Guest Speaker Reverand Catie Inches-Ogden was inspirational whilst at the same time, quite sobering. Catie has been an Army Chaplain in a part time capacity and is currently priest in charge of the Anglican Parish of Northern Albury. She told us that there are 5 areas for a Chaplain to cover; Pastoral Care, Ethical Advice, Spiritual Development, Religious Support and Character Development. Chaplains have to provide support for all sorts of issues, ranging from dealing with personnel who have lost important belongings through to assisting people cope with the death of colleagues. She let us know that all recruits spend time with Chaplains to help them identify values and potential ethical dilemmas that they may have to deal with throughout their career. Religious support extends to Christians, Jewish people, Muslims etc. As part of their job, Chaplains support and preside over events such as ANZAC days and other similar ceremonies. Catie was particularly proud to have spoken at one such ceremony at an Australian War Memorial Dawn Service. We talked about how difficult it can be for Chaplains to reconcile the essential difference between the violence of the armed forces and their own personal faith. Catie certainly has an interesting and rewarding job!

Guest Speaker, Noel Jackling – The Montford Albury Flight Memorial: A tale of two losses but two recoveries: A story acted out over 84 years

Following the crash of the Uiver in Iraq in December 1934, Albury people raised £150 for a memorial to be given to the people of Holland by mayor Alfred Waugh. Waugh presented a bronze and marble statuette created by sculptor Paul Montford to the burgomeester of Amsterdam in Amsterdam on 15 August 1935. In September 1935. Montford sent a similar but not identical version in plaster to Albury, which remained in council chambers until 1976. The bronze and marble version could not be located in Amsterdam in 2014, and the plaster version in Albury had disappeared and was apparently irretrievable. Due to two sets of extraordinary circumstances, both of these significant sculptures have been recovered. After the meeting, you will be able to have a special viewing of the Montford plaster Uiver Flight Memorial at the Albury LibraryMuseum, across the road from the Albury Club. Because of much needed conservation, it is unlikely to be on public display for a long time. After retirement as a lawyer, Noel turned himself into an Uiver historian. His endeavours resulted in major additions to the Uiver collection at the Albury LibraryMuseum, which is now listed on the State heritage register. Earlier this year, Noel was invested by the Netherlands Ambassador as a Ridder (Knight) of the Order of Oranje-Nassau

Guest Speaker, Carl Friedlieb is best known in Albury for his involvement with the Border Relay For Life which raises funds for Cancer Council NSW. During Carl’s involvement in the event over the past 9 years, 6 years of which he was Chairman, the event is now widely recognised as one most successful in Australia through both funds raised and participant numbers. The local organising Committee received local recognition of their efforts via the Committee being awarded Albury Community Group of the Year in 2017, The Federer Award in 2018 and the current Chair awarded Wodonga Volunteer of the Year again in 2018.In the last 3 years Border Relay For Life has raised an average of $400,000 a year but the Relay does a lot more than raise funds for the Cancer Council. It supports those that are battling Cancer and their carers, it remembers those that have lost their battle and it reminds us that there is always hope. Carl maintains a high interest in the event and encourages everyone to take part in this event which is truly a community event.

Guest Speaker Simone Butler spoke about her passion and efforts in….Supporting today’s youth to Live Independently for Today and  Tomorrow!

The Vision: My vision is to create a safe and private hub for Kids/ Youth/Young Adults to be guided with the correct tools and give them Life skills to Transition into the Real World. Since technology is the key to the future. I am creating this Website to support Youth/Young Adults to give them the ability to perceive their value in our Society and Self Worth. Social Media needs to be Positive Tool. The website will be able to provide individual paths for specific areas.

The Plan: To create a national youth online skills hub targeting 12-25 year olds available in all secondary schools and universities Australia wide.

How?: Since April 2017, I have been working on a website that aims to encompass various support material for a range of potential challenges that the youth of today face. The content, in the form of engaging videos, over 300 website links and more, is intended to assist and advise our youth to live independently for today and tomorrow, recognising that not all life skills, educational and emotional support come from families and schools. Subjects ranging from mental health, addictions, self development, employment, and financial guidance to how-to change a car tyre, this website caters for all aspects of interest of the emerging teen to help them on their journey through life, equipping them with the necessary information or at least directing them on where to find it. The website will integrate across several digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Mobile APP. Youth will be able to login using their own username and password securely and access their own personalized user profiles – whilst parents will have access to a support forum. The website will be tested through August/September 2018 at a number of schools on the border with its successes/challenges addressed at the end of the piloting phase.

Why?: Having four children of my own, I discovered a real gap in the support and education for many teenagers. So many feel isolated, unsupported and suffer a real lack of direction because they do not feel in control of their future. The Australian Education System does not seem to adequately provide our youth with the necessary skills to emerge confidently into the ‘real world.’ I want to change that – or at least better equip youth to have the confidence to be independent and plan for their futures. There are many teenagers that have No direction in their later years of High school or when the finish school or university. So many feel unsupported & disconnected because they have No vision for their future. Mental health is now also the number one national concern for young people in Australia, according to Mission Australia’s annual Youth Survey 2017 – Quoted by https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/mental-health-biggest-issue-for-youth  I am determined to provide an avenue that aims to support, encourage, and direct youth to right content in times of need, this website will help to do that.

Future Vision: Website to go Global 2020. Build a Homeless Youth Shelter in Albury/Wodonga 2022

Guest Spealer Finlay Campbell is a Year 10 Student at Trinity Anglican College. At the age of 14, he launched an online music streaming platform startup Defani One, with his mate Thomas Summerfield. In June this year, he was awarded my 1st Dan Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate. Earlier this year he applied, and was accepted to join Crimson Education’s STEM Accelerator Tour (Young Innovators Delegation) to the United States of America alongside 8 likeminded students aged 15 – 18 from around the world. The tour gave him the opportunity to visit the headquarters of some of the world’s leading organisations, such as Twitter, Facebook and Salesforce, as well as an insight to a selection of the world’s top universities including Stanford, UCLA, University of California Berkley and California Institute of Technology