This year we have decided to change the format with the winner of each table progressing through to the final. Also, we will be keeping you and your guests together on the one table ensuring that someone will have bragging rights for the year!

We will again have a celebrity on every table and some great prizes and auction items up for grabs.

For more information, please click here . if you would like to book tickets please email us at poker@tswf.com.au or call us on 03 9595 3811.

We look forward to seeing you on the day.

Xan and Flipper

Flipper, the golden retriever, is helping nine-year-old Xan to come out of his shell as he finds it hard to communicate.

WORDS cannot describe the bond between Xan and Flipper.

Xan, 9, has a language disorder that can make it difficult for him to communicate with those around him.

But he has no problem conveying the affection he feels for his canine companion, Flipper, provided by Assistance Dogs Australia with support from the Shane Warne Foundation.

Mum Sarah Cannon said Flipper had given her son a “spring in his step” and made everyday interaction that bit easier.

“Having a dog that is so attuned to Xan’s needs has been so helpful,” said Ms Cannon.

Eight assistance dogs were officially handed over to their new owners at a ceremony at Federation Square yesterday.

Each dog takes two years and $27,000 to train.

The labradors and golden retrievers help people with disabilities, and can open and close doors, press the button at the traffic lights, bark an alert or even fetch a mobile or portable phone if their owner is in trouble. They can even remove clothes from the washing machine.

They also provide companionship and can assist in complex areas such as speech therapy.

“It has been wonderful for Xan’s self-esteem to have this loving and affectionate dog constantly beside him,” Ms Cannon said.

Xan attends a mainstream school and does not take Flipper to class with him, but he enjoys the attention he gets when Flipper comes with his parents to pick him up.

“Flipper has helped him to relate to people, because everyone wants to ask him about his dog,” Ms Cannon said.

On behalf of The Shane Warne Foundation members, we are privileged to offer you the opportunity to join us at Ellerston Golf Course.

Our Chairman, Shane Warne, is looking forward to hosting a small group for this truly unique experience. Ellerston is currently ranked the 3^rd best course in Australia by Australian Golf Digest.

“Ellerston is a controversial pick for 3rd, this private of private courses is only playable by the lucky few and some critics argue that as it is virtually impossible to play, it shouldn’t be on the list.  I agree with AGD that the ranking is on all the Nations’ courses, regardless of access.” Golf Digest February 14th, 2012

We are able to offer this exclusive opportunity to a limited few due to the generosity of Mr James Packer, TSWF Ambassador, who has generously offered to open his privately owned golf course for our charity to make this possible.

Restricted to just 12 people, please contact Jason Warne on jason@tswf.com.au or 03 95953838 to secure your a place or for more information for this amazing experience.

The details are;

Please contact us now for your last chance to join us for this special day.

This weekend, we are absolutely delighted to announce that we will take over as Melbourne Storm’s major sponsor for one game!!

We would like to thank Crown Melbourne and Melbourne Storm for their amazing opportunity and the wonderful exposure we will receive through this initiative.

We cannot thank both partners enough; your support is truly amazing, thank you.

The following media release was distributed last night;

Melbourne, Australia. 29 May 2012. Melbourne Storm and Crown Melbourne are delighted to announce that, The Shane Warne Foundation’s logo will appear on the front of Storm’s jersey when the team faces the New Zealand Warriors this Sunday, 3 June in Auckland.

Storm winger Matt Duffie in The Shane Warne Foundation jersey to be worn this Sunday against the New Zealand Warriors

In support of Melbourne Storm and Crown’s mutual charity partner, this special charity activation is designed to raise awareness for the critical work The Shane Warne Foundation undertakes across the entire country.

The Shane Warne Foundation’s mission is to raise funds to assist in enriching the lives of seriously ill and underprivileged children and teenagers in Australia. The organisation achieves this by supporting a diverse cross section of charities that work on the ground within these areas as an umbrella organisation.

The Foundation is one of Melbourne Storm’s five major charity partners under the club’s Storm Support program. The program aims to help raise much needed funds, awareness and interaction for Storm’s charity partners.

Commenting on this unique activation, Crown’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Greg Hawkins said today ‘We are proud to be supporting The Shane Warne Foundation to further promote their wonderful charity work.”

Chairman of The Shane Warne Foundation, Shane Warne, said: “The association with Melbourne Storm is a sensational addition to the programs we have at TSWF. This unique opportunity allows the Foundation, the opportunity to have a voice via a new avenue and in-turn convey to the wider community, how we make a difference in the community.”

Melbourne Storm Chief Executive Officer, Ron Gauci, commented: “As a club, we are honoured to have the team supporting The Shane Warne Foundation for our game in New Zealand.

“This campaign is a testament to our collaborative partnership with our major sponsor in Crown.”

The Shane Warne Foundation is extremely proud to be chosen as the charity partner for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

On Friday 11 May, our Chairman Shane Warne joined the Premier of Victoria, Hon. Ted Baillieu MLA, Bollywood star Vidya Balan and the festival director  Miss Mitu Bhowmick Lange to launch the festival in grand style.

“This is a great opportunity for Melbournians to get a better insight into the Indian culture. I hope that everyone gets along to support the festival and turns it into a huge success,” said Shane Warne.

Festival director Miss Mitu Bhowmick Lange, TSWF Chairman Shane Warne, Bollywood star Vidya Balan and the Victorian Premier, Hon. Ted Baillieu MLA

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

The 2012 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will run over 2 fabulous weeks.

