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September 2008
Spring Edition
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Newsletter Archive: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
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Unfortunately 2008 has seen the loss of so many of our respected community elders both local and from surrounding areas. Aunty Lorraine Harvey was no exception.
Aunty Lorraine (or Billy Boy) was indeed a well known and unforgettable presence in not only the Sunshine Coast community but Gympie and Brisbane as well. Aunty Lorraine had many associations within the community including NCACCH, Nungeena, Murri Court and the Beerwah Football Association.
Aunty Lorraine had been a Board Member with NCACCH since 2005 and played a key role in maintaining Governance for our organisation.
The Board and Staff of NCACCH would like to pay our respects in honour of this great lady and the invaluable contributions she made to this organisation and to the community.
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To mark NAIDOC week (July 6-13) celebrations this year the National NAIDOC Committee had selected the theme: Advance Australia Fair?
The aim of the theme this year was to encourage people to reflect on the Australian principle of a “Fair go” and for them to consider the inequalities still experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in this country today.
The theme also laid down the challenge to the new Labor Government to deliver real change and improvements in the lives of Aboriginal people. It was encouraging to see the Rudd Government move to give an apology to the Stolen Generations. Hopefully this will be one step, with many more to follow, in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to bring about sustainable change.
Many events were held across the Sunshine Coast and Gympie communities marking this very important week for our people. Amongst these was an Inaugural Dinner and Family Fun Day held in Gympie and NAIDOC Celebrations in Cotton Tree. These were great community events organised by local people and groups. It gives us a chance to show other cultures what we are about and that we are proud of who and where we come from.
CASI in conjunction with NCACCH held this years Gympie Inaugural NAIDOC Dinner which was held on the 05 July 2008 at the Gympie RSL. The night was a great success with approx 50 people attending and “Muddy Flats”, a local Indigenous band for the nights entertainment, the crowd was entertained for the whole evening. This will hopefully the first of many to come. Gympie Mayor Ron Dyne and his wife attending the night with numerous community members and local businesses/organisations showing their support for this very important week.
CASI in conjunction with NCACCH held this years NAIDOC day held in Nelson Reserve on the 17th July 2008. The day was full of entertainment, fun, food and stalls. With numerous bands from Gympie High School and local Indigenous Dance Troupes there was non-stop entertainment all day. Aunty Olive Bennet performed the Traditional Welcome and Rhonda Wauchope and Rhonda Skehan from Qld Health gave away healthy food during lunch, donated from NCACCH.
The Sunshine Coast NAIDOC Day in the Park was held on the 27th July 2008 at Cotton Tree Park in Maroochydore. It was a great day with The Gubbi Gubbi Dance Troupe and Vanuatu dances entertaining the crowd. The Murri Talent Quest was also a hit with many participants entering for their 5 minutes of fame. Uncle Anthony Beezley performed the Traditional Welcome and NCACCH had a free BBQ on offer with Kangaroo and Emu steaks on the menu. HOPE also had free food on offer with Emu Bolognese and Kangaroo Curry on the menu.
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During the first 12 weeks, it's important to ensure that you’re eating enough required nutrients, as this is when the organs of the foetus first start to develop.Throughout your pregnancy, but particularly during this time, it’s important to increase your intake of:
Protein: for building muscle and tissue. Found in red meat, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.
Calcium: for strong teeth and bones. Found in dairy products (eg. milk and cheese), soya beans and milk, some seafood (such as salmon or sardines), spinach, broccoli, and calcium supplements
Iron: for building blood cells and preventing anaemia. Foods containing iron include red meat, chicken, fish, green leafy vegetables, wholegrain cereals, and dried fruit and nuts. Also eating foods containing Vitamin C (eg. oranges) can help your body to absorb iron.
Folic Acid: for brain and spinal cord development of the pregnancy, and to prevent you from getting anaemic. Found in green leafy vegetables, breads, cereals, and fruit. A daily folic acid supplement is often recommended and can be found in the health food section of your supermarket. |
NCACCH would like to thank all our Health Access Card holders who took the time to complete and return the 2008 Community Survey.
As this is a community controlled organisation, NCACCH seeks valuable input from you, the community, in ensuring the health needs within the Sunshine Coast, Hinterland and Cooloola regions are correctly identified and offered as a “gap” service to the Indigenous community and their families.
All participants will be entered into the draw to win one of 4 DVD’s (2 from the Sunshine Coast and 2 from Cooloola) which will be drawn on Thursday 11 September 2008. Winners will be notified by phone and shown in the next newsletter. Results will also be shown in the next edition.
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NCACCH in conjunction with Rhonda Wauchope the Indigenous Nutritionist and Rhonda Skehan, Dietician from Qld Health held a Cook up in August and September for the NCACCH Men’s and Women’s Group. The activity was held in both Gympie and Sunshine Coast with a positive response from all groups involved.
  
This is a chance for men and women to learn how to cook quick, healthy and cheap meals for their family. The days menu consisted of: Carrot Cake, Chicken Burger Rissoles and a Vege Wok Toss. All the participants prepared and cooked the food themselves and assisted in cleaning up after. All food cooked was then eaten for lunch.
This is a great activity to learn about healthy food options, hygiene and safe practice within the kitchen. It also acts as a team building exercise with everyone working and communicating together. With such a great response this will surely be an activity that will be available again in the future.
