12 April 2010

Woolworths recently announced that it will be turning off the Credit function at its checkouts for Visa Debit cards. This means that you have to press Savings (Sav) or Cheque (Chq) rather than Credit (Cr) when paying for items at the checkout.

Please note: There are no issues with your card, it is still fully functional. Your Visa Debit card works normally when you press ‘Cr’ or ‘Chq’ or ‘Sav’ at merchants.

If you press ‘Sav’ or ‘Chq’, your purchases will be paid for via EFTPOS rather than through Visa. We bring your attention to our fees and charges structure associated with using EFTPOS, as there may be an additional expense incurred for EFTPOS transactions.

This affects all Visa Debit cards used at Woolworths stores, not only those issued by BDCU.

We encourage you to keep using the ‘Cr’ button when paying for purchases at any store which allows you to do so when using your Visa Debit card. By pressing the ‘Cr’ button, this will ensure you continue to receive benefits of Visa Debit such as the Zero Liability Policy and fee-free transactions.

• BIG W
• Woolworths Supermarkets
• Safeway Supermarkets
• Woolworths Liquor
• Safeway Liquor
• BWS
• Dan Murphy’s
• Dick Smith
• Tandy
• Woolworths Petrol
• Safeway Petrol
• Caltex Woolworths petrol outlets
• Thomas Dux
• ALH (bottle shops)

Government Retains Guarantee for Deposits under $1 million

On Sunday 7th February, Treasurer Wayne Swan announced changes to the Government Guarantee for large deposits and wholesale funding, but retained the guarantee for amounts under one million dollars.

This provides automatic free coverage for an estimated 99.5 per cent of all deposits and the majority of BDCU member deposits. It will remain until October 2011 after which it will be reviewed.

The Large Deposits and Wholesale Funding guarantee is now set to discontinue after 31 March 2010. Large deposits are defined as those being over $1 million. Mr Swan described this decision as marking “a very significant milestone in Australia's recovery from the worst global recession in over 75 years.

“Our financial system has proved itself one of the strongest in the world, thanks in large part to sound regulation and first-class supervision.”The Scheme was implemented in October 2008 to ensure that depositors with Australian credit unions, banks and building societies would be guaranteed repayment of their funds in the very unlikely event that the financial institution faced financial stress.

This was in response to global economic conditions. In Australia there has been no call on Government funds for depositor reimbursement as a result of institutional stress. How does this affect me? If you have deposits under $1 million, the change does not affect you. Your funds continue to be covered by the Government’s Financial Claims Scheme until October 2011, where it will be reviewed. If you have deposits over $1 million, the Government will discontinue the guarantee of these funds after 31 March 2010.

This decision has been made by the Government on their assessment that it is no longer necessary based on the health of Australian financial institutions. How Safe is BDCU? Member-owned organisations suffer from the misconception that they are not as safe as banks, but this is simply not the case. Credit Unions and mutual building societies are covered by all the same legislation, government bodies, auditing processes and prudential regulation as a major bank. Australia’s regulatory regime is one of the best and toughest in the world. BDCU did not engage in sub-prime lending and various highly volatile money markets. This is because we exist to serve members, not shareholders. Our primary motivation is not profit, but provision of better services. All of the money BDCU lends is from our members’ savings so we have more control over funding costs and take fewer funding risks.

About Our Industry - Credit Unions and Mutual Building Societies

• Credit Unions and Mutual Building Societies are owned by their members, not shareholders.

• As member-owned organisations, we are conservative and careful with our members’ money.

• There are more than 4.5 million members in Australia and we have combined assets of $65 billion.

• We have the highest level of capital in the Australian banking system. On average, this is 16.5% for credit unions, which is double the level required by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority.

We extend our congratulations to all 2010 Australia Day award recipients in the Southern Highlands and Goulburn-Mulwaree Shire last Tuesday. Thank you for all the wonderful work you do in our communities.

Congratulations to Goulburn's Tom Marmont and Ross Durrant, who both won the Citizen of the Year Award at Goulburn's Australia Day awards.

Mr Marmont's work at the Goulburn Historic Waterworks has turned it into a premier tourist attraction. He is also known for driving patients of the Bourke Street Health Service to their medical appointments in Canberra.

Mr Durrant was honoured for his volunteering as a hardworking member of Goulburn Rotary and a primary school tutor of intensive reading for the last seven years. He also helps teach new arrivals how to drive and helps them get their driver's licences.

Community Event of the Year went to BDCU Goulburn Hospital Fundraising Inc for the Dancing with the Starz Spectacular. This event paired prominent local personalities with professional dancers in a charity dance competition. The event raised over $50,000 for Goulburn Base Hospital and Goulburn Community Health Centre. Our thanks to the large number of people who volunteered to make this event possible.

Organiser Jodie Divall accepted the award and said it wasn't just a win for the event, but a win for the community."It's a community award and the community has received the award. It couldn't have happened without the community."

Young Citizen of the Year went to Matthew Gough for his three years of heavy involvement in community-based projects including Red Cross Youth Challenge and the Bourke Street School Garden.

In the Southern Highlands, former mayor Gordon Lewis was awarded Citizen of the Year for his work with a number of sporting, local government and service organisations.

