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About The Leisure Company The Leisure Company is a not for profit organisation in Wagga Wagga, situated in the Western Region of NSW that provides recreation, work and life skill opportunities to people with a disability. We offer twelve programs which all have an outcome of inclusion and participation in the local community for more than one hundred and eighty participants. The organisation has been operating for twenty four years and has an excellent reputation of delivering exceptional services to people with a disability.

The vision of The Leisure Company as set out by the stakeholders is that people with a disability have fair and equal opportunities. The mission statement or purpose of The Leisure Company is to integrate people with a disability into the community.

We successfully facilitate all our programs based on our vision and mission statements, along with our organisations values. The Leisure Company offers flexible and innovative programs working within a person centred framework.

The values that The Leisure Company adhere to focus on integration, participation, supporting, developing and maintaining participant’s independence. The Leisure Company ensures that choice is provided to the participants so that they can make their own decisions regarding their personal preferences. At all times the organisation aims to provide a high quality program which will make a difference in the lives of the people who access The Leisure Company.

Mission Statement

Integrate people with a

disability into the community.

Vision Statement

People with a disability have

fair and equal opportunities.

Our Values

· Integration and participation

· Supporting and developing

independence

· Maintaining independence

for as long as possible

· Providing choice which allows

participants to make a decision

regarding their own personal

preferences

· To provide a high quality

program that makes a

difference in

the lives of the people who

access The Leisure Company

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The Management Committee

Chairperson Lincoln Kennedy

Vice Chairperson Tony Williams

Treasurer Geoff Gardner

Secretary Kay White

Committee Members Phil Turner

Debbie Russell (Resigned)

John Power (Resigned)

Cindy Williams

Kym Treharne (Resigned)

Participant Representative Gerry Arbuckle

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Staff List

Elizabeth Amaro Kimberley Hayde Lindsay Revell Kayla Anderson Kimberly Hennessy Annette Rowley Ashlee Banks Jayde Hounsell Marie Ryczak Laura Barker Leah Huthwaite Ashley Saunders Luke Bartholomew Adam Jacobson Margaret Sheely Sophie Blanchard Ryan Jordan Rebekah Sheely Amanda Lee Brookes Jacob Kember Simon Sheely Deanna Casey Donna Kennedy Kelley Sparnon Grace Chaffer Jessica King Naomi Speers Elizabeth Clohessy Kerryn Kitchener Bradie Steiner Dylan Cole Michelle Petterson Karen Steiner Heather Coleman Varghese Philip Kathryn Travers Karen Cowled Melissa Potts Mark Vernon-Bowers Ashleigh Craig Lynelle Rafter Elisha Ward Becky Cramp Joshua Larwood Bridget Waters Kylie Dean Michelle Lonsdale Kim Webb-Wagg Lauren Demaj Maureen Maguire Jondi Weston Sarah Dohl Sarah Manley Samantha Whittet Alison Duckworth Amelia Marshall Kate Wiencke Katelyn Dunn Sophie Mason Nadine Wilesmith Neal Durnan Nicole Kohlhagen Ruth Wishart Melanie Durnan Kirri-Lee Larsen Raymond Woolley Sandra Emery Stephanie Hassan Monique Mcbeath Sharon Froon Mitchell Hawkins Sophie Mccaig Dominique Gachelin Kate Guthrie Emma Mcgrath Robyn Gage Cassandra Halhead Robert McPherson Christina Guthrie Luke Murray Samantha McQueen Stephanie Muir

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MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE LEISURE COMPANY HELD ON WEDNESDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2015 AT 7:00PM

AT RSL CLUB, DOBBS STREET WAGGA WAGGA NSW 2650

ATTENDANCE: Lincoln Kennedy, Tony Williams, D Arrowsmith, Tony Arrowsmith, K Webb, Kay White, …Wotherbe, Mary Potts, Carl Watson, Carmel Coggan, Kerry Forde, Kane Meyers, Jacqui Meyers, Kym Treharne, Pauline Walker, Philip Turner, S Adden, G Chapman, Sharon Froon, Brad Collins, Ian Walker, Stephen Holmes, Leila Sly, Deborah Russell, Christina Guthrie, Patrick Gaynor, Michael Ingold, Leonie McLean, Len Robinson, Adam Jacobson, Fran Webb, Stan Ashford, Beverley Ashford, Heather Coleman, Geoff Gardner, ……….., Emily Kefforal, James Kitney, John Howitt, Jeanne Forsyth, Hannah, Melissa Potts,

APOLOGIES: Read by Kay White – Brad Ryan

WELCOME: Lincoln Kennedy opened the meeting and welcomed all supporters, staff and fellow management committee members.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held 5 November 2014 at 73 Peter Street Wagga Wagga were an accurate account of that meeting. Moved: Michael Ingold Seconded: Stephen Homes Carried.

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT: As read by Lincoln Kennedy. Moved: Kerry Ford Seconded: Jacqui Meyers Carried.

TREASURER’S REPORT/AUDITOR’S REPORT: As read by Geoff Gardner. Moved: Geoff Gardner Seconded: Leonie McLean Carried. SERVICE MANAGER’S REPORT: As read by Libby Clohessy. Moved: Fran Webb Seconded: Lenny Robinson Carried. PROGRAM REPORTS: Workplace Performance Officer’ Report Moved: Stephen Homes Seconded: Tony Arrowsmith Carried. Summaries of program reports presented by, Alison Duckworth. Moved: Michael Ingold Seconded: Beverley Ashford Carried. FUNDRAISING REPORT: As read by Kate Gutherie. Moved: Kane Myers Seconded: Fran Webb Carried. VOLUNTEER REPORT: As read by Kate Guthrie. Moved: Jacqui Meyers Seconded: Carmel Coggan Carried. PARTICIPANT’S REPORT: As read by Leonie McLean. Moved: Lenny Robinson Seconded: Kerry Forde Carried. Lincoln congratulated Program Officers for the reports and for their support this year. Libby Clohessy made a gift presentation to Kylie Dean acknowledging her 10 years of service as an employee. Alison Duckworth made a presentation to George Chapman for his contribution to TLC.