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Breast cancer is fairly common. One in eight Australian women will develop breast cancer before the age of 85. About 12,000 women and 84 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 in Australia. It is predicted that by 2011, the number of new diagnoses will increase to about 14,800 women and 122 men.
Breast cancer can occur at any age. The average age of women when they are diagnosed with breast cancer is 59 years. However, about a quarter of women diagnosed with breast cancer are younger than 50 years.
Breast cancer can also develop in men, although this is rare. Male breast cancer accounts for about 1% of all breast cancer.
NCACCH in partnership with Qld Health and Breastscreen Qld recently held 5 Breastscreen clinics across the Sunshine Coast and Gympie areas. With approx 8 women attending each clinic, this is a great preventative program to help our Indigenous women look after their health. NCACCH provided morning tea, with Qld Health and Breastscreen Qld giving away complimentary sample bags full of goodies for the women to take home. Its also a great chance for women to get together and have a yarn in a comfortable environment with support from Indigenous Health workers available.
This is a yearly event which is usually held in August/September. All NCACCH female clients over the age of 40 will receive an I nvitation to next years clinics.
NCACCH received $2000 from the Woolworths Community Grant to provide a healthy food option free of charge to families that attended the NAIDOC Community Day at Cotton Tree and Gympie. Not only does NCACCH see this as part of its education and prevention strategy for community health, but also the day is a great way to celebrate Indigenous culture and build bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The purpose of the Fresh Food Kids program is to send a positive and practical message about fresh food to children and their parents.
NCACCH actively promotes a healthy lifestyle for children, Woolworths has made $2,000,000 available to grass roots sports and community groups to develop initiatives for primary school-aged children.
Kim Helmore, Operations Manager at NCACCH officially receives our Woolworths Community Grant on 26 August 2008
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Recently NCACCH advertised for two new positions funded by Qld Health. The position titles are: Physical Activity Project Officer and Indigenous Child Health Worker (4-12 years). With a number of responses to the positions, NCACCH is currently assessing each of the applications and commencing the interview process.
The Physical Activity Project Officer role aims to increase opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be physically active in a range of programs and activities across the Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions. This position will work in partnership with Qld Health to deliver local services which meet specific statewide health strategies.
The Indigenous Child Health Worker role aims to provide a range of early intervention, health promotion and prevention strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 4-12 years attending pre-prep, prep and primary schools, and their families. This position will work in partnership with Qld Health to deliver local services which meet specific state-wide health strategies.
Good luck to all applicants. NCACCH will announce the successful candidates once the interview process has been completed.
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NCACCH conducts an annual Membership Drive and has received a great response in the past, with this year being no exception. It is with great pride that we can accurately boast the largest membership for an Indigenous organisation on the Sunshine Coast and possibly the largest for any Aboriginal Medical Service in Australia.
NCACCH Board and staff would like to thank existing members for renewing their membership and showing their continued support for this organisation and to welcome all new members to this innovative organisation which is leading the way in Australia in Indigenous health service delivery. Nowhere else in this country do you have the choices available to you in selecting your own health care provider that you have with NCACCH.
Becoming a member entitles you to attend our Annual General Meeting held in September (see front page for details), receive the NCACCH quarterly newsletter and your fees contribute towards service delivery in our community.
The following graph shows current membership numbers for the 2008/09 financial year.
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Although NCACCH is a gap service, it still looks at providing a lot of much needed services to the Sunshine Coast and Gympie Shires. You, as members, pay an annual fee which ensures these services remain active and which also helps to increase the available funding. Below is a graph showing the figures from 1 June 08 - 31 August 08 reflecting client visits to the most popular services accessed by the community. We have also included the number of people that have applied for a Health Access Card (HAC) during this time. The 61 applications actually resulted in 121 new clients coming onto NCACCH books.
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We would like to offer a big warm welcome to our new referrers - Vanessa Buckley, Dan Stevens, Kerry Staines, Elise Bailey, Pearl Turner and a ‘welcome back’ to Kaylene Jones! We appreciate all the time and effort that goes into this role and the important link it provides in bringing NCACCH services to our community.
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Date: 23 September 2008
Where: Plaza Home Centre
(4 doors up from NCACCH M’dore office)Women’s Group
Time: 10am—12pm
Activity: Cook Up with Qld Health
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Date: 10 October 2008
Where: Meet at Gympie NCACCH
Time: 10am—2pm
Activity: Bus trip to Tin Can Bay
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Date: 08 October 2008
Where: Meet at Gympie NCACCH
Time: 10am—2pm
Activity: Bus trip to Nungeena
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Date: 24 October 2008
Where: Currimundi BBQ Area
Time: 7am—9am
Activity: To be advised
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If you would like to receive invitations, please contact your nearest NCACCH office to be placed on the mailing list. You must RSVP to attend. |
If you would like to receive invitations, please contact your nearest NCACCH office to be placed on the mailing list. You must RSVP to attend.
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Cooloola Aboriginal Services Incorporated (CASI) was officially formed in May 2008 with the doors officially being opened on 30 June 2007.
Barbara Watson (Chairperson) welcomed everyone and paid respect to the Traditional Land Owners of the area. Gordon Browning performed a smoking ceremony to ensure the new office will be cleansed of any bad spirits and to allow a welcoming comfortable area for Murri people and their families to visit.
The organisation will seek to provide a culturally appropriate service to the Cooloola region. It will aim to inform the Indigenous community about health, education, employment, legal issues, community events and work related programs.
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