Friday, March 31, 2017 « the western weekender
Community
Community
Business and sporting identities locked up, but you can save them!
Local man to walk Bridge to Bridge for 24 hours straight EMILY NEWTON
hen local Chris Barton first heard about the illness that bound eight-year-old Chloe Saxby to a wheelchair, he knew he had to help. Chloe, who lives in Wollongong with her family, is one of only seven people in Australia with Vanishing White Matter Disease, an extremely rare, degenerative and terminal illness. After working with her uncle five years ago, Mr Barton said hearing Chloe’s story was overwhelming. “I’ve also got a seven-year-old daughter, and that’s why it hits home for me so much because I thought it could easily be my daughter – it could really be anyone,” he said. “I got to know the family and thought I needed to do my part to raise awareness. “It’s one of those diseases no one has heard about.” Mr Barton is calling on the community to join him this Saturday for a lap around the 7km Bridge to Bridge walk at Nepean River, to raise funds for the disease. Mr Barton himself plans to do the iconic walk for 24 hours straight. “What I’d love is for people to come down on the day and walk a lap with me, and donate $20 to walk,” he said.
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Yvonne Jones and Leann Dobbin inside the mock jail cells. Photo: Melinda Jane EMILY NEWTON
s part of National Youth Week, invited members of the community will be “doing time to stop youth crime” to raise funds for Penrith PCYC. Penrith PCYC Manager Leann Dobbin said the fundraiser involves posting bail for local business and sporting figures, who are in a mock jail. “To celebrate Youth Week this year, we’re holding our Time4Kids fundraiser,” Ms Dobbin said. “Jail time gets the whole community involved and allows us to have some fun
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whilst raising money for our programs. Raising much-needed funds assists us in helping disadvantaged families in our community access activities at our centre and run free development programs for our youth such as self esteem and anger management programs.” The event, assisted by Vintage FM and the Penrith CBD Corporation, aims to raise $8000 to help fund community programs. The jail cells will be set up in Westfield Penrith outside Big W on Thursday, April 6 from 9am until 6.30pm as prisoners campaign to raise money for their bail. To get involved, call Ms Dobbin on 4732 1755 or make a donation on the day.
Chris Barton. Photo: Melinda Jane Expected to walk 124km over the 24 hours, Mr Barton is only giving himself one or two minutes at the end of each lap to head to the bathroom and grab food. Formerly a teacher at Springwood High School, he has found recent success in business that has allowed him to focus on the walk. Chloe and her family will make the trip to Penrith to attend the event which begins at 9am this Saturday, April 1.
Mayor’s News The weekly views of Penrith’s Mayor
Spicy Penrith Spicy Penrith is on again. This year, for the first time, it’s come to The Joan – right in the heart of our City. More than 100 performers will come together in a music and dance spectacular, showcasing the vibrant subcontinental cultures of Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India. The concert will be held from 6pm to 8pm on Saturday, April 1. There will be a range of stalls on the Mondo before the concert, from 3pm to 5.45pm. The stalls offer a unique opportunity to explore the traditions of these amazing cultures, try some of their delicious foods, and learn about the valuable contributions these community groups make to our City. You’ll find everything from henna artists to fair trade products, as well as Indian Artefacts and Pink Sari, who promote breast cancer awareness for the subcontinent community. Spicy Penrith is a fun and fabulous
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family outing and is always a great success. This year we have more seats available than ever before, so you can bring the whole family to experience this unique and spectacular local talent. This year you will enjoy performances of a range of traditional dance styles, including Semi Classical Indian Dance, Bollywood Fusion, Tamil Peacock and Rain dance, to name a few. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $17 for children (under 16 years). Your ticket includes a meal voucher, so you can enjoy your choice of India or Nepal’s finest cuisine. Tickets can be bought from The Joan’s box office. They’re also available online at thejoan.com.au, over the phone on 4723 7600 and via email at boxoffice@ jspac.com.au. Have a great time at the event! See you in next week’s paper.
CR JOHN THAIN Mayor of Penrith
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