Raffle - Win a $1000 Travel Voucher

WIN A $1000 TRAVEL VOUCHER

Just in time to book your flights home for the Irish Summer, or take yourself off to a luxury Australia destination- the choice is yours!

Enter our raffle to win a $1000 travel voucher, kindly part-sponsored by our friends Emerald Travel .

Tickets are only $10 each and there are multiple bundles available.

Tickets are on sale online, and in person at the ISA Tea Tent at the Sydney St Patrick’s Day Festival on Sunday 17th March.

☘ All funds raised will go directly towards the ISA's mission of providing front-line support, to anyone in the Irish Australian community who finds themselves in circumstances of vulnerability and distress. ☘

SAVE THE DATE

SAVE THE DATE

📅Saturday 27th July 2024

📍Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney

Yes, Christmas may just be over but we are thrilled to unveil our most anticipated fundraising event of 2024 – introducing our Christmas in July Ball and Community Appreciation Awards🎄🎖

Amidst the challenges of the past few years, the ISA is beyond excited to host this event, providing a festive opportunity to celebrate Christmas in July in style whilst seeking to recognise incredibly hard-working individuals in our community.

The Irish Australian community in NSW is incredibly fortunate to have such a rich and diverse variety of community groups and businesses, who go out of their way to support the community and one another. We will be seeking nominations across a number of categories.

So put the date in your calendar and stay tuned as tickets will be released in the upcoming weeks.

We really hope you can come out to support us and support the nominees, who will be voted for by you!

Lifestory Project 2023 Wraps Up

The Irish Support Agency launched a brand new initiative ''A Lifetime of Stories'' in early 2023.

A Lifetime of Stories is a series of storytelling workshops aimed at the senior members of the Irish Australian community in the Greater Sydney Area.

Participants are invited to document their own personal life story, history and legacy.

This project aims to provide meaningful and lasting social connection opportunities for older people who are socially isolated or at risk of isolation. Storytelling allows us to form deeper social connections, by evoking empathy, which naturally brings people together, through shared life experiences.

We have held 2 groups of 5 participants, and we have found this to be a thoroughly enriching experience to date, for both participants and volunteers.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the Department of Foreign Affairs' Emigrant Support Programme for kindly supporting this project with a grant.

We would also like to thank our cohort of Salesforce volunteers who work side by side with our seniors, to ensure that they feel heard and seen.

HSE Recruitment Drive - June 2023

Consultant contract campaign to attract over 400 doctors to practice in Ireland in 2023

The HSE has launched a national and international recruitment campaign to support the recruitment of consultants for the Irish health service.

The new campaign showcases the benefits of the new public consultant contract, which carries an attractive salary, a range of training benefits, and the chance to be part of the expanding and improving health service in Ireland.

A Lifetime of Stories Initiative

In early 2023, we launched a brand new initiative ''A Lifetime of Stories'', a series of storytelling workshops designed for senior members of the Irish Australian community residing in the Greater Sydney Area.

This project aimed to provide meaningful and lasting social connection opportunities for older people who are socially isolated or at risk of isolation. Storytelling allows us to form deeper social connections, by evoking empathy, which naturally brings people together, through shared life experiences.

Our goal was to provide a platform for participants to document their personal life stories, history, and legacies, ultimately creating cherished printed storybooks which were presented today. The outcomes of this endeavour have surpassed our expectations, affirming the profound and timeless power of storytelling. By sharing our narratives, we forge enduring social connections and explore the depths of the human experience.

We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Salesforce volunteers who worked hand in hand with our seniors, ensuring that their voices were truly heard and acknowledged. This initiative flourished with your support and we thank you!

Thank you also to the Department of Foreign Affairs' Emigrant Support Programme for kindly supporting this project with a grant.

If you, or someone you may know, is interested in participating in future workshops, please call Una on 02 9300 8019 to express your interest.

The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse

The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA) has established a goal to raise awareness among Northern Ireland victims and survivors of historical institutional childhood abuse who may be resident in Australia and who may be eligible for: support services offered by the Victims and Survivors Service and financial redress compensation through the Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board.

