Date for your diary – Friday, 12 April 2019 (Week 10) - Anzac Day Liturgy

St Thomas More's Anzac Day Liturgy will be held Friday, 12 April 2019 (Week 10) commencing 9am in Holy Faith Hall. Parents are warmly invited to attend and commemorate this special Centenary Year.

Defence School Mentor Meeting

All Defence School Mentors in the Canberra region attended a meeting on Tuesday 5 March 2019 chaired by the new Education Liaison Officer (EDLO), Brooke James. Having a new EDLO for our region is excellent news for the management of the DSM Program and ultimately in supporting the educational needs of children of mobile Defence Families. Three guest speakers at the meeting were Katherine Reeves. Community Centre Coordinator from Duntroon Community Centre, Emma Steil from Defence Families Australia and Nicola Scully from Kookaburra Kids, each promoting how their organisations support Defence Families. Clare from Defence Special Needs Support Group (DSNSG) was also present. Information from these organisations is summarised below:

Duntroon Community Centre (DCC)

DCC is for Defence and non-Defence families of the greater Canberra region. The centre has excellent facilities available for members. Programs include 3 year old Playschool (currently accepting enrolments), playgroups, community events, craft groups, short courses and social activities. Upcoming First Aid Training is offered to both members and non-members Saturday, 23 March 9am – 3pm. The centre also loan ski outfits and cake tins to members.
Contact details:

Website  https://www.duntrooncommunitycentre.org.au/ 

Phone   6265 9411

Email  admin@duntrooncommunitycentre.org.au

Address  Gymkhana Road, Duntroon PO Box 7915 Canberra BC ACT 2610

Hours  Mon–Fri  9am-2.30pm

Defence Families of Australia

Defence Families of Australia have National Delegates located across

Australia near most major bases who know their communities and can advocate for you at a local level. The National Delegate for ACT and Southern NSW is Emma Steil. If you would like to have your say on an issue or if you have been unsuccessful in resolving a concern through either your local relevant channels or national channels contact Emma on act.sthnsw@dfa.org.au.

Kookaburra Kids

Kookaburra Kids Foundation run a program for Defence kids aged 8–18 years who have a parent with a mental illness as a result of their military service (serving and ex-serving or spouse). Their Activity Days provide children with an opportunity to participate in activities, meet new friends, learn new skills and have fun. Upcoming Activity Days are planned for 27 March and in the April School Holidays. For more information see www.kookaburrakids.org.au . To register, contact Nicola Scully on 6109 0408 or nicola.scully@kookaburrakids.org.au.

Defence Special Needs Support Group (DSNSG)

The Defence Special Needs Support Group is a non-profit benevolent volunteer organisation providing support, information, assistance and advocacy for all ADF families who have a dependant (child, spouse or other dependant) with special needs. For more information, visit http://dsnsg.org.au/ or contact Coordinator, Claire Macfarlane-Rowles, canberra.north@dsnsg.org.au/ or canberra.south@dsnsg.org.au or 0415 737 116

ForceNet

ForceNet is a Defence e-communications platform. Family User registration is now available via app and desktop. For further information and/or to apply to register, follow link https://www.forcenet.gov.au/ .

Feel welcome to visit or contact me on 6249 8869 or send an email to sonja.mingay@cg.catholic.edu.au .

Sonja Mingay DSTA
Work hours: Mon-Wed 9am-3pm, Thu 9-11am