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Watoto Concert THIS Friday Aug 30

8/23/2013

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Watoto Friday August 30 6.30pm
Cheers Neighbours Network, Scripture Union with the support of the Banksia Grove Partnership are hosting a free performance of
 Watoto Children's Choir
at Banksia Grove Catholic Primary School Friday August 30 at 6.30pm. 
It is a free concert, but please bring some money, because there will be opportunities to make a donation to the choir and orphanage and also they will be selling some of their CD's and DVD's. 
Watoto will be performing Beautiful Africa: A new Generation.

Please contact Tanya via e-mail at tanyalang1@bigpind.com if you would like to help with the concert by providing a meal for the choir before the performance or lending a hand on the night. 
Stay tuned for more details.


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Cheers Environment review

8/7/2013

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At Cheers Neighbours Network in Banksia Grove, we do care a lot about the natural environment, but just like every other “Joe and Joanne Citizen” out there, we feel powerless to do much about it. When it comes to sustainability, we are profoundly concerned about water, peak fossil-fuels, oceanic titration and over-trawling, economic un-sustainability, Gospel justice and stewardship, as well as environmental limits. 

It seems that the Law is too micro-focussed to help, Business & Economics are too cannibalistic to help, and Politics just isn’t focussed enough to help. So I am a pessimist about humans’ ability to change before it is too late. 

But even so, here’s what we do as a matter of integrity.

  • We enlist doubters of climate change (rather than argue) on the common grounds of conservation. Some may disagree that the climate is warming, but they agree that we can’t keep consuming fossil fuels at this rate. After this point, the rest is detail.
  • Theologically (Cheers works from a Christian base) we suspect this earth (of time and space) may yet also be part of the new heaven and earth, or at least play a part in God’s plans for quite some time beyond its apparent use-by date. 
  • We advocate:
    • We verbally explain the importance of using this current energy frenzy to invent and roll-out sustainable energy infrastructure. We promote solutions when we see them, across our neighborhood e-network, (Like www.wancrew.org, camp topics like natural wonders, the electric car, energy efficient housing.) We showed An Inconvenient Truth, and Who killed the Electric Car, Storyofstuff.com, Copenhagen 15
    • We call on business leaders to get with Dick Smith and figure out how to do the economy sustainably.
    • Politically, we know personally our Federal, State, and Local representatives, and we encourage them to work for legislation and infrastructure: a green economy; waste management; alternative energy research-development-promotion-installation; fossil fuel dependancy; ocean care; justice for the most vulnerable in all this.
      • We are fully aware that it will cost us dollars and a lowering of our inflated “standard of living.”
      • We consider that we must have serious legislation with serious sanctions, rather than leave the future to “economic forces” which are essentially cannibalistic.
  • We harangued our local property developers to install mandatory caveats for energy-efficient building plans. We introduced them to the experts in energy efficient design. They did at least make their builders supply cheap energy-efficient house-plan options for prospective buyers. 
  • We built our house along solar/energy efficient lines, and did it without paying more.
  • We installed 13 solar panels that pretty much run our house.
  • We dream of getting an air car or electric car for our own travel, but they are not yet available. We would pay a premium for them, as we did for the solar panels. It actually makes economic sense in the long run. Meanwhile…
  • We buy LPG and low-consumption cars.
  • We travel less by using Skype where possible, meeting locally rather than further afield, and using public transport when we can.
  • We support our local government’s initiatives to recycle waste.
  • We wash dishes, and recycle rubbish, rather than waste.
  • We volunteer through the local residents association, and one of us runs the environmental portfolio.
  • We plant trees on Tree Day, and pick up rubbish on Clean Up Australia Day in May
  • We learn about, and plant, indigenous medicinals and edibles at home and in local bush reserves.
  • We wear hand-me-down network clothes if we can rather than buying new.
  • We explain about Jesus to help people become Christians, and
  • We hope that, if we reach critical mass of trust in God, then God will heal the land.
  • We grow our own veges and chickens, and plant fruit trees in reach of pedestrians.
  • We buy local produce with a smaller carbon-footprint
So I’m feeling a bit better anyway, about our overall impact. If something is useful to you, feel free to ask me more about it. Probably our biggest story is our battle for energy efficient housing design.


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Five Key relationships

6/27/2012

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Here's a good way to check your overall health in your community.