The application process for financial redress compensation and access to support services are available to any victim or survivor who suffered or witnessed abuse while they were a child (under 18 years) and were living in a residential institution for example, a state or religious body, training school or borstal etc, in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1995 or were sent to Australia from Northern Ireland as part of the Child Migrant Programme. Applications for financial redress compensation can be made by victims, or if they are deceased, by a surviving spouse, partner or child.

For further information, please visit - www.cosica-ni.org

Oz Labour Solutions Golf Day in Aid of the Irish Support Agency 2023

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our fundraising Golf Day on Friday 3rd February 2023 in Moore Park which was organised by Paddy McTigue of Oz Labour Solutions.

We had 31 teams out in force, with plenty of healthy competition and great craic on the course.

Cormac McAnnallens GAC - First Place

Congratulations to the guys from Cormac McAnallens GAA - Sydney who took home first place and Patrick Saint Phadraigh GAC who narrowly missed out on the top spot, coming in second place.

Congratulations to Alan Duggan who got a hole in one on the 5th hole and took home the prize for closest to the pin.

 

Thank you also to our massive 31 hole sponsors, without who, the day would not have been such a huge success.

Lastly, we are entirely grateful to the tireless efforts of Paddy McTigue who brought the entire day together, raised a huge amount of money on our behalf and made the day what is was.

Important update for WHV holders

Visa condition 8547 - ​​​​​​​​​​​​6-month work limitation

On 19 January 2022, the 6-month work limitation was temporarily relaxed. The relaxation of this condition was initially in effect until 31 December 2022, and it has now been extended until 30 June 2023.

This change allows Working Holiday Makers (WHMs) to work with any one employer for the duration of their visa without requesting permission, and any work that is carried out before 1 July 2023 will not be counted towards the 6-month limitation period. This means that from 1 July 2023 onwards, WHMs may work for any employer for up to an additional 6 months even if they worked for that same employer before 1 July 2023.

This applies to anyone in Australia who either holds any kind of WHM visa, regardless of when they arrive, or holds a Bridging visa with condition 8547 imposed.

Read release: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-417/6-month-work-limitation

AGM 2022

 
 

The Annual General Meeting of the Irish Support Agency NSW Inc. will be held on Monday 12th December in the Green/Ulster Room of the Gaelic Club, 64 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills commencing at 6.30pm. 

AGM Agenda 

  • Record Attendance and Voting Rights 

  • Record Apologies 

  • Approve Minutes of 26th Annual General Meeting held on 15th Dec 2021 

  • Financial Report 

  • President’s Report 

  • Special Resolution 1 - 7 

  • General Business 

  • Election of Council 

All financial members are invited to be present at this Meeting, when an election of Office Bearers will be held. 

Yours faithfully,

Alan Humphreys | Secretary 

Returning to Ireland with Children - Crosscare Migrant Project Webinar

Our friends in Ireland, Crosscare Migrant Project are hosting a webinar targeting parents who are returning to Ireland with children over Christmas and thinking about making the move back for good.

When: Monday 5th December, 9pm (AEST)

Where: Online via zoom

Registration and full details are available below.

Featuring James Parnell, a returned emigrant from Australia, who will be discussing ways to help children adjust to life back in Ireland. They will also have a speaker from Citizens Information who will provide practical information on things like PPS numbers, healthcare entitlements, the education system, social welfare payments like child benefit, and much more.

People are encouraged to register and join the event live as there will be an opportunity to pose questions on the day.

Update on postal parcel services to Ireland

From Wednesday 2 March 2022. Economy, Standard and Express parcel services resumed to Ireland for Post Office consumer and My Post Business customers only.

In September 2021, parcel services to Ireland were suspended due to the requirement by Irish customers for a 10-digit tariff or Taric code to be included on all customs declarations and captured in the Electronic Advance Data (EAD).

Articles sent to Ireland must have a 10-digit tariff or Taric code or they may be delayed or returned to sender. Customers will be able to search for the appropriate 10-digit tariff code when completing the online form and can access the Irish Post website at http://www.anpost.com/.../Int.../Find-a-TARIC-Commodity-code for the correct tariff code.

Please see below our international post guide to help you send packages back home!

For further information please see: https://auspost.com.au/.../international.../results/ireland

For queries please contact Australia Post (00 61 3 8847 9045) or An Post (353 (1) 705 7600)