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GENERAL BUSINESS: ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS: Peter Fisk took the chair for the election of office bearers. Peter declared all positions vacant and read the following nominations for positions:-

• Chairperson One Nomination Lincoln Kennedy • Vice Chairperson One Nomination Tony Williams • Secretary One Nomination Kym Treharne • Treasurer One Nomination Geoff Gardner • Public Officer One Nomination Philip Turner • Parent Representative One Nomination Philip Turner • Service User Representative One Nomination Gerry Arbuckle • Committee Members Geoff Gardner, Lincoln Kennedy, John Power, Deborah

Russell, Cindy Thomson, Kym Treharne, Philip Turner, Kay White, Tony Williams.

All Declared Elected SIGNATORY TO ACCOUNTS Geoff Gardner Libby Clohessy Sharon Froon Kay White Moved: Kerry Forde Seconded: Michael Ingold Carried. APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR Twomey National Audit to be appointed as Auditor for the forthcoming year. Moved: Kay White Seconded: Geoff Gardner Carried. A dvd presentation of “Wagga Wagga” the animated movie made by some of the Participant’s during the year. Meeting Closed: 7:57pm. Supper was served.

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Chairperson’s Report

It is with pleasure that I present this report on behalf of the management committee for the year ending 30 June 2016. Whilst The Leisure Company has funding from the NSW Government department of Family and Community Services until July 2018, the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (‘NDIS’) has commenced with the NDIS expected to be introduced in the Murrumbidgee region from July 2017 on a gradual basis. Accordingly, the major focus of the management committee during the reporting year when considering our strategic direction and financial sustainability was ensuring The Leisure Company’s readiness for the introduction of the NDIS. Whilst the NDIS will present The Leisure Company with opportunities, the management committee is mindful that it will also bring many challenges including increased competition and budgeting for a less certain cash flow. A more commercial approach akin to that in the ‘for profit world’ is required to ensure viability. Some of the actions undertaken by the management committee during the reporting year included:-

• Working with management to develop and fine tune our business model in preparation for the new NDIS world;

• Engaging management to fully cost service delivery to determine unit pricing to assist budgeting for the NDIS;

• Engaging management to survey participants and their families for feedback;

• Working with management to conduct a competitor analysis;

• Considering growth opportunities predominantly in areas within core business;

• Considering information received from pilot sites visited by management;

• Considering current and future required infrastructure;

• Undertaking advertising to increase our profile;

• Meeting with John Carrigan, NDIS Consultant, to discuss concerns, movements in the industry and options moving forward; and

• Considering potential consolidations/mergers with other organisations.

The Management Committee gave serious consideration to a merger. Numerous additional meetings were conducted to consider the advantages and disadvantages to members, participants, staff and other stakeholders. Ultimately the committee was of the opinion that a merger with the right organisation would benefit The Leisure Company in that it would strengthen it financially; provide additional necessary resources and capabilities; provide additional opportunities to participants; increase access to others participants; and place The Leisure Company in a stronger position to compete with newcomers and particularly large ‘for profit’ firms wishing to access NDIS funding. Advanced discussions were had with a

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local organisation and sub-committees formed to further investigate a merger. Whilst discussions with the local organisation progressed well, it became clear that the support of our members would not be forthcoming at this point in time given the strong desire of the upper management team to continue standing alone and merger discussions recently ceased. It would be difficult to thank all of those whom have assisted The Leisure Company during the reporting year, but a special mention to:-

• The State and Federal Governments for their continued support in the provision of our unique service;

• The media for its support in lifting our profile and reporting on our service;

• Those that have supported us financially or in kind. In particular, a special thanks to our fund raising committee and to Wagga Wagga Takes 2 stars Pat McRedmond and Haylee Potts who enhanced our profile whilst raising $58,002.95;

• Staff and volunteers who continue to make The Leisure Company what it is; and

• The service users and their families for the support they have given our staff and management during the past year.

I would like to thank Libby and her upper management team for the passion and devotion they have shown The Leisure Company during the reporting year.

I would also like to thank and congratulate the following management committee members who will be not be re-standing for election on the committee:- Geoff Gardiner, after 7 years of service as treasurer. The strong financial position of The Leisure Company is testament to his effort and dedication; Phil Turner, after 7 years of service as the parent representative. Phil’s frank input and level head were invaluable; Tony Williams, after 3 years of service as vice chairperson. Tony’s financial, governance and management skills were greatly appreciated; Kim Treharne, after 2 years of service. Kym’s expertise in board governance and strategic direction helped shape the board’s direction and concentrate our minds on the task at hand. In closing, I would like to note that I will also not be re-standing after 15 years on the committee, 14 as chairperson. It is time for a change of the guard. I have for the most part enjoyed my time on the committee watching the organisation grow exponentially to where it is today and witnessing the positive impact it has had on many participants, staff and stakeholders lives. I would like to thank all fellow committee members, staff and participants for the support and assistance you have provided me during such tenure and wish The Leisure Company all the very best moving forward. I thank everyone for your attendance and interest. Lincoln Kennedy - Chairperson

