Host Family/Families Needed for Import Players

Each summer baseball season, the Club brings out overseas baseball players to assist our Club by

  1. Playing strong baseball with our Division 1 team
  2. Coaching one of the Club junior teams
  3. Being a role model for all of our players
  4. Bringing a different culture to our Club

The Club needs Host families to accommodate these players. Rod and Wendy Gaunt are hosting our two German import players – Moritz Kohler and Luca Rammelmann.

We need a family or families or a Member to host our American import player Don Goodes. Here is his profile  – please click to learn some more about Don. Don will be coaching one of the Little League Division 2 teams this season.

Please respond by reply email if you are able to accommodate Don for a month, a few months or for the entire season. Don will arrive in Brisbane on Friday 19th September at 11.35pm via Cathay Pacific.

The Club will assist with providing some funds to each Host family for food (@$1000 per season) as well as providing a car for the player to use for the season.

This is a great opportunity for a family to experience hosting an overseas player gaining a rich insight into the player’s country and baseball activities as well as gaining a good friend and a possible exchange opportunity for your child to play baseball overseas.

FAIR PLAY VOUCHER USE

Using your voucher

Step 1 – print or email your voucher

After your application is approved, you can download, print or email your voucher:

  1. Log in to your Enquire account.
  2. Under the Vouchers heading, find the relevant voucher. You can filter vouchers (search for a specific voucher) by typing the child/young person’s name.
  3. Select Download on the right-hand side.
  4. Open the voucher.
  5. Hover your mouse over the pdf, right click and select Print.
  6. To email your voucher, right click, Save As to your computer and then attach it to your email.

Step 2 – give the provider your voucher

Present or email the voucher to the activity provider when you register your child. The voucher must be used before the expiry date.

Step 3 – email the voucher to our Club Treasurer at treasurer@westsbaseball.com.au

Step 4 – register your child and pay the full registration fee

Step 5 – Club will redeem voucher and reimburse you once funds have been received

$200 Fair Play Vouchers Now Available

NEWS FROM THE QLD GOVERNMENT

Exciting updates: FairPlay vouchers Round 11 details!
Good afternoon

We are pleased to announce the expansion of the FairPlay vouchers program! Starting from 1 July 2024, the program will be open to all Queensland children aged 5 to 17.

What’s new?          
* Eligibility: FairPlay is now open to all Queensland kids aged 5 to 17.          
* Voucher value: increased from $150 to up to $200.          
* Voucher availability: up to 200,000 vouchers will be available. Up to 50,000 vouchers will be available to Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card holders exclusively.          
* Application period: FairPlay opens on 1 July 2024 and will remain open for up to 12 months (or until vouchers have been fully exhausted). There will not be a new round in January as in previous years. Families will need to apply for a voucher this round if they wish to enrol in an eligible activity within the next 12 months.

We encourage you to promote this program to your communities and ensure families are aware of the new eligibility and increased benefits. The attached amplification kit can be used to help spread the word.

How to stay informed:          

* Email fairplayvouchers@dtis.qld.gov.au or call 13 QGOV          
* Follow us on Facebook @QldSportAndRec          
* Visit qld.gov.au/fairplayvouchers This is a fantastic opportunity to help more children engage in sport and active recreation.

Thank you for your continued support in getting more kids active!

Kind regards
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Our club is now registered with containers for change

Our club is now registered with containers for change, how exciting!  

Containers for Change is a state-wide recycling scheme that enables charities and community groups who participate in the scheme to fundraise for their cause.

The club is in the process of purchasing recycling bins specifically for Containers for Change. These bins are purpose built for recycled 10C containers. 

There are a few ways you can donate – 

  • Drop your containers off at the club
  • Use the code below or 
  • link to your Containers for Change app for our club to be credited the value of the containers you donate at any of the Containers for Change stations.

All donations will make a difference and help to purchase new equipment for our members! 

Start saving today and support WESTERN DISTRICTS BASEBALL CLUB

Wests Baseball Academy Starts Soon

All players, Coaches, Umpires and scorers are invited to apply to attend the Wests 2024 Baseball Academy.

