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17 January 2005

Contents / Redfern Waterloo Authority Begins Today / Commemoration for Harvey Volke / RWPP Human Services Implementation Working Group / REDWatch Meeting - How should the RWA Consult?



Redfern Waterloo Authority Begins Today – Monday 17th January 2005

The RWA starts operation today in the $5 billion redevelopment of the area. According to an article in Saturday’s online SMH, Robert Domm, the former General Manager of the City of Sydney Council, today will join a skeleton staff on the top floor offices of one of the old TNT towers in space leased from the City of Sydney. See the full story in our News section.

Commemoration for Harvey Volke (1939-2005) – Tuesday 18th January 2005 – 2pm Redfern Town Hall 73 Pitt Street

It was with great sorrow that we learnt last week of the death of Harvey Volke of an aneurism while holidaying at Austinmere.

Harvey has had a long involvement in housing and tenancy issues and was most recently working as a Policy and Liaison Officer with Shelter NSW. Over the last 30 years Harvey has spent a lot of time in Newtown Redfern and Waterloo and was well known and respected to many in these communities. We have known Harvey for over 30 years and have valued his friendship and stirring.

We have drawn heavily on Harvey’s advice over the last couple of years in getting activity happening around Redfern Waterloo Issues. Harvey was one of the people who offered his time to help go through the Redfern Waterloo papers when they were available. His friendship, experience, advice and stirring will be greatly missed by us and we are sure many others in Redfern Waterloo.

Shelter has prepared a special commemorative Bulletin with reflections from those within the housing sector about Harvey which can be downloaded by clicking here (PDF / 360 kb). Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and comrades – rv rip.

Harvey will be cremated at a small private service on Tuesday and a memorial service / wake / commemorative event will be held at 2pm on Tuesday 18th January at Redfern Town Hall for Harvey’s many friends and colleagues to remember him. Please pass the word on to those who may have known him.

RWPP Human Services Implementation Working Group (HSIWG) – Expressions of Interest due Friday, 21st January 2005

In our last email we advised that the RWPP had called for Expressions Of Interest (EOI’s) in the HSIWG which is charged with implementing the first stage of the Human Services review. These EOI’s are to be with the RWPP by this Friday for the NGO and service users/residents representatives for the HSIWG. The HSIWG will also have representatives from State, Federal and Local Government. The size and exact composition of the HSIWG is not yet finalised.

The first job of the HSIWG will be to form working groups in the cluster priority areas probably in consultation with existing forums and Interagencies and the government services working in the priority area. The Aboriginal service cluster may have a different form / process to the other clusters. The other cluster areas are youth services, family and childrens services and health.

Further information and Application Forms for people involved in Non Government Organisations as well as Services Users & Community Representatives are available on the RWPP website at the following link: Call for Expressions of Interest (pdf / 96kb).

REDWatch Meeting - How should the RWA Consult? – 2pm Sunday 23rd January 2005 Redfern Community Centre

The RWA has asked for suggestions about advisory committees and consultations from the community by the end of January. The first part of the Sunday 23rd January REDWatch meeting will discuss peoples’ thoughts on what advisory groups should be established and how the RWA should go about “consulting extensively”. REDWatch will make a response to Minister Sartor based on these discussions.

The second part of the meeting will look at what needs to happen to monitor the activities of the RWA and the RWPP to provide the “constructive input” the Minister is seeking and how we are best to organise to do this for an Authority with a 10 year lifespan!

You can download a leaflet / poster for the REDWatch meeting which we would ask you to put up on your notice board, local café etc to publicise the next REDWatch meeting - click here for the Downloads page.