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KILLS O NABLE EOPLE & COMMUNITIE
From the Manager…. Another year is almost over for the STEPS Program. All STEPS S k i l l s Programs have now finished for 2010. Many Network Groups have already celebrated the end‐of‐year with Christmas/break‐up parties, some are yet to do this. Full reports will be in the March 2011 newsletter.
Excitingly, we had a number of sites that were able to celebrate together by having their parties on the same day, Wednesday 1 December. In Mt Isa, Toowoomba, South Burnett (Kingaroy, Nanango, Murgon), STEPS groups enjoyed lunch together, in Far North Queensland (Cairns, Gordonvale and Innisfail), they had a sausage sizzle at Centenary Lakes and in Greater Brisbane (Pine Rivers, Zillmere, Stafford, Nundah, Buranda, Logan North, Mt Gravatt, Ipswich), the rain mostly held off for morning tea at Roma St Parkland.
What a thrill to be able to extend the connections amongst the STEPS community in this way, by having different groups of STEPS groups(!) meeting together, all on the same day, in various communities around Queensland. Let’s take this sense of excitement and togetherness with us into the festive season for 2010, and keep it going in 2011.
Finally, I want to congratulate and thank the entire STEPS community‐ leaders, participants, other supporters, ABIOS staff and STEPS staff‐ for your commitment, talent and support for the STEPS program again in 2010. You are an interesting, diverse, vibrant group of people, who do a sensational job, thanks!
I want to especially acknowledge the contribution of Sue Wright to the STEPS Program. Sue has worked on and off for STEPS since the very beginning in late 2005. Without Sue’s input in those early days, STEPS would not have evolved into the well‐rounded package it is today. Sue was instrumental in shaping the STEPS Program then and her influence has continued since then until now. She will still manage the Pine Rivers Network Group, but otherwise she will return to her regular ABIOS work. Thanks, Sue, for all you have done with STEPS. We will really miss you.
Relax a little, enjoy a well‐earned break, and I look forward to working with you again in
2011.
December 2010
Issue 20
Inside this issue:
Bundaberg STEPS Leader finalist in local Disability Awards
1
STEPS Skills Program 2
STEPS Skills Program Reports
• Yarraman
• Kingaroy • Ipswich • Logan North • Zillmere
• Mt Isa
• Wynnum
• Mt Gravatt
2‐5
STEPS Network Groups
• Mt Gravatt
• Bundaberg
5
Spotlight On.. Mt Isa 6
STEPS Leader Net‐ 6
Open Network 6‐7
STEPS Christmas Party Poem
8
Upcoming STEPS 8
Upcoming STEPS Skills Programs for 2011
8
STEPS
Special Points of
Interest:
☺ Bundaberg Leader Finalist
☺ Leader Poem
Our wonderful, stalwart Bundaberg leader, Leanne Curtis, was recently nominated as a finalist in Bundaberg Regional Council’s Disability Excel Awards 2010 in the Carers Award category. These awards were part of International Day of People with a Dis‐ability activities in the region and acknowl‐edge the contribution of local people/services in supporting the integration of people with disability into their local com‐munities. Leanne attended the awards lunch last Thursday with 4 members of the local STEPS Network Group (which is called Brain Injury Friends) and some of her close friends. Although she didn’t win, making the finals is a well‐deserved endorsement of the magnificent work Leanne has done for people with brain injury and their fami‐lies over the past few years in the Bunda‐berg area. Congratulations, Leanne!
STOP PRESS: Leanne has offered to write a bit about ‘her story’ for our March 2011 newsletter, so look out for this interesting piece in the next issue.
