The Buderim War Memorial Community Association is preparing to unveil a very special plaque to honour former Sunshine Coast Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Daniel Keighran VC.
CPL Keighran VC will also be the special guest at the public Unveiling Ceremony on the western lawn at the Buderim War Memorial Hall on Friday, 22nd September, at 10.30am.
It’s on again – the much-anticipated annual Buderim Foundation Fashion Show, this year with a theme of Spring Splendour and with special guest hosts 7 Sunshine Coast’s Rosanna Natoli and the very entertaining Todd Kelly.
The Buderim Foundation Spring Splendour Fashion Show will take place on Sunday, 22nd October, starting at 2.00pm in the Buderim War Memorial Hall.
Buderim Foundation Events Committee Chair Sandra Jeffries said the Fashion Parade was now in its fourth year and was always a sell-out event.
“It is such a great event and a chance to dress up, see the latest fashions, and enjoy some sumptuous savouries with friends,” Ms Jeffries said.
“The Show catwalk will feature fashions with a coastal vibe for men and women and, in a first for the event, the Show catwalk will feature fashions from select boutiques from Buderim and beyond.”
The Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund is proud to provide a $65,800 grant to SunnyKids to help provide support for vulnerable Sunshine Coast families.
Buderim Foundation’s Charlie Morris, SunnyKids CEO Kathleen Hope and Buderim Foundation Chair Rod McKinnon -photo-by-Ross-Eason
Buderim Foundation chair Rod McKinnon said SunnyKids provides vital support for Sunshine Coast families in need of a helping hand on the Sunshine Coast.
“The Buderim Foundation’s Thompson Charitable Fund is proud to support SunnyKids and the work they do in providing emergency food, accommodation and other support,” Rod McKinnon said.
SunnyKids CEO Kathleen Hope said SunnyKids provides connections and support for vulnerable Sunshine Coast families focusing on providing complex case management, including long-term capacity-building and emotional support.
“We seek to assist families and individuals in some of the worst situations imaginable. Families arrive at SunnyKids hoping to access clothing, medicine, food or things like car registration which in turn allows them to focus less on transportation and more time on other vital family needs like getting the kids to school, doctors’ appointments, and getting to and from work,” Ms Hope said.
The Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund is proud to provide a $100,000 grant to Gateway Care Food Centre to support their Food Rescue Program.
Buderim Foundation Thompson Charitable Fund donation to Gateway Care Food Centre – Tom Lew and Lani Rafiti from Gateway Care receive cheque from Buderim Foundation’s Rod McKinnon and Rebecca Ramsay – photo by Ross Eason
Buderim Foundation chair Rod McKinnon said Gateway Care Food Centre plays a vital role in providing emergency food relief to families in crisis and those experiencing financial hardship on the Sunshine Coast.
“The Buderim Foundation’s Thompson Charitable Fund is proud to support the Gateway Care Food Centre and their Food Rescue Program,” Rod McKinnon said.
Gateway Care Chair Lani Refiti said the Gateway Care Food Centre is a non-denominational community organisation run entirely by volunteers.
“It currently spends approximately $15,000 per week on food items, ensuring that families in need have access to vital nourishment, and over 50% of these purchases are freely delivered to Sunshine Coast families experiencing financial difficulties.
The Buderim Foundation is opening applications for its annual Community Grants Program for 2023, with grants of up to $10,000 available for local organisations with initiatives that make a positive impact on the local Buderim community.
The 2022 Buderim Foundation Grant Recipients
Applications open on Monday, 8th May to organisations serving the local 4556 community, and eligible applicants will need to apply online before Monday 19th June.
Buderim Foundation Grants Committee chair Rebecca Ramsay said the application process was easily completed online and successful applicants will be announced at the Foundation’s 2023 annual Community Grants Celebration on Sunday 10th September.
“The projects need to directly benefit residents within the 4556-postcode area with a diverse range of areas of interest from protecting our natural environment to supporting youth in our community,” Mrs Ramsay said.