The Academy will go for six weeks with two sessions per week as follows:

  • Starts: Friday 12 July 2024
  • Ends: Sunday 18 August
  • Sessions: Friday evenings 6.00pm – 8.00pm; Sundays afternoons 3.00pm – 5.00pm

Costs: Nil cost

Aim of the Academy:- is to provide technical and practical tuition for players, coaches, umpires and scorers. Players will get technical and playing tuition; coaches will get assistance on how to coach players and teams; umpires and scorers will be provided practical tuition by umpiring and scoring practice games where the players will play a game between themselves coached by the attending coaches.

Some time will be spent in the clubrooms learning new skills via video and coach discussions while the greater amount of time will be spent on the training track refining skills.

Register by emailing Rodney Gaunt – specialprojects.westsbaseball@gmail.com

Little League Teams Excel for Wests – Little League Div 3 Premiers

Our Little League teams played off for the Grand Finals at Narangba on Saturday.

Little League Division 1 played off for the Divisional Grand Final and unfortunately lost to Narangba 0- 9.

Little League Division 2 played off for the GBL competition Grand Final and unfortunately lost 1 – 5

Little League Division 3 played off for the GBL competition Grand Final and WON – 4 – 2

Congratulations to the team, Coach Braxton Taylor-King, stand in Coaches Bruce Luck, James Stirling and Matt McDonald

CONGRATULATIONS to ETHAN STIRLING for receiving the Best Player for the Grand Final award – he pitched beautifully and also batted in one of the team’s four runs.

Representative Honours

Congratulations to the many Wests players that have been selected to play for Queensland, Regional or Schoolboy teams.

Charlie and Zye are pictured on this post however there are a lot of club players chosen for these teams and good luck to them all for the upcoming Championships.

CANTEEN COORDINATOR REQUIRED

The Club is seeking a Canteen Coordinator

The description for the position is as follows

  1. Be responsible for the proper management of the club’s canteen and special events required by
    the Committee
  2. Form a canteen sub-committee in liaison with team managers (if required)
  3. Liaise with the Treasurer regarding accounting and record keeping procedures
  4. Complete regular stock takes
  5. Order all food items to stock the canteen at the commencement of the season and as required
  6. Manage and maintain all food items, ensuring that all perishable supplies are properly stored
    under correct refrigerated temperatures and within expiry dates, to minimise the potential for
    bacterial contamination.
  7. Arrange for the pick up/delivery of all items ordered for the canteen
  8. Obtain any floats that are required by the Treasurer or the club’s financial procedures
  9. Adhere to necessary financial procedures of the club
  10. At the end of each day, in conjunction with the Treasurer, count and record all takings
  11. Maintain appropriate canteen records as required by the Treasurer or the club’s financial
    procedures
  12. Keep the committee informed of all relevant matters

If you have any interest, please contact Wendy Gaunt at treasurer@westsbaseball.com.au

Congratulations to Charlie and Zye – Selected into 2023 QLD U18 Team

Congratulations to Wests players – Zye Carr and Charlie Pietsch – for their selection in the 2023 QUEENSLAND U18 ROSTER

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 20 TALENTED PLAYERS WHO WILL PROUDLY REPRESENT QUEENSLAND AT THE AUSTRALIAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS IN JANUARY 2024.

MANAGER: DAVID BADKE  |  EO/ASSISTANT COACH: #31  KEITH LAND
ASSISTANT COACH: #34 DAN WILSON
PITCHING COACH: SCOTT PORTER  |  BENCH COACH:  KEVIN CANTWELL

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO SCORE A GAME OF BASEBALL?

our Club Scorer Coordinator – Wendy Gaunt is offering further tuition on how to score a baseball game.

Wendy advises the following

  • Now that the uniform shop is not so busy I would like to have scoring sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday starting from 4.30 until 7pm.
  • The times and days are flexible so you can attend when it suits you.
  • I do not expect everyone to attend all sessions.
  • There is going to be a lot of repetition with regard to – filling in your score book, entering changes, calculating defensive outs, filling in a game card and discussing the use of the electronic method of filling in game information.
  • I intend to start with adult Div 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 scorers first with the electronic scorecard and will then progress down the age groups after that.
  • Please note there is an opportunity to be the adult Div 4 scorer as the club has just entered a team and they need a scorer. They play on Sunday, mostly at 8.30am and finishing at 10.30am.

Please let me know if you are interested.

Regards,

Wendy Gaunt treasurer.westsbaseball@gmail.com