Areti
STEPS Yarraman
2006 ‐ Maroochydore, Caloundra, Buranda, Cleveland, Gold Coast, Mackay, Bundaberg, Capalaba, Annerley
2007 ‐ Gold Coast, Bracken Ridge (2), Rockhampton (2), Bundaberg, Charleville (2), Innisfail, Kingston, Wooloowin, Roma, Cairns (2), Mitchelton, Carina
2008 – Logan central, Chermside, Bracken Ridge, Rockhampton, Far South West Qld (telegroup), Cunnamulla, New Farm, Warwick, Maroochydore
2009 ‐ Logan north(x3), Pine Rivers, Red Hill, Townsville, Mt Gravatt, Warwick, Stratford (Cairns), Rockhampton, Gordonvale, Riverview, Buranda, Nundah, Redcliffe, Cleveland, Mackay, Hillcrest, Acacia Ridge
2010 – Warwick, Buranda, Rockhampton, Brinsmead (Cairns), Mt Gravatt (2), Ipswich, New Farm, Logan north(2), Beaudesert, Pine Rivers, Mackay, Bulimba, Arundel (Gold Coast), Smithfield (Cairns), Toowoomba (2), Townsville, Kingaroy, Yarraman , Elanora (Gold Coast), Wynnum, Ipswich, Zillmere, Mt Isa, Stafford
Page 2 STEPS Newsletter
Perhaps the best part was that the group contained people from different situations and many of the sessions contained subjects particularly relevant to the troops and everyone including myself were able to relate better by using real circumstances while discussing relevant sessions, this I feel was a real winner because people do relate better to real life situations.
Several of the participants clearly benefited considerably, one so much so that he left town the day after the course finished! (This was a goal he had been working towards for some time, so it was great to actually see it happen). However I feel everyone benefited from some sessions more
than others. This however was not just limited to the participants but myself for one as well as one of the Carers from Session 4 who realised the importance of spending time on yourself, whilst sounding selfish everyone realised how important it was to set goals and to have time to spend on themselves.
Lastly I feel the participants benefited from having 2 very different people throwing ideas and views at them, a participant referred to the two intrepid presenters as Abbot and Costello or even Laurel and Hardy, I hope that was because of our physical appearance more so than subject matter! John was able to expand upon a wealth of knowledge as a service provider and I was able to provide some input from the angle of someone in a carers role, so people could get views from both sides of the fence!
Either way we have continued to meet monthly and this in itself must be some sign of success.
Pete
The Yarraman STEPS Program had a rather shaky start with only one participant, which lead to a delay in the start date. This was disappointing to both our poor single participant, and was also quite morale sapping to both John Stewart my Co‐leader and myself.
Needless to say this actually proved to be a real bonus as we perhaps just expected people to materialise magically from a single note in the local Doctors surgery. In any case with some renewed gusto we kicked off again a month later with a much larger team of participants.
While referred to as the Yar‐raman group we in fact only had one participant from Yarra‐man with others from other local towns such as Blackbutt and Nanango. It was an interesting group and we moved from saying little on the first meeting to con‐siderable ever increasing banter at each later meeting.
experiences and learn from each other throughout the program. Just before our Week 6 group break up, one of our members was admitted to rehab in Caloundra Hospital. We missed her at our BBQ but wished her well in her progress. Our group has met again in October and November and we are enjoying different activities together in our community.
The Kingaroy STEPS Program began on 6th August at the local CTC Youth Services. Our first meeting was quite confusing as people came to the group who were unknown to the leader and also ineligible to participate in STEPS. However, we soldiered on and once we had the right people attending our group we were able to share similar
The second Logan STEPS Skills Program for 2010 started on 6th October at the Logan North Library. This time, the group was led by John Enright and Milissa Valentine (Peer Leaders). In true Logan STEPS style, the group thoroughly enjoyed each of the sessions with plenty of discussion, laughter and some tears along the way. John Enright, who has led many STEPS Skills Programs, even hinted that
for the first time, he too may have shed a tear himself. The group finished the program with a BBQ at the park along with a few games of Boche. The mad‐hatter theme for the BBQ was a great success – Chris’ self‐made hat of jokes won the prize for the most creative hat on the day. The group has since joined with the existing Logan STEPS Network Group and is enjoying the opportunity to keep in touch.
the staff at All About Living ‐ the Zillmere group was the third program to be led by the partnership. The group, while small in numbers, was not small in chatter and laugher. The leaders reflected that the small size of the group seemed to help everyone come
The Zillmere STEPS Skills Program commenced on 23rd September at the Zillmere Community Centre. The program was led by Vicki Anderson (All About Living) and Meriel Stanger (Peer Leader), which continues a long working relationship between Meriel and
STEPS Kingaroy
STEPS Logan North
STEPS Zillmere together to form strong friendships. The group finished up with a fabulous seafood lunch on the water at Sandgate for their week 6 activity. The closeness of the group is indicated by their commitment to continue meeting and grow the group into 2011.
