Wollondilly RDA in Tahmoor, New South Wales | Community organisation

Wollondilly RDA

Locality: Tahmoor, New South Wales

Address: Thirlmere Way 2573 Tahmoor, NSW, Australia

Website: https://rdansw.org.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation

22.01.2022 A big thank you to the crew today that helped clean up the RDA area over the past few weeks and now built the yard for us. Without our wonderful volunteers and donations, we could not do what we do. Thank you.

22.01.2022 Today we had a special day. We introduced 2 new award to hand out to the kids each year and we decided to remember two of our previous riders with naming the awards after them. Thank you to the Dench and Rowe Families for coming along to accept the first awards named after their beautiful children. Each time both came to ride, the excitement was contagious to everyone around and even when they got back home. Our volunteers where very fond of both of them and will always remember them.

22.01.2022 Please support Wollondilly RDA buying Bella the horse for the disabled children. We need your help to get the $6,000 goal. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far, we really appreciate your support and the joy you will bring to the children and families involved.

17.01.2022 Donate button is fixed. Please help us get this wonderful horse for the children and young adults with disabilities to come and ride. Thank you for your support.

15.01.2022 A big shout out to Oran Park Mums group for raising $585.00 to help purchase Bella. Thank you for everyone involved, we really appreciate it.

14.01.2022 It's with great sadness that I have to let everyone know that Betty Wallace passed away today, after an illness. I know everyone appreciates how hard it is for the family and they thank everyone for their love and support. Betty’s idea to start our RDA many years ago has grown into a great legacy, that we will do our best to continue

14.01.2022 HALF WAY to getting Bella the Horse. Thank you for all the support, we are nearly there. Please click the link to help us buy Bella. https://www.mycause.com.au//wollondilly-rda-riding-for-the

14.01.2022 This beautiful artwork was commissioned and donated by 2 of our members, to remember everyone we have lost over the years. Thank you Aileen and Sharon..

11.01.2022 A huge shout out to Camden Hire for becoming our Major Sponsor and making sure that we can have all our disability schools and individuals come next year. Thank you for your support.

09.01.2022 Big shout out to Shaun at All Season Lock & Key in Picton, for getting keys so we can lock out cabinets. Thank you for looking after us and donating the keys. https://www.facebook.com/allseasonslockandkey/

09.01.2022 Please click on photo link and vote for the RDA photo of Aileen. Help give us exposure to our cause and show the support the Dilly Drought Drive gave us over the last few years.

