News & Events
NT Police Fire and Emergency Services Open Day Expo
The Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services (NTPFES) Open Day was a special opportunity for Somerville to connect with families and individuals from Darwin, Palmerston and the surrounding communities, with approximately 15,000 people attending throughout the day. Somerville hosted an information stall at the NTPFES Open Day, which was also a great opportunity to…
Katherine Cinema Day
With the support of the Katherine Town Council and the Northern Territory Office of Youth Affairs, Somerville’s Katherine Youth and Family Services recently hosted a Cinema Day. The invitation was extended to children and their families from Katherine and the surrounding communities to enjoy an afternoon with each other to watch some of the latest…
Corporate support from Jape Nominees
Somerville acknowledges the generous support of many individuals, families, organisations and businesses who continually sponsor and make donations to Somerville. One such long term supporter is Jape Nominees. Connie Jape and Jose Lay called in to our offices to share morning tea with our management team and staff. Jape Furnishing Superstore is the largest furnishing retailer…
Katherine Youth Gaming Competition
In celebration of National Youth Week, Somerville’s Youth and Family Services in Katherine hosted a gaming competition for the community’s youth at the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre. The event saw children and youth of all ages and cultures join in and support of fellow players while enjoying refreshments. Alternative activities included colour therapy,…
Working Bees commence for 2016
Now that the wet season is all but over, Somerville has commenced its program of ‘working bees’ for 2016. At one of our supported accommodation houses a huge effort was put in by our Assets, Infrastructure and Maintenance Team (AIM) supported by staff and volunteers. The garden received an extra dose of TLC to see…
IMA SAFETY HOUSE’S BIRTHDAY FUN DAY
Somerville provided one of the many information stalls at this year’s Neighborhood Watch’s IMA Safety House Birthday Fun Day held in Palmerston. The day was a great success and provided us with an opportunity to connect with individuals, children and families as well as provide information about our service and programs. The highlight of the…
Federal Minister visits Somerville
The Hon Christian Porter MP, Federal Minister for Social Services and Natasha Griggs MP, Country Liberal Party Federal Member for Solomon, Northern Territory visited Somerville this week to provide more details on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which will be gradually rolled out in the Territory from July. Mr Porter said that “The scheme…
Financial Counselling Australia Conference
The Financial Counselling Australia Conference was recently held in Adelaide and attended by close to 600 Financial Counsellors, Financial Capability Workers, consumer lawyers, community sector workers and government agencies from across Australia. Somerville’s Financial Services Manager, Allison O’Connor and Financial Counsellor, Jonathan Turk attended the conference. The FCA Conference is a great opportunity for finance…
Getting ready for tax time with Tax Help training from the ATO
Each year we provide a free service called Tax Help to the Darwin and Palmerston communities, aiding low income earners to complete and lodge their tax returns. With the Tax Help program commencing at Somerville shortly, we held a Tax Help training session for volunteers participating in the 2016 program. The session was run by…
Somerville welcomes a special visitor from UnitingCare Australia
This week we welcomed a visit from Kate Gainer, Senior Policy Officer at UnitingCare Australia. Kate is currently responsible for national policy on homelessness and is working on establishing a national network of providers to combat such a prominent social issue. Kate met with Somerville staff to discuss homelessness, and the housing issues faced by…
The 2016 Margaret Somerville Award goes to…
We are proud to announce that Financial Counsellor Vicki Borzi is the recipient of the 2016 Margaret Somerville Award. Vicki is highly committed to her work and possesses a work ethic that is aligned with the Somerville mission. She goes the extra mile for her clients and the team, has a “can do” attitude and…
International Childhood Trauma Conference
It was a privilege for Somerville staff to attend the 2016 International Childhood Trauma Conference in Melbourne recently. This biannual conference is run by the Australian Childhood Foundation – their vision being that “all children are safe from the trauma of abuse, violence and neglect.” The conference highlighted key innovations around supporting and protecting vulnerable…
2016 National NILS Conference
Somerville attended the National NILS Conference that was held over two days in Adelaide this month, with Dr Christine Nixon AMP and Adam Mooney amongst the keynote speakers. NILS is a community-based program enabling people living on low incomes to access credit to purchase essential goods and services. NILS is financed by Good Shepard Microfinance…
Big win for Somerville at Australasian Reporting Awards
Somerville Community Services was awarded a Gold Award at the 2016 Australasian Reporting Awards Presentation Dinner. The Awards are run by Australasian Reporting Awards Limited, an independent not-for-profit organisation supported by volunteer professionals from the business community and professional bodies concerned about the quality of financial and business reporting. The Awards provide an opportunity for…
Somerville work together with NT Police to encourage youth engagement in Katherine area
The Somerville Katherine office recently hosted a visit from Senior Constable Dani Mattiuzzo, who works in the Youth Engagement Unit. This unit services all schools in Katherine and the surrounding area. Senior Constable Mattiuzzo is also involved in identifying youth at risk within the school system and works closely with the Katherine Somerville team to…