Issue 20 Page 3
expressed throughout the group including sadness, anger , frustration, happiness, hope and belief. There was so much
discussion within the group that we were unable to finish any of the sessions on time – not that it was of concern to anyone. The group
finished the STEPS Skills Program with lunch at the Ipswich RSL. Lasting friendships were formed throughout the course of the 6‐week program – these friendships have been a further source of support since the com‐pletion of the STEPS Skills Program as the group has joined with the existing STEPS Network Group in Ipswich.
The second STEPS Skills Program in Ipswich for 2010 kicked off on 7th September at the Ipswich Humanities Centre – the group was once again led by Ben Turner (STEPS Program Co‐ordinator) and Megan Turner (Peer Leader). The group came together quickly and felt very comfortable discussing their stories of life after brain injury. The group spoke a lot about the challenges that each person had or was facing and as such, an array of emotions was
STEPS Ipswich
STEPS Wynnum Care) and Jodie Moohin (Service Pro‐vider Leader). Unfortunately for STEPS, but excitedly for Jodie, Jodie was only able to lead the first two ses‐sions because she was successful in getting a new job. As such, Lynne led the final four sessions on her own (although, there was great support from others in the group). The Wyn‐num STEPS Skills Program set a new record for the most number of people at a session – 17! The group averaged between 12‐13 people at each ses‐
The Wynnum STEPS Skills Program commenced on 6th September at the Waterloo Bay Leisure Centre. The group leaders were Lynne Everett (Balmoral Uniting Community
their own lives. All leaders reflected that there was a great sense of humour within the group with lots of laughter and jokes. The program finished with a day trip to Lake
Moondara for a BBQ, a swim and some fishing. The group reported
t h a t t h e y enjoyed t h e relaxed environ‐ment of t h e Lake and the peace they felt while there. The group enjoyed the program so much that they have decided to continue meeting and have a goal to do the STEPS Skills Program again in 2011.
The Mt Isa STEPS Skills Program commenced on 10th September at the Jimaylya Topsy Harry Centre in Mt Isa. Jekope from the centre and Robby‐Kay and Vicki from Centacare in Mt Isa were the group leaders. The Mt Isa STEPS Skills Program was the first indigenous STEPS Skills Program to be run in Queensland – what a great achievement for the group! The group enjoyed learning about brain injury and talking about how brain injury had impacted upon
sion. Despite the large size of the group, everyone had an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings. The planned picnic in the park along the Wynnum foreshore for the week 6 activity was initially washed out. How‐ever, the rain didn’t dampen the spir‐its of the group – the activity was re‐scheduled to the following week and a great time was had by all. The larey hat/shirt theme for the picnic was a lot of fun and it certainly helped the group stand out from the rest.
Page 4 STEPS Newsletter
STEPS Mt Isa
We had great fun playing the ‘Sapo’ (The Frog) game, an ancient game played origi‐nally by the Incas in Peru. Our wooden game was handmade by one of our group members, Peter, with the distinctive brass frog and 4‐pinned spinner. We tossed the 12 brass tokens from about 2 metres away, aiming to get the highest score by tossing the token into the Sapo’s (Frog’s) mouth. ‘Deadly’ managed to do this and a few of us also managed to get a token in via
the brass spinner. It was interesting to experiment with different techniques and strategies, not all of which were successful! Kyle won overall, with consistent scores over the 5 rounds.
We look forward to joining the existing Mt Gravatt Network Group in 2011.
