Scone’s community service Queens

SCONEITES Lee Watts, Jaala Presland and Jan Kelaher from the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre (SNRC) may be the longest serving community service workers in New South Wales with more than 54 years service combined with the same not-for-profit organisation.

Lee Watts, manager of the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre (SNRC), said it is unusual for staff to work together for so long in the one community organisation and it may just be a record.

Lee has been serving the community for 25 years, Jaala 16 and Jan 13, making up 54 years between them.

See photo gallery and list of 2020 achievements below

Jaala said, “We’re a family orientated business.”

“I think I started at the Community Technology Centre.”

Lee added, “then she became part of the community centre, that’s how she ended up working with me.”

“Jan came a few years later  . . . she was employed because of how good she is and reacts with people.”

Jan joked, “I thought it was because of my computer skills.”

The SNRC was born in 1994 and has since grown into a major community service generating its own income to run multiple programs.

“We had the first website here in Scone, named the Upper Hunter rural web, along the way we actually started a lot of things,” said Lee.

“You can’t put what we do into words because we go to work and we have no idea what we’re going to have that day.”

Jan agreed, “No two days are the same here.”

“There are people who have to access Centrelink, who are unable to use computers so we are there to assist them every fortnight, if we weren’t do it, where would they go?” 

Lee added, “just the other day we had a gentlemen who has been evicted came in, he’s got no where to sleep, so to make sure he would be safe, we organised a train fare so he could be supported by a service that could assist him.”

“I think the bottom line is we like to help people . . . we recently went to the Scone Preschool, they generously donated two car loads worth of presents.”

“We wore our Santa hats and off we went,” said Jan.

The trio said their job is not necessarily about who they are but more about what they can do for other people.

“It’s been over 25 years, funding is hard to come by and now we have to continually come up with ideas that are out of the box to survive . . . so we can keep programs and services running,” said Lee.

“A couple of years ago I didn’t think we’d be here, we used to get ‘survive’ every time because we’d get re-funded from the virtual shed program and when that stopped I thought, ‘oh my God how are we going to keep going?'”

“But we just come up with different ideas, we’ve got the breakfast the van now, which gives kids breakfast before school but we can also use it to make coffee and generate income,” said Lee.

Covid-19 didn’t stop the community service queens this year, who named Santa photos, the breakfast van and event streaming as 2020 highlights.

“I’d have to say the Santa photos and the fact that we could still do that this year was the highlight,” said Jaala.

“I’ve watched some of the same kids come in every year . . . there’s one family that have brought their new born baby in every single year and an other family where mum and dad match their clothes with the kids, I love to see them come in each year.”

Jan’s vote was for the breakfast van, “I’d say getting the breakfast van up and going and being able to provide kids with breakfast before school.”

Lee laughed, “working with these two!”

“I think Covid-19 changed the way we will do a lot of our events but NAIDOC especially, because we had 600 kids involved this year,” said Lee.

“We packed 605 resource bags that went out to three schools, so we reached out far and wide . . . we recieved great feedback and schools want to continue to be involved in future years.

“Even after Covid-19 if we do our normal events, we can do them live as well, so they will compliment each other and it will get further because sometimes not everyone can attend.

“We’re getting more information out there than we’ve ever been able to.”

Since starting behind the library, the SNRC has changed locations many times and may soon relocate to Campbell’s Corner.

“You used to walk through the library where Transcare is to get to our office, then we got put behind the partition, then we were in the back building then we got moved to where we are now,” said Lee.

“So let’s see what our future holds with the new building and whether we’ll go to Campbell’s Corner or somewhere else.”

SNRC 2020 achievements:

• The Be Connected weekly training program – for elderly locals to learn how to navigate technology;
• Family fun days;
• Training courses in construction and hospitality;
• The morning breakfasts bites van was a success, with volunteers serving students free breakfast treats as they made their way to school;
• Creative arts and pottery were offered for first time this year for young children;
• 2019 Christmas in the park went ahead despite Covid-19 creeping in however, it was cancelled for this year due to restrictions;
• The SNRC auction had a good turn out and allowed money to be put straight into the service. Toilet paper was a hot auction item due to Covid-19 and the SNRC received a good return from the buyer;
• Scone RSL and BHP Billiton offered a lot of Covid-19 support, allowing the SNRC to deliver grocery shopping to those isolated at home during the pandemic;
• The Scone community pantry was a success;
• The SNRC allowed for public benevolent institution (PBI)status, for future grant opportunities and sponsorship;
• The community heavily contributed to the Christmas hampers, with items also donated by Coles and Woolworths;
• Covid-19 made the SNRC get creative with the NAIDOC candle ceremony, which was live streamed and received further reach;
• New exercise equipment, which was updated by Council;
• The SNRC acquired funding for all abilities play equipment to be implemented at the Bill Rose Sports Complex playground.