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Treasurer’s Report I have the pleasure in presenting the Treasurer’s Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2016. A significant indicator of the growth of The Leisure Company over the year is the increase in revenue to $2.830m ($2,829,860), which is 22% greater than the previous year. Total direct client funding in grants from the State Government for the year totalled $2.512m ($2,511,842) or 89% of total income. Client contributions amounted to $138k ($137,647) and donations and fundraising totalled $84k ($84,498). The organisation received grants for nine programs, being:- • Community Participation

$1.214m ($1,213,804) • Leisure Link

$94k ($94,316) • Recreation Program

$176k($175,641) • Transition to Work

$94k ($94,110) • Active Aging & Live Choices

$437k($436,737) • Flexible Respite

$16k($16,938) • Self Managed Contributions

$191k($190,859) • Supported Living

$149k($149,337) • Young People in Residential Aged Care

$88k($87,912)

The Leisure Company’s has recorded a surplus of $385k ($384,949) for the year. This result is up on the previous year as a result of the increase in grant income and donations received. The increase is an exceptional result. The organisation is starting to benefit from economies of scale, resulting in overheads as a percentage of income decreasing as the organisation grows. The financial success of the past few years has allowed The Leisure Company to build its financial position to a healthy $1.855m ($1,854,507). This healthy financial position will allow The Leisure Company to expand and enhance the services it provides to its clients. It will also allow The Leisure Company to buffer any headwinds in the short term as its transitions to the NDIS. Expenditure on wages, salaries and associated payments of $1.962m ($1,962,495) accounted for 80% of total expenditure for the year. The total expenditure of $2.445m ($2,444,911) by the organisation assists the Wagga Wagga economy through the employment of local staff and the purchase of goods and services. Finally, I extend special thanks to Sharon Froon, Administrative Officer, who has once again done a tremendous job and made my role as Treasurer such a pleasure. Geoff Gardner -Treasurer

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Statement of Financial Position for the year ended 30 June 2016

Assets: LAST YEAR

Money in the bank $1,195,095 $754,172

Money that people owe us

$43,682 $24,145

The things that we own eg Our building, cars, bus, computers, equipment

$1,131,071 $1,102,265

Total of our Assets $2,369,848 $1,880,582

Liabilities : LAST YEAR

Money that we owe to other people eg Bills,Tax, wages

$515,341 $411,024

Total amount we are worth

$1,854,507 $1,469,558

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Income & Expenditure Statement for the year ended 30 June 2016 Income This Year Last Year

Funding from the Government

$2,533,942 $2,131,982

Service User contributions

$137,647 $113,489

Donations $84,498 $23,032

Other Income eg Interest,Brokerage

$73,773 $53,200

Total Income $2,829,860 $2,321,703

Expenses This Year Last Year

Depreciation $30,274 $30,518

Employee Expenses $2,017,717 $1,708,494

Administration Expenses eg electricity, printing, cleaning,petrol, telephone

$220,249 $210,417

Insurance $9,418 $9,682

Other expenses $167,254 $169,582

Total Expenses $2,444,912 $2,128,693

Net Profit $384,949 $193,011 11

Service Manager’s Report Over the past twelve months The Leisure Company has continued to empower our participants to make informed choices regarding their individual programs. The ability to provide an individual program is based on listening to the participants and implementing their requests. The growth we continue to experience is a reflection of the organisations ability to focus its energy on person centred approaches to ensure the participants receive an exceptional quality service.

One of the outcomes The Leisure Company has been working on through its business plan is strengthening our ability to market our services effectively and efficiently. We have been using social media, radio and TV advertising to achieve this. There seems to be a trend regarding our advertising campaigns and the high volume of traffic through the use of our Website and Facebook page. Examples of this include our Christmas raffle, Lawn Bowls Business Challenge and the very successful Wagga Takes Two campaign.

The ongoing support of the community of Wagga Wagga allows the organisation to implement our mission which is to “integrate people with a disability into the community”. Thank you to our sponsors and business houses who have supported the organisation over the past twelve months.

Over the past year The Leisure Company has developed an excellent partnership with the Good Guys/ The Good Guys Foundation. The foundation aims to have

a sustainable impact on the lives of its customers, employees, local communities and the environment.

The foundation administers the Local Giving Program which sees a donation from every transaction in store and on line donated to The Leisure Company each quarter. A Cause Partnership action plan has been developed and outlines mutually agreed obligations which includes participation in activities and events of The Leisure Company and promoting the excellent work the foundation carries out through media opportunities.

During the year The Leisure Company was successful with an application for Transition Assistance Program (TAP). The aim of the fund is to assist disability support providers in regional and remote areas transition to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) which will roll out in July 2017 in the Murrumbidgee area.

The project was titled “New Direction In Service’: with the intent to build and maintain a viable product by Implementing a strategic plan, using capacity building techniques to educate participants and their families on what they can expect to see in the NDIS rollout. The project will allow the organisation to investigate product development opportunities and build on current services. In preparation of the rollout of NDIS a considerable amount of time has been spent on developing a client management system in house that will allow The Leisure Company to move forward successfully into the NDIS. The

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information contained within the system is interlinked creating a single point of truth. The system will generate relevant information for payroll and rostering and has the ability to store necessary data for reporting to the National Disability Agency for payment. I would like to thank our Funding Body Department of Family and Community Services, Ageing Disability and Home Care in particular Sharon Jerrick, Anthony Fewson Cathy Scarlett, and Kylie Fewson for their support, guidance and understanding throughout the year. It has been a challenging year for the Management Committee Members moving forward into the NDIS. I would like to thank the committee for their time and commitment throughout this year. I would like to acknowledge the participants and their families for their enthusiasm and willingness to ensure The Leisure Company success continues.

