Two Bishops Trust

• About Us • Unemployment in the Hunter • What We Do • Friends of the Trust • Contact Us .

About Us
The Two Bishops Trust is an exciting and historic venture initiated by the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, and their respective welfare agencies.

Established in October 1998, the Trust aims to inspire and unite the whole community to find workable, just and creative solutions to unemployment in the Hunter region of NSW.

The Trust believes that every person is entitled to a life of dignity. By working collaboratively with other like-minded organisations and individuals, the Trust aims to relieve the distress of unemployed people and low fixed income earners by helping them to help themselves.

The Trustees include the Most Reverend Michael Malone (Catholic Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle) and the Reverend Dr Brian Farran, The Anglican Bishop of Newcastle. A Management Board representing various sectors of the community assists the Trustees. Project management agencies are contracted to deliver innovative employment projects in the Hunter region.

Local committees are formed to provide support and resources for the local project and are made up of a cross section of community, corporate and government sectors.

Unemployment in the Hunter
Unemployment levels in the Hunter Region are among the highest in our nation. In some areas unemployment and the resulting personal pressures, and strain on social and health services is becoming entrenched.

Practice has shown that Government programs alone cannot provide all the answers, nor can the programs that emphasise the importance of professional counselling people through their problems or providing emergency assistance or skills training. These programs are often not able to motivate people to become involved in lasting change for themselves or their community. Nor do they reflect the structural nature of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion.

For lasting change to occur, people must be involved in the process of change in their own community. Allowing and encouraging them to play the primary role in the struggle, and act in partnership with other organisations to bring about change for the individual and their community, is the vision and purpose behind the Trust.

What We Do
The Trust aims to assist communities to establish long-term solutions for people who are unemployed or on a fixed low income within the Hunter region through the development of creative and enterprising employment opportunities.

The Trust has, through the generous assistance of the entire community and the financial support of local organisations and government initiated Projects at Windale/Booragul/Bolton Point, Muswellbrook and Cessnock.

Friends of the Two Bishops Trust
The Friends of the Two Bishops Trust and the Put a Dollar to Work campaign are the major fundraising and partnership building programs held annually. The trust has appreciated enormous support from the local community through fundraising and project support and relies on this for its long-term survival.

The Friends of the Two Bishops Trust initiative gives all members of the community a chance to be a partner in tackling unemployment in the Hunter Region.

Individuals, community organisations, businesses and government can share actively in the vision and work of the Two Bishops Trust by becoming a friend and pledging their support in ways that are suitable to their circumstances.

The initiative will demonstrate that each of us has an opportunity to make a difference to the plight of our long term unemployed.

The "Friends" program aims to celebrate and encourage partnerships. It will acknowledge existing sponsors, partners and supporters of the Trust in the business, government and community sectors AND attract new sponsors, partners and supporters in those sectors.

"Friends" can choose to support the Trust in ways that are suitable to their circumstances, such as through the provision of:
• financial support
• pro bono support eg. skills and expertise
• prayer support
• equipment

Benefits and positive outcomes for supporters include:
• working for the well being of the community
• an opportunity to network with other like-minded organisations
• acknowledgement of their support through Trust promotions
• a memento of the Trust e.g. certificates, tie pin, etc.
• an annual event to acknowledge support and update on Trust initiatives

Partnerships
All sectors of the community are invited to participate in the "Friends" program - parishes, local business, government and the corporate sector.

Parishes may hold events such as ecumenical services, fundraising activities, volunteer in local projects.

The general community can support the Trust through the "Put a Dollar to Work" Week. This will involve a media campaign each year in collaboration with the banking industry or retail outlets to provide collection points for donations. This campaign will focus on what can be achieved through a $1 donation to the Trust - local projects that support local people.

The corporate sector will be invited to demonstrate their support through an annual sponsorship or membership of the "Friends of the Trust". "Friends" will receive acknowledgment of their involvement through a lapel pin or certificate, which can be mounted on the office wall and/or a window sticker, which identifies that the member supports employment in the local community.

Contact Us
For more information about the work of the Two Bishops Trust or if you’d like to get involved contact us: