Edmund Rice Community Services TAS

Share Your Story – Edmund Rice Community Services Gratitude Wall https://padlet.com/ercsGratitudeWall/ERCS_GW
Let’s honour and hold close the incredible memories, friendships, and life-changing moments that have shaped our community, as we say goodbye to some significant ERCS programs.
For 44 years, ERCS has been a place of connection, courage, and kindness. A place where strangers became family, and where young people found joy, belonging, and belief in themselves.
Whether you’ve been a participant, volunteer, staff member, or supporter, we invite you to share your experience. You might like to write from the heart, or respond to one/some of these prompts:
+ Share a powerful moment of connection - an ‘Eddie moment’
+ Share a funny story that others will connect with
+ Write a letter to participants or leaders who have impacted you
+ Share how being involved has impacted your career, passions and life
Your reflections will become part of our Gratitude Wall — a living tribute to the heart and soul of this community. Together, we’ll celebrate the spirit of Edmund and the incredible impact you’ve made.
Some important info:
*Posts will be approved before appearing on the Gratitude Wall
*To protect people’s stories, please refrain from sharing any names or photos of participants
*This is an open space, anything posted will be accessible and downloadable for the general public, including photos.
Submit your story here: https://padlet.com/ercsGratitudeWall/ERCS_GW
Let’s fill this wall with love, laughter, and legacy.
With heartfelt thanks,
The ERCS Team!

Edmund Rice Gratitude Wall Significant programs are winding down in 2025. Share a positive memory of belonging, laughter or support. Add yours below to help record hope you created.

With full hearts, a thank-you from ERCS. Today we share difficult news: Edmund Rice Community Services (ERCS) will wind down programs and activities by the end of 2025. For nearly 50 years, ERCS has walked beside young people and communities where need is most felt—creating safe places to belong, to be heard, to laugh, and to know that someone believes in you.
ERCS has done remarkable work for many years in exploring mission possibilities however we are in a very difficult financial environment. We have been unable to find ways to make ERCS’ operations financially sustainable despite extensive efforts by the board, staff, advisory councils and, of late, independent professional financial advisors.
ERCS was built on a simple conviction: dignity, inclusion and justice are not optional extras—they’re the ground on which healthy communities stand. Inspired by the Edmund Rice tradition, we’ve shown up where it matters most: with children and young people, families and carers, and older Australians seeking connection. Through camps, mentoring and leadership programs, community development activities and advocacy, we’ve worked to build connection, resilience and empowerment—not as one-off moments, but as habits of community that change lives.
The real story of ERCS has never been our name—it’s you. Volunteers who gave weekends and holidays to create joyful spaces. Donors who trusted us to steward resources wisely. Staff who chose compassion and professionalism, day after day. Partners who opened doors so young people could discover their strengths and step into leadership. Together, you’ve helped thousands of young Australians and others experience what everyone, especially children deserve: friendship, encouragement, challenge, and a sense of future.
We will wind down programs safely and responsibly. We will honour all legal, financial and safeguarding obligations, communicate directly with current participants and families, and where appropriate provide referrals to trusted services so support continues beyond ERCS. We’re deeply mindful of the relationships at the heart of this work, and we will do everything we can to close well.
Thank you for believing that small actions, delivered with empathy, change lives. The legacy of ERCS isn’t a building or a brand—it’s the confidence, connection and leadership now carried by the people we’ve served and served alongside. If you’d like to share a memory or message for our community, we’d love to gather those stories as a record of the hope you’ve helped create.
For questions or records (donations, receipts, references), please contact [email protected] . We’ll continue posting updates at https://www.facebook.com/edmundricecommunityservices/

Juliette's Story — Volunteer Week Spotlight
💙 “You realise that just by showing up, having fun and being yourself, you can help create a safe space where kids feel seen and valued.” 💙
Juliette’s Eddie Rice journey started with a single camp taster in Year 8 — and it changed everything. Since then, Eddie Rice has become a second family to her, filled with connection, belonging, and growth.
We ask her a few questions....
1. What makes being an ERCS volunteer something everyone should try at least once?
Being a part of Edmund Rice Camps is honestly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It’s one of those things you can’t fully explain until you’re in it, but once you are, you just get it. You’re surrounded by this amazing community of people where everyone actually cares and wants to make a difference, even if it's in the smallest ways. Eddie Rice reminds you how powerful kindness and presence are. You realise that just by showing up, having fun, and being yourself, you can help create a safe space where kids feel seen and valued. Plus, it’s not just about helping others; you also grow so much as an individual. You learn things about yourself, you build real friendships, and you leave every camp with a heart that feels a little fuller. And I think that's something everyone should get to feel.
2. How did you end up joining the Eddie Rice crew? – What’s your story?
I first got involved with Eddie Rice back in Year 8. One of the older leaders at my school kept telling me I should come along for a camp, just to try it. I said yes and went for a day, and that tiny “taster” completely changed everything. Then in Year 9, my school offered a service-learning elective, and through that, I got to experience Eddie Rice again. I then knew this was a community I wanted to be a part of. Later that year, I went on my first full camp and I felt this sense of belonging straight away. It didn’t feel like something I had to do, rather something I was meant to do. And ever since then, it’s been like a second family to me.
3. What’s the best thing about being part of our volunteer community?
Honestly, there are so many good things it’s hard to pick just one. But if I had to, I’d say the best part is the sense of connection you build with both the kids and the other leaders. You meet people who just get it, and it feels like you're part of something bigger than yourself. Some of my closest friends have come from Eddie Rice. It’s a place where you can completely be yourself and let your inner child free. And the best part is you're not the only one! Being able to help create a space where kids can just be kids is something that fills your heart in a way nothing else really can. And at the same time, being a leader has helped me heal parts of my own inner child too. It’s like you’re giving what you once needed as a child to a child who also needs a little extra love and support. And the gratitude you feel from the campers and the families is something you carry with you long after camp ends.

Would you like to volunteer? Join us here: https://ercs.org.au/support-us/volunteer/

Thursday was a very busy day where our sea creatures worked tirelessly to divert the pirates from trying to take our treasure!
We began our day by making under the sea disguises to hide from the pirates. We saw some incredible artistry from everyone! After refuelling with some morning tea we came across a very peculiar looking sea creature that we needed everyone’s help to figure out what it was! Teams had to complete mini challenges in order to buy the components for the creature before working together to try and recreate exactly what it looked like!
We ended our day with a well loved game of rainbow tag before finding even more of those pesky bits of paper! Those pirates can’t be up to any good!

The leaders rounded out their day out by hearing from Brother Peter Flint and Billy.

Brother Peter talked about the origins of ERCS in Tasmania - how camps have grown and adapted over the past 40 years and his interests in Theology, Physics and Cosmology. Peter Mitchell ran the first camp in Tasmania on Bruny Island inviting boys from Bridgewater to attend. The boys all slept in tents and the leaders were fathers of children at the local school. Although camps have changed from an observational front, they still operate on the same philosophies they did 49 years ago!

Billy‘s segment focused on the impact of volunteering. With a central focus on how finding passion and individuals with similar aligned views can change one’s life. Billy explained his journey as a form of volunteer to now having founded several businesses. Billy attributed his success to having access to a network of people who helped bring his vision to life as well as having been equipped with an extensive skill set from his time as an ERCS volunteer. Following Billy’s presentation, in small groups, leaders created vision boards and plans for a dream or goal of their own noting which Edmund Rice based skills would assist them and the types of connections they would need to foster.