Redeemer Baptist School Assistance to HIPPY
About a year ago the year 10 students of Redeemer Baptist School in North Parramatta, a school that has been trenchantly criticised in the House, started to raise money for Aboriginal communities in need after I advised their headmaster, at his request, that the school readiness program, known as HIPPY La Perouse, would be one project very worthy of their assistance.
HIPPY, which stands for the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters, is an early childhood enrichment program targeting disadvantaged families, particularly indigenous people, auspiced by the Brotherhood of St Laurence.
Currently, more than 400 families are being helped. Recently the Rudd Government announced that it would provide Federal funding of $32 million to expand this very successful program. Over the past two or three years, through the support of the Rotary Club of Sydney—I am a past president—I was able to present cheques on two occasions totalling $175,000 to employ special teachers and home helpers.
The program in La Perouse is under the direction of the Eastern Zone Gujaga Aboriginal Corporation, and supported by the La Perouse Public School. When I explained to Jonathan Cannon, the Principal at Redeemer Baptist, of what we had done in the past he contacted the coordinator of HIPPY La Perouse, who welcomed the Redeemer Baptist students’ offer to provide assistance.
The Mulli Mulli Aboriginal community was also known to have particular needs and contact was made with their pastor, Lola Bundock. Pastor Lola asked if the students could help fix up their church building, which had been built some 30 years ago from discarded timber. Pastor Lola especially wanted the students to stop the roof leaking because, as she explained, when it rained people needed to put up their umbrellas inside the church.
The students decided to raise funds for both of those projects. They held a number of sausage sizzles at Redeemer Baptist School and a major fundraising event, the Annual School Gala Day. As a result, they raised the money and then set out with a team of volunteers from Redeemer Baptist Church, including builders, an architect and senior teaching staff, and travelled to Mulli Mulli on the Queensland border to establish plans for the church renovation project. The team estimated that the project would require more than $100,000 in building materials and labour. The Gala Day and sausage sizzles were a success—and more than $10,000 was raised towards the Mulli Mulli project. But this fell far short of the $100,000 needed.
Representatives of the school, the church and Redeemer staff went out to industry to seek further assistance. The result was quite amazing. They received many donations, including free use of a 14-tonne truck, good quality doors and windows, timber cladding and paint, insulation and roofing materials, paving, gardening supplies and plants. The schools estimated this immediate assistance was worth $50,000.
Year 10 Redeemer students then spent a week of their 2008 term 3 holidays alongside volunteers from Redeemer Baptist Church and some of the people from the Mulli Mulli community rebuilding the church. The week was brought to a conclusion on the last Sunday of the school holidays with a thanksgiving service in the newly reconstructed church.
People came from all around to celebrate with the Mulli Mulli community. Honourable members can imagine the delight of the community. Some said that what was happening in the Mulli Mulli community was being talked about in all the Aboriginal communities on the North Coast. One man came to the service saying that he had been told in town about the renovation and he did not want to miss seeing it for himself.
Repairs to the church building had been in the hearts of the Mulli Mulli people for a long time. The community thanked the Redeemer Baptist School and its students for their assistance, and told them that their gift had been an incredible answer to their prayers. The Redeemer students, staff and church volunteers agreed that it was a wonderful privilege to work alongside their new friends of the Mulli Mulli community.
In December 2008, representatives of the year 10 class presented a cheque to the HIPPY program at La Perouse during the graduation ceremony held in the Matraville Sports High School assembly hall. That gift of $2,500 will help provide HIPPY project workers with training and support. It gives me great pleasure to speak about these two remarkable projects from one school that has helped to meet the needs of our indigenous people.
I thank the school, its students and the church for all they did. I congratulate them on a job well done.