In closing I would like to thank the staff of The Leisure Company for their commitment to the organisation and the participants who access the service. Your dedication and professional approach to you role needs to be acknowledged. Libby Clohessy - Service Manager

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Human Resource Report

2015/2016 has seen continued growth in in staffing numbers at The Leisure Company. We continue to employ staff with a diverse skill set, who are strong, enthusiastic and driven to provide exceptional support to each and everyone one of our participants across all programs.

A number of staff members have moved on to new ventures, providing the opportunity for us to welcome new faces. Without such a flexible and committed team of support workers The Leisure Company would not be able to provide such exceptional service or experience the continued growth in participant numbers that we have seen throughout the past 12 months. Due to this continued growth, in late 2015 we welcomed a 4th Program Officer to our Upper Management team.

January 2016 saw the last of our block staff training weeks. The change in how we provide training opportunities has been necessary with the eminent roll out of NDIS. Professional development has continued during our monthly staff meetings for example, visits from behavioural specialists and individualised

training sessions specific to clients support needs and the staff that work with these participants. Work health and safety remains a focus with staff completing on line learning tools and competency based objectives.

Our new staff induction program continues to offer a mix of theory based training and on the job training shifts with hand over and support from current staff members. Our induction program is supplemented by our mentoring program for new staff giving our experienced staff the opportunity to mentor and share their working knowledge with new staff for a period of 3 month. Feedback indicates that this increases staff morale and allows development of stronger relationships with colleagues and participants as they strive to demonstrate quality leadership skills in the work place.

As the NDIS roll out creeps closer changes to our central database has continued to develop with input from all members of Management. This is now the hub of our human resource systems, containing all templates of clients and staff rosters.

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Through the growth in our own unique system we have been able to move from paper timesheets to an automated system that is available at the press of a button.

I continue to work closely with Rostering Coordinator to match staff with clients’ needs and goals so we maintain our person centred focus and support the wellbeing of our staff.

During the past 12 months we have used a variety of survey methods to gather information in relation to job satisfaction, staffing and availability and moving forward to plan ahead and roster for 2017.

Performance management remains a focus to uphold the high standard of support we provide and ensure staff continue to develop and grow both on a personal and professional level. It’s always a pleasure to watch staff develop their skills and professionalism.

I have enjoyed the opportunity over the past 12 months to develop my working relationships with the support staff and other members of the management team, with the common goal of striving to improve the service for the people and families we support.

Nicole Kohlhagen - Human Resources Officer

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Day Program Report This year has been a year of big changes within the Day Programs. A new Program Officer started with us in November 2015. New participants have commenced with us throughout the year, continuing to increase the numbers of our Day Program. As of the end of June 2016 there are 64 participants accessing the Community Participation, Active Ageing and Life Choices programs at The Leisure Company. To support each of our participants in a way that best suits them, the Day Program continues to uphold the Person Centred Approach, and deliver a service

which is unique to each individual accessing the program. This has included ‘stepping outside the square’ to run a myriad of group activities to meet everyone’s needs to achieve their goals. In turn we have become highly flexible in the way we deliver support; including the delivery of support outside of core hours and matching participants interests and personalities to support staff. The Day Program continues to place an emphasis on connections within the community and supporting participation in community life, much of our service is delivered outside of the centre – and out in the local community.

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2015-2016 has provided many opportunities for The Leisure Company to grow its community links, forge new partnerships and open doors for our Day Program participants to integrate into the community. This has included working closely with organisations and businesses to offer work experience to our participants, some of which is supported one on one, some of which is undertaken independently. Work experience has been conducted in businesses throughout our community including the Forrest Nursery, Pets Plus, Coles, Wagga Boarding Kennels, Byrnes Trailers, Amy Hurd Childcare Centre and the Kooringal High School. The annual Post School Expo was held in August at the RSL Club. The Taster Tour followed shortly afterwards, providing another opportunity to meet prospective new entrants to the Community Participation program. This year we excitingly introduced some new groups based on people’s goals and interests. These include:

• All day Groups- these groups are based on the participants interests, the group goes from 9am-3pm and they have been doing trips out of town, swimming at pools in the surrounding districts, going out to lunch

• 2 groups that now attend the Rules Club for Alphie

• A variety of Technology Groups

We also saw the regular groups grow as participant numbers increased, with

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additional groups being run to meet the demand. Some of our most popular group activities include having lunch in the community, swimming, cooking, and Riding for the Disabled. The Leisure Company now offers over 70 different types of small group activities running on a weekly basis. This has come out of the individual Person Centred planning process with our participants; the groups are a reflection of the participant’s individual choice. In addition to our group activities, we have a number of participants accessing regular 1:1 support. The activities they choose to participate in are all based on participant choice and individual goals. Activities undertaken over the past year include: dance classes, gym sessions, work experience, communication and skills building, hydrotherapy, and personal shopping. As well as our regular group and programmed 1:1 activities, participants have also attended day trips and special events including:

• Bowling in Albury • Questacon

• Boggy Creek • Melbourne Cup Day Lunch • Henty Field Days • Pink Ribbon Day

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the organisations in our local community that have, and continue to, provide valuable opportunities for our participants to develop their skills, engage, achieve their goals and integrate into community life. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with you over the next year and beyond. We would like to say thanks to all the participants in the Day Program who all bring something unique and special to The Leisure Company, and of course to the families, carers and advocates who enable our participants to get the most out of their program. We would like to thank the hardworking support staff, volunteers and the Upper Management team who continue support our ideas. Kylie Dean, Alison Duckworth and Sarah Manley – Program Officers Day Program

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Transition to Work The Leisure Company’s Transition to Work program is a two year funded program which aims to achieve participant employment outcomes, as you may know The Leisure Company has established its own signature style of Transition to Work service delivery. We offer a unique and innovative program which begins with the development of goals under the following key areas – living skills, education, pre-vocational skills and recreation.