08.01.2022 Eulogy for the late Betty Jean Wallace OAM. (16th July 1929 - 18th May 2020.) Prepared by Tom Wallace 21/5/2020. Delivered at Betty’s funeral held at the Wollon...dilly Pony Club on 25/5/2020 by Eric Hagarty. Betty was born in Picton, N.S.W. (16th of July 1929) to Arthur George Miller and Lillian Bertha Nuttall. She had three brothers, Colin, Allan and Noel and one sister Joy (Lowe), and was the second youngest in the family. She grew up in the Picton area and spent her whole life within the Wollondilly Shire, living at her beloved property, Fairmont from 1974 until her passing. Betty was educated at Picton Public School. Betty married a well-known local teacher, Graham Bryce Wallace OAM on the 24th of August 1957, they made an amazing team and complimented each other. They achieved great things for many individuals and also the greater Wollondilly community. They have two sons Robert and Tom. Betty also had one granddaughter, Olivia Rose of whom she had great affection for and enjoyed her company immensely. Betty was very proud of Olivia’s achievements and the fine young lady that she has become. As a young child Betty lived on the family farm, Brundah in Tahmoor where her lifelong love of horses began. Little did Betty know, but this love would be a catalyst for her to start two horse orientated groups in Tahmoor. In 1968 Betty and Graham were instrumental in starting Wollondilly Pony Club where Betty became not only an Instructor for the club but a well-respected and much- loved mentor. This involved obtaining suitable grounds, fundraising to build a clubhouse, stalls for the horses, storage sheds etc. Up until this year Betty was still Chief Instructor at the club. Betty was Vice-President of Wollondilly Pony Club and after Graham’s death became President. As well as being a founding member Betty was still a current member. She held the position of Deputy Senior Instructor in 1970 and Senior Instructor in 1972, a position that was still current. In 1981 she was awarded Life Membership of the club. She became Deputy Zone Chief Instructor around 1998 and continued in that role. She was the head gear checker at NSW State Championships in several different equine disciplines. Betty regularly mentored candidates for their NCAS coaching accreditation throughout the Zone (nine clubs). She prepared and assessed pony club riders for their efficiency certificates (zone wide) and prepared the Zone Teams of Four for their competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Betty was a member of the Royal Agricultural Society for well over 60 years and had been invited to judge from time to time. Betty was also a committee member of the Zone 10 PCANSW committee since Wollondilly became part of Zone 10 in 1968. She was always prepared to encourage and support riders and coaches within the Zone. Betty also for many years coached teams from regional pony clubs which competed at the Sydney Royal. She was a life member of the Zone 10 Pony Club Association. In 2000 Betty received the Australian Sports Medal on Australia. In 2018 Betty received a Distinguished Long Service Award from Sport N.S.W. for distinguished service in a particular area that has been of significant benefit to the sport organisation and community for her work with Pony Club. In 1986 Betty and Graham were instrumental in starting Wollondilly Riding for the Disabled. They were able to access suitable grounds and again started the long process of clearing the ground, fundraising to purchase materials to start the building and purchasing suitable horses and encouraging volunteers to come along and be part of this wonderful organisation. Betty had heard of and seen Riding for the Disabled in other areas and felt that it would be a wonderful opportunity to give disabled riders in Wollondilly the chance to receive the amazing benefits from horse riding that normal riders receive. Wollondilly RDA was officially opened on 14th October, 1986 by Pearl Batchelor OAM who opened the first centre in N.S.W. Some of the volunteers who started in 1986 are still volunteering at Wollondilly. This shows the fellowship and camaraderie and dedication to disabled people and horses that exists at Wollondilly RDA. Betty was Chief Coach and Vice-President and then President, a position that was still current. Betty was known here as Mrs Wallace, Betty and B1 as she had a much-loved friend and fellow Coach Betty Lyons known as B2. Betty was awarded a Lifetime Membership badge from RDANSW for her many years of tireless work for Wollondilly RDA. In 1998 Betty was awarded the Senior Achiever of the Year by Wollondilly Shire Council at the Australia Day Awards and in 2014 was pleased and honoured to accept the Community Group Award for Wollondilly RDA from the Wollondilly Australia Day Awards at Picton. In 2019 Betty was awarded an OAM from the Governor-General for her lifelong commitment and tireless work for the people of Wollondilly and elsewhere. Betty was always more than happy to share her wealth of experience and knowledge with anyone who needed it and she always made her knowledge on all things equine available to anyone. In fact Betty always enjoyed nothing more than showing new volunteers the ropes and helping them realise the value and contribution that RDA has and continues to make to the lives of disabled riders. RDA are extremely lucky to have two people that Betty trained and mentored. One is now their Coach and one their Trainee Coach. Betty’s legacy will live on in these two wonderful women, Rosie and Kelly, so in that sense Betty will never be forgotten. Betty joined the TAHMOOR VOLUNTEER BUSH FIRE BRIGADE (now RURAL FIRE BRIGADE) in 1957 becoming involved in all Brigade activities. She received her long service award in 1995 for 48 years of service. Betty was an inaugural member of the QUEEN VICTORIAL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL SUPPORT COMMITTEE (formed 1995). This committee was successful in gaining Federal Government recurrent funding for 30 beds to be built at Q.V.M.H. Picton. The objective of this committee was to secure the entire estate for future hospital use. This was something Betty was very proud of being part of. Betty was also heavily involved until last year with MEALS ON WHEELS with her assistant and long-time friend and sister in law (Joan Miller). Betty had numerous hobbies, the most passionate being horses and all aspects that surrounded them. She was a very skilled horseman and enjoyed having horses around until her passing. She also loved her garden, coin and stamp collecting. Apart from her love for her husband, the next love was for her constant companion, Nellie. She had a lifelong love of Border Collie dogs of which she owned constantly from a young girl. Betty was well travelled and often spoke fondly about her trips to New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Europe and the United Kingdom. She was famous for many of her sayings and in particular for her direct and honest points of view. One her most telling sayings was that It is what it is or it will be what it will be Betty nearly always got her way and she was adamant she was never to be admitted to a nursing home. She battled cancer for two and a half months, surviving major surgery and spent a week at home before passing away peacefully at Bowral Hospital. Betty was also very grateful and fond of her neighbours, Leonie, Kristy and Gail who supported her to the end. The family are very grateful for everything that was done to support Betty. Betty was a woman of strong principle and values and was extremely loyal to all around her. It was hard not to like, respect or love Betty as she had an amazing ability to motivate and mentor people and get the job done. She enjoyed a good chat and loved interacting with people. A strong sense of community, she was a very well-known and respected identity that gave the majority of her life to charity and helping others. A wonderful woman that will be missed and will be forever in our hearts. Wollondilly Historical Page conveys sympathy and condolences to the Wallace family. Thank you for allowing the publication of these items as a tribute to Betty. Photograph Betty Jean Wallace OAM. REST IN PEACE

