A REAL EYE OPENER!!!!

After having an awesome week of fun in Darwin I spent a few hours helping out at our "head office". For those who don't know "head office" is a converted garage in Steve & Michelle Hanton's backyard. No, there is no undercover security parking, nor is there a boardroom, storage area, male and female toilets, spring water fountain, lunch room or reception/waiting area.

Our "head office" is crude to say the least. There are 2 desks, with very little clear horizontal space, surrounded by merchandise, photocopier, stationery, filing cabinets, notice boards, etc. One of the desks has hardly enough room to house a volunteer. There is a small box air conditioner and 1 fan to cool the volunteers in the tropical NT heat. You would have trouble swinging a kitten around "head office".

I had heard a little of the state of head office but nothing prepared me for what I saw and worked amongst.

Everyone needs to know that Dragons Abreast Australia needs help and our member groups must be made aware of where their calls are made to and from, where events such as Caloundra and the DA Corporate and Community Regatta are organised, where their merchandise is dispensed from, where all the administration is done and why Dragons Abreast Australia needs everyone's help.

Dragons Abreast Australia is run by volunteers (apart from Kathy James who is our only paid employee on the basis of 12 paid hours although she spends approximately another 20 hours per week volunteering at "head office").

When you think of a charity please always remember "Dragons Abreast Australia" is OUR charity.
Angie Walter
Regional Representative - NSW North Coast

MORE GREAT PHOTOS

The photos from the 10th Anniversary and Delia Lawrie's Pink Party have just been loaded to our Picasa Album.

Lauren Vallance - our Regional Rep for Victoria made sure she maximized the opportunity to have her photo taken with the handsome hunks from the NT Fire Department as they collected donations in pink buckets for Dragons Abreast. They were cute! and Cynthia Schultz from Port Lincoln obviously thought so too!

Celebrating 10 years of Dragons Abreast

Last night we celebrated our 10 years in fine style with a dinner held at Parliament House, Darwin. We were thrilled to see so many of our interstate members make the trip to Darwin. The atmosphere was electric as old and new dragons came together in the Top End to reflect and enjoy the memories of the past decade.
Senator Trish Crossin, one of the guest speakers agreed to join Madeleine Luck-Grillon as an Ambassador for DAA. Senator Crossin addressed the Senate on 10 November outlining the achievements of Dragons Abreast Australia. A copy of that speech will be posted on the website shortly.
Presentations were made to men and women who have been committed to the organisation for many years. As we enter the second decade we celebrate the tremedous growth of DAA and move forward with great confidence in the future.

WEEKEND IN PORT LINCOLN

We are enjoying a weekend in Port Lincoln - Michelle Hanton, Jo and Jenny Petterson and all the local members had a great night yesterday evening at the Port Lincoln Hotel where they were the guest speakers along with the local breast care nurse Helen Hookings. The breast care nurse is a new position here and is sure to be a wonderful addition to the local support services.