Update September 2015

Tastex Vision

“Equality in Employment Quality in Product”

Tastex Update Is the official annual newsletter of Tastex Knitwear & Uniforms.

Tastex Staff Vicki Hawker-Executive Officer Support Staff—7 Supported employees—15

Committee of Management Maurie Harris Elizabeth Young Peter Sully Ruth Drummond Bronwyn Lysaght Stuart Barry Cecilia Lawler Mark Herd Tastex Update is designed ,and written by Vicki Hawker Photography Elizabeth Russell

Tastex Vision “Equality In Employment,

Quality In Product”

T he 2014/2015 financial year has been packed with new

and interesting projects. Our Envirowoolly range of native animals have really taken off, with orders exceeding our production capacity. The Tasmanian Community Fund have agreed to fund the purchase of a new 6 head embroidery machine which is now on order. This machine will enable us to ramp up production, fill orders more quickly and expand our embroidery capacity. We have interesting and varied training options for our Supported Employees, which

include traineeships as well as in house training. The production of door snakes made from recycled woolen offcuts, provides varied options for training with cutting, sewing and stuffing the snakes all contributing to the wide range of additional skills being both learned and consolidated. A number of our Supported Employees are now directly involved with the cutting, sewing and finishing process of our school jumpers. This is an achievement of which we are all extremely proud! Our highly skilled Tastex Support Team continue to strive for excellence in all areas of production. Their consistently high standards are indicative of their dedication and professionalism. Tastex is not only a diverse and interesting workplace, but also extremely rewarding. I would like to thank our loyal customers. It is your continuing support which enables us to achieve our goals! We embrace our Mission! “To enable people with intellectual disabilities to experience meaningful employment in a supportive environment”

Contents September 2015

2. E.O. Overview 6. Animal Tuckerbox

3. Made in Tasmania 6. Team Tastex

3. Schools Across Australia 7. Take A Second Bite

4. Tas - Travel Diary 7. “YES” to Aurora Energy

5. Staff Profile 5. Soft Wear -Wash & Wear

8. Mission Statement 8. Contact Details

E. O. Overview

Executive Officer—Vicki Hawker

T astex manufactures “Glen Mill” “Softwear” school

knitwear which we market throughout Tasmania and mainland Australia. “Glen Mill” school knitwear is renowned for it’s softness and durability. Our school knitwear has withstood the test of time, with schools purchasing their knitwear requirements from Tastex since 1970. We produce a wide range of school knitwear, including jumpers, cardigans, vests and rugbys. They are made according to individual school requirements, colours and styles. Our knitwear is made from 80%wool 20% nylon, 20.5 micron Australian wool which is fully

machine washable. Tastex also provides an excellent embroidery service to personalise your school knitwear with your school crest or logo. No order is too small or too large for us to manufacture. We have

no minimum orders, and offer a 5% discount on all indent orders.

Our customers range from some of the largest schools in Australia to some of the smallest, and our customer service is second to none.

“Made in Tasmania”

L achlan Davey, owner of “Made In Tasmania” retail outlets, which are

renowned for selling Premium Tasmanian made products, asked Tastex to knit a range of scarves to be sold in his stores. Lachlan, who owns two specialist knitting machines which he had been running himself, knows that Tastex has the expertise to consistently achieve high quality knitted products. He was keen to support us by stocking our Tasmanian made knitwear and sought our assistance to fine tune his two machines. The two machines have been installed into our Tastex factory where they are knitting high quality, warm winter scarves for “Made in Tasmania” which tick all the boxes. “Made in Tasmania” outlets also stock our Tastex Envirowoollys and Tastex knitwear. A “Win Win” outcome for both “Made in Tasmania” and for Tastex.

Schools Across Australia

Glen Mill Jumpers & Cardigans

Glen Mill Rugby Jumpers

Lachlan Davey, owner of “Made in Tasmania” outlets, standing outside his shop in Hobarts Salamanca Place. Lachlan is a walking advertisement for both his outlet and for Tastex, shown here wearing a Tastex Jumper,

Tastex knitted scarf and holding Tastex “Envirowoollys”.

Our Star “Envirowoolly” TAS has recently developed an appetite for travel. He has been spotted in a variety of locations.

He is equally at home on the water or the land, where he has been snapped participating in a wide range of activities.

TAS is quite the globe trotter these days, travelling with his friends wherever they go. He has been seen hiking through the Australian wilderness, climbing snowy peaks, beachcombing, snorkelling and relaxing with friends.

TAS enjoys the natural beauty of his home state, never missing an opportunity to explore Tasmania’s world famous wilderness areas.

Sometimes TAS takes his “Envirowoolly” friend Wombat along to enjoy the scenery, they like to relax together at the end of a long day.

The University of Tasmania has adopted , our Tastex “Envirowoolly” Tassie Devil TAS for their Global Engagements Department. TAS serves as an ambassador for the University when they engage with overseas students wishing to study here in Tasmania.

Back at Tastex, the Team are always busy, filling orders for members of the “Envirowoolly” family to be distributed to outlets throughout Tasmania.

“Tas’ Travel Diary”

Tas explores the DIG TREE at Innamincka S.A.

TAS the beachcomber

The desert is hot and dry on the Birdsville Track in QLD

Nothing like a spot of snorkelling after a hot day at the

beach

Tas enjoys the snow at Cradle Mountain.

Ready for delivery to the University of Tasmania

S andra Bartle is the newest member of our Tastex Support Team.

