Report of VMMA Donation to Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation Inc.
Sunday 11th November 2007
The VMMA is currently meeting with those organisations who are the beneficiary of Funds from the VMMA Charity Fund.
Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation is one of those beneficiaries and through VMMA member John Jarvis we were invited to attend at the Annual Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation & Neighborhood Watch Concert to recognise those organisations and individuals in the community who have assisted Victoria Police during the past year.
This was a ticketed event with the following VMMA members attending as representatives of our membership John, Dean, Jean and Chris.
John was asked to make the donation presentation of $500 due to his close association with Victoria Police over the past 33 years.
The host for the afternoon was Neil Soullier, OAM, JP. Chief Executive of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation, Neil was introduced to us on our arrival and made us most welcome.
L to R: Dean, Jean, John and Neil.
The event commenced at 1.30 p.m. with Neil giving an overview of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation operation over the past 12 months raising around $1.2 million which stays within the Districts it was raised from with the beneficiaries being community hospitals with many new wards and rooms being funded.
Neil continued to inform the 250 plus audience of future activities which included the Annual Blue Ribbon Ride Day, Neil was pleased to announce that the Australia Day Committee had sanctioned the 2008 Annual Blue Ribbon Ride Day as an Official Australia Day event.
Jean with Constable 'T' and two of the pipers.
This announcement led Neil to invite the VMMA to the stage to make a cheque presentation to the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation, John, Jean and Dean took to the stage with John making the presentation of $500 to Neil along with enlightening the 250 plus audience that this donation was from the Victorian Masonic Association Inc. and that John is a retired Sergeant and a very proud Freemason, John also spoke of the VMMA's and Freemasonry Victoria continued support to community based organisations.
After all the formalities the invited guests were treated to an outstanding afternoon of music provided by the Victoria Police Concert Band and Pipers who were accompanied by two vocal singers.
Thank you John for co-ordinating our attendance at this thank you concert, it was a great afternoon that generated a good number of inquiries from the general public of the VMMA activities in the community.
Reported by CW