Ty and Areti
Following the renovations being completed at the Mt Gravatt Community Centre, we managed to squeeze in a second Skills Program in the area for 2010, starting on 2 November. We had people of varying ages and time since injury, so people learnt a lot from each other, discussing the topics each week. We had our group break‐up on a rainy day in the park. ‘Deadly’ John took charge of cooking our sausages on a BBQ brought in by Lyndall and Peter, which was most fortunate given the park BBQ didn’t heat up past lukewarm!
STEPS Mt Gravatt
process and others many years down the track. Both leaders reflected that this was a plus for the group as there was a sense of mutual understanding and support. Importantly, the group had a focus on relationship issues and changes after brain injury. The group’s planned week 6 activity for a BBQ in the park at Point Danger was washed out not once, but twice. However, the second time around, the group decided to move the activity to the shelter of the café at
Point Danger. Since completing the program, the group has formed the Gold Coast STEPS Network Group, which has met twice (the most recent of which was a BBQ at Point Danger in the sunshine!). The group is taking a break over Christmas and New Year, but will join up again for bare foot bowls at the Burleigh Bowls Club towards the end of January
2011.
The Elanora STEPS Skills Program (the second for the Gold Coast in 2010) started on 4th September at the Elanora Library and was led by Kerrie Henderson and Jenna McKenzie (Peer Leaders). The Elanora group was the first STEPS Skills Program to run on a Saturday. This worked well for the group though, because several group members wouldn’t have been able to make it on a weekday. The group was very diverse with some people still early in their recovery
STEPS Elanora
The Buranda STEPS Network Group is one of the longest running STEPS Groups—it’s been going since 2006. While attendance at the group has fluctuated over the years, the group is still going strong and some of the early participants continue to attend. Throughout 2010, the group held monthly meetings, alternating the venue between the ABIOS offices at Buranda, and Southbank. The meet‐ings at the ABIOS offices tended to be more structured, with specific topics like transport, stress, and
STEPS Buranda
took to the greens of mini‐golf. We had our share of ups and downs, but Ty, Elaine and Areti each
managed a hole‐in‐one on the Austra‐liana themed course. John’s consis‐tency had him in the lead halfway through, but Ty blitzed the second half of the course to catch up and be equal first with John at the end. Everyone
Inspired by Tiger Woods and others battling the golfing greens in Victoria at the Australian Masters golf tournament) in the same week, the Mt Gravatt Network Group
STEPS Bundaberg
STEPS Mt Gravatt
community support all discussed.
The meetings at Southbank are mostly social—the group has tried several of the cafes and restau‐rants in the Southbank precinct. The key to the success of the group over such a long time is the sense of friendship and support from within the group. This year, the group also welcomed participants from the New Farm and Bullimba STEPS Skills Programs. The group is growing into more of a Brisbane‐
Issue 20 Page 5
based STEPS Network Group.
The plan for 2011 is much the same as for this year, but the group also hopes to run another 6‐week STEPS Skills Program.
After a few months of meeting at a coffee shop, Bundaberg decided to take advantage of some fine spring weather to enjoy one of their signature activities, Pizza in the Park, on the banks of the Burnett River. Some discussion about the year’s events was had, including plans for the upcoming Christmas Party break‐up and Secret Santa ideas… more about this in the March 2011 newsletter.
quickly at the end of each session into a positive by working together as a ‘team’ to help each other get out quickly. Peter (Yarraman) expressed the power of talking with other people who can say “I know” rather than just “I understand”, which was important for his group and himself too. Jenna (Elanora) co‐led a Saturday program with Kerri, and talked about the feeling of commitment and enthusiasm to continue as a group that was expressed by group members. All 3 leaders mentioned
the challenge of maintaining focus in the sessions, so that everyone had a chance to contribute and all topics were covered. Their comments were thought‐provoking and they also answered questions for the audience at the end. We will continue with our bi‐monthly teleconferences in 2011, with the first one scheduled for Wednesday 2 February at 10am. We will plan the 2011 schedule and also discuss an educational topic, to be advised.
The topic for our final teleconference for 2010 was 'Meet the Leaders', in which 3 of our leaders shared some of their reflections on their recent STEPS Skills Programs in Wynnum (Brisbane), Yarraman (South Burnett) and Elanora (Gold Coast). Lynne (Wynnum) described the controlled mayhem of managing the 17 participants who turned up on the first day! She also described how the group turned the negative of having to vacate the venue
Here is the list of Network Groups are open to new members, places where they meet and the contact person for each of the groups.
