Do you have a project that meets the funding criteria?

For nearly 40 years Bathurst Riding For Disabled (RDA), a registered training organization(RTO) and a community-based charity, has provided Educational, Recreational and Therapeutic (ERT) Programs for children and adults within the Bathurst Region. Bathurst RDA provides riding and pet therapy programs for students from various schools as well as adults who attend post school disability programs. RDA works in collaboration with the schools and organizations to develop programs that are holistic and needs based. RDA can provide these programs at a minimal cost to our clients and students due to the wonderful support from our local community and our volunteers - including our renown RDA Sausage Sizzle Chefs- who undertake fund raising activities. The Bathurst RDA Centre is becoming an important site for community activities. The site is used by other organizations and programs including the Defence Force Community Dogs Program; The Rural Fire Services Cadet Program; Enhancability; and Carenne School's vocational educational programs. The RDA project will help RDA to improve the infrastructure that will assist RDA to meet the 21st-century learning, therapy and recreational needs of our clients and students. The project will focus on: Biosecurity: Will further improve the biosecurity facilities such as the entry points of the RDA farm. Accessibility: Will improve the wheelchair access and enable RDA to build covered therapy yards that are accessible to our clients and students. Safety: To further improve safe access points and yard systems which will assist in the management and care of the animals. Sustainability: To improve the sustainability of the site by using solar panels and an integrated water harvesting and conservation techniques. Both systems will include monitoring processes that will be incorporated into the learning programs for our clients and students. RDA is hoping to make our site a demonstration farm for the wider community. Just as Bathurst continues to grow and diversify, RDA plans to continue to develop the infrastructure and programs to meet the needs of the children and adults who live in the Bathurst Region.

This wonderful facility with its heritage buildings and Farm Square lies virtually dormant, trapped between tow large bureaucracies - CSU and DPI. Lets look at community ownership to revitalise the site - there are lots of community groups in Bathurst interested in collaborating on this site.,

Let's get moving on upgrading and activating the old TAFE building in William Street

Bathurst could be a location for a innovative 21st century sports education opportunity using metrics measurement of key skills and emerging technology , synthetic court space for hockey , netball , football , cricket etc to engage people young and old assisting coach and administration education as well as participants. Sports tourism education of community groups and event management by volunteers willing to put time into community. Bathurst schools , CSU and local clubs and associations could access a shared resource with an aim of diversified engagement and health well being outcomes assisting development.

The school's P&C has a plan to build tiered seating at the hall that incorporates wheelchair access but this project is beyond our budget limitations. This project would solve 2 problems: 1. The fact that the hall has never been big enough to accommodate all students of Bathurst's largest public school (which will only get bigger as Bathurst grows). 2. Current access to the hall for people with mobility issues is restricted to a side street entrance that is often locked for security reasons and is not the most direct route. Most students, parents and grandparents access the hall from the other side, where they must negotiate a dangerous slope (and often sit outside due to lack of space). Improving this hall will benefit a large section of the local population and contribute to building a strong school community by providing a safe and comfortable space where people can come together and support education. The hall is also an asset for the wider Bathurst community for events such as government elections.