing cooperation between the Spiders and the Redbacks, as well as the wider community.

Ringwood Spiders: Christian Ampt Memorial Trophy Match

The Ringwood Spiders is a football team for people with disabilities and competes within the Football Integrated Development Association (FIDA), where they are fielding two teams for this season.

This morning I attended the Ringwood Spider’s Home  Game at Jubilee Park where they competed against Mazenod for the Christian Ampt Memorial Trophy, in recognition of a former player of the Spiders who battled depression.   The trophy will be played for each year in honour of Christian who had some of his best games against Mazenod. The match coincided with the Spiders Sponsors Day and provided an opportunity for sponsors to see how their support of the Spiders assists the Club and its members.

They gave their all in the second half and kicked away to a four goal buffer. But Mazenod were not done and two late goals tightened things up. It was a jubilant Spiders though that held on and ran out winning by 13 points.

The Ringwood Spiders has a strong community focus and prides itself on community inclusion.  Initiatives such as the junior development squad and cheer squad continue to grow and enable people of all abilities to become involved within the Club and to be a part  of the Ringwood Spiders.

While the match was the Spiders last home game for the season there are additional games throughout the season.  For furhter information on the Ringwood Spiders please visit www.ringwoodspiders.com.

Ringwood Spiders: 2010 Jumper Presentation Evening

The Ringwood Spiders is a football team for people with disabilities and is based at Jubilee Park, where they share facilities with the Ringwood Redbacks.  The Spiders compete within the Football Integration Development Association League and will be entering two teams into the competition this year.

Ex-footballer Nathan Thompson was the guest speaker and discussed depression and its affects.  Nathan spoke about his own experiences and how it is important to be proactive in seeking support when experiencing depression.  Members of the Spiders have had their own experience with depression and it was encouraging  to hear from someone who has had own first-hand experience with depression and its symptoms.

Tonight’s evening also reflected on last year’s on-field success, where the Spiders won the Premiership flag and the players are enthusiastic about the year ahead.  The Ringwood Spiders Cheerleading Squad is also returning and provides opportunities for people who are unable to play football to still get involved in the team.

The Ringwood Spiders also launched their new website which is available at www.ringwoodspiders.com.