Mr Burt will take up the role on July 1, 2012 upon the retirement of MADEC Australia’s current highly valued CEO, Ms Pat Thorburn. Ms Thorburn has played a key role in a prolonged period of growth of MADEC in her twenty plus years with the organisation, particularly in the past ten years as CEO, to a point where MADEC now provides a broad range of services Australia wide.

MADEC Chairman Mr Bill Nicol said “Following the extensive recruitment process we have undertaken, the Board is very pleased to have found a local candidate of Laurence’s calibre to build on the reputation of MADEC as a quality service delivery agency within the Not for Profit sector. The Board appreciates the commitment Pat has shown to the Communities that MADEC assists and we wish Pat all the best in her pending retirement.”

Mr Nicol went of to say” The MADEC Board is looking forward to Laurence taking up the role and is confident MADEC will continue to achieve its primary goal of building Community Capacity under his leadership.”

Mr Burt said “I thank the MADEC Board for the faith they had shown in me and I am keen to make my way around MADEC’s twenty-one sites as soon as practical in order to meet the staff and the Community members that they assist.” Mr Burt went on to say “ I have watched with admiration the growth of this Not for Profit Community based organisation for many years and am looking forward to the opportunity of being part of that continued success.”

Teams representing wineries, business and community groups stomp a couple of tonne of grapes in an exciting, loud and friendly competition to see who can produce the juice.

For more information visit www.milduracity.com.au or  call Mildura City on 03 5023 8010  to enter a team.

The money will be used to refurbish and restore the 100-year-old Wesleyan Methodist Church on Deakin Avenue.

The building is used by MADEC and community groups for public speaking, weddings and performances and it can seat 300 people.

Bill Nicol, chair of the MADEC board, hopes the refurbishment will encourage more community groups to use the facility when the project is completed at the end of the year.

“Most of the money at this stage will be going to make sure the outside of the building is structurally sound and put back into its original condition and there will be some refurbishment inside, particularly around the ceiling areas,” Mr Nicol said.

“On a longer term plan, the facility is to be used for community-type activities including seminars and conferences and so on, so there could be some scope for conferences, bringing people from outside of Mildura.”

In April the building will mark its centenary and already the MADEC committee has planned a celebration.

Member for Mildura Peter Crisp yesterday promised $200,000 from the State Government’s Heritage Grants fund towards the project and MADEC, which owns the building, kicked in a further $100,000.

“It was commissioned for the 25th anniversary of the Chaffey indenture, and the Chaffey indenture is what was signed by the Queen Victoria, the governor of Victoria and the Chaffeys to bring Mildura into being and its unique,” Mr Crisp said. “The design was meant to reflect some of the feelings at the time after 25 years of the development of Mildura. “And here we are now, 100 years later and the indenture signing will be celebrated on May 31 this year – the 125th anniversary of the indenture – and the church’s centenary is the 28th and 29th of April, when it was opened. “So it is a unique piece of architecture – it prompts a lot of discussion, but for 100 years young it needs some work and for that the Victoria Government’s going to contribute $200,000.”

The building, Mr Crisp said, was constructed in 1912 to a highly unusual design – which externally includes eastern influences in its octagonal plan, domed roof, striped brickwork and minarets – by Melbourne architect GB Leith (late Leith & Bartlett Architects).

The project will involve urgent repairs to the ceiling, exterior brickwork and roof.
“We look forward to this icon of Mildura continuing to shine for another 100 years,” Mr Crisp said.

Minister for Planning Matthew Guy said the grant was one of 13 community projects around Victoria being funded to preserve and protect significant heritage places and objects.

Story courtesy of Liz O’Brien, Sunraysia Daily Tuesday, January 17, 2012

With groups of workers placed by MADEC now returned for their third consecutive season, the perennial issue of retaining skills and experience on farms is being addressed.  Feedback from farmers has been very positive, with reliability and improved productivity being common themes.

The horticulture industry has long lobbied for assistance to attract workers during peak times to reduce the amount of fruit and vegetables wasted when sufficient workers were not available.  MADEC’s operation of the National Harvest Labour Information Service, and also six of the regional Harvest Labour Services, has assisted towards this end to source workers at critical times. Harvest workers however are often backpackers or other travelling workers who are only available for one season, or even part of a season.

The PSW program fills the gap  to address the problem of having the same workers return year on year to reduce the need to constantly retrain staff.

The Pilot has been careful to ensure Australian workers are not displaced and labour market testing is carefully scrutinised for each area before Pacific workers are brought in.

As MADEC is a not-for-profit community based organisation, the pastoral care component of the Pilot has been carefully implemented.  The welfare of the Pacific workers is given high priority and is closely monitored.  Local contacts and community groups are coordinated in each of the towns where workers have been placed to ensure their well being.

