Riding for the Disabled Association NSW

“Tall Timbers” Centre

125 Old Pitt Town Road

BOX HILL NSW 2765

Phone: 02 9679 1246

Fax: 02 9679 0638

Email: talltimbers@rdansw.org.au

Web: http://talltimbers.rdansw.org.au

Information

RDA Mission Statement

Fundraising/Donations

Newsletter - The Tall Timbers' Times

Information

Riding for the Disabled (RDA) provides horse riding and associated activities for people with disabilities. As well as horse riding our Centre offers carriage driving. Riders can participate at a therapeutic, recreational or competitive level.

RDA programs cater for people with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, injuries resulting from accidents, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Down syndrome, visual and hearing impairments, autism and amputees.

RDA “Tall Timbers” Centre is situated on 27 acres in Box Hill, approximately 1 hours drive north-west of Sydney in NSW. We operate six days a week providing facilities for approximately 200 people with disabilities per annum who come from hospitals, school, care centres and individually.

“Tall Timbers” is staffed by 2 part-time paid Coaches and several volunteer Coaches, together with a paid part-time Administrator, a full-time Horse Manager and a part-time Property Maintenance Person.

Volunteer helpers assist the riders and lead horses as well as assisting with fundraising.

Click here for an information sheet about RDA Tall Timbers Centre

RDA Mission Statement

RDANSW is a volunteer organisation providing equine assisted activities for people with disabilities to develop and enhance abilities.

Fundraising/Donations

The costs of running and maintaining “Tall Timbers” are financed from donations and fundraising activities and a small government grant. Donations of $2.00 or more are tax deductible.

READ FIRST

To make sure your donation comes to RDA Tall Timbers Centre just tick optional information then special message and enter TALL TIMBERS CENTRE in one of the boxes. You can make a donation using your credit card at the Give-Now site by clicking this button.

Our fundraising activities include catering, Chocolate Drives, bulb drives, Ride-a-thon, raffles, trivia nights, Book Fairs and special events.

You can also assist us by helping us to care for one of our team of horses. The cost of keeping a horse is over $750 per annum. Thank you to all our current horse care donors. Have a look at our wonderful horses.

There are lots of other opportunities to help.

You could also consider providing a bequest – please contact the office for further information.

Please contact us if you can help in any way

Cash for a Cause A new way you can help us is to shop on-line at www.pharmaonline.com.au and nominate

RDA NSW Tall Timbers Centre. 10% of the transaction value will be received by our Centre

We are also running a Quilt Fundraiser during until end of August … see latest news or download the Quilt Fundraiser Flyer

Thank you

Thank you to DADHC, United Way, Protrust, The Sunshine Foundation, The ING Foundation, Castle Hill Country Club and the Fairbridge Foundation for their generous support. Also to the Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook who financed our new horse yards and Joan Edwards who donated the funds for the shade cover. Thank you also to the Australian Government Water Fund for our Community Water Grant and the Department of Sport and Recreation for their assistance in our development. Thank you to The Primary Club of Australia who generously assisted with the cost of the arena extension.

We also received a grant from the Department of Family and Community Services to purchase chairs which have now been used on numerous occasions.

Thank you also to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Centrelink for their financial assistance during the Equine Influenza Outbreak.

Thank you to our horse sponsors for 2009 – Bendigo Bank Galston, Value Plus Animal Health Care Products, Rotary Club of Granville, Inner Wheel Club of North Sydney, Margaret Greig, The Gallur Family, Soroptomist International of the Hills, Kirsty Hardman, Karen O’Neill and Sharon Warner.

Thank you to the staff at Unilever who assisted us with a working bee and donated some gardening equipment, trivia night prizes and ice creams for the riders’ Christmas Party.

Thank you to DATS Environmental Services for their kind donation of the use of a Skip Bin to clean up the Centre.

