Newsletter of the Australasian Order of Old Bastards

Membership qualifications are quite simple and demand only adherence to five elementary rules.
Rule 1. Marital status of parents (not-withstanding our glorious name), is irrelevant.

Rule 2. It is sufficient to have been acclaimed at least once by friends as an
.........Old Bastard (and what man worth his salt hasn’t, despite his actual age).

Rule 3. Members must be jovial and hearty at all times (Which includes shouting in
..........your turn, otherwise you will earn the reputation of being a stingy old bastard).

Rule 4. On encountering other OB’s one must administer a hearty slap on the back,
..........accompanied by the cheerful salutation, "Hello, you old bastard". (Some intrepid
..........OB’s feel that a gentle hearty slap would suffice).

Rule 5. Membership card or Badge must be carried on the person at all times. Failure to
..........produce same when challenged by another OB incurs a penalty of one round of
..........drinks for the table - not the bar. (Be especially careful when getting out of the
..........bath to answer the doorbell. Unwary OB’s have been trapped like that before).

If you sincerely feel you can live up to these conditions and henceforth be known as a Good Old Bastard only one thing more is required.

$15.00  NOMINATION FEE
(Includes - G.S.T., Membership Card & Key Ring Badge)
On payment of which you will become a lifelong member of a unique fraternity.
Membership Form

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL NEW MEMBERS
You are now a member of an organization based on fun, fellowship and joviality coupled with fund raising for children’s charities.  The way you can best
help with this fund raising from the outset is to join up a mate or two.  For this purpose we are sending you a supply of “new membership‘ forms.  Please
complete the forms and return with $15.00 per new member to A.O.O.B. at P.O. Box 2686, Southport. Qld. 4215.
As you are, so they too will become a card carrying Old Bastard ‘for life’, free from the payment of any further annual subs.

However, having said this, as you know, when you joined Old Bastards, you paid a once only fee for Life Membership and in some cases someone else joined
you up and paid the fee. There is no ongoing annual fee to defray costs as in many other clubs. Printing and distributing this newsletter alone is becoming more
expensive every year without considering outgoings such as printing, phone calls, postage etc. Because OB's runs on a "shoestring" budget, we are asking
branches and members to give favourable consideration to making a donation towards the "day to day" administration costs of the organisation. Your assistance
in this way means more money for the kids, which, after all, is our main concern.

WHERE THE MONEY GOES
Another frequently asked question from prospective Old Bastards is “what happens to the money?” A list of our donations to worthy
charitable causes can been seen on our web site.

Donations  from inception to June 2009 - $5,633,490

The number of charities benefiting has become too numerous to list in detail for the above period. For a complete branch donation list click here
Our 2008-2009 donation to the Childrens’s Hospital at Westmead  totals  $17,060 to bring the donations from
inception todate:

Children’s Hospital at Westmead...........................$1,354,951
Total donations for 2008/2009.............................$261,522 

BRANCH NEWS

In an effort to foster inter-branch communication we are publishing news articles and items of interest received from various branches during the year.  Please keep up the flow of news from your branch to Head Office over the next twelve months, particularly information on branch social happenings and fund/raising/donations for children.  All articles to: AOOB, P.O. Box 2686, Southport. Qld. 4215 or email to info@aoob.com.au.  A list of branches and where they meet is printed elsewhere in this newsletter.

KALBARRI, Western Australia
We are a crayfishing and tourism town situated on the mouth of the Murchison River with coastal and river gorges and a population of about 1,500 with lots to see and do.  Our generous hosts, Finlay’s Fish Barbecue,  run nightly raffles for us in their tin shed outback type restaurant, with ‘Muzza’ doing a fantastic job.  If you are passing through, please make yourself known to him, Gary Finlay and Lynette (the owners) as they will make you feel most welcome and even give you a discount on your meal of fish, seafood, steaks etc. when you show your membership card. Contact Nona or Derek Painter (08) 9937 2271.
.
GOLD COAST BRANCH (QLD) - Brad Carbis 0416 206947 crab@winshop.com.au
Once again we see Kalbarri, one of our newer branches, winning the membership award.  What a fantastic effort.  It just goes to show what a bit of effort and a lot of enthusiasm can do.  Congratulations.  Our year on the Gold Coast has been pretty much the same as previous years.  Our Big Lunch and Race Day continue to get great support from members and friends, enabling us to continue our efforts to support the needy children of Australia.  Our monthly lunchtime meeting (on the first Thursday of the month) continues to provide great fellowship with plenty of advice and suggestions to all, especially later on in the afternoon!  If any member is visiting the Gold Coast and would like to attend, please contact me.  We wish all other branches and members further success for the coming year.