Mount Isa, known affectionately by the locals as "The Isa", is the oasis of the Outback. Once a raw mining city, it is now a bustling commercial centre, the heart of the rugged expanse of North‐West Queensland. Mount Isa is recognised as one of the world's largest local government areas, with almost 41,000sq km being included in the city's boundaries. Set on the banks of the Leichardt River, the city is a green oasis, with lovely gardens and parks striking a dramatic contrast to the surrounding rugged red landscape. The lone gold prospector John Campbell Miles stumbled upon one of the world's richest deposits of copper, silver and zinc upon his 1923 expedition into the Northern Territory. While camping on the banks of the Leichardt River, Miles found the yellow‐black rocks in a nearby outcrop reminded him of the ore found in the Broken Hill mine that he had once worked at. Upon inspection these rocks were weighty and heavily mineralised. A sample
sent away to the assayer in Cloncurry confirmed that Miles had hit the jackpot. He and four farmers turned miners staked out the first claims in the area. Taken with stories of the Mount Ida gold mines in Western Australia, Miles decided upon Mount Isa as the name for his new claim.
Simpson gouging some 45 tones of ore out of their lease before selling up to the newly formed Mount Isa Mines company in 1924. A lack of funds, poor ore grade, the isolation, and depressed prices saw the Mount Isa Mines (MIM) get off to a shaky start. It was men like W. H. Corbould whose belief in the mine, led to its ultimate greatness. Nowadays, the massive chimneys of the Mount Isa Mines (MIM) complex dominate the cityscape and reinforce the fact that Mount Isa owes its very existence to the rich ore bodies that the town is built on. The climate of The Isa is as dramatic as the landscape. Winters bring cool dry nights and 26‐degree days, with vivid blue skies. Summer however brings erratic flooding rains and temperatures that soar into the
forties, with nights remaining in the mid to high twenties. Life though is still pleasant as most of the town's facilities are air‐conditioned allowing life to go on as usual.
The physical isolation, blistering temperatures and lack of access to supplies and water made the early years tough by any standard. This did not stop Miles and his partner Bill
Page 6 STEPS Newsletter
Acacia Ridge– David Firth: Ph 0411 501 641 Weekly meetings, Mondays 10:00am‐12noon, Acacia Ridge Community Centre, Hanify St, Acacia Ridge
Issue 20 Page 7
Beaudesert– Tina Jarvis, Denise Kelly & Annie Kydd: Ph 5541 1653 3rd Wednesday of month 10:00am‐12noon at St Mary’s Community Services, 6‐12 Petersen St, Beaudesert Bundaberg– Leanne Curtis: Ph 4155 2303 Monthly meetings, 4th Wednesday of month, 1:00‐3:00pm at Bundaberg Neighborhood Centre, or various com‐munity locations. Buranda– Sue Wright: Ph 3406 2311 Monthly meetings, 1st Wednesday of month, 10am‐12pm‐ venue alternates between ABIOS and a community setting. Cairns– Jenny Sweeney: Ph 4055 0015 Monthly meetings, 1st Thursday of month 1‐3pm at either Smithfield Community Health, 16 Danbulan St or community locations Cleveland– Denice Rundle: Ph 3823 4851 & Ben Turner: Ph 3406 2311 Monthly meetings, 2nd Thursday of each month at various local venues Gold Coast– Ben Turner: 3406 2311 Monthly meetings, last Saturday of month (daytime), various community locations Innisfail– Raylene McSwan: Ph 4063 3742 & Stephen Wilkie: Ph 4068 0638 Monthly meetings, 3rd Monday of month at Healthier Great Green Way, 180 Edith St Ipswich– Ben Turner: Ph 3406 2311 Monthly meetings, 2nd Tuesday of month, 10:00am‐12noon at Riverview Neighbourhood House, 138 Old Ips‐wich Road, Riverview, or various local venues Kingaroy– Bobbie