Download the January - December 2006 Annual Report above.
Download the January - December 2005 Annual Report above.
Download the July 2004 - December 2004 Annual Report above.
Note: PYV switched operating from a financial year to a calendar year at the end of 2004.
Download the July 2003 - June 2004 Annual Report above.
Download the July 2002 - June 2003 Annual Report above.
2001-2002 President's Report
David Graham
The past year has been a year of blessing, transition and hope for Presbyterian Youth in Victoria.
The year began with the Annual State Conference held at The Basin at which the following people were elected to the PYV Council; Rhys Higgins (President), Andrew Vines (Vice President), David Graham (Treasurer), Damian Meeuwissen, Tony Cafarella and Andrew Jellis with Gary Ware as the CENC Representative and Secretary. Whilst numbers at the State Conference were lower than hoped it provided a good opportunity to discuss the activities of the previous year and plan for the future.
The activities held throughout the year have generally been well attended and provide an opportunity for youth from throughout the state to meet, enjoy themselves and hear God's word. The Volleyball Competition was once again held in August at the Ashburton Pool & Recreation Centre with a record total of 34 teams competing in Mixed and Mens competitions. The day began with a talk by Rev David Brown and ended with the Burwood Chinese church being the victors in both events.
The Billycart Derby was held at the Meeuwissen's farm in Hoddles Creek in October, also with a record number of entrants. After a talk by the Rev Robert Duncanson the day provided the usual mixture of thrills and spills and Clayton captured the major trophy. Whilst the day was generally great fun, given the risks involved, the PYV Council has since resolved to not continue with this event in the future. The Meeuwissens are to be thanked for the many hours of effort that have gone in to organising the PYV Billycart Derby over the last few years and their generosity in hosting the event.
The PYV Carols in December saw a good crowd enjoy wonderful Christian Christmas music lead by Boyd Owen and featuring a selection of very talented PYV musicians with a talk by Rev Peter Orchard. All involved are to be thanked for their efforts and I am encouraged in the hope that this will become a significant part of the Presbyterian Church calendar in Victoria in the future.
The PYV Social was held in April at Surrey Hills Presbyterian Church with Alex Venn, Reuben Owen and Jess Kroeger amongst those who helped in the organisation. About 70 people attended and the event was a great night that was enjoyed by all. Rev Gary Ware gave a talk on this occasion.
The final activity of the past year was the Bushdance, held at PLC in May. Brialey Meeuwissen's organisation, the music of Bushwazee and a talk by the Rev John Ellis all lead to a successful night attended by approximately 180 people.
A major ministry of PYV is the 3 annual camps. The 2001 Junior Camp saw a shift of date from June to September. Tony Archer was the speaker with Forest Edge the venue and Damian Meeuwissen doing an fantastic job of convening. A highlight of the camp was the excellent leadership team and great interaction between leaders and campers.
It was particularly pleasing to see so many campers that attended Junior Camp attending PYV's biggest event for the year, Summer Camp. Summer Camp was also held at Forest Edge, from December 27th to January 2nd with about 90 campers attending. Russell Graham and Rhys Higgins convened the camp with Boyd Owen looking after the music, Reuben Owen and Nick Venn the radio and various others undertaken myriad important tasks. Rev Darren Middleton gave excellent talks on the gospel and evangelism which lead to many worthwhile discussions within the study groups. Special thanks goes to Russell for the tireless work he put in to organising and running the camp, particularly given his lack of experience.
Senior Camp seems to get more popular every year and this year was no different with approximately 90 campers enjoying the surrounds of Rutherford Park Country Retreat near Daylesford. Professor Douglas Milne, Principal of the Presbyterian Theological College, presented a number of interesting talks on ethics which were followed by some lively discussions about difficult hypothetical situations. Andrew Jellis did an excellent job of organising the camp and was assisted by other PYV Council members in the leadership.
Another highlight of the year was the opportunity for a number of past and present PYV leaders to gather at the PYV Forums held in May to discuss the aims and objectives of PYV and plan for the future.
The above provides but a brief summary of the year's activities. Naturally there is a lot of work that goes in to all that is done in PYV. It was with regret that the PYV Council accepted the resignation of Rhys Higgins in January following his many years of service in PYV, the last couple as President. I'm sure that I'm not alone in thanking him for the work that he did for the Lord through PYV and his leadership and friendliness. The unsung hero of PYV is undoubtedly Gary Ware who is heavily involved in almost everything that occurs in PYV and has, in particular, produced an excellent poster and newsletters that have helped greatly in the promotion of PYV recently. My great thanks go out to him. Thanks are also given to the other members of Council, Andrew Vines and Damian Meeuwissen (who have both married in the previous year) and Andrew Jellis. The work of PYV is not done by the PYV Council alone, however and thanks also go to all those who have done the numerous other jobs and undertaken leadership roles. Special thanks go to Brialey Meeuwissen for organising the Bushdance, Russell Graham for the Summer Camp, website and other jobs, Lindsay Stewart for the website, Boyd Owen for organising all our music, Reuben Owen for helping with the Social and the PA at camps, Alex Venn likewise and many others.
It has been a challenge to take on the role of PYV President in the past 6 months but I am confident that with the Lord's help the work of PYV can continue strongly into the future and that we will see many lives changed in this State for Him through this vital work.