Category: Uncategorized

Exposure to music under the age of 5 opens up different pathways within the brain. ‘Bluebird Foundation was founded 7 years ago when we saw the need to make music and art freely accessible to all young children.’ We are talking to Bron. ‘My background is in music therapy, I trained to become a Primary School teacher and worked in small country schools before having a family. Then I worked in early intervention for children with special needs and taught preschool music to parents and their children. I saw so much joy and connection among the participants that I formed a strong sense that this should be accessible for everyone.

‘I talked to a colleague about how to make this fabulous work accessible to all and we came up with the idea to create an arts Foundation. This would enable access to all, even those that couldn’t afford it, were living with a disability or spoke a different language.

Continue reading “Bluebird Foundation, Bron” →

‘One in four women have experienced at least one incident of violence by an intimate partner, according to Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (ANROWS).’ Reports  ABC News Fact File: Domestic Violence in Australia, updated 15th April 2016. I’m sitting with Rob and Denise in the Safe House that they run in Geelong.

‘It’s named Pauline’s House after a mum who experienced domestic violence. Our referrals come via Safe Steps 1800 015 188 the domestic violence hotline, private referrals and local agency referrals. It is a sad fact that the women and children lose a great deal by having to move, losing ties to friends, employment and support networks. They establish a home in areas no-where near their comfort zones. It is true some women relish the opportunity for a new start free of violence but it comes at a cost.

‘Denise and I live on the premises with other staff and offer 24/7 security. We’re always there if the women need to talk. We have both been involved in direct welfare delivery in our previous work. This is a charity we have established to work on issues presenting people in Geelong and wider Victoria.

Continue reading “Safe House, Rob” →

Sexual assault is unfortunately all too common in our world and has been for far too long. These disgusting acts have somehow wormed their way into our society and made themselves appear as “just another thing that happens” allowing many members of our world to become numb to the stories we hear, but there are people standing up to it and the people who commit these acts. It’s a scary concept, standing up and saying ‘no’ for the people who are unable to say it themselves, but the women at Geelong Reclaim the Night are doing exactly that.

Reclaim the Night is a feminist movement that began in Belgium in 1976 when women who had truly had enough of the sexual assault that was taking place on their streets took it upon themselves to say ‘enough is enough’ and reclaim those same streets.

Continue reading “Reclaim the Night, Nancy” →

There would be nothing worse than losing a beloved pet and not knowing its fate. Animal lover Paul Hetherington, IN2K9 – K9 Behaviour Specialist, tells me about his volunteer work, finding lost pets and recovering pets killed on the roads or tracks. ‘I have a number of informers who let know if they’ve seen a dead pet. No matter what time of day or night, rain or shine, I’ll go and retrieve this animal. I take it to the nearest vet where they’ll scan the microchip, check the data base and inform the owners.’ www.facebook.com/groups/deceasedanimalretrievalgeelong/

‘I hate seeing the extremely sad look in the vet’s eyes when I turn up with a dead animal. A lot of people couldn’t do what I do, it upsets them too much. I do it for the animals and so the owners obtain closure. They may even collect their pet and bury it.

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‘Looking for a job? There are over 600 local jobs on the Geelong Careers website. It is free and easy to use. Our catch cry is “Helping the Geelong Region to make informed career decisions”. Our aim is to find locals, local job opportunities and ‘Experience for Work.’ We hear from Marianne Messer who managers the initiative, she saw a need for this when working at Deakin University as a Lecturer. ‘Geelong Careers is an information network. Easily accessible, Geelong Careers are opening doors, in one spot we have all the resources a job seeker could need. Geelong is transforming from a Manufacturing hub to new dynamic trending industries. We build partnerships.

‘We’ve divided careers into 9 categories. We’ve collected Stats, key sector trends, on each category, so job seekers can see how many jobs locally there are in their chosen field; the growth in the last 5 years; predicted growth over 5 years and average weekly wage.

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Free food for the needy! ‘The Geelong Food Relief Centre provides a facility where those living in a variety of difficult circumstances can receive a range of free food. Our clients are referred to the centres in North Geelong and Geelong CBD via local welfare agencies. We are the second largest regional food bank operation for emergency food relief in Victoria.’ We hear from Collin Peebles GFRC CEO.

‘There are over 90 volunteers attached to the facility. Last year I nominated one of our longstanding volunteers, Stephen Spoors, for the Kardinia Rotary Club ‘Volunteer of the Year Award’ which I am proud to say he received. I’ve done a lot of volunteering over the years myself and have worked with many volunteers and Stephen’s dedication stood out. He is one for putting those in need well before himself, regardless of the weather or other circumstances. He is the sort of volunteer who also makes the place tick behind the scenes by using his leadership skills to co-ordinate many volunteers who work at the North Geelong Centre. He is focused on providing the very best service while creating a compassionate and dignified environment for those requiring emergency relief.

Continue reading “Geelong Food Relief Centre, Collin” →