November 2023 Newsletter
This month's banner is inspired by Remembrance Day - 11th November
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WELCOME TO THE NOVEMBER 2023 EDITION OF THE BOOTSTRAPS NEWSLETTER.
HERE WE DISCUSS EVERYTHING GOING ON, UPCOMING EVENTS, WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS AND CELEBRATING OUR LOVE AND PASSION FOR EVERYTHING LEATHER!
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FROM THE CEO:
Welcome one and all!
Hello all, I hope this finds you all well. I would like to thank all the new members who have recently signed up, and welcome back the regulars to our latest issue of the Bootstraps News Leather.
Another productive and successful month here at Bootstraps HQ. The staff at our centre have been working tirelessly to get through the mountain of back orders we had on our board. After a lot of hard work and effort, we have produced some wonderful pieces and plenty of happy customers. A huge well done to all the staff.
October also saw the Rock 4 Vets concert held at Porters Plainland Hotel. It was a great night and all of us here at Bootstraps would like to thank Keven Kelly and his ‘muso’ mates for all the work they put into our event. We would also like to say a HUGE thank you to the staff at Porters Plainland Hotel for their assistance before and during the event.
I would like to take this time to acknowledge someone who has been a special part of the Bootstraps team for some time. Adam has been working tirelessly in the background around our marketing and social media presence since the beginning. Unfortunately, Adam is currently experiencing some health issues, so on behalf of all of us here at Bootstraps, we send you our prayers and best wishes to you and your family. We wish you a speedy recovery mate.
November promises to be another great month, with a class for our good friends at Mates 4 Mates, as well as a Sam Browne belt making course for a number of current serving Army Officers. We will show the results of both classes in our next issue of the News Leather, so please keep an eye out for that.
Once again, I would like to thank all my staff and those who make Bootstraps what we are today. Stay safe everyone and I look forward to seeing you all again here or in our centre.
- Sam Kavanagh, CEO Bootstraps
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EVENTS
ROCK FOR VETS:
What a fantastic night!
We were very excited and looking forward to this fund-raiser. We were approached by Keven Kelly of Kelly's Heroes who wanted to hold a night of rock, all in aid of Bootstraps; to say we were overwhelmed was an understatement.
Keven brought together several acts, including his own band, to provide 4 hours of Rock n Roll, Rhythm and Blues and amazing covers.
As already mentioned, massive thanks to Keven and the bands for donating their time and effort to put on this show; and to Porters Plainland who donated the room. That meant that every cent from the tickets sales went directly to Bootstraps!
And of course, thank you to everyone that attended and supported us. We are sure you enjoyed the night - we've had plenty of positive feedback.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
We continue to show what we get up to on social media; if you haven't already, comment on our posts. We'd love to hear about the type of content that you want to see - so let us know!
Stay up to date with the latest at Bootstraps; be sure to like and follow us on socials.
Linktree is a one-stop-shop that signposts to all our socials, 500 Club members, and other important agencies. Click the banner or snap the QR code to try it today!
NETWORKING
We are always looking to expand our network within the Lockyer, and the wider Veteran and Leatherwork communities.
If you know of anyone within your personal or professional networks that would like to help us, or could use our services, then please introduce us. Feel free to drop into the centre.
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BOOTSTRAPS HQ:
Our centre of operations, located in Gatton, Queensland, is open to all current and ex-military personnel,
and the local community, to drop in.
The centre is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00am - 4:00pm.
"Feel free to drop by to say hello and introduce yourself!"
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STAFF:
Andrew is one of our leatherwork instructors and has been with us for over a year now.
He has a desire to restore a sword scabbard of his that belonged to a Veteran family member. It has taken time, but he now feels that his skills are at the standard required to get the restoration done.
Prior to Bootstraps, Andrew served for 16 years as a Heavy Transport Operator in the RACT. He served in Darwin, Brisbane, Adelaide and Amberley, also deploying overseas to Timor with the UN.
We are always welcoming new faces to volunteer their time, experience and skills. Without the tireless support of our volunteers, keeping Bootstraps going would be impossible. Regardless of your background or skillsets, every one of us can help to play a part. It doesn't need to be huge, it could be only a few hours a week through to a few days a week - really every little bit helps.
