Skip to main content

Christmas Countdown Local 2022 #12/25 - Tree of Joy



Gifts being delivered to a local school for distribution 

The Tree of Joy is a community project of the Rotary Club of  Wallsend-Maryland  (Newcastle NSW) ... one might even call it an institution. For 49 years, at this time of the year, the community come together with the local Rotary club, and  give generously to others who are experiencing a difficult time.  In the early years, the Tree of Joy focussed on providing gifts to children of families who might not be able to provide Christmas presents.  In more recent times, the Tree of Joy has not only continued that role  but has also  extended help and support to anyone of any age, and especially those whose livelihood has been compromised by natural disasters - flood, drought and fire and the Covid pandemic. 

Rotary Club of Wallsend-Maryland 

Most people like to take a tag from one of the many Christmas trees placed in local businesses and the office of our local member of Parliament. The tags don't have names but they indicate the age and gender, if appropriate, of the recipient . Other donors give items of unperishable food and even pet food. The donations of gifts for adults are the least often donated, and some years, it is necessary for the Rotary club to purchase gifts, but most of the local businesses are also very generous - this is a project where community spirit is well and truly alive and in action. 

The Tree of Joy makes a difference!  Thank you to those who coordinate, collect and deliver and to those who donate... you all make Christmas special for others. 


The Tree of Joy in Wallsend Village 

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Bilby Infatuation

  Wrapped wire and fabric bilby sculpture : Wilma Simmons 2016  Over the years I have been fascinated with the plight of the bilby and it has inspired quite a few of my cloth creations... With long pinkish-coloured ears and silky, blue-grey fur, the Bilby has become Australia’s version of the Easter Bunny. Unlike the rabbit, bilby numbers are falling rapidly. There were originally two species but the Greater Bilby is now commonly referred to simply as ‘the Bilby’ as the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is thought to have become extinct in the early 1950s... Bilbies are nocturnal, emerging after dark to forage for food. Using their long snouts, they dig out bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi. They use their tongues to lick up grass seeds. Bilbies have poor sight and rely on good hearing and a keen sense of smell. To minimise threats from predators they’ll mostly stay within 250m of their burrows, but sometimes roam further afield depending on the food...
1 comment
Read more

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...
8 comments
Read more

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes  - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary.   Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's  Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers).  This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach.    Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...
Post a Comment
Read more