Free concert fundraiser

Special Olympics athletes in the spotlight

thank you from local police officers and a chance to raise funds for a worthy cause – either way, it looms as an entertaining evening of free, quality entertainment in Mount Gambier’s Cave Garden. The hugely popular Band of the South Australia Police is headed to Mount Gambier this Friday for a free concert from 5.30-7.30pm with Manager, Crime Prevention Section (208) Sergeant Jade Hill spearheading the event.

Active in the community engagement space, Sgt Hill had been looking for a way to show the community how appreciative local members were of the compliance and cooperation shown by the local community during the COVID pandemic.

“Our community as a cross border community was heavily affected by it (the pandemic),” Sgt Hill, who worked many shifts at the border checkpoints, said. “I saw the brunt of it on the community and for the most part everyone was really cooperative and really easy to deal with. I want to reward our community for their cooperation and support of us – it was a challenging time for everyone.”

Bringing the internationally renowned band to perform for the community seemed like a perfect solution and doubling the event as a fundraiser for the Law Enforcement Torch Run, the same charity that was the beneficiary of the proceeds from the Australia Day breakfast, hosted by Lakes Rotary Mount Gambier.

Sgt Hill is the South East ambassador for the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which raises funds to support Special Olympics programs and this region has a long standing connection with the Special Olympics movement, with four local athletes recently putting in strong performances at last year’s national event.

Friday’s free concert will also be those athletes’ time to shine when they are introduced to the Mount Gambier community as part of the two hour event.

“We want to celebrate them,” Sgt Hill said. “Their achievements deserve to be celebrated and recognised. They’re all excited to be coming.”

A torch run will be held in Commercial Street in the lead up to the concert as participants bring what is called the Flame of Hope to the Cave garden. Amechai Bawden, Shaun Austin, Kristy Webber and Courtney Brown are the four Limestone Coast based athletes, giving a local face and story to the Law Enforcement Torch Run with proceeds from a soft drink stand and barbeque set to go towards this Special Olympics fundraiser – the 2023 Berlin World Gambier the current project in the spotlight.

“We have had great community support of the event,” Sgt Hill said. “Lots of business donating.” Those businesses are Collins Court Butchers, Woolworths Marketplace, Baker’s Delight Compton Street and Seriously Caffeinated, with strong support from the Police Credit Union, the City of Mount Gambier and Lakes Rotary Mount Gambier.

Volunteers at the police station are also rolling up their sleeves for the event with already half a dozen signing up to work on the soft drink stall.

Not surprisingly, when the event is all about showcasing and celebrating Special Olympics athletes, it will be a disability inclusive event, while Tim Brennan will offer the Welcome to Country. Sgt Hill was first introduced to the Law Enforcement Torch Run while working in Adelaide and the huge event at the SA Aquatic Centre opened her eyes to the impact Special Olympics has in the lives of athletes with a disability.

“I loved it, it was great – there was such a huge smile on the athletes’ faces,” she said. “To represent a not-for-profit is really important to me. I have spent quite a bit of time with (the local athletes). They are a special and amazing group of young people to be involved with.”

Officer in Charge, Limestone Coast LSA Superintendent Campbell Hill was full of praise for the community engagement work Sgt Hill undertakes, much of it outside of her official role, and was hopeful the free concert would be another building block in the relationship between the community and law enforcement.

“We can have engagement without someone being a victim or offender,” ???? Hill said. “Policing is not all about issuing tickets on the road – it’s about building trust with the community. We hope this event will encourage community buy-in and encourage community trust in SAPOL.”

The proceeds from the Australia Day breakfast will be handed over the Sgt Hill at this week’s Lakes Rotary Mount Gambier meeting, with Jo’s Espresso also handing over a $110 donation from the same event.