The support delivery is extremely flexible with the ultimate aim being to determine individual wants and needs, assisting people in meeting their goals and helping people to gain meaningful and fulfilling lives, through personal development and gaining employment in the area of their choice.

Transition to Work Groups

Transition to Work is focused on building a young person’s skills, confidence and readiness to enter employment. This year we were able to assist participants to: develop practical skills, connect with education or training, connect with relevant local services and find relevant and preferential work placements.

Our Personal and Career Management group is designed to be a self-sufficient holistic micro-business, in which the participants tend to a plot at the Wagga Sensory Garden then prepare, plan and cook recipes that are then sold to other participants and staff at The Leisure Company. All profits go towards purchasing more seeds to grow and

ingredients and supplies required by the group.

Participants are responsible for all administrative tasks related to the running of the business. Participants take turns in working in different roles within the micro-business, including: manager, advertising, sales, treasurer / finances and marketing. There are a number of work and social skills covered within the frame work of Personal and Career Management including: literacy, numeracy, planning skills, computer skills, personal presentation, time management, improved independence, money handling, cooking skills, administration, meal planning and budgeting.

Business Partnerships

In keeping with our person centred approach, we have focused on goals and preferential outcomes, highlighting the need for inclusive and accessible work placements. The Leisure Company works in partnership with many local employers providing work placement for a number of participants in both the Transition to Work Program and Community Participation. Thank you to all the local businesses providing work placement this financial year include: The Forrest Nursery, Pets Plus, Amy Herd Child Care Centre, Wagga Wagga Boarding Kennels, The Wagga Wagga Sensory Garden, Hanericka Farm Stay, Byrne Trailers, Kooringal High School and Coles Supermarket.

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Reaching Goals

Ashley is welding up a storm!

During his Transition to Work program, Ashley attended TAFE with a support worker having great success in his assessments. Ashley has gained an Introduction to welding certificate and is now participating in work placement at Byrne Trailers Wagga Wagga, where he is making new friends and gaining valuable work skills.

There has been such a change in Ashley’s attitude and his confidence has grown immensely. Ashley has developed a number of new skills and he and his family couldn’t be happier.

The Leisure Company would like to congratulate you on your success, keep up the good work!

School Leavers The Leisure Company have continued to support the Post School Program.

This year we hosted two Project Work Skills workshops. School students visit many local services to develop their employability skills and personal development.

During their time at The Leisure Company they worked on developing an understanding of their personal attributes

and identified skills that are important in the workplace and how these things impact on them personally when in pursuit of a career pathway.

Program Officers attended the Post Schools Expo, which was a great opportunity to meet with and talk to the

community and provide information about the vast range of programs we offer. It is always great to get out in the community and speak with the people that will shape the future of our service.

We were please to host morning tea for the Post School Programs Taster Tour, where number of school leavers visited local disability services. The students were given a tour of The Leisure Company and participated in presentations highlighting

our Transition to Work and Community Participation programs.

The Future

Post School programs help young people with disability develop skills to increase

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their independence and participate in their community when they leave School. Currently ADHC funds two post school programs for young people with disability: Community Participation and Transition to Work. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is approaching, with our area transitioning from July 1st 2017. What this means for current and future participants is that instead of specific programs such as Transition to Work being run, eligible people with a disability will receive an NDIS package to fund the reasonable and necessary supports they require. In the NDIS trial sites; students have either been referred directly to the NDIA for assessment or have had their

Post School Program assessments passed on to the NDIA.

Aging Disability and Home Care is in negotiation with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to determine the best way to transition eligible Post School Program school leavers to the NDIS.

We are happy to see participants develop new skills, make friends and reach their goals. Thank you to all the participants, families, carers and our amazing team at The Leisure Company for making The Leisure Company such a wonderful place to be.

Sarah Manley – Program Officer Transition to Work

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Recreation Service The Recreation Service has had another busy year providing a variety of Leisure and Recreation activities, based on the interests of our 100 participants.

Ideas for activities were gained from suggestions throughout the year as well as in our planning meeting, held at the beginning of 2015 and 2016.

Extra activities were provided throughout the year offering favourites such as Mystery Bus Trips, Tumbafest, trips to the football, a Day on the Green, Monday night cooking, Troy Cassar Daley and lots more.

There were 44 extra activities offered in this reporting period, the most popular activities being;

• The Christmas Lights Tour-27 participant

• Tumbafest-18 Participants • Mystery Bus trips- 15-18 participants

Three Day Getaways to; Coffs Harbour, Merimbula and Mildura trips were a success and offered participants a short holiday with a variety of different experiences without a huge expense.

In October 2015 ten participants and two support staff headed to Mildura for the Annual Country Music Festival, the trip also included a spot of line dancing and an afternoon cruise on a paddle steamer. This trip was the first three day getaway for two participants and the other eight were part of our regular holiday goers.

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In March 2016 we saw another ten participants head down to the Sapphire Coast where they enjoyed the sea and sights of Merimbula; this included a visit to the whale museum and cheese tasting in nearby Bega.

In June 2016 our three day getaway to Coffs Harbour was stretched to four days to ensure nothing was missed. The trip included a night in Newcastle on the way up and a night in Toukley on the way back.

Coffs Harbour didn’t disappoint, and participants most memorable experience was getting up close and personal with the dolphins and seals at the Dolphin Marine Park.