07.01.2022 FUNERAL NOTICE On behalf of Betty Jean Wallace family Betty funeral will be on Monday 25th at 11am, because of the virus it will be live stream from this link for person use only. We ask you don’t put in on Facebook, YouTube or anywhere else or copied to the internet https://jummedia.com.au/live/Betty-Jean-Wallace

03.01.2022 Please help us buy Bella the horse for the kids and young adults with disabilities that ride with us.

03.01.2022 Thank you to everyone donating to help us buy Bella. Shout out to the Staff and Management of Tyrepower Gregory Hills and Tyrepower Ingleburn for the $1000 donation.

03.01.2022 Lovely story in the The District Reporter. With our oldest rider Aileen Davis.

02.01.2022 This is the Wonderful Bella we got to purhcase with all the support from the community. She is going through her paces to keep her use to anything and everything. So gentle and quiet. We need to keep doing training, till we can have ths school back to RDA Wollondilly.

02.01.2022 Thank you to the Advertiser, for the story supporting us.

02.01.2022 Autism is: Unable to speak, or maybe speaking too much Hugging everyone, or disliking touch Escaping outside, Or trying to hide... Excitedly flapping Inappropriate clapping Autism varies so much Won't wear a coat, or wears one all year round Fussy eater, or would eat dirt from the ground Screaming or humming Annoyingly drumming Toys in a line The same way every time Autism varies so much Struggling to learn, or has wonderful gifts Obsessions of numbers, trains, films or lifts Spinning around Throws things on the ground Constantly spitting Aggressively hitting Autism varies so much Alone without friends, or controls every game Always looks different, always dresses the same Swinging on doors Head banging on floors Freaks at the dryer Keeps climbing higher Autism varies so much. Can't answer questions, won't do as they're told In their own world or bossy and bold Over prepared Anxious and scared A spectrum so wide But they all bring us pride When autism touches our lives. I support autism awareness always Copy & Paste If You Do Too! Support, don’t stare or ridicule, its genuine and can’t be helped. Support is welcomed, this could be any child, any parent's daily struggle, but understanding and patience is a virtue . I support autism awareness... always

02.01.2022 Thank you Nathaniel Smith MP for coming along to Wollondilly RDA to present us with our grant to help keep the RDA going and our horse Bella.