D’Arcy: Ph 4162 9220 Monthly meetings– exact details TBA Logan Drop‐in Chat Group‐ John Enright: Ph 3342 5820 3rd Monday of month 10:00am‐12noon Logan North Library cnr Sports Drive and Springwood Rd, Underwood Logan North– John Enright: Ph 3342 5820 Monthly meetings, 1st Monday of month, at various community locations Mackay– Anne Jennings: Ph 4968 3823 2‐monthly meetings at various local venues Mt Gravatt– Ty Hill: Ph 3841 2842 & Areti Kennedy: Ph 3406 2311 Fortnightly meetings, Wednesdays, 10‐:00am ‐12noon at Toscani’s Café, Garden City shopping centre Pine Rivers‐ Sue Wright: Ph 3406 2311 Monthly meetings, 3rd Wednesday of month, 10:00am‐12noon at Pine Rivers Neighbourhood Centre Redcliffe– Cherie Carter: Ph 3284 6839 Monthly meetings, 2nd Wednesday of month, 10:00am‐12noon at Redcliffe Leagues Club, cnr Klingner and Ash‐more Rds, Redcliffe, or various community locations Sandgate– Ben Turner: Ph 3406 2311 Monthly meetings, 1st Thursday of month (daytime, various community locations. Toowoomba– Mary‐Ann Garrahy: Ph 4630 1709 Fortnightly meetings, 1st Monday of month at Toowoomba library, Victoria St; 3rd Monday of month at Sunset Superbowl, Green Wattle St, 10am‐12noon Yarraman– Peter McLean: Ph 4163 8780 Monthly meetings– exact details TBA
The following dates for Leader Training have been scheduled in Brisbane for 2011;
12/13 April; 9/10 August and 29/30 November, These will all be held at ABIOS’ office in Buranda.
We will also be working towards Leader Training through Community Development in:
Townsville, Cairns and Tablelands in far north Queensland, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.
If you would like us to work with your community to develop the STEPS program locally, just con‐tact us and let us know and we will work with you to make it happen!
Plans for 2011 are well underway.
We have STEPS Skills Programs scheduled for Logan central, Bundaberg and Mackay for early 2011.
Plans are in place for a number of sites in Bris‐bane‐ Forest Lake, Sandgate, Capalaba, Buranda and Ipswich.
We are also planning for STEPS Skills Programs early in 2011 in Mt Isa, Beaudesert, Gold Coast and Murgon/Cherbourg.
After a busy 2010, we look set to continue grow‐ing and consolidating our partnerships with you in 2011. We sincerely thank you for all your work in 2010.
STEPS CONTACT DETAILS STEPS Program
Acquired Brain Injury Outreach Service (ABIOS) PO Box 6053, Buranda 4102
Ph: (07) 3406 2311 Fax: (07) 3406 2399
Email: [email protected]
www.health.qld.gov.au/abios
Above the clouds the sun was shining brightly Below the clouds the rain was falling lightly
When to Roma Street Parklands in Brisbane City we did venture
On what looked like another misadventure Oh but how wrong our first impressions can be
As we all began to gather under the Poinsettia tree Where Ray Areti Ben Sue and Co
Were waiting with open arms and hearts all aglow In dribs and drabs we arrived all in a rush
With faces all glowing and flush From Pine Rivers Zillmere Nundah and Stafford
These with mouths watering looking forward to the smorgasbord
From the south and from the east Looking one and all in anticipation to the feast
Entered Buranda Mt Gravatt Logan and Wynnum/Bay Side And let us not forget the bushies from Ipswich and
Beaudesert Who with knives and forks could be considered expert
As you all must know STEPS is Queensland wide So on the same date just to co‐ inside
Parties were also held in Mt Isa, Toowoomba, Cairns, and Kingaroy
Well attended I understand by the Generals and the hoi polloi
And from those of us who are afflicted and our families friends and carers
Thank you ABIOS and STEPS for a great 2010 And may God bless you one and all
A FULL STEPS CHRISTMAS PARTY REPORT WILL BE IN THE MARCH
2011 EDITION.