Activities from our What’s on Calendar are offered each month throughout the year particularly on a Wednesday, Friday and a Monday evening in the summer months. Winter months are a little quieter with three to four activities offered. Popular regular activities include: independent group and BEP group with both groups having between 10-22 participants in attendance each month.

Other What’s On Activities offered for this reporting period include; swimming for fun, twilight by the lagoon, movie nights, Sunday markets & breakfast, walk the lake, Mother’s day craft and dinner and dancing at the Rules club. A total of 47 What’s On Activities were offered for this reporting period.

Regular activities continue to be offered during the week.

Tuesday Games Group still meet each Tuesday approximately 11 participants participate in this group activity. The participants plan their own activities and have participated in activities such as:

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have included; lunches out in the lunch in

Lunch the community, walking the lake, beauty treatments and pampering, craft, games both indoors and outdoors and a trip every couple of months to a neighbouring town.

Indoor Soccer again continued for this reporting period, this sporting group is quite popular and has a team of twelve dedicated players each rotating on a fortnightly basis.

Guys Thursday Rangers continues to meet each Thursday afternoon from 12pm – 3pm. The group participates in a variety of different activities based on everyone’s individual interests, the group participated in: a graffiti workshop, made chopping boards & BBQ boxes using wood and power tools and also enjoyed a few trips out of town, cooking lunch and a trip to the movies on a wet day.

Ladies Thursday Rangers meet at Forsyth Street each week 12 – 3pm this group of ladies are independent and utilize the Forsyth Street premises as a base or venue for their activity. Each week there is something different whether it is out for lunch, scrap booking or a movie the group plan and organise their own activities and only rely on a support worker when they want to head out of town for the afternoon.

Netball is played each Thursday evening we have a team of 15 dedicated players each rotating on a fortnightly basis.

Bowling League became its own Association in January 2016, the league comprises of approximately 35 players who make up 14 teams. The League plays from 9am -11am each Saturday morning except in the school holidays or when interstate championships are being held.

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The League is overseen by Wendy Smith and a support worker from The Leisure Company attends each week.

There has been a decline in High Support participants for this reporting period, with two participants receiving high support. One participant receives high support on a fortnightly basis this is giving him the opportunity to go out for dinner with one to one support where he feels comfortable and welcomed by the local community. Participant two receives high support monthly due to his health and support needs. The participant enjoys small trips out of town, swimming and going out for lunch where he watch all of the trucks and cars.

There was approximately 705.5 activity hours provided to 322 participants for this reporting period.

The Recreation Service wouldn’t be able to provide such great activities if it wasn’t for our wonderful team of support staff.

Thank you to all of the support staff for your flexibility, energy, and happiness that you bring to each and every activity.

Finally thank you to our participants who keep coming up with great activity ideas, attending the activities and for making our activities a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone.

Thank you

Cass Harris-Program Officer

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Leisure Link The Leisure Link Program has had another great year, offering a variety of activities to fifteen participants aged 13-18 years.

The support has included each Saturday of the school term from 9.30am – 4pm, small group support on a Tuesday afternoon 3-5pm and Zumba which is combined with Recreation participants on a Thursday evening from 6pm-8pm.

All activities are based on the interest of the participants, as well as accessing what is on offer in our local community. Types of activities provided include: cooking, visiting Junee and Coolamon, attending the commemorative march, local fire station visit, Circus Oz., Altina Wildlife Park, swimming, the Holbrook show and lots more.

In February 2016 a combination of Leisure Link and Recreation participants went to see Guy Sebastian in Canberra, a great time was

had by all especially those participants who previously had not had a night away from family.

Leisure Link has seen some new faces over this reporting period; three participants exited the program due to other commitments, finishing High School and beginning work or attending a Day Program. All participants were offered a place in our Recreation Service.

Thank you to the participants for your sense of fun and laughter and to your acceptance and friendship you offer each other. Also thank you to the great support staff who provide fantastic support to our Leisure Link participants ensuring everyone is involved and having a good time.

Cass Harris

Program Officer- Leisure Link

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Leisure Time It has been a fun an exciting year for Leisure Time. There are now 12 regular Leisure Time attendees, with students coming from a variety of schools in the area, including: Willan’s Hill, Wagga High, Kooringal High, and Wagga Anglican College (TRAC). The school pick-ups have been running smoothly and have been a benefit to families of children who attend.

The group is primarily self-directive, as we work with in a person centred framework. Activities include: bowling, Jump and Putt, cooking, music, beauty and relaxation, art and craft, and other various activities in the community.

We have received wonderful feedback from participants and families regarding the service. An online survey was conducted for all participants and their families, with 100% of families saying they would recommend The Leisure Company to a friend. Through the survey results we found there was a need for a school holiday program, working in collaboration with the Recreation Program Officer, we planned and organised a number of activities. We successfully held day trips and centre based activities during the school holidays in April and July.

Sarah Manley – Leisure Time Coordinator

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Henry Henry is The Leisure Company’s youngest participant; his age has prevented him from accessing other services. Henry’s and his mother have a real passion for early intervention. Children with disability really benefit from early intervention – the earlier, the better, early intervention means doing things as early as possible to work on your child’s developmental, health and support needs. Henry and his mother make great use of Leisure Times person centred approach, allowing Henry to develop his skills and work on his goals. Henry’s social skills are continuously improving he is making many new friends. He is a star at The Leisure Company.

Katie Katie is a wonderful addition to The Leisure Time Crew.

Katie’s mother had been unable to work extended hours due to Katie’s higher support needs. Katie’s family found that main stream after-school care was not meeting her needs. Katie now regularly attends Leisure Time which allows her mother to work past 3pm, as well as providing Katie time to socialise with her peers and learn new skills.

