Community Partnerships

Community partnerships are an important aspect of most businesses' commitment to corporate social responsibility. This includes Bowden McCormack and our clients. Our Community Partnership Program focuses on three streams:

• Environment
• Health & Fitness
• Business Acumen

Environment

Bowden McCormack is a proud partner of the Environment Centre NT, which is the peak community environment organisation in the Northern Territory, Australia.  The Environment Centre NT and predecessor organisations have been working to protect the environment since 1983. The Environment Centre NT works to:

• protect and restore biodiversity, ecosystems and ecological processes
• foster sustainable living and development, a part of which is the conduct of the Top End Sustainable Living Festival
• cut greenhouse gas emissions and build renewable energy

Bowden McCormack actively works to reduce its impact on the environment through sustainable office practices.  Some of the steps the firm is engaged in are:

• commissioning appropriate organizations to review and report back to the firm on how to reduce the firm's greenhouse 'footprint' and make a real difference;placing paper recycling bins in administration areas
• having our photocopiers default to double-sided copying to reduce paper consumption
• using the firm's intranet and e-mail for internal communications; returning redundant PCs to suppliers for recycling; andselecting suppliers, where possible, with a commitment to minimising their impact on the environment

Health and Fitness

Bowden McCormack is a proud partner of the Southern Districts Football Club and the Saint Mary's Football, Sporting and Social Club in the Northern Territory Football League.

Southern Districts Football Club

The Southern Districts Football Club first competed in the NTFL in the early eighties fielding a team in Sunday 'C' Grade.  By 1987/88, the Crocodiles (as they have come to be known) finally had a team in every grade of the NTFL.

The club had many talented juniors including players such as Nathan Buckley, Steven Koops, Fabian Francis, Gilbert McAdam, Roger Smith and Bradley Copeland, all of whom went on to be drafted.  In 1988/89 the Under 16s broke through for the club's first premiership.

The Southern Districts Football Club has a proud history of producing VFL/AFL Players. Along with this the club has produced many players who have gone on to play in the SANFL, WAFL, QAFL and the current VFL.  The latest player is Steven May who was drafted by the Gold Coast Suns (AFL).

Currently the club has ten teams playing – in the Juniors it has four U 14s, two U 16s and an U 18s team; in the Seniors it features teams in Premier League, Division One and Division Two.  It is hoped that Season 2011-12 will see an U 16 Girls Team and a Women's Team.

Saint Mary's Football, Sporting and Social Club

The St Marys Football, Sporting and Social Club has been recognised as the most successful football club in Australia, having won 28 Senior premierships since the club commenced in 1952/53, which is approximately one every two years.  The Club was formed to provide an opportunity for Tiwi Islanders to play football while working in Darwin for the Armed Services, as only one other team in the NTFL at that time would allow "full blood" Aboriginals to play.

The Club prides itself on "locally produced" players, and Aboriginal players have played a vital part since formation, with many having progressed to the highest levels of competition in the country – the AFL, SANFL and WAFL.

As at season end 2010/11, St Marys Football Club has played 1,076 matches for 774 wins, 293 losses and 9 Draws, and made 44 Grand Final appearances.  St Marys players have won the NTFL's highest individual award, the Nichols Medal, 22 times.  At the inaugural AFLNT Hall of Fame presentation, of the 25 inductees recognition was given to 9 past Saints greats including 3 Legends – David Kantilla, Maurice Rioli and Michael Long – and 6 Members – John Taylor, Ted Liddy, Michael Athanasiou, Dennis Dunn, Tony Shaw and Brother Pye.

The Club has also achieved great success with premierships also across Women's and Junior Grades, and it takes great pride in its reputation for being a family and community club.  Through its sporting teams, St Mary's strives to live by its motto "Recte Ad Metam" (Aim for the Middle), while in the operation of the club as a whole the mantra is "From little Saints, big Saints grow".

The Club Committee works hard to ensure that St Mary's players, members, sponsors and supporters are well looked after, both on and off the field.  The Club has welcomed several affiliate clubs from different sports into the St Marys fold, including Nightcliff Rugby League, St Marys Hockey and Hoggies Netball.

We welcome all interested people and encourage them to get involved and enjoy their sport and community participation at all ages and in varied roles:- players, members, sponsors, supporters and particularly volunteers, who are the glue that hold every sporting club together.

The St Marys Football Club is proud to be associated with Bowden McCormack as a valued sponsor.

Business Acumen

Charles Darwin University

Through provision of a targeted prize, Bowden McCormack is a proud partner of Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory.  The prize – "Bowden McCormack, Lawyers + Advisers, Prize for Indigenous Excellence in Commerce" – is awarded annually to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Charles Darwin University Graduate with the highest academic achievement in the Bachelor of Commerce from the previous academic year.

We are extremely pleased to say that the recipient of the inaugural "Bowden McCormack, Lawyers + Advisers, Prize for Indigenous Excellence in Commerce", is Jessica Procak. 

Jessica, a young Indigenous woman from Alice Springs now resident in Darwin, successfully achieved the highest grades of any Indigenous student in the Bachelor of Commerce in 2010.  She is now employed full-time at Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor Indigenous Leadership, Charles Darwin University as the Administration Support Officer. For coverage in Charles Darwin University's "Indigenous Academic Support News", click here

L-R: Jessica Procak recipient of the Bowden McCormack Prize for Indigenous Excellence in Commerce.
Don Fuller, Head of School of Law and Business and Dominic McCormack.