SELF - how is your relationship with yourself. Your physical, emotional, mental, spiritual health?
SOCIAL - do you have some good friends to share life with? Any relationships need repair? (www.peacewise.org.au)
SYSTEMS - how are your relationships with the various systems you're involved with, eg:
* government systems (school, health, amenities, Centerlink, etc.),
* economic systems (bank, insurance, phone, housing, etc),
* religious systems (ie church, mosque, temple, etc),
* social systems (sports, clubs, groups, activities). 
SPIRIT - that other-dimensional, higher reality that most of us relate to. God, higher-power, etc. How's that part of life? 
SUSTAINABILITY - the environment, caring for the earth. Are we part of the solution or the problem? What else can we do?

Look after these five areas of your life, and you're doing well!
The interesting thing is that help is available for all of them, should you feel the need for it. And we all need a little help sometimes. That's what community is about, yeah? 


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Round Table grapevine bears fruit

5/10/2011

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The Round Table grapevine is working great! The latest test was this:
We are hosting the Watoto Childrens’ Choir again this year, and had agreed to a generous offer to promote this in a glossy magazine for every household in the suburb. But when we returned from camp and two weeks away, we could see that the glossy had been delayed and with less than two weeks to go, the community would be unprepared for this gem of a family concert / community event.

So I sent an email to the Round Table, and within a day:
- Cheers sent the event around the e-list
- the state MP, Paul Miles, had the event posted on his website,
- the newspaper had been contacted
- Bill volunteered to deliver 50 posters to businesses to display in their premises
- the schools added it to their newsletters
- school staff are asking can they bring their grandparents
- the glossy may still get to the homes, albeit the day before the concert.

When it counts, I’ll go with the trusted relationships over formal systems every time. 
So browse this site for something you're interested in... get out there and mingle... and work together.
And see you at Watoto!

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Local events for your Christmas diary

11/8/2009

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Family Movie on the Big Screen on the Back Lawn
Friday December 11th, 730pm
@ Geoff & Sally Westlakes House,  30 Turquoise Loop, 
BYO own blankets, chairs, munchies & drinks, mozzie cream
For more info or to confirm which movie we will watch contact Sally Westlake on 92063110 or sallywestlake@gmail.com



All-age Christmas Lights Walk
Meet at the community Hall car park at about 715pm
on Saturday December 19th
for a walk/drive around our suburb looking at Xmas lights.
Bring some munchies and a drink to have supper together at the end.
If you see some really good lights in your street, please let me know so I make sure they are on our route.
For more info contact Sally Westlake on 92063110 or sallywestlake@gmail.com


Family All-age Sports on the Courts (3rd Sunday of every month, weather permitting)
Sunday December 20th,  4pm ish on Peridot Oval off Turquoise Loop carpark
Bring along your sports gear or join in Tee Ball, Basket Ball, giant slinky games or whatever.
Remember Hats, drinks and Suncream and bring along some money to buy fish and chips from the Deli afterwards.


Xmas Shopping?
If you need a pressie for someone who has everything...
TEAR Australias  (arguably) The Worlds Most Useful Gift Catalogue is just the thing.
Inside you will be able to buy a Gift for a family in poverty and receive a card with a photograph and description of the item purchased to send to your friends or relatives.  From $5 to $5000 there is something for everyone.
Its a gift that keeps on giving and is also tax-deductable. 
Check out www.usefulgifts.org  or give Sally Westlake a call on 92063110 or sallywestlake@gmail.com for a brochure.



Banksia Grove Family Camp
Commencing on the evening of Friday April 9th to the morning of Wednesday April 14th, 2010 across the middle of the school holidays at Camp Geographe on Geographe Bay near Busselton.  Family Camp is at a relaxed holiday pace with organised activities each morning and evening, and plenty of free time to explore the south west or just relax on the Beach in the afternoons.   We will be kyaking, visiting a maze and Warden Aboriginal Centre, spotlighting for possums and cooking on a campfire, along with lots of other fun activities.  Each morning will include an all age family time where we will explore Life, Faith and Family in a fun, informative, and ethical manner.
The theme for this camp is "Joining the Dots"  
Camp Fees are yet to be confirmed but expect to be about...
$150 per adult 16+, $135 per teen 13-15, $110 per child 6-12, $80 per child 2-5yrs and free for under 2
There is a 20% Health Care Card discount or a Large Family Cap of $560
The price is includes accommodation (each Family will have their own cabin), all meals and all organised camp activities.
Camp is and initiative of Cheers and Scripture Union WA, to build community within Banksia Grove.
For more info about cheers follow the links under groups on www.banksiagrove.com
For more info on camp or a camp info brochure contact Sally Westlake on 92063110 or sallywestlake@gmail.com

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