Jacqui Boeder and her husband went through every new parents’ worst nightmare at the beginning of the year, losing their new-born baby, Sienna May, to the congenital condition diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH.

CDH develops in early foetal life and involves either a defect or absence of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle that helps people breath and separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.

In Sienna May’s case, her CDH led to her lungs being too small and she was also born with a hole in her heart.

While the experience of losing Sienna May was life-shattering for Jacqui and her husband, the brave 34-year-old was determined that something positive come from her daughter’s all-too-brief life.

“You hear so many stories about good outcomes, with babies surviving, but you don’t hear a lot of the stories where they don’t actually make it,” Jacqui said this week.

“And if you can turn something around and have a positive impact on somebody else, well, you’ve got to choose the path that’s right for you, and I’ve chosen to go this way.”

In a bid to raise money for CDH Australia, which supports families affected by CDH, Jacqui decided to make her own small Christmas gifts and sell them throughout the MADEC network.

She also planned to hold a morning tea as another means of raising money for the cause.

But once word of Jacqui’s experience, and her efforts to raise money for CDH Australia spread throughout her workplace, the fund raising initiative took on a life of its own, kick-started by a $200 donation from MADEC and the efforts of her manager at MADEC, Donna Tairua.

Her staff-mates created an Advent calendar in the workplace, made up of a string of gift boxes marking each day in the lead up to Christmas, which could be purchased by MADEC staff, with all proceeds going towards CDH Australia.

Donna said that within two days the Advent gifts had sold out and word of the initiative had spread throughout the MADEC network, including branches as far away as Swan Hill and Adelaide.

“I’m actually quite surprised by the number of emails I’m still getting, because initially we were only doing it here in Mildura,” Donna said.

“But I’ve had people call from our regional sites saying they want to make a donation because it’s a cause that’s close to their hearts after hearing Jacqui’s story,” she said.

Jacqui said she has been touched by the support she’s received from her workplace, and the exposure the initiative is getting for the congenital condition.

“I’m just so proud of all that we’re doing, but without the support of my colleagues there is no way I think I would have been able to do this,” she said.

Jacqui said coming out in public with her story was certainly a difficult, and painful step, but hopes it will be worth the effort if it helps other parents who are going through what she and her husband have.

“You don’t hear about these things, so I’m hoping by opening up that it will encourage other people to raise awareness as well,” she said.

Jacqui said while the fund raising drive was aimed at helping other people affected by CDH and funding research, it was also a way of honouring her daughter.

A specially decorated Christmas tree has also been created which will be sold at a silent auction to raise further funds for the cause.

While this year’s fund raising activities are still underway, Jacqui is already looking ahead to next year.

“I definitely want to do little things throughout the year to help raise funds,” she said.

“And for Christmas next year, I want to expand the idea to include other businesses in Mildura, getting them on board to support CDH Australia.”

To donate to CDH please visit – http://cdh.org.au/donate/

Story courtesy of Mildura Weekly, 9 December 2011

By Ben Piscioneri

“ The Sunraysia region is a vibrant and rural heartland made up of people from diverse backgrounds who volunteer their time to support people in need, to promote a healthy sporting culture amongst our regions youth, who organise community events that instil pride and promote a positive community identity and ensure the community is supported during times of difficulty.”

The exhibition is a mixture of mediums, paintings, pastel, craft and sculpture. A number of the works depict volunteers at work in the community while others depict the artist’s interpretation of volunteers and volunteering.

The exhibition is part of MADEC’s acknowledgement of International Volunteer Day (IVD) which was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. The day celebrates the efforts of those who have made an important contribution to society by giving their time as volunteers.

MADEC Chief Executive Officer Pat Thorburn, said “MADEC is pleased to support local art and artists in an exhibition that allows them to give their unique interpretation of volunteering.”

The United Nations has invited governments and organizations in all countries to undertake and promote activities each year on 5 December to thank the volunteers and to stimulate a greater awareness of their contribution. IVD is now celebrated world wide with thousands of volunteers involved in a range of IVD initiatives including clean-up campaigns, conferences, exhibitions, morning teas and many other activities all aimed to highlight the role of volunteers in their communities.

The exhibition has an overall prize pool of $3000 that will be divided over the various entry categories. Prize winners will be announced and presented with their prizes at an awards ceremony on Monday the 5 of December.

The exhibition is in a vacant shop front, formerly Mathers Shoe Shop opposite the centre stage  in the recently renovated Langtree Mall. The works are on exhibit from December 5 until December 11.

Pictured is MADEC Chairperson Bill Nicol with 2011 winners.

