Stand Like Stone

Message from our CEO, Anne Kerr

I don’t know about you, but I cannot believe it’s December already! As I look back over the past extraordinary 12 months we’ve had, filled with many global and local challenges, I can’t help but reflect on our name, Stand Like Stone.

Inspired by Adam Lindsay Gordon’s “Ye Wearie Wayfarer - Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone, Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own”, 2020 really has reinforced the importance of community for me and the team here. As the Limestone Coast’s only community foundation, we’re proud of the role we play continuing to support and work with our community.

Over the past few months, we’ve helped a group of young disability advocates secure an ABC Heywire grant, obtained an Australian Communities Foundation grant to purchase 300 x $50 food vouchers, as well as awarded grants to some brilliant community projects right across the Limestone Coast, thanks to funding from the District Council of Grant and our own Small Grants round.

At our recent AGM we celebrated a year of kindness and courage in the Limestone Coast, and also farewelled some of our Directors, Dr Ruth Schubert and Bill DeGaris. Ruth has been a Board member since our inception in 2004, with Bill joining the Board in 2006 and more recently leading the foundation as our Chair. We thank them both for their leadership, service, and support to the team as well as the whole Limestone Coast.

However, as one door closes, another opens, with new members joining the Board from Kingston, Penola, Keith, and Mount Gambier, as we welcome Sam Densely, Jeanette Emery, Peta Crewe, and Willie van Niekerk to the team. Our new Chair is Robert Mock, a passionate community member and philanthropist, hailing from Bordertown and has been a Board member since 2012. We are all looking forward to 2021 under Robert’s leadership and the Board’s guidance. 

We’ve also appointed two new Patrons, Penola’s Doug Balnaves and Mount Gambier’s Brian Page. Doug and Brian join Dr Sue Charlton AM as our three Patrons, and it is a real honour to have their patronage.

As always, our newsletter gives us the opportunity to share stories of kindness and courage from our region. I hope wherever you are reading it, you, and the people you care about are safe and well. On behalf of the Stand Like Stone team, we wish you a very happy and festive season.

Community groups receive a funding boost towards Covid-19 recovery and wellbeing projects 

Thanks to the generosity of the District Council of Grant in providing $10,000 to support the recovery, wellbeing and resilience of people in their council area during the global Covid 19 pandemic, we’ve been able to award grants to three local community organisations totaling $7,600.

We were also able to use a further $2,400 to purchase $50 food vouchers from independent supermarkets and distribute them to schools in the Council area.

We’re delighted to announce two new Patrons, Penola’s Doug Balnaves and Mount Gambier’s Brian Page who join Dr Sue Charlton, AM, as the three Patrons of Stand Like Stone.

For over 16 years, Stand Like Stone has served the Limestone Coast, and all three of our Patrons have played an important role in our journey.

Brian, along with his wife Sue Page, are recognised as Stand Like Stone’s founding donors, having established scholarships benefitting a variety of schools right across the region. Brian has also served as a director and continues his strong advocacy of its work today. 

“Now more than ever, I believe it’s important to help your community. Stand Like Stone is our Limestone Coast community’s super fund, and by giving money locally means our community will benefit for ever”, said Mr Page.

Doug Balnaves has also had a long association with the foundation, as his late wife Annette was a passionate advocate, director, and active contributor from its inception in 2004 through to her passing in July 2018.

Speaking about his appointment, Mr Balnaves said “I’m honoured to become a Patron. My family and I see this as a wonderful recognition of Annette’s work, and we are delighted to continue our close association with the foundation”.

We’ve recently awarded over $115,000 in grants for 21 community-led projects that will help support the region. Projects are varied and include helping with food support and essential personal supplies, through to driver education for regional students and improvements for community facilities in Allendale East, Penola and Naracoorte to name a few.

We’d like to thank everyone who applied for a grant and congratulate the successful projects. At the end of the day it’s thanks to our sponsors, donors, supporters, and grant applicants that we can realise our vision of inspiring community kindness and courage.

2020 Successful Community Grant Projects

Foodbank (Limestone Coast) ($4,000)

Helping to fund additional equipment to support food relief activities, including bigger food packing benches and scales, enabling more Christmas hampers, school children hampers and meal packs to be distributed across the region.

Penola High School ($5,000)

Driver Education program for low income students living in Penola, Nangwarry and Kalangadoo. Obtaining a drivers’ licence is every young person’s rite of passage and having a licence will assist in securing employment as well as feeling less isolated.

