Posts related to 'wellbeing'

Maroondah Disability Action Group meeting

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 12th of August, 2008

Monday, 15 September 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm
Monday, 13 October 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm
Monday, 10 November 2008
10:00 am	to	12:00 pm

The Maroondah Disability Action Group also known as the Disability Action Group Eastern Region, aims to provide a voice for people with disabilities across Maroondah and Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

The group is a community led movement and includes people with disabilities who desire to improve the accessibility of Maroondah and the outer east. Specific aims include:

• To provide systemic advocacy to influence policies at a local, state or federal level;
• To campaign for accessible transport improvements;
• To cooperate with other like minded groups at a local and state level, and
• To push for greater, accessible and inclusive health services.

The Maroondah Disability Action Group meets at 10 am on the second Monday of each month at the Ringwood Church of Christ at 13 Bedford Road in Ringwood.

The venue is fully accessible and in close proximity to Ringwood Station and bus routes 367 (Ringwood to Croydon via East Ringwood) and 679 (Chirnside Park Shopping Centre to Ringwood via Mount Evelyn, Montrose and Canterbury Road).

Media Release: Maroondah’s immunisation team working with Royal Children’s Hospital

Published by Alex Makin on Wednesday 6th of August, 2008

Maroondah City Council’s Immunisation team is working with the Royal Children’s Hospital to establish HealthNuts, a research study on food allergy and children.

Councillor Alex Makin said HealthNuts is being run by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

“The HealthNuts project team are working with Maroondah’s immunisation team to recruit participants for the study via selected immunisation sessions over the coming weeks,” said Cr Makin.

“With the incidence of food allergy rising, the project aims to measure how many people are affected by food allergies, why the number is increasing and which children are at greatest risk,” said Cr Makin.

“The HealthNuts team will be at a number of Maroondah immunisation sessions where they will provide information on the research project and invite parents of children under one year of age to participate, initially with an assessment of their allergy status,” said Cr Makin.

Participation is voluntary and will take approximately 20 minutes during the post-immunisation waiting period. Parents will be asked to complete a questionnaire relating to their own and their child’s diet and lifestyle, and their child will be required to have a skin prick test.

A positive skin prick test does not automatically mean your child has an allergy, however all children with a positive skin prick test will be invited to attend The Royal Children’s Hospital allergy clinic for further testing.

Participation in the study is voluntary and parents can withdraw at any stage of the study without any reduction in care from the participating organisations.

For more information on Council’s immunisation service contact Maroondah City Council on 1300 882 233.

Delegates’ Report: Support services, musical talents, advancing reconciliation and planning for Community Safety Week

Published by Alex Makin on Monday 21st of July, 2008

On the 20th of June I had the pleasure of attending Hope City Mission’s Charity Auction Evening. Hope City Mission, based in Croydon South provides assistance to people in need within our community. The mission does this by not only providing emergency relief in the form of food and clothing but by also focusing on the wellbeing of individuals. Through this focus on wellbeing and empowering change the Mission provides pamper days and extravaganza days, which provide haircuts and a chance to socialise and restore community connectedness. I also had the pleasure of seeing the Mission’s Pamper Day in action, last Friday on the 18th of July and I saw firsthand the benefits this service provides to some of our most vulnerable community members.

Individual wellbeing is just as important as food and clothing and Hope City achieves its Mission through broadening its focus on empowerment.

On the 4th of July the Eastern Transport Coalition held its Public Transport Summit, entitled it’s ‘Time to Move On’, that is time to move away from car dependence and the crippling cost that petrol is having on our families and towards public transport improvements. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many members of the Maroondah community who attended the summit and supported my presentation on the need for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station and the importance of the Ringwood Transit City as a regional centre.

The redevelopment of Ringwood Station is critical to ensuring the revitalisation of Ringwood. The current station fails accessibility standards and is perceived to be unsafe, with Ringwood Station consistently being perceived as one of the most unsafe locations within Maroondah. Coupled with traffic calming along Maroondah Highway, pedestrians which total approximately 10,000 per day would be able to conveniently travel between the transport interchange and the residential/commercial precincts of Ringwood.