MADEC, the principal sponsor and supported by local business, family and friends recognised the outstanding achievements of secondary students undertaking Vocational Education and Training.

The MC on the night, Peter Lang from MADEC, entertained the crowd and Ali Cupper was the guest speaker at the event.  Eighty-three student finalists were nominated in twenty-three categories.  All students were presented a framed ‘Finalist’ certificate on stage by Dr Tom Haig, Manager MADEC Community College.

Student nominations were received from: Chaffey Secondary College, Coomealla High School, Irymple Secondary College, Manangatang P12, Merbein P-10 College, Mildura Senior College, Mildura Specialist School, Ouyen P12 College, Red Cliffs Secondary College, Robinvale P12 College, St Joseph’s College, Sunraysia Institute of TAFE, Trinity Lutheran College and Werrimull P12 School.

Local businesses sponsored categories and presented Category winners with an engraved trophy, framed certificate and prize money. MADEC sponsored the ‘Student of the Year’ award.

The ‘Student of the Year’ award was won by Gino Ingaliso from St Joseph’s College Year 12 who was presented a framed certificate, engraved trophy and prize money by Bill Nicol, MADEC Chairperson. Darren Atkinson, Principal St Joseph’s College was presented the VETiS perpetual trophy to retain until next year’s event.

Nominations received for ‘Employers of Excellence’ were: FIT Mildura, Tandou Limited, Ziggys Café, Mildura Weekly, Water Dynamics, Graham Builders and Fishers Supermarket (Mildura and Red Cliffs).

Nominations received for ‘Teachers and Trainers of Excellence’ were: Vicki Ellis and Gavin Alexander both from Mildura Senior College, Fiona Pike and David Eddie both from St Joseph’s College and Elena Pelle and Jennifer Douglas both from Sunraysia Institute of TAFE.

Lindeman’s Karadoc Winery presented trophies to ‘Employers of Excellence’ and ‘Teacher and Trainers of Excellence’ acknowledging their efforts as vital contributions to the success of the students nominated.

Dr Tom Haig, Manager MADEC Community College said “without the support of local business this worthwhile event would not be possible.  MADEC acknowledges our Gold Sponsors Northern Mallee LLEN, Lions Club of Red Cliffs, Lions Club of Merbein, Sunraysia Institute of TAFE and Lindemans Karadoc Winery and the Category Sponsors Workplace Learning Program, SMGT, Wentworth Shire Council, Centacare Employment, VECCI Apprenticeship Services, Australian National Institute, AusNAC Australian Apprenticeships Centre, GSD Architects, ADRA Sunraysia, MASP, La Trobe University Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club and Mildura Development.

And further stated “MADEC is privileged to be the Principal Sponsor of the event, where we take the time and opportunity to acknowledge the calibre of students achieving excellence whilst at school within our vast region.”

Employers wishing to list vacancies can contact MADEC on 5021 3472  and students wanting to register for work can do so by contacting MADEC on 5021 3472  or filling out the online registration form below.

The MADEC Art of Volunteering is held annually to celebrate International Volunteering Day on December 5 and importantly celebrate the work of volunteers in the local community.
Art entered for the exhibition must demonstrate an aspect of volunteering or be created by a volunteer.

The Art of Volunteering offers a total of $3000 in cash prizes in a range of categories that include photography, painting, handicrafts and junior categories. Application forms are available from the
MADEC Community College in Madden Ave Mildura. Volunteers are an important part of our local community, running sporting groups, social clubs, service groups, specific interest groups, handicraft groups and countless other services to the community.

MADEC is pleased to support a large number of Community Groups on a regular basis and the Art of Volunteering further enforces MADEC’s commitment to Volunteers.

The Art of Volunteering Exhibition will be displayed in a vacant shopfront in the Langtree Mall with an official opening and prize presentation to take place on December 5 in the Mall.

Glenn Milne, MADEC Community Development Officer says “We really want the Community to get involved especially artist that do volunteer work as it’s a special way to showcase the work and skills
of our local volunteers.”

For further information please contact MADEC Community Development Officer, Glenn Milne 0409 521 886

The Minister toured the Wesley site accompanied by our Board Chairperson Bill Nicol, Board Member Christine Roberts, Sue Hammence, General Manager Business Development and Dr Tom Haig, Community College Manager.

The Minister was then briefed on a number of projects including the Pacific Islander Worker Scheme and the National Harvest Labour Information Service and offered his personal congratulations on the College’s success at winning the recent Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI) Private RTO of the Year ‘Wurreker’ Award.

The Minister was also impressed by the new College facilities together with our organisations leadership role as a key regional employment and training provider coupled to our respected and long serving membership of Community Colleges Australia.