It takes a wide range of people with a variety of skills, time, enthusiasm and generosity to sustain Frontier Services’ network of care for people across remote Australia.

The community at Adare Uniting Church in Victor Harbor, South Australia, is full of people just like that who give their time and support to Frontier Services in many different ways.

Not only has the congregation provided generous financial support over a number of years, some of its members have volunteered to lend a hand to isolated families through the Outback Links program. Others have volunteered on Work Parties to help with the maintenance of Frontier Services buildings and properties.

The quilting group has generously given hand-made quilts to the South Australian Patrol Ministers Jenny Swanbury and John Dihm to distribute to people within their patrols.

In another act of giving, members of the Home Group travelled to Hawker, which is part of the Parkin Patrol, to support the community in their worship. The group travelled to Hawker while Patrol Minister John Dihm was away and took responsibility for running a church service.

Recently, Adare Uniting Church held a special Centenary celebration for Frontier Services combined with a Great Outback BBQ fundraising event.

Sturt Patrol Minister Jenny Swanbury attended the Sunday service and the celebrations which followed.

Jenny, based out of Orroroo, was able to share about her work visiting families in isolated parts of South Australia. She even demonstrated how to use her trusty rattle gun to change tyres on her four-wheel-drive patrol vehicle.

Many people were involved in making the day a success. The “Adarebles” band provided the entertainment and the Lions Club cooked up the meat on the BBQ. Christopher Wright made a special 100th birthday centenary cake which was cut by Jenny.

Coordinator of the celebration Colin Gepp said the day was a success with more than 100 people coming along and $1150 raised for Frontier Services.

“Adare Uniting Church has quite a few links to Frontier Services,” said Mr Gepp. “People see it as one of the agencies of the Church which they would like to support.”

The Adare Uniting Church quilting group also made a banner for the official Frontier Services celebration held at Dallas Brooks Centre in Melbourne on 26 September. The colourful banner depicts the homestead on Bullyaninnie Station near the township of Oodlawirra in the mid north of South Australia. A group of volunteers from Adare visited Bullyaninnie in November 2011 with Outback Links.

Frontier Services is very grateful to Adare Uniting Church for all the ways it has supported the people of remote Australia and to the many people across the country who give their time, gifts and resources to enable us to be there when and where we are needed.