The Eastern Transport Coalition has recognised Ringwood’s importance as a regional centre and as a council we must support our neighbouring municipalities in calling for greater investment in public transport. There is strength in Maroondah being part of a concerted regional push, whereby one million residents across the eastern suburbs, recognise the importance in redeveloping Ringwood Station. Let us hope that the State Government heeds this call and delivers this essential upgrade to the station.

On the 11th of July I attended the Maroondah NAIDOC week celebrations which commemorated council’s permanent flying of the Aboriginal flag and I would like to congratulate the many community groups, the Indigenous networks and the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place for attending the ceremony.

The theme for this year’s NAIDOC week is ‘Advance Australia Fair?’ It is important to note that the organisers intended this theme as a question, since it is a timely reminder of the health, education and wellbeing inequities that exist between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australia. Council’s Reconciliation Plan, which is included on tonight’s agenda will hopefully assist in bridging this gap and ensure that we as local government are working towards reconciliation.

On the 12th of July I had an afternoon of music, firstly with Enjoying Planned Retirement’s Hidden Talents concert. Where EPR’s unveiled the diverse singing, comedy and music talents of its expansive membership. EPR states that they are ‘recycled teenagers’ although I don’t think my teenage years were ever that fun! I would like to congratulate EPR on yet another fun filled event and look forward to the next Hidden Talents concert in September.

That evening I attended the Ringwood Eisteddfod, marking its 54th year of showcasing the immense musical talent that exists within our community. I would like to commend the many people involved in organising and performing within the Eisteddfod.

While the Premier Cabinet held a community cabinet session in Karralyka on the 15th of July, I was busy chairing the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee. With the year half over it is encouraging the see the continuation of the strong networking that exists within the committee with a number of agencies and organisations, such as Connex and the Department of Education, assisting council in undertaking activities for Community Safety Week in October. Do watch this space for details on the council activities for Community Safety Week.

Tour of Hope City Mission’s Pamper Day

Published by Alex Makin on Friday 18th of July, 2008

Hope City Mission based in Croydon South provides food, clothing and other services to members of the community that have experienced hardship or require assistance. The mission also focuses on the wellbeing of individuals through its regular pamper days, which are held every six weeks between March and October.

Today I participated in a tour of Hope City Mission’s Pamper Day to see firsthand the services, such as haircuts, massages and a cafe, which are provided free of charge to valid concession card holders.

These services assist in enhancing the wellbeing of individuals by treating them to services that many other community members would take for granted. By providing these services the mission aims to reduce social isolation so as to encourage the participants to feel good about themselves and therefore consider community and employment opportunities.

The voluntary work undertaken by the mission delivers a crucial service to some of the most vulnerable members of our community by providing a holistic approach to the wellbeing of individuals.

Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee - discussing Council’s new wellbeing plan

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 15th of July, 2008

While the Premier and Cabinet descended upon Maroondah as part of their ‘Community Cabinet’ — and left without an announcement towards the redevelopment of Ringwood Station, I was chairing Maroondah’s Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee to discuss council’s direction in community wellbeing.

Today’s Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee discussed the charter of the existing group and began gathering input into council’s new Community Wellbeing Plan. This plan will replace the former Health, Safety and Wellbeing Plan and will encompass a broader perspective on issues facing our community.

The Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee is one of the groups overseeing the plan and a number of workshops will be held to gather input from the committee and the broader community. Workshops will be conducted during August and September and will provide an opportunity for community service providers to provide guidance into the plan. This consultation will broadly involve four themes including the built environment, the natural environment, the environment environment and the social, cultural and health environment.

The Community Wellbeing Plan is expected to be finalised in mid 2009 and will guide council’s approach to a number of health, safety and wellbeing issues within our community.

Community Safety Week, which is planned for October was also discussed at today’s meeting and a separate meeting will be established to plan activities for the week. Connex is particularly interested in holding education sessions around safety at rail stations to ensure that people stand behind the yellow line and are mindful of ensuring that the needs for people with disabilities are respected.

The next Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee is scheduled for the 16th of September and will provide further updates on the formation of the Community Wellbeing Plan.