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Speaker 1: Now you might recall over the last couple of years

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Speaker 1: we have heard about a wonderful, wonderful thing that happens.

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Speaker 1: It's called Operation Secret Center. It's for the aged. And

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Speaker 1: this year, well it's flying by and it is October.

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Speaker 1: So the organization for this is approaching very very quickly,

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Speaker 1: and it's a beautiful initiative. It in shores that Territory

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Speaker 1: seniors have got a gift to open each Christmas. And

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Speaker 1: joining me in the studio to tell us a little

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Speaker 1: bit more about Operation Secret Center for the Aged is

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Speaker 1: organizer Tory Star. Good morning, Tory. How many years have

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Speaker 1: you been organizing this event.

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Speaker 2: It's our ninth year of doing this. We're almost to

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Speaker 2: a decade.

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Speaker 1: You know. Last year I remember seeing you at perap

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Speaker 1: You were picking either picking presents up or dropping them

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Speaker 1: off with your son. I believe, and I thought you

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Speaker 1: are working your butt off to help people and to

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Speaker 1: make sure that seniors all have a gift on Christmas Day,

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Speaker 1: which I love.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's definitely a big undertaking. I've got a lot

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Speaker 2: of helpers. Every year I get some more, which is

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Speaker 2: greatfully appreciated, But yeah, it is. It's a big undertaking

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Speaker 2: for a couple of months of a year, but it's

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Speaker 2: so worth.

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Speaker 1: It, so nine years. How much has it grown over

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Speaker 1: the last nine years?

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Speaker 2: So much. The first year we did about two hundred

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Speaker 2: and thirty seven presents to the four nursing homes in

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Speaker 2: the Darwin region. Last year we did fourteen hundred and

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Speaker 2: thirty seven presents across the entire Northern Territory. Wow.

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Speaker 1: Now, how do you go with logistics like in terms

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Speaker 1: of getting all of those presents out right across the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: Now, so we rely on donor nations, physical donations as

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Speaker 2: well as monetary donations. All of the presents are purchased

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Speaker 2: and packed in Darwin at the Country Women's Association in

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Speaker 2: Stuart Park. He'll lend me their space every year, give

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Speaker 2: me a key and let me run with it. And

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Speaker 2: then we have a couple of transport companies that jump

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Speaker 2: on every year who take those boxes and spread them

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Speaker 2: out through the Northern Territory to the various regional councils

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Speaker 2: or local organization in those regions and then they distribute

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Speaker 2: them out so they reach all corners.

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Speaker 1: It's such a nice thing to do. What's the reaction

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Speaker 1: from the seniors? Then, when they do have a gift

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Speaker 1: to open, they love it. Yea.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, all the feedback we get is so positive. It's

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Speaker 2: really appreciated. It's a demographic that really do appreciate the

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Speaker 2: little things. And you know they're not massive, flashy presents,

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Speaker 2: but they're still they're really appreciated by everyone who receives them.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know that generosity from all Territorians is

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Speaker 1: absolutely you know needed as well. You are obviously starting things,

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Speaker 1: you're kicking things off. It's October, you don't know, you've

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Speaker 1: got a few.

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Speaker 2: Really, November the year is screaming past.

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Speaker 1: It's absolutely screaming past. Now what do you need from

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Speaker 1: Territorians in terms of those donations for our seniors.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so we basically what you would buy for your

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Speaker 2: nanopop for Christmas. So things like crossword puzzles and pens, notebooks,

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Speaker 2: coloring books, hanky's face washers, toilet trees, you know, gift

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Speaker 2: packs for pop knee rugs, beanie scarves, things that can

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Speaker 2: be utilized, little knickknacks that they might like to have

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Speaker 2: decorate their room for example. Yeah, just think about what

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Speaker 2: you might buy your grandparents as a gift for Christmas.

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Speaker 2: And that's a great place to start.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I reckon, that's a really good idea. How many

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Speaker 1: prezzies are you hoping to potentially give out this year?

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Speaker 2: About fifteen hundred? Yep, yep, that's the goal at this stage.

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Speaker 2: As we get closer, we confirm numbers with each of

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Speaker 2: the organizations, but last year we did fourteen hundred and

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Speaker 2: thirty seven, so I think fifteen hundred is a good

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Speaker 2: ball pop.

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Speaker 1: I reckon, that's a good ballpark figure. Now, Tori, you're

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Speaker 1: actually you've thrown a bit of a spanner in the

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Speaker 1: works for yourself though this time you're getting married as well.

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Speaker 1: In the meantime, I am.

