News & Special Events

News

The Mai-Wel Group Welcomes Xstrata Coal to Help Fill the Gap

The Mai-Wel Group is pleased to announce Xstrata Coal as key supporter of their ‘Leisure and Recreational Activities Program’ with a recent donation of $20,000 towards the program which aims to increase positive activities and influences in the lives of young people with a disability.

Xstrata Coal’s involvement and support will now enable The Mai-Wel Group to provide between 30 and 40 young people with regular monthly outings and activities for 12 months. Whilst similar weekend and holiday programs exist in the community, the ‘Leisure and Recreational Activities Program’ will be offered to those who currently do not benefit from any government funding or programs.

“This donation will enable trained support workers and volunteers to join this group as positive role models, creating a positive and uplifting experience in their young lives,” said CEO of The Mai-Wel Group, Mrs Pennie Kearney.

“The Leisure and Recreation Activities Program aims to provide vital skills and experience to clients throughout the Hunter and Upper Hunter regions of NSW, specifically in and around the Maitland and Singleton area, to make social and moral choices in their lives” she said. With the group comprising mostly of young men in their teens and early twenties, the dedication and vision to see this program come to fruition is spurred by the desire to remove young men from the lure of inappropriate social networks, and risky behaviour, ever present in today’s community.

Xstrata Coal’s Glendell Operations Manager Tony Israel said, “Xstrata Coal is committed to making a positive and significant difference within the communities in which it operates and we are proud to support The Mai-Wel Group to help improve the lives of people with a disability in the Hunter region”.

As one of the larger Disability Service Providers in the Lower Hunter Region, The Mai-Wel Group provides programs and activities which aim to advance the lives of people with a disability, break down isolation barriers and increase social inclusion providing access, integration and opportunity for all.

Spirit of Culture for Work and Play Takes Mai-Wel Staff member Abroad

In the current culture of the working class citizen, it’s not often you hear of a staff member in your office who embodies the very goals and vision of their employer – but things are very different at The Mai-Wel Group Telarah office.

For more than two years John Lechner, The Mai-Wel Group’s Manager of Business Development and Philanthropy, has been working with the community to develop opportunities that advance the lives of people with a disability. But this time, John is about to realise a dream of his own.

In less than one week John will travel to the US capital of Florida, Tallahassee, to be one of five qualified Australian equestrian officials selected this year to take part in the five-year Global Education Programme for Eventing Officials, recently announced by Swiss based organisation, FEI – more commonly known as the International Equestrian Federation, and the major governing body for equestrian sport.

As part of this “once in a life time” opportunity, all accommodation, travel and living expenses will be paid by the programme during his two weeks abroad.

The multi million dollar project, completely funded by the International Equestrian Federation, is a valuable education initiative that will play a major role in expanding and raising the quality and experience of Eventing Officials worldwide.

Starting as a rider with a passion for the sport and a love of meeting new people, John exhausted his talent as a proficient rider, immediately setting his sights on the discipline role of officiating at local and regional events as a way of further involving himself in the sport and moving away from competition level participation.

John’s determination and tireless efforts to reach his goals in this sport finally paid off when a last minute application to the review board for selection was successful.

With his bags packed, John will farewell his Mai-Wel colleagues and travel over 16,000 kilometres to officiate at the first 2010 HSBC Eventing World Cup Qualifier in Florida.

During his travels he will visit the home of horse racing, Lexington Kentucky, where the World Equestrian Games will take place in September this year for eight equestrian sports, including Eventing.

“To be part of the selected few who will represent Australia overseas is a fantastic opportunity,” says John.

“Only 50 opportunities for the programme were offered for world wide officials to gain more overseas experience, which is vital towards ensuring the success of the sport in our own country. Education is the key in our sport.”

“The mission for this education programme is to ultimately provide training to the sports support network, such as judges and officials. With only 20 qualified officials spread across Australia who will one day reach the compulsory retirement age of 70, this programme will ensure the future of the sport remains buoyant in Australian sporting circles,” he said.

As part of the strategic plan of Discipline Development through Education in the Next Decade, the programme is designed to make a significant contribution to the education of officials world-wide within the first five-year period. The project was launched as a pilot scheme in 2009 but is now fully operational and will run through to the end of 2013. At the end of the five year term, education of Eventing Officials will continue under the FEI’s regular programmes.

Events

SAVE THE DATE!
The Mai-Wel Celebrity Comedy Debate is Back in 2010

This increasingly popular fundraising event will take place once again this year so if you are a regular guest of the annual Mai-Wel Celebrity Comedy Debate, or even if you are not, mark your calendar for Saturday 17th July, 2010.

The debate is The Mai-Wel Group's primary fundraising initiative and from the very first debate in 2005, the event has proven a winning formula for the organisation and provides the local community with a quality event.

The Debate features a combination of nationally recognised celebrities, along with prominent members of the local business community and media organisations. The Debaters themselves traditionally do not stick to the topic, nor their own pre prepared address. In fact, in most cases they do not really stick to the rules at all! However, this makes for a night of guaranteed fun and frivolity as they eventually make their cases to the audience in some way, shape or form.

For the time being the celebrity debaters and the topic are being kept under wraps but more details will be released in the coming months. Mark the date in your diary now as the 2010 Mai-Wel Celebrity Comedy Debate is bound to be a success.