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Individual Funding

Self-managed Community Participation, Supported living fund and Flexible Respite NSW has been expanding individual funding arrangements for people with disability under the Supported Living Fund since 2012 and the Living Life My Way Framework from 2013.

Individual funding is allocated to a person rather than to a program, place, or funded provider. It gives the person choice and control over the management and purchase of their supports.

During this reporting period The Leisure Company has acted as an intermediary for approximately 13 participants & their families.

Five participants received Self-managed community participation funding , four participants received supported living fund, six participants’ received a Flexible Respite funding (package),One participant received a self-managed life choices package.

In October 2015 two participants receiving both a Self-managed & a supported living package had their funding amalgamated; this process meant that participants were able to manage one amount of funding rather than several amounts. This also simplified the process for The Leisure Company in regards to reporting balancing funding amounts and invoicing.

Self-managed funding has been used in a variety of different ways for each of the participants; including funding the support required for a participant to participate in his own small business. Support people are paid

to assist the participant to complete his tasks at work. Support people are also paid to assist the participant with other tasks such as independent living skills, exercise, health and leisure.

The other participant uses their individual funding for other services such as domestic assistance, personal training, assisted holidays and new experiences.

In July 2015 the Leisure Company began providing Flexible Respite to a young lady with complex support needs, on occasions the young lady would require respite in Wagga whilst her family had respite of their own. This was new for The Leisure Company and exciting for staff. The participant was supported in two to three day blocks in local short term rental properties in Wagga, staff would support the participant around the clock to ensure she was receiving the support she needed.

In October 2015 the same participant went on a cruise with her mum & brother and support worker. The participant was able to have time away from her family members to enjoy the cruise. Her family were also able to go on shore and play in the sand dunes without having to worry. Although the cruise was only for a few days it was a fantastic opportunity for the participant and her family. Other Flexible Respite Packages have been utilized for regular short term respite blocks i.e. on a Saturday, to pay for short getaways/holidays and also to purchase equipment.

Cass Harris - Program Officer Recreation Service

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Focus Group The focus group was developed to improve service at The Leisure Company. Our group consists of ten participants from both the Recreation Service and Day Program. We meet once a month on a Tuesday afternoon and follow a targeted agenda. Feedback is gathered on topics that are currently in place, with room for suggested new services. This is done through: Engagement Questions, Exploration Questions, Exit Questions, as well as surveys and general discussion.

Group Members:

Carmel Coggan (REC), Rachael Mackay (REC), Sam Hall (REC), Kellie Parker (DAY), Gerry Arbuckle (DAY), Thomas Molloy (DAY), Michael Ball (DAY), Hannah Forsyth (DAY), Miranda Stewart (DAY), Amy Rennick (REC), Matthew Quigley (DAY).

Group Facilitator: Sarah Manley

Items Covered: 1. Work Health and Safety

There were a number of great WHS observations put forward by the group. Including:

- The hot and cold taps at Forsyth Street had their labels on the wrong way around. This has been addressed.

- There were a number of nails sticking up in the common room at Peter Street. This has been addressed.

- The wooden table and chairs, including the stand alone bench at Peter Street are unstable. – WHS Officer informed

- The metal bracket for the gate at Forsyth Street is a tripping hazard. – WHS Officer informed

- The lane access is reduced when the bins are out- WHS Officer informed

- Water and mud in the carpark at Forsyth Street - WHS Officer informed

- The wheelchair change rooms at the Oasis are extremely wet and can be a slip hazard- WHS Officer informed

- The black chairs often break when people sit on them.

- There is a light in the bathroom at the Union Club Hotel that appears to be detached from the ceiling. – The Union was informed of this concern.

- The hot water at Forsyth Street is extremely hot; there have been a number of near miss burns. - WHS Officer informed.

- The internet at Forsyth Street in unreliable

2. Groups and Activities / Suggestions

- Bike riding group

- Chess Club

- Board Games

- More activities out of town

- More choice for holidays

3. Staff Feedback

- Staff are generally cheerful. - Some people can become

uncomfortable when staff raise their voices at other participants.

- Staff need to take more time to get to know participants, even if you don’t work with them.

- “Staff do a great job participating with us, “they get people involved and joins in”.

- “Staff are always nice and funny”. - “Always happy and positive”

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- “Always cheerful” - “Great to work with” - “Doing a great job”, “involves

everyone” - “Staff are positive and get involved” - “The Leisure Company has a great

Manager”

4. Discussion on TLC Mission Statement

Integrate people with a disability into the community; How are we doing this?

- Freedom of choice – Person centred planning, “we get a say in what we want to do”.

- Flexibility - Activities in the community - Awareness – Working with people

with a disability - Allowing participants to have a say - Work experience- “lets me help

people in the community” - Information and Education for

participants and the community - Social Media – connecting people

with the community through the internet

5. Fundraising Suggestions

- Dye run – After discussion with management it was discovered that there are a number of issues regarding insurance.

- Car Wash – Being investigated - Hot Dog Eating Competition – After

group discussions it was decided that

we will not put this idea forward as TLC should be promoting healthy eating.

- Selling Chocolates – Being investigated

- BBQ at Bunnings – Being investigated - Art Auction – Being investigated - Facebook Competitions – Being

investigated

6. NDIS Update and Discussion - The general consensus was that it

would be beneficial to have information sessions regarding the NDIS. Members of the group were split on their knowledge of the NDIS with four members indicating they did not know what the NDIS was.

Questions the group would like answered

- What is the NDIS? - Will the NDIS affect my Disability

Pension? - What does it mean for me if I have

paid employment? - Will the NDIS effect my time at The

Leisure Company? - What do I need to apply for the NDIS? - What can be funded? - Who looks after our funding? - Will I still be able to change my

activities?