A special thank you to Year 7 at Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta who raised $3000 for our Centre by holding a Walk-a-thon. The school has supported Tall Timbers Centre for the past six years which is much appreciated.

Thank you to Woolworths – in 2009 we received a Fresh Food Kids Grant of $1500 to purchase riding and games equipment for our program. In 2010 we received $7000 from Woolworths National Office who donated $7000 to the weekday program enabling 7 riders to participate in the program.

Thank you also to those donors who wish to remain anonymous. We very much appreciate all the assistance we are given.

Wish List

Thank you to everyone who responded to our wish list. Every little bit helps us to provide our service and reduce expenses.

Personal Lockers for our Volunteers

Heavy Duty Washing machine for washing horse rugs

Small gifts (eg toiletries, bottles of wine etc) for lucky door prizes and thank you gifts

Float – two horse angle

Concrete or bitumen pathways

Fly masks, cob and full size ready for summer

Stationary, stamps, copy paper, white board markers etc

Tissues, kitchen paper towel roll, dishwasher powder, tablets and rinse aid

Connections for machinery and materials to improve the surface of our front car park and driveway.

Mouseproof metal cupboards for rug storage

Horse stuff, garlic, hoof oil.

Wormers

Manure rakes

Saddlery gift cards to assist with purchase of helmets and saddles

Sponsors for vehicles (F100, Jackaroo etc)

Volunteers – extra hands for our program, garden and property maintenance, and fundraising

Volunteers

The volunteers at RDA “Tall Timbers” Centre have an important and responsible job; without them the Centre would not function. They are an integral part of the smooth running of the riding program. The roles that helpers play are many and varied, and age, race or disability is no bar for someone who wishes to help. Horse and medical knowledge are not essential. Two, and sometimes three volunteers are needed to either lead or act as sidewalkers during the riding lesson. For this reason the program relies heavily upon many volunteers each day of the week.

Volunteers are also needed to assist with administration, fundraising and promotion. They assist at events such as the Castle Hill Show Catering, Model Railways Exhibitions, Windsor Polo Matches and special events.

If they wish volunteers can also go on to train to become Coach’s Aides or RDA Coaches.

Kim Kozis received the Volunteer of the Year Award for 2009. Well done and thank you Kim!

History of “Tall Timbers”

The "Tall Timbers" Centre was founded in 1972 by Mrs Pearl Batchelor, OAM, and was operated at her riding school in West Pennant Hills. The first group of children to start riding were from Northcott Society and Crowle Home.

In 1976, due to impending development, 5 acres with a cottage (which was occupied by the first Coach/Horse Manager), with horse yards, was purchased in Kellyville in North West Sydney. Shortly after arriving in Kellyville, "Tall Timbers" began leasing the 25 acres backing on to the property, from the Government.

Over the years a further 10 acres was purchased and an amenities block, indoor arena and stable block were added to the already existing yards and outdoor arena. This made a total of 15 acres owned by RDA NSW and 25 acres leased.

At the end of 1999, once again "Tall Timbers" moved and again this was due to the major development taking place in Kellyville. This time it was to Box Hill where it is hoped that RDA will be able to settle for many, many years and that suburbia will not once again push the Centre further out! The Centre is owned by RDA NSW and maintained by “Tall Timbers”.

The improved facilities were officially opened on 26^th April 2008 by Sonya Phillips, Mayor of Baulkham Hills Shire Council. 2010 will celebrate ten years of RDA Tall Timbers at its location at Box Hill.

During the years that "Tall Timbers" has been operating riders have attended from schools, hospitals, institutions, and adult day-care Centres from Lidcombe, Manly, St Ives, Chatswood, Wahroonga, Merrylands, Holroyd, North Rocks, Ryde, Carlingford, Whalan, Riverstone, Westmead, Marsfield, Northmead, Parramatta, Concord, Blacktown, Baulkham Hills, Windsor, Kellyville, Rooty Hill, Castle Hill, Richmond and Greystanes.