From the Mayor - 24 August 2022
Our local organisations are the lifeblood of our community and it was wonderful to distribute $70,000 this week to 22 groups providing a range of invaluable support to the social and mental wellbeing of our community.
Federal Minister for Charities Andrew Leigh MP appreciates the importance of volunteers and is on a mission to increase their numbers which have plummeted due to several factors including the COVID pandemic. The latest Census data validates his concerns. In Mosman, the number of residents volunteering is down from 6,000 in 2016 to 4,820 in 2021. This is still a wonderful number and significantly higher than the Greater Sydney and NSW comparison data.
At Council, our Community Services team has been active for the past few months promoting volunteering. Our recruitment drive is ongoing so can I again ask those residents with capacity to please consider volunteering and doing something absolutely extraordinary for your community.
Council congratulates all our residents, of all ages and from all walks of life who so generously contribute their precious time and energy to making the quality of life for the Mosman community so special. I am delighted to share that the number of youth volunteers in Mosman has remained steady from July 2021 to July 2022. What a good news story, especially given national data indicates the 15 to 24-year age bracket has experienced the largest decline in volunteering numbers. Take a bow Mosman Youth Centre!
Spring is around the corner as are the term three school holidays. The holidays mark the beginning of HSC countdown time and I am delighted to announce, back by popular demand, that Barry O’Keefe Library and Mosman Youth Centre will be holding special HSC Study evenings starting on 8 September. The youth centre is also running a school holiday program from Monday 26 September for high school aged young people. Visit youth.mosman.nsw.gov.au/holidays for details.
September is also a fantastic month to visit Mosman Art Gallery and view the 75th Mosman Art Prize finalists and winners with the exhibition closing on 2 October. The Mosman Art Society, fully staffed since 1999 by wonderful volunteers, has an exhibition “Serendipity” at the Bathers’ Pavilion which runs from 31 August until 29 October.