The Buderim Community will come together for ANZAC Day (25th April) to honour veterans with a Dawn Service, March and Morning Service.
As part of a long-standing tradition a long-standing Buderim tradition, a local hero will be honoured as part of the ANZAC Day services, with a tribute by Buderim Mountain State School students.
This year’s hero is Lieutenant Commander David Chatfield Edwards RANR (deceased) who in his later life was known as Mr Buderim and was heavily involved in the community through his roles with the BWMCA and Buderim Foundation.
Deep sea diver and adventurer Scott Foote will be the special guest speaker at the next Buderim Foundation breakfast on Wednesday 29th March.
Mr Foote has lived a life of adventure, having travelled to over 74 countries throughout his life and will share just some of his extraordinary experiences.
Born in Mitchell before moving to Brisbane, Scott set off overseas with a backpack, aged 24, for 6 months and was gone for 21 years.
For 16 years, he worked in a very hostile environment as a Saturation Diver, living in a hyperbaric chamber for 28 days at a time, in seas and oceans around the world.
Buderim Foundation chair Rod McKinnon said Mr Foote’s presentation would give the audience a look beneath the oceans’ surface.
“Even recreational divers will be amazed by some of the environments that Scott has worked in and what he has done during his career,” Mr McKinnon said.
Two central community organisations, the Buderim War Memorial Community Association (BWMCA) and the Buderim Foundation have come together to celebrate Buderim’s unique community spirit.
Motivated by the Buderim Foundation moving its office into the home of the BWMCA, the Old Post Office Information Centre at the centre of town, the organisations decided it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the Buderim Community Spirit and help locals to get involved in their local community.
BWMCA President Errol Richardson said with the recent influx of people to the local area, it is a great time for both organisations to highlight the many ways people can get involved in the community.
“In Buderim we have a unique and special community, largely because of the way so many people choose to get involved in the many opportunities and events on offer.
Buderim Foundation Chair Rod McKinnon said the coming together of the two organisations under one roof is a powerful way to raise their profile right in the heart of Buderim.
“As part of this important campaign, we have had two videos produced to showcase Buderim’s unique community spirit and to point to ways people can become involved,” Mr McKinnon said.
A touch of the outback came to the Sunshine Coast on Friday, with a sold-out crowd of 200 listening spellbound to the stories of original Aussie Drover, and former NT Government Minister Roger Steele.
Roger Steele tells of his outback experiences at the Buderim Foundation
Drovers Dinner. Photo by Ross Eason
Honourable Roger Steele, OAM, shared fascinating tales of his droving days in the Northern Territory and Queensland. He started work at Humbert River Station as a 13 year old and spent 17 years in the cattle industry in various jobs, from ringer, camp cook, stockman and station manager.
He shared tales of the challenges of mustering sometimes thousands of cattle through harsh terrain, dealing with a cattle rush, the role of horses and the value of Aboriginal stockmen. He went on to manage a life insurance company, to represent Territorians as a member of the NT Parliament, to manage the NT Expo in Brisbane and to take on the role of CEO of the Stockmans’ Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre in Longreach, and said he considered his time in the outback as the most memorable and fulfilling of his life.
An original Aussie drover Roger Steele will be telling stories from his extraordinary years in the outback at a special Buderim Foundation evening on Friday 3rd February.
Mr Steele, who began work as a 13-year-old on a Northern Territory cattle property and spent 17-years in the pastoral outback working his way up from ringer, drover, camp cook, and head stockman to station manager before becoming a Northern Territory Government Minister and Assistant Commissioner for World Expo ’88, has had an incredible life.
Buderim Foundation chair Rod McKinnon said it was not a surprise that with such an interesting working life, Roger has some incredible tales to tell.
“Whether outback life is completely different to your own experience or whether you have some fond memories of your own, Roger will paint a picture of outback life including the challenges of droving cattle for thousands of kilometres in often hazardous conditions, so we can’t wait for our Drover’s evening,” Rod McKinnon said.