Leslie Jonson-Hoye was named Young Citizen of the Year for his commitment to school council representation, fundraising for several initiatives, and information technology innovation.

Information courtesy of Goulburn Post and Southern Highland News.

Starz Event Raises over $50,000

15 September 2009

Taken in part from Goulburn Post, 14/09/09 -

It's been hailed as one of the best community events Goulburn has seen in years.

On Saturday September 12th and a matinee on Sunday 13th, over $50,000 was raised for BDCU Goulburn Hospital Foundation.

More than 300 people watched the eight dancing pairs who were judged by panel made up of Mayor Carol James, John Crooks and John de Bruin. The dancers were scored for performance, as well as the amount of bribes they offered the judges.

Morris Owner and partner Linda Gray scored the highest number of points with their jive rock-n-roll dance.

Sharon Falconer did the rumba with Michael Bakker and won the individual dancer fundraising tally with $12,000.

Andrew Curry and Jess Gray performed a sizzling salsa routine. Pru Goward and Warren Matthews captivated with a melody of swing dance and lucille waltz.

All of the performances were excellent. Feedback from performers and audience to the sold-out event has been overwhelmingly positive.

Funds raised are earmarked for wishlist items for the Goulburn Base hosiptal.

Finally - Our New Children's Ward

20 August 2009

After years of community lobbying and fundraising, Bowral and surrounding areas now have a new Children's Ward.

At its official launch on Thursday 20th August, the hospital's General Manager, Denis Thomas, described it as "state-of-the-art. The ward not only looks good, it's functionally good."

There are now two isolation rooms for children with infectious diseases, hygiene stations, private rooms, a sunlit games area, and wider corridors. There is greater amount of room for families and higher level of privacy. Colourful screening curtains and artwork by local children have also made the clinical space far less intimidating than the last.

The ward is outfitted with beds, equipment, toys, and furniture largely from funds donated by the community through BDCU Childrens Foundation. Most significantly, a $100,000 donation made by neighbouring Mulwaree shire, via the Mulwaree Trust, contributed to the Foundation's $330,000 total.

"BDCU Childrens Foundations has been a prime mover in making this happen," said Mr Thomas.

Foundation co-President, Jennifer Gray, said the community's response to the appeal had been overwhelming. Other than the unexpected windfall from the Mulwaree Trust, "primary schools had dress-ups and stalls, and high schools raised money. One high school even had a walk from Wollongong to Sydney to raise funds."

Ms Gray also thanked the State Government for committing the $3.2 million required to reconstruct the ward.The new ward was officially opened by NSW Health Minister, the Honourable John Della Bosca, who unveilied the Ward's plaque with Member for Goulburn, Pru Goward.

"It's a multi-million dollar facility so cleverly and creatively staged within the heritage envelope," said Mr Della Bosca.

The unveiling followed a traditional smoking ceremony performed by Garry Russell representing the Gundungurra people.

Mr Russell was congratulated by Aunty Val Mulcahy during the Welcome to Country for
"not setting fire to the Minister."

Aunty Val then won applause for speaking of the Wingecarribee's years of health funding neglect.

"On the way to Canberra, the politicians seem to do a U-ie (U-Turn) on the M5. They just think tulips grow here," she said.

"When one is sick in your community, your community is sick. We're in a community down here. The whingeing women of the Wingecarribee will be watching."

Two former patients of the ward spoke about the contrast with the "worn-out and somewhat depressing state of the old ward.""Parents had to sleep in chairs next to sick children in a space with so many others."

Comparatively, the new ward is brighter, more spacious, and more modern.

"It's a reminder to us all that anything is possible when the community works together."

Bundanoon says ‘No’ to Bottled Water

9 July 2009

One of our Southernmost villages in the Highlands, Bundanoon, made a pioneering decision on July 8th at a public meeting. The town is set to be the first in Australia to be bottled water-free.

Miles of Pennies Raises $7,754

The inaugural Goulburn-based Miles of Pennies event, which aimed money for Goulburn Hospital, has so far raised a staggering $7,754 on Saturday July 4th 09.

Over a kilometre of notes and coins were laid end-to-end by businesses, community members, volunteers and passers-by.

Shopkeepers and locals enjoyed the morning with 'protection services' performed by the business community and volunteers from the Police College in Goulburn. Some volunteers travelled from Marulan and the Southern Highlands - and braved some extremely cold weather - for the event.

There was a huge amount of work in running and organising this event. Our thanks go to all of the volunteers and the BDCU Goulburn Hospital Foundation committee.

Local businesses are still collecting more money so the final tally is set to climb higher still.

Support from Exeter Public School

Our sincere thanks to students and the SRC at the Exeter Public School for their generous support.

Letter from Amanda Nash

"Our school has a small population of only 82 children and it is a school in which children take great pride in identifying areas of need within our community.

The Student Representative Council (SRC) recognised the need for upgraded facilities at Bowral & District Hospital and particularly in a ward that a number of our children have already accessed—the children's ward.

Over the past 18 months the SRC has held a number of fundraising activities, such as mufti days, cake stalls, and guessing competitions.

Over this time we have raised $500, which we would like to donate to the Foundation. We would also like to donate six new DVDs for the children to watch whilst they are in hospital.

We hope that this small contribution will help towards making the children’s ward a more modern and comfortable place for children in times of sickness."

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