7. Poll and Discussion:

Would you recommend The Leisure

Company to a friend?

90%

10% Yes

No

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Volunteer Coordinator’s Report It has been a busy 12 Months for our outstanding Volunteers and Students.

In our first week of 2016 we had 16 Students from Lowana Girls Study Centre in Sydney. The purpose of their visit is to gain invaluable experience through reaching out to those in need. They are keen to continue to come back each year.

Over the last 12 months we have gained 8 new volunteers and have had 28 Students come through.

All our Volunteers and students have donated up to an amazing 1500hrs of their precious time to assist The Leisure Company participants.

This year as well as gaining new volunteers we have also lost a number of volunteers who have gained full time employment elsewhere. We wish them all the best for the future.

Our Volunteers have come from a range of backgrounds and have bought a diverse range of the skills and knowledge to The Leisure Company.

They also contribute in many different ways at a time that is convenient to them. Volunteers not only assist with our many programs but are valued members of The Leisure Company’s Management and Fundraising committees.

The Students we have had this year have come from various organisations including: TAFE, Coolamon Central School, CSU, Wagga High or TRAC. On a positive note one of our Students from TAFE gain employment with us as a Permeant Part time employee.

We currently have 30 Volunteers on our books.

The organisation continues to collect data as a part of the continuous improvement process. Throughout the year we have updated the volunteer application packs which include how they heard about us. It was quite interesting to see the variety of different avenues people seek out our Volunteer Program. We are quite proud that Word of Mouth is still the most common way we recruit new volunteers.

Lastly I would like to thank each and every volunteer and student for donating so generously your time, for bringing enthusiasm with you each day, and for making our days a bit brighter. You contribute to our excellent service which we pride ourselves on having. Thank you once again and we hope you will continue to support The Leisure Company in the future.

Melissa Potts - Volunteer and Student Coordinator

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Fundraising Report 2015 - 2016 Wow, what a year the fundraising committee has had! It was one of the busiest years for The Leisure Company fundraising committee with an event almost every month, sometimes several in the same month. We would like to start by thanking everyone on the fundraising committee, and all the staff and participants at The Leisure Company for all their hard work and support this year. It was all hands on deck as we began the year with a BBQ outside Masters Home Improvement on Saturday 11th July. We all had allocated shifts from 8:00am - 4:00pm and even had some participants come down to help out. We had the sausages donated by Turvey Tops Butchery, the bread donated by Bakers Delight and Sumo Salad donated the onions. We decided to hold a Christmas in July Trivia night at the Commercial Club on Friday 31st July. Whitto from StarFM dressed up as Santa to host the fun evening. It was a great night! In November, we thought we would try something a little different. We put on a Lawn Bowls competition at the RSL, which ran over 4 weeks. Every Friday in November, we had teams come down and compete to win The Leisure Company Cup. We had several business houses and even a team of clients participate. We had raffles and we provided a BBQ every Friday night between games, which was graciously donated by Turvey Tops Butchery and Bakers Delight. A huge thank you to Max & Carol at the RSL for donating their time and they graciously did not charge us for the use of the RSL greens. We could not have done this without them. The Leisure Company was very honoured to be chosen by Pat McRedmond from The Union Hotel as his charity of choice to sing for in Wagga Wagga Takes 2 2016. It was the 10th year of the event and each celebrity was given extra time to fundraise. Our goal was to raise funds for a new wheelchair accessible bus.

We knew it would be a big few months ahead of us, but we were all up for the challenge. We started it off with a hugely successful Christmas Raffle. 1st Prize was a bar fridge full of drinks (wine/beer) and 2nd Prize was a hamper full of Christmas goodies. For the months of December, January and March we did Meat Raffles at The Union hotel every Friday evening. Each week committee members would go around The Union Hotel selling tickets for meat trays. We even had some clients come down to help sell tickets. This was a great way to spread the word and raise awareness about The Leisure Company to patrons at The Union Hotel. This was extremely successful. There was such great feedback about our November Lawn Bowls competition that we decided to hold another Lawn Bowls competition in February. We had Raffles & a BBQ each week. Everyone that participated said they wanted us to continue doing this event! Other events that we held to raise money for Wagga Wagga Takes 2 were a Trivia Night at The Union Hotel in February and a Movie Premiere of the new live-action film The Jungle Book in April. There was also an auction on air on StarFM and 2WG of a 2015 signed Brumbies Jersey. It went for $1,600! Thank you to Mick Toshack & Duncan Potts from Southern Cross Austereo for donating the time on air, Patrick Kenny from Furniture35 for framing the jersey and the Brumbies for donating the jersey. Our 2 largest events were the Beer & Bet Day held at The Union on 19th March and the ‘Leisure Company’ Race Day on April 17th at Murrumbidgee Turf Club. The largest task was to organise over 120 prizes for raffles for these days. A massive thank you to the committee, Dave Lugton, Pat McRedmond, Libby Clohessy and everyone who donated prizes, supported and attended these events.

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It was a massive effort from everyone involved with these events and without everyone’s support, we wouldn’t have been this successful. Including donations and sponsorships, the total from Wagga Wagga Takes 2 that The Leisure Company received with the added money from the performances was an incredible $58,002.95. What an incredible effort! Thank you to Thomas Bros for their support and finding us the perfect new bus! After a little break, The Leisure Company fundraising committee is looking forward to

another fun filled year full of fundraising events and we are always looking to welcome new committee members! Every little bit helps to allow The Leisure Company participants to enable them to reach their full potential through Recreation, Work and Life Skills programs offered to them. Alissa Whittington Chairperson, Fundraising Committee

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