BRISBANE Ian Rennie gillsoldbastards@gmail.com
The Brisbane branch, named in memory of the late Gillian Rennie, meet every second Wednesday evening at the Tank Hotel on Queen Street.  We also enjoy fun social activities such as bowls days and quiz nights – all part of our air: For good times and doing some good – come and join us sometime.  Contact the Secretary, Ian Rennie on 0419 840406 or email us at gillsoldbastards@gmail.com. Gill’s Old Bastards are proud to make available Renoir’s new book ‘A Bunch of Old Bastards’ – a collection of anecdotes, stories and yarns from around Australia and around the world.  Cost is $25 per copy including postage and handling.  Order by emailing gillsoldbastards@gmail.com

TWIN TOWNS – Ron Burgess (07) 5524 5147 or  Ron & Barb Morse – nanpop99@bigpond.com
The AOOB’s Twin Towns Branch meet on the first Friday of each month at the South Tweed Bowls Club at 2pm (DST when applicable).  Our main money raiser is selling raffle tickets at local shopping centres. Once again we were delighted to assist the Early Childhood Intervention Service with a donation of $3,000 and more than $6,000 was donated to various wards at the Tweed Hospital, Kids in Need and Careflight.

SPRINGWOOD –  Fraser Hunter (0416 150 571) fshunter@bigpond.com
The tradition continues at the Royal Hotel every Saturday morning  with a Bar-b-que in the beer.  We are delighted to have been instrumental in sowing the seeds for the formation of the new Roleystone branch in Western Australia and wish them much success.  Well deserved recognition goes to our tireless committee in raising the $13,500 to assist the Children’s Hospital at Westmead

ANNUAL  GENERAL  MEETING:
The AGM was held at Southport on 23 August 2009 and the elected Management Committee for 2009/2010 is :

President:..............................lan Hollindale
Vice Presidents:......................Chris Oxenford and Frank Gould
Secretary/Treasurer:...............Brad Carbis
Honorary Auditor:...................John Franich of Franich Crow Oberg
Honorary Solicitor:..................Mike Webb, Short Punch & Greatorix
Committee:...........................Damian Woods, Bob Cozens, Frank Gould
..........................................Spencer Maslen   - Gold Coast branch                                                                                                             
..........................................Rigney, Jessie Rigney , Ron Morse and
..........................................Barb Morse —TwinTowns branch
..........................................Ian Rennie – Gill’s Old Bastards, Brisbane branch

GENERAL PRESIDENT'S REPORT:

An Annual Report is always an opportunity to review the progress made by an Organisation in the twelve months prior.

In the instance of the Australasian Order of Old Bastards, to review the last 12 months, a year in which we have experienced the worst drought in history, the worst fires in history in Victoria and the worst floods ever in North Queensland and then the Global Financial Crisis world wide, it is a year in which the true spirit of Australian Old Bastards has been evident.

Money and support was sent from all over Australia to Victoria and North Queensland, and unlike many other organisations, our memberships continue to increase.

To the Branches, Groups and individuals who forwarded bush fire and flood relief donations I would like to say ‘Thanks’ as it was greatly appreciated  To the new members, new Groups and Branches, I’d like to say ‘Welcome’.

To the Giru branch – congratulations on being an integral part in having Giru recognised as ‘The Friendliest Town in North Queensland’

Our membership increased by 798
A new branch was established in Roleystone, Western Australia
This year we have distributed $261,522.40

It has again been a privilege and pleasure to represent OB’s from all parts of Australia, and in particular to travel to Charleville with half a dozen Gold Coast members to present a $55,000 cheque to ‘Aussie Helpers’, which was the proceeds from a Lee Kernighan guitar auctioned at the OB’s Big Lunch with the funds directed to the Bush Children’s Christmas Appeal – a very generous gift from Lee who was the Australian of the Year in 2008 and now a card carrying OB.  A special thanks to Lee.

Perhaps the highlight of the year was the very unexpected recognition to the OB’s of Australia by the Westmead Children’s Hospital.  We were invited to Government House to receive recognition (as we have in the past) for our support.  Many of those Certificates have been gratefully received in the past.  However, on this occasion we received the Founders Key to the Hospital – an Award that is given to only a few.

I was humbled to accept this on behalf of the 353,500 members since inception of the OB’s and I’m sure that Leo Bradshaw, our Founder and long time ardent supporter of the Hospital would be justly proud to have the Organisation recognised in this significant manner.

 I’m sure that your copy of this Citation should do your members proud today as it recognises the efforts over more than 40 years of many millions of hours and dollars given to a very worthy cause.

The genetic renal research undertaken in the Leo Bradshaw Research Laboratory there has now been recognised as a world first and the life of children all over Australia and the world will be enhanced by those little contributions that have been made and continue to be made from the Goose Clubs, Pub Walks, present wrapping, Big Lunches etc. that take place all over Australia.  It was a proud but humble night before 200 people in Government House that I was able to relay that message on your behalf.