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Speaker 2: I'm actually jetting off next week for a couple of weeks,

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Speaker 2: so just to add to thet Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I love that you ask a busy woman to get

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Speaker 1: something done and she will, there is no doubt about it.

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Speaker 1: But you are really wanting to kick things off as well. Nice.

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Speaker 1: I mean it's early. It is still early to some people,

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Speaker 1: but it's nice and early so that it can make

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Speaker 1: sure you've got all those donations and then logistically you're

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Speaker 1: able to get them all out.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we've got to give ourselves time to get things

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Speaker 2: down to Alice, Springs and out to Nulan Boy and

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Speaker 2: all the regions. So once we get them packed up,

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Speaker 2: we start with the furthest point. We work our way

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Speaker 2: back to Darwin. And if I'm running around on Christmas

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Speaker 2: Eve delivering presents, then so be it.

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Speaker 1: Oh you are best. It's such a nice thing to do. Like,

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Speaker 1: how does your family feel about it, particularly your teenage kids.

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Speaker 1: It might like it's instilling in them such a nice

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Speaker 1: way to give back to the community right at Christmas time.

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Speaker 1: And I know, like I know it would be such

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Speaker 1: a team effort, not only from your family, but I'm

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Speaker 1: guessing all of your friends and everybody gets wrangled.

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Speaker 2: In yep, yep, everyone gets roped in. My family have

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Speaker 2: to deal with the absenteesm over a few weeks in

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Speaker 2: the lead up to Christmas. And now Christmases are pretty

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Speaker 2: quiet because there's not much that happens on that front.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, the big kids get roped into it every year.

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Speaker 2: They have they help and it's quite morbid. But my

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Speaker 2: biggest daughter said to me last year, she goes, you

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Speaker 2: can't die anytime soon. She goes, I'm not ready to

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Speaker 2: take this over mane.

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Speaker 1: So I was like, well, you think about succession planning.

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Speaker 2: So that's great, She's exactly got it on the radar.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, but no, they have they sacrifice a lot

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Speaker 2: to make this project work. And they are my helpers

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Speaker 2: that are there at eleven thirty at night packing bags

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Speaker 2: with me to get it done and Hubby cart and

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Speaker 2: boxes all over the countryside to make it happen. So

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Speaker 2: I couldn't do it without the help.

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Speaker 1: It is such a beautiful thing that you do, and

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Speaker 1: you do it, you know, out of the goodness of

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Speaker 1: your heart and something that you do for the community,

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Speaker 1: which I think is really beautiful. And that's why I

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Speaker 1: think if anybody is out there listening this morning that

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Speaker 1: does want to donate or that does want to, you know,

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Speaker 1: to go and purchase a present, definitely do it. You know,

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Speaker 1: this is something that's a really nice thing to do

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Speaker 1: for somebody else come Christmas time, Torri, If there is

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Speaker 1: anybody listening this morning that's keen to either donate, make

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Speaker 1: a you know, make a monetary donation or a present,

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Speaker 1: what should they do a shop?

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Speaker 2: So for monetary donations, we have a GoFundMe running again

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Speaker 2: this year. You can search it through the go fundme site.

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Speaker 2: Operation Secret Santa aged care and t or We also

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Speaker 2: have it pinned on the Facebook page. Our Facebook page

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Speaker 2: by the same name is our source of all truth.

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Speaker 2: That's where we share all updates, put out our calls

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Speaker 2: for help if they want to donate a physical gift

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Speaker 2: things that they've gone out and purchase. We actually have

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Speaker 2: sixteen drop off points across Darwin and Palmerston this year

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Speaker 2: and the rural area and one in Catherine. So did

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Speaker 2: you want me to read them?

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Speaker 1: Can they get them all on face can?

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Speaker 2: I'm going to pop them up on the Facebook page.

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Speaker 1: Is there some sort of main one so that might

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Speaker 1: pop out? Or they're all pretty that'll be all pretty

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Speaker 1: high profile.

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Speaker 2: Others they are all pretty high profile. Basically, if you

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Speaker 2: have a colp MLA in your areap, their office is

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Speaker 2: a drop off points or some We've got George Brown

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Speaker 2: Botanic Gardens, Nightcliff News Agency and the Terry White Chemist

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Speaker 2: out at Humpty Do as well.

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Speaker 1: Wonderful stuff. Good on you. We're gonna catch up with

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Speaker 1: you again before Christmas. We'll let you get married versa. Okay, thanks,

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Speaker 1: good Halloween. I hope you have the best time. We'll

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Speaker 1: talk to you again when you get back.

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Speaker 2: Thank you.

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Speaker 1: Tore I lovely to speak with you