The upcoming expansion of our embroidery area meant that we needed an additional staff member who could not only operate the embroidery machines, but also sew knitted garments and Envirowoollys whilst working along side our Supported Employees to offer guidance and support. Sandra came to us highly recommended and with years of experience. She had worked extensively with both embroidery and sewing which made her the perfect candidate for the job. Sandra has taken to Tastex like a duck to water! She has proven to be very capable, showing great attention to detail which is extremely important when working within the framework of our ISO Quality Assurance. Sandra is already skilled in operating the embroidery machines, sewing knitwear and making our “Envirowoollys”. She is willing to try her hand at anything. Her versatility and skills have allowed Sandra to integrate into our workplace with ease. Sandra is a welcome addition to our Tastex team.

C omfy to wear and easy to care for.

Your Glen Mill Softwear school knitwear is not only comfortable, but tough and durable. To maintain the smart look of your quality knitwear, follow the washing instructions on the back

of the label. Firstly, it is important to separate dark and light colours. Simply turn the garment inside out and place in the washing machine. Use a Wool mark approved detergent as these do not contain bleach. Set the machine to Wool Cycle and warm machine wash. Warm rinse and normal Spin. Glen Mill Softwear garments can also be tumble dried. Use the dryer on the low heat setting. Following the washing instructions will ensure that your Glen Mill Softwear knitwear will stand up to the test of time, giving you and your family great

value for money. Our “Softwear” range is available in a variety of styles. We can also design and manufacture to your specifications. Our range includes Jumpers, Cardigans, Vests, Rugby Tops, Scarves and Beanies. Tastex delivers direct to your school with no added freight costs. We offer a 5% discount for all indent orders which allow 12 weeks for delivery!

Softwear - Wash & Wear

Seamstress / Embroidery Operator

Sandra Bartle

Staff Profile

T astex has a walking team of supported staff and

volunteers who walk each week to encourage fitness and a healthy life style. This year we decided it was time to put our fitness to the test and enter the “Mona Gasp” fun run. We practiced every week for around 3 months, walking around Glenorchy for 30-40 minutes to increase our fitness levels in preparation for the big day.

The “Mona Gasp” is a 4km walk, which begins at the Derwent Entertainment Centre

in Glenorchy and takes a scenic route along the foreshore finishing at MONA (Museum of Old and New Art).

The day dawned cold and clear. We all assembled at the starting line at 7.30 am along

with around 450 other entrants. The Team all participated enthusiastically, with everyone putting their best foot forward. We can proudly report that every member of the team not only enjoyed but finished the walk! A great time was had by all!

At the finish line everyone was awarded medals and certificates. We finished the walk with a hearty breakfast.

Team Tastex

“Animal Tuckerbox”

A nimal Tuckerbox is a Tasmanian owned and operated business with

eight outlets throughout the state. They stock a wide range of animal care products making them the perfect choice when shopping for our furry, feathered and fishy friends. Animal Tuckerbox are committed to providing professional service at competitive prices. Their friendly staff are always ready to assist, catering for all creatures great and small. Tastex has been supplying the Animal Tuckerbox staff with their uniform and embroidery requirements for a number of years. This year they decided to compliment their uniform with one of our range of tough, warm, knitted work wear jumpers to help combat the cold Tassie winter. The staff of animal Tuckerbox are both warm and smart, decked out in Tastex Knitwear jumpers and uniform apparel! A big thank you to Animal Tuckerbox for your ongoing business and support.

“TASMANIANS SUPPORTING TASMANIA”

Take a SecondBite!

A urora Energy values its role in the local community and

is committed to contributing in ways that are both meaningful and practical.

In late 2014, Aurora Energy proudly launched the “Your Energy Support” “YES” program to assist customers that may be facing financial difficulties.

As electricity is an essential service, the YES program helps customers find ways to keep control of their energy account, from energy-saving tips, budgeting advice and energy audits, to setting up tailored, flexible and affordable payment plans for immediate or longer term relief.

One easy energy saving tip that can help keep heating costs down, is to block drafts in the home. Aurora Energy was delighted to engage Tastex

and stock up on our environmentally friendly and practical door snakes, which have been handed out in the Tasmanian community this winter and to participants on the “YES” program.

Feedback from the community has been extremely positive, with many people commenting on both the quality, and the range of colour options

available – and great pleasure if they found a door snake that matched the colours of their favourite sports team!

Manufacturing door snakes provides ongoing skills based training for our supported employees who have intellectual disabilities, they cut, sew and fill the door snakes with very little assistance from other staff.

The Aurora Energy Door Snakes destined for draughty homes

throughout Tasmania.

“YES”- To Aurora Energy

T astex shares a portion of it’s building with Not for Profit organisation SecondBite.

SecondBite receives donations of fresh produce from businesses within the community to be redistributed to people in need. Tastex supply uniforms and other clothing for SecondBite staff and volunteers. Recently the Tastex team supplied and helped design the aprons for SecondBites brand new “Schools in Tasmania Program”. This is a collaborative program whereby the school takes delivery of a large consignment of donated fresh produce from SecondBite with the objective of cooking the food into meal-sized portions.

The schools cooking groups convert this food into meals which are then delivered back to SecondBite to be handed on to people in need within the community. The “Schools in Tasmania Program” has already produced in excess of 5000 meals, Christmas treats for Colony 47, as well as baked shortbread for Christmas hampers and jams for school breakfast programs.

Contact us at: Tastex Knitwear & Uniforms

12 Mill Lane Glenorchy TAS 7010 Phone: 03 62728877 Fax: 03 62728887

Email: sales@tastex.com.au www.tastex.com.au