Guest Speaker Report
by
Rotarian Peter Douglas
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Our guest speaker was Craig Davis who was a prominent AFL player from 1973 to 1989. He played a total of 163 games during this period for Carlton, North Melbourne, Collingwood and finally the Sydney Swans. His son Nick is a current player with Swans.
Craig was introduced by Peter Smith.
At the conclusion of his AFL career Craig became involved with Youth Off The Streets, an organisation founded by father Chris Riley with whom older members of our club would be more familiar as we ran a very successful function raising some twenty thousand dollars.
Craig became a Board member of YOTS in 1998 and served as Chair from 2000 until June 2008. He is currently an Ambassador for YOTS along with prominent actor Eric Bana.
Why did Craig become involved with YOTS? Craig is of the opinion that by keeping youth involved in sport and recreation it keeps them active and doesn’t allow them to become bored and wander off into the black hole of drugs and alcohol abuse.
Craig then gave us a potted history of YOTS from the time of its founding in 1991 with a single food van offering meals to young homeless people in the Kings Cross area to the current where it has become a major youth specific agency providing a wide range of services. YOTS provides crisis care for young people still living on the streets with the food van, youth refuge and outrage programs. It also operates an innovative drug and alcohol program specifically designed for young people. It operates accredited independent high schools providing flexible educational opportunities for young people who are unable to attend mainstream high schools. YOTS also operates long term residential rehab programmes in the Southern Highlands and the Hunter Valley.
YOTS has an annual budget of 20 million dollars the majority of which is provided by corporate and individual donations.
Although principally a NSW organisation YOTS has become an international charity with its involvement in Bandar Aceh following the tsunami.
Craig finished off his talk with a witty resume of his time as a leading AFL player.
Craig was thanked by PP Bert Houston
Youth Off The Streets Website: www.youthoffthestreets.com.au
