NSW Local Government Aboriginal Network Conference

This was a three day trip to Armidale where I attended the NSW Local Government Aboriginal Network (LGAN) conference.

The theme of the conference was "Community Strength, Sustainability and Resilience" This was the third time Armidale had hosted the LGAN conference and as said in the program there has been a strong relationship with their Aboriginal community and they value the contribution made by members of Council's Ngayinyaga Aboriginal Community Consultative committee over the years.

The conference program included topics such as
"Two Ways Together"
"Local Government- holding and nurturing Aboriginal strengths and solutions to enrich our capacity to govern locally"
"Community Resilience and Governance"
"Community Cultural Development- What's its value?"
"Link with traditional culture"
"Getting Down to Business"
"Black & White: stories behind the development of the Thomas Dick Exhibition"
"Gomeroi National Project: The People's Initiative"
"Koori Toastmasters- Strong Voices"
A documentary drama film- "Who is Frank Archibald?"
"The Australian Employment Covenant"
"The Importance of Leadership to Community Progress"
"Closing the Gap"
"Showcasing Armidale"
"Crime Prevention moving with the times"
"Where we came from to where we are today"
"Aboriginal Employment in the Local Government Industry"

"Using traditional concepts in today's environment"

"LGSA (Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW) and Aboriginal Affairs"

"Aboriginal employment strategies"

To learn more visit the Local Government site

The Conference Dinner was held on the last evening and it gave us great joy to be the winners of the Local Government Council and to receive the Major Award. The award now takes pride of place in at our Council Chambers in Orange NSW. We have undertaken with the initiation of our Aboriginal community a great variety of projects which support the needs and connectedness of our people. We feel very privileged to receive the award and look forward to work further with our community as a whole. We now have a statement of commitment to our Aboriginal community which can be view on our web-site.

Australian National Field Days Orange

It was a day out with my boys and a day which brought much intrigue and adventure. My eldest son had been asking me for quite some time if we could go to the Field Days and I had made a promise to go.

The day was delightful, the weather good to us and a pass to get in. We gained a map and we were off. So much to see and do they said lots of boy things and of course the fashion for women. We split into two groups and the older boys went to see the things they had planned to.

I of course wanted the visit the Country Women's Association stand, which let me tell you was very big and say hello to the women who do so much in our community.

Of course I couldn't miss the fashion so ventured down to the area which had the displays and fashion show.

We are very fortunate to have this annual event and I believe a means to bring our farming and country folk together. There is very much a social component to this which allows for networking and socialisation.

We are looking forward to the 2009 event to catch a bargain and bump into people we have met previously.

Launch of Cancer Care Western NSW Website

Cancer Care Western NSW is just over a year old now and was developed after our town was told we would be having a Radio-therapy unit in Orange NSW. There were real issues with people having to travel 4 and more hours to seek Radio Therapy treatment, while being away from family any thing up to 7 weeks.

After significant lobbying it was confirmed that Orange would be the home to a new Radio-Therapy unit. With this comes the need for accommodation for people in outlying regional, rural and remote areas. The accommodation will be located near the new hospital site which is at Bloomfield and will provide 14 rooms initially. I am one of the board members for Cancer Care West and I was one of the initial people who set up the alliance and lobbied government.

There was a lot of work that has been done and plenty more to come given that we need to raise 2 million dollars. We have most of the communities in the Central West on board now and so it seemed timely to set up a web-site and spread the word more. To learn more about our organisation visit our web-site and if possible make a donation so we can get closer to our dream of providing accommodation for people who need somewhere to lie their heads down and relax after treatment.

Looking forward to your support!

Mission Australia-B2fb Workshop

This is the beginning of great things!

My husband and I have set up a new business that focuses on teaching people basic skills in life. We ran our first work shop with Mission Australia Orange with great success and had these people share with us their real concerns when managing money. By the time the days events had finished we had a happy group of people who were ready to tackle the world.

They had the resources and skills that we had taught them to make their money work for them. We had a follow up workshop which you will read about later in these posts so make sure you check that out to learn more.

When our own children are able to purchase their own cars by the age of 15 years and a house by 21 years then you know you have taught them some amazing skills. They are our testament to a proven product. To learn more visit our website or to get on track with your finances purchase a Budgeting Pack. Coming soon we will be offering consulting time via the phone so you can work through the package with assistance. The pack is self explanatory but sometimes it is nice to have the support.

Make sure you get on track now with your Budgeting Pack!

Youth off the Streets- Father Chris Riley

I mentioned in my previous post that we had made a trip to Coolah after an invite from a friend I had met in my ARLP group. We took up her kind offer and joined in on a fun filled Family Fun Event held by the community. The organisers were very busy with detail and organising events. On the Saturday we had the absolute pleasure of meeting Father Chris Riley. He had his entourage along side him and of course his pet Great Danes.

We enjoyed the opportunity to share the space with him when promoting Australian Family Matters and Back 2 Family Basics. We learnt a lot from the interaction of Father Chris Riley and his team, when working with the younger generation. There was plenty to do and learn.

The evening was the grand finale with the children who had come to the fun day and learnt dancing and singing putting on a show for us in the evening. There were certainly some budding artists which I hope we see again in the future.

Father Chris Riley and his team do amazing work with their organisation "Youth off the streets" visit his website to find out more.

"You won't die laughing"

Our family went to Coolah in NSW for the weekend for a Family Fun event put on by the Health Service. We had quite a laugh during the evening of the 7th when we called at the local hall to hear a husband and wife team. The man was a former Doctor and his wife a nurse and they had a send up of a variety of things which sent the room into a barrel of laughter. This couple moved from working directly in the health service to working on the psychosocial component of health and encouraging laughter.

It was a memorable evening and my husband joined their newsletter which sends out a monthly letter of laughter. Needless to say he is never short of a joke!

SOFT Program for Women

Shaping Our Futures Together (SOFT) is designed to cover three themes. They are self-esteem and confidence building, goal setting and personal action planning and networking. I had the opportunity of attending a SOFT course in Young over a two day period and it was so uplifting.

We stayed in this magnificent building and shared the experience with several other women. There was the opportunity for an early morning walk before joining the group for the days activities.

Have you ever been to a course where you do lots of activities and have fun most of the time. There were deep and meaningful moments where we did some inner sharing but all for a meaningful ending. We learnt some new skills and how to involve the environment you live in while remembering the new techniques we can use to improve and value ourselves. We even sang!

If you ever get the opportunity to attend one of these events it comes highly recommended by myself. Visit the Rural Women's Network to learn more

Dragon Boat Launch- Lake Canobolas

After a busy morning at work I ventured out to Lake Canobolas after receiving an invitation to the Dragon Boat Launch. I had been contacted by the Dragon Boat committee for Orange after hearing about their need to house the Dragon Boat. After some discussion with Council we found a home.

The Dragon Boat committee have set up their organisation as a part of a wider circle for people who have been effected by or are supporting people who have had breast cancer. These are an amazing group of people who deserve to have the tranquility of the water to work with while improving their fitness and well being.

There is quite a routine to the Dragon Boat paddling and it is totally dependent on team work. I had the opportunity at the launch to board a boat and learn the technique. I wish this group of people well and I look forward to hearing the progress they have when doing there competition side of it all.

" relaxing while sailing"