Taking place from June 11 to June 22 at Hoyts Melbourne Central, with 10 of India’s most exciting film figures as special guests, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne presents a dynamic program of screenings and master classes, appealing to cinephiles, lovers of Indian culture and filmmakers across its twelve day program.

Festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange said, “This is a double celebration; of the world’s biggest film industry, in all its crazy diversity, and multicultural Melbourne with its shared taste for spicy food, cricket and movies.”

The festival in its first year is screening an extraordinary 40 films celebrating the dizzying breadth of

Indian film culture, including 20 Australian premieres. The films range from Bengali art house to Hindi mass entertainment and South Indian action; from “masala” movies (lots of ingredients all cooked in the same pot) to regional art house plus a program of rarely seen films from the wider subcontinent including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, specially curated for the festival by acclaimed Indian New Wave director, Onir.

It will allow film fans to experience the vibrancy, energy and spectacle of Indian cinema, the Festival will showcase the incredible depth and diversity of the thriving Indian film scene.

Over 35 films from the latest and greatest Bollywood box‐office blockbusters, through to art house and independent cinema exploring the grittier realities of life in the region, and a program of little‐seen films from the wider sub‐continent, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal will be screened. The Festival will also run four masterclasses with leading Indian film industry figures, for Victorian filmmakers to tap into the wealth of Indian film knowledge and experience.

Highlights include opening night film KAHAANI, starring Vidya Balan; SAVING FACE, the winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary; CHATRAK, from Sri Lanka, shot in Calcutta and the Hindi film, MICHAEL, starring one of India’s finest actors, Naseeruddin Shah.

There’s also DELHI BELLY, a box office phenomenon shot in English and described by the Hollywood Reporter as “a sexy, filthy, and thoroughly entertaining comedy that marks a welcome shift in contemporary Indian Cinema” and URUMI, the second most expensive Malayalam (Mollywood) film ever made, a rip-roaring period fantasy set in 16th century Kerala.

Closing the festival is MEMORIES IN MARCH, starring Rituparno Ghosh, one of India’s most respected, not to mention fascinating filmmakers. Rituparno will be here to introduce the film and take part in a Q&A session.

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is a Victorian Government initiative that aims to strengthen ties between the Indian film industry and Victoria and will be delivered by Mind Blowing Films.

Of the 92 Queensland Schools affected by flood waters, Rocklea State School, located in Brisbane’s south-east was one of the schools hit hard by flood waters. The school’s administration block, resource centre, computer room and classrooms took the brunt of the nearly two metre water level now indicated as a sombre reminder by a plaque on the wall of the school’s gym.

In August 2011, The Shane Warne Foundation in conjunction with Variety Victoria were able to make a generous donation to assist with the cost of resurfacing the school’s tennis and basketball court. The court is central to the school’s physical education curriculum; hosting training for interschool sports meets and is a favourite play area for the 40, prep to year seven, students.

Variety – the Children’s Charity recognises the value and importance of outdoor play and team sports for children’s physical and social development.

Variety Queensland CEO Mr. Les Riley says “for schools like Rocklea, reinstating the facilities that keep students active and engaged with the community is a vital step in moving on from a natural disaster. We are grateful to The Shane Warne Foundation who has made such a positive impact on the lives of these children, today and for their future”.

General Manager of The Shane Warne Foundation, Jason Warne commented, “The Shane Warne Foundation was created to help children in need. After the devastation caused by the floods to Rocklea State School, we are proud to have been able to get involved and assist with the resurfacing of the tennis and basketball courts. We hope they are enjoyed for many years to come!”

Fittingly, it was rain that delayed the opening of the sports court, but on Wednesday 28th March students and teachers gathered with representatives from Variety – the Children’s Charity to cut the ribbon and throw their first balls around.

Variety – the Children’s Charity is dedicated to empowering Australian children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs to LIVE, LAUGH and LEARN. In 2011, Variety was able grant over $2.7 Million worth of equipment and services and have a positive effect on the lives of over 55,000 Queensland children in need.

On Monday 5 March 2012, another chapter was entered into the partnership journal when The Shane Warne Foundation donated over $40,000 worth of ‘Spinners by Shane Warne’ product to Challenge for them to distribute to the children and families they support.

Chairman Shane Warne was on hand to do the official honours and spent his time playing with several Challenge children and spending time with their families.

The event took place at the new Challenge House which is a sensational new home for Challenge. It is a credit to the team’s hard work, with special mention to long time CEO Dave Rogers, to turn this dream into a reality.

On his way out, Shane had the following to say to the Challenge team, “All of us at TSWF are proud to assist and be associated with Challenge and the great work you do supporting kids with cancer. Keep up the good work guys.”

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TSWF Director Ann Peacock was there to help present the players with their jumpers for the year and TSWF GM Jason Warne spoke briefly about what we do and how the Storm’s support can help us grow.

We are extremely excited about the possibilities of the partnership and will be unveiling new initiatives as the year progresses, watch this space.

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The lavish event was held in Studio 3, the official film studio of the Aussie Millions, and it was complete with a red carpet as celebrities and poker pros came out from around the world. In addition to Hachem and Warne, guest celebrities include …….. click here for the full event wrap

Back to nature have some great breakfast cereals which you will find in the health food section of most supermarkets. Earlier this year they featured the TSWF logo on every pack and raised some much needed funds to help us enrich the lives of seriously ill and underprivileged children.

Keep an eye out and try their great products.