If you're in a position to offer some voluntary assistance to our organisation, then please reach out to us today by contacting us by phone 0480 239 994, or email admin@bootstraps.org.au
Also if you are in a position to assist us through monetary donations of any value, please visit our website and follow the link to: https://www.bootstraps.org.au/donations
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SUPPORT:
For some of us, we're not ready to talk, as it means saying things out aloud reminds us of the issue; it may, however, be more comfortable to text how we're feeling.
As the classic song by Cold Chisel says "When the war is over, it's time to start again!" But for some of us that war internally is ongoing.
Here at Bootstraps we have all been in that situation and know what it feels like. Please remember if you need to talk you can drop in to our centre and say G'Day to some like minded folk
But for those other times, when you feel this way, know that there is support available via text on 0477 13 11 14 through Lifeline Text. They also have a live message service on their website, and a phone line 13 11 14.
This is a service openly available 24/7, and ran by Lifeline.
You can text them anything that's on your mind - no matter how overwhelming, they are there to listen. Just know, that there is someone there when you're ready!
Please feel free to share with your friends, families and colleagues!
Remember there is always someone willing to listen!
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500 CLUB:
We are always so proud to promote all of our 500 Club Members that proudly support us!
The last few months, and now the last year, have been really difficult for many businesses and we want to take a moment to acknowledge the continued support of all of our 500 Club members. Despite their own struggles, our valued partners have stuck with us through their dedicated support. Please make sure that you support them however you can!
Every News Leather, we aim to showcase a new 500 Club member to thank them for their support, but also to let you know about the legends that support us!
This month we acknowledge FINDEX.
When we first began, we were searching for a company to help us navigate the jungle that was the process of applying for charity status. The fine people at Findex were able to assist us and we were granted our DGR1 Charity Status. Courtney van Zyl and team, we couldn't have done it without you all. Thank you so much.
They have offices all over Australia; in SEQ they're in Dalby, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Sunshine and Goldy. Check out their site to discover the financial services they can provide you and your business.
Bootstraps is really proud to have its many supporters onboard as 500 Club members.
But to keep the centre marching along we're always looking for more businesses to become 500 Club members! If you too would like find out what's in it for your business, learn a bit more and show your support for our work, click below to discover how you can become a 500 CLUB MEMBER!
We even have our own hashtag, #500club; search for it on social media to find out the amazing things our members are doing.
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LEATHER LAUGHS:
They say that laughter is the best medicine... so here's you dose of giggles for this month's News Leather!
VETERANS VENUES:
Each month we like to feature a Veteran owned business or place where veterans, their families and friends can spend time and enjoy life.
If you have, or know of a business or place, why not let us know so we can feature them here!
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PROJECTS:
Here's the pick of the bunch from the custom projects that the team have been working on this month.
First up was a repair job on a trailer tent; we had to bring the sewing machine to the job for this one - actually proved quite difficult to set up, as you can see from the picture - haha!
Second was meant to be a repair to the strap on a knife sheath, but after disassembling the piece, it was found to be too far gone - so we started from scratch. We retained the style of the old one, even using the clips.
The last one was a bit different; the customer came in with a degraded handle which had become sticky. We layered the handle with kangaroo lace.
We always welcome new faces to the centre, as well as familiar ones. If you'd like to create a unique leather piece yourself, why not visit our centre today, or contact us about class times; better still, why not take home an exclusive piece of leatherwork from our many items for sale in our display!
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We look forward to bringing you more in next month's News-Leather. But in the meantime, be sure to Like and Follow us on our socials to keep up to date with what's happening with Bootstraps!
We'd really love to hear what projects you'd like to do!
Go to our Linktree to submit an expression of interest for our classes, or a custom project.
Satchel, Handbag, Photo Album, Rifle Case, Tool Case,
Binoculars Case, or perhaps something more unique!
Remember to leave us your feedback or a comment on what you would like to make at our centre or have covered in future edition of our News-Leathers!
Thank you again to our 500 Club members - click the logos to visit their websites