I congratulate the Branches and Groups who are recognised for their efforts in fundraising:-

Branch with the most new members for 2008-2009 is Kalbarri with 117
Branch who raised the most money for the Children’s Hospital at Westmead is  Springwood who donated $13,500
Branch who raised the most money for charity in Australia is again the Gold Coast who raised over $148,544.00

I wish to thank my Committee for their support and diligence over the last 12 months and farewell long standing Committee members, Ron and Ronda Burgess who have contributed to the National Committee since relocating Head Office to the Gold Coast.

I have enjoyed the year, the Friday mornings at Head Office and the many letters and thoughts that come on a regular basis.  There are so many, but our Vietnam Veteran who wished he’s had a plastic membership card for the showers whilst serving, a new generation OB with their card now a proud tattoo and the ageing OB who has signed up his grandchildren to receive life membership  of the OB’s in his Will and many more!  Thanks for the opportunity

Ian Hollindale
Arch Old Bastard /General President

NSW
Emmaville – Club Hotel, Emmaville
Hornsby – Hornsby RSL Club
Twin Towns – South Tweed BowlsClub
Springwood – (contact: 0416 150 571) fshunter@bigpond.com Royal Hotel

VIC
Wangaratta – North Eastern Hotel
Dromana – Dromana/Red Hill RSL Sub Branch

Interested Groups
Carnarvon, WA

WA
Innaloo - Innaloo Sportmens Club
Kulin - Kulin Hotel
Kalbarri – Finlay’s Fish Bar-b-que

Qld
Gold Coast - (Contact: 0416 206947) crab@winshop.com.au
Gill's Old Bastards, Brisbane – Tank Hotel, 371 Queen Street, Brisbane
Northgate Mail Centre – Toombul Bowls Club
Giru—Giru International Hotel

Old Bastards - Branch Awards for 2008/2009

Branch raising the most money for charity in Australia—GOLD COAST $138,544
Branch in Australia raising the most money for the Children’s Hospital , Westmead—SPRINGWOOD  $13,500
Branch recruiting the most new members Australia wide— KALBARRI Branch with 117 new members
 
NEWS SECTION
Our main sources of revenue are from the hard working members of branches and the humble Life Membership fee which includes a badge, so keep those
nominations rolling in you O.B’s.  A plea from Head Office, please try to memorize the number on your card (some O.B’s even get their badges engraved
(Clever Old Bastards). Duplicates of lost and damaged cards are only $10.00 if you supply the number otherwise the cost is as for a new member which is
$15.00.. All membership fees are to be included with nominations - some Lousy Old Bastards forget.

If you would like to form a branch in your area please given Jenny a call on (07) 55313362 to find out what is involved.

SHORT HISTORY OF THE AUSTRALASIAN ORDER OF OLD BASTARDS

Leo Bradshaw started off as a member of the I.O.O.B. (International Order Of Old Bastards). This organisation was started by Allied Servicemen who had been based here in Australia during the Second World War. They were amazed that the old Aussie saying ‘Hello you Old Bastard’ was considered a term of endearment and not an insult.

After receiving legal advice, Leo with a small band of other Old Bastards, started the A.O.O.B. in 1968 at the British Lion Hotel in Glebe
with the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children - Camperdown, the major beneficiary. This was only the beginning. Then came years of
trying to convince the powers that be that the A.O.O.B. would be an asset to the registered charities. The name, of course, was the main
stumbling block - “what would the good people of the community think?

By July 1973, the N.S.W Chief Secretary was convinced that because of the wonderful work the Australasian Order of Old Bastards
was doing for charity, it should be recognised and registered - so the organisation which believed in joviality, good fellowship and charity
was official.

Leo was honoured by the Queen in 1982 for service to the community, particularly Children’s Welfare. Leo Bradshaw M. B. E.,
Archbastard and Founder passed away on August 4th, 1992. His name will remain on membership cards.

The Leo Bradshaw Renal Research Laboratory at The Children’s Hospital - Westmead (Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children) has
been named in his memory. His dream will be kept alive by more people joining the organisation.

Joan Bradshaw, Leo’s wife worked along side him since the organisation was formed, When Leo passed away, she took over as Genera
l Secretary. On Australia Day in 2001, she was named in the Australia Day Honours List and was granted an OAM for services to charity
through the Australasian Order of Old Bastards.

Sadly Joan passed away in January 2003.

In 2003 the National Office was relocated to the Gold Coast and all new membership numbers have been recorded on computer. All records
prior to 2003 were kept numerically so you will appreciate it’s an impossible task to try and locate your original number if you don’t know
it and you  require a replacement card.   The good news is you can rejoin for only $15 and receive a keyring badge.