Lifeline SE ($2,000)

Supporting the “Suicide awareness in the community project”, delivering face to face training aimed at reducing suicide rates that are prevalent in males working in forestry, construction and trade industries.

Mt Gambier Private Hospital ($10,000)

Funding for 2 x convertible sofa beds to enable families to comfortably stay close to their loved one in hospital, enhancing the wellbeing for all involved.

SE Animal Welfare League ($5,000)

Supporting the “Behavioural & Environment Change, new owner training and consultation” project. This project aims to create good behaviours in rescued dogs, work with and train new owners, and provide community awareness of this program.

Penola Scout Group ($1,249)

A computer and wi-fi access to help the scouts record their personal badge work onto a new computer system, as well as having improved technology available for the children and leaders to support the scouts. 

Spare Ya Change for Kids ($10,000)

Support for the “Nourishing Minds” project, helping provide pre-prepared weekly meal packs which are then distributed to schools who have identified children in need who are at risk of going hungry. 9 schools in Mount Gambier and Millicent are now receiving support and the grant will support the scaling up of operations into a bigger commercial kitchen to help more children.

Young Change Agents ($4,000)

With a mission of empowering young people to use entrepreneurship as a vehicle for creating social impact, funding will build on existing relationships with students at Mount Gambier High School, Grant High School and Allendale East Area School.

Acoustic Music Gathering ($10,000)

A newly formed group who are presenting an acoustic music weekend for the Limestone Coast in the new year. The weekend aims to see workshops for over 400 school students and an opportunity to bring the community together.

Penola Wellness Group ($2,000)

Support for the “Are you naked and bogged?” mental health awareness sessions for rural men and women, with aim of helping people identify the signs of mental health issues and learn how and where to seek help.

Millicent Flexible Learning Centre ($819.93)

A grant to support students at the centre in Millicent helping the learning centre tailor personalised and alternative education outcomes to the youth of Millicent.

Tandara Retirement Lodge ($4,000)

Completion of renovations for historic Coombe Cottage improving the space available for residents and the wider community.

Sunset Community Kitchen ($2,000)

Support to help the kitchen adapt its delivery model as a result of Covid-19, which has seen meals move to takeaway.

Mount Gambier High School ($3,000)

Support for the “Finding my feet” program, an intervention strategy to help identified ‘at risk’ young people re-engage with schooling to get them back on track with education, introducing them to industry employers and providing them with skills for future transition into work.

Dymocks Children’s Charities ($10,000)

Library Regeneration Project at Mt Gambier North Primary School & Melaleuca Park Primary School, providing matched funding for new books to replenish libraries, as well as author experiences for the students.

Mount Gambier City Band ($10,000)

Support to upgrade facilities at the City Band Hall with the purchase of new chairs replacing the original chairs from 1965, benefiting all users of the hall including the brass band, concert band, ukulele ensemble and Limestone Coast Symphony Orchestra.

Naracoorte Regional Art Gallery ($10,000)

Installing solar panels to provide a green solution and reduce electricity costs, thereby having more money available for community art projects.

Naracoorte Country Women’s Association ($8,992)

Replacing the flooring in the SACWA building, making it safer for anyone in the Naracoorte area to use the building.

Naracoorte Soroptimists ($770)

Funding for a project to help provide personal hygiene and vital toiletries to female students in need at the Naracoorte High School.

Allendale East Public Hall ($10,000)

Supporting a “Hall for All” project with funding to upgrade the toilets and access to the hall so people in wheelchairs can attend events and function alongside their family and community members.

Keith Hospital ($2,175.86)

A grant to support the Keith Hospital Future Fund.

Food vouchers to help the region before Christmas

We were recently successful in receiving a grant from the National Crisis Response Fund: COVID19 – a sub-fund of Australian Communities Foundation (ACF).

The National Crisis Response Fund supports communities and individuals within Australia who are experiencing distress as a result of COVID-19, with a particular focus on the groups that are not being heard and the issues that are not being addressed by other funding sources. The fund’s granting strategy puts local approaches, self-determination, and community ownership at its core – supporting people to retain resilience, safety and control over their lives throughout the crisis.

Thanks to the $15,000 grant from ACF we were able to purchase 300 x $50 food vouchers from Foodbank as well as local independent supermarkets across the region, and give them out to schools and care relief agencies.

This grant meant that as well as being able to support local people in need, we could also support small businesses too, which no doubt goes a long to helping people in the lead up to Christmas.

Our generous sponsors and supporters