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“I had never dealt with the legal system before, but with the support of the advocates at RIAC, the whole process was much easier to handle. Advocacy helped me stand up for my son’s rights and navigate unfamiliar territory,” states Liam’s mother Michelle, from Moriac. RIAC, the Rights, Information and Advocacy Centre, supported Liam McGarrigle’s family throughout an NDIS appeal to the Federal Court.

You may remember 21-year old Liam’s case of 2017. He has autism spectrum disorder and an intellectual disability. He required taxis because he can’t drive, and there was no public transport available. Liam had sought funding only for the transport costs incurred by using his NDIS plan to attend work, disability training and social groups.

RIAC has a team of Advocates who provide free support to people with disabilities. Their Advocates genuinely care about guiding people, through often complex processes, within systems to ensure the people they work with are not disadvantaged by their unique differences. They ensure human rights are upheld.

Continue reading “RIAC, Rights, Information, Advocacy Centre.” →

Caroline Danaher, 76, was arrested on Friday for staging a sit-in at Sarah Henderson MP’s Office. Caroline tells us “I was inspired by Greta Thunberg, student, from Sweden. I am concerned for the planet.

 

“Since January 4th, I’ve been sitting outside Sarah’s office each Friday. Each week I’ve taken a handwritten letter asking for a chance to express my concerns about the climate to Sarah, as one of her constituents. Sarah made an impromptu meeting and spoke to in passing but I’d like a scheduled meeting as I feel I haven’t been listened to.

Continue reading “Caroline.” →

On 24th April 2019, Natalina’s life was tragically taken. She was a Geelong local. She was the 21st woman this year, in Australia, to die from domestic violence. The current toll is at 23. She was 32 yrs old and came to Australia in 2000 as a refugee, fleeing war and poverty from her home in Sudan. She was a dental nurse student. She mothered her siblings and family. She was a woman of faith who was always cheerful and happy. She was dearly loved in her Sudanese-Australian community.

Her sister told news.com.au “She was a loving and caring sister, and a down-to-earth person, not a troublemaker. She loved everybody, even if someone did something bad to her, she would just talk and laugh with them.”

Continue reading “Natalina Angok.” →

The corner of Swanston and Little Bourke St. was the creative birthplace of LASH78. They honed their musical craft on the streets of Melbourne with crowds flooding in to hear their melodic harmonies that could be recognised from streets away. Their hard work payed off when Kanye West was touring and his entourage heard and followed the sounds to LASH78. Two trips to the US followed and collaborations held with some incredibly talented producers and songwriters now under their belt, they went on to test the waters on a European video tour.

LASH78 stands for Lauren and Sheridan Harvey 7 years old and 8 years old. That’s how old they were when they started singing together professionally. Mind you, they were singing together from when they first learnt to talk and their Dad affectionately remembers them harmonizing from a young age.

Continue reading “LASH78.” →

Our friends at Cherished Pets need our help! They are the only Geelong Charity in the running to win $5,000 to help them achieve their aims. Cherished Pets support the elderly and disabled to keep their pets in their homes. They check pets have been fed, watered and walked. We featured this amazing charity on February 17^th 2017. You can read their story here: https://humansingeelong.com/2017/02/17/cherished-pets-alicia/

Cherished Pets need our votes and voting ends tomorrow, 9am Tuesday May 7th.

Vote here: www.https://dreamsforabetterworld.com.au/vote

Cherished Pets tell us how we can help:

Continue reading “Cherished Pets need our help.” →

Over a thousand students from around the Geelong region took action on Friday May 3rd. They are demanding more action on Climate Change. The group met at City Hall where there were speeches. Local band, Sirens performed their original composition “There is no Planet B”. They marched, chanting and with placards waving to local MP, Richard Marles’s Office. After, some went on to Sarah Henderson MP’s Office. The crowd were encouraged by the news that the U.K. Parliament have declared a Climate Emergency and hope that Australia soon follows suit.

For more photos https://tinyurl.com/y6enp454 and amazing video footage https://tinyurl.com/y36o6mg4

Photos: Phil Hines Vidoe: Jacqui Bennett

When Ocean Grove’s Sam McIntosh became quadriplegic at 17, he was completely unaware of the world of para-sport. Now, Sam has represented Australia as a Paralympic wheelchair sprinter in multiple international events including 3 Para Athletic World Championships (2011, 2015, 2017) and both the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games. In 2016, Sam finished 4th in the 100m event and hopes to take out a medal in Tokyo 2020.

The stark contrast between his ignorance of para-sport twelve years ago, to now being among the world’s most elite athletes in para-sport, has inspired Sam to educate and celebrate para sport in his home community of Geelong.

While training for his first Paralympic Games in 2012, Sam cofounded Parallel Sports Inc., a not-for-profit organisation that provides support and engagement opportunities for individuals with physical disabilities, by helping them connect with community-based sports programs and initiatives. While Sam’s days are filled by his intense training for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, he spend much of his spare time with the Parallel Sports program describing it as “a way of giving back to the community by sharing a love of sport the same way that I was exposed to it 12 years ago”.

Continue reading “Paralympics, Sam McIntosh.” →

Meet these inspirational, young #changemakers on Friday May 3^rd at 9.30am outside the Geelong Town Hall. PLEASE SHARE! Stardestroy3r stated on Instagram “we invite you to participate in another school strike, targeting the local candidates and voters who are crucial to create new legislation to tackle this climate emergency… people of all ages are encouraged to attend.”

Jude Corbet adds that the rally will be “focused on climate change info and how to vote for a future where the world isn’t on fire…come along and make your voice heard.”

The first photo is stardestroy3r and friend outside the Pulse Radio Station. The second photo shows Jude and Laura Kelly and was taken by Patrick Callow Photography. The last Climate Strike on March 15^th was attended by over 1,000.

#climatestrike #fridaysforfuture #schoolstrike4climate #extinctionrebellion

Our nearest neighbour was a mile away. I grew up near Mildura, on 115 acres of Mallee scrub. My school friends were mostly the children of wheat, grape and orange farmers so no-one had a lot of money. My father brought home early copies of ‘Grass Roots’ magazine when I was young, so I grew up with that as a strong influence, reading about people who were moving to the country to live their dream of sustainable, frugal, off-grid living.  And the inevitable stories of people returning to the relative ease of suburban living once they realised how difficult it is to live with little income, no town water or services and not a lot in the way of community sympathy for their style of living. “Bloody hippies, the lot of ’em!!”

Living in Melbourne throughout my 20’s gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet lots of really diverse people from around the world and to broaden my world view.  I studied Environmental Science at Deakin Uni whilst working as a nanny and for a revegetation group called TreeProject, based in the city.

I moved to Geelong in 2002, shortly before my first child was born and settled in East Geelong, where I still live, with my four children, a collection of chickens, a duck, a dog, a couple of cats and lots of bees. It seemed a very natural thing to plant lots of fruit trees and vegetables, to home-educate my children and to continually learn new skills so I could provide more of what we need.  I am constantly surprised that people think this is an odd way to live.

Continue reading “Retrosuburbia, Meg.” →

I believe that with a little creativity and a little love, repaired, recreated and reimagined goods can be as good as their new alternatives, if not better.  I always have.  Since I was in primary school I have been tinkering with old things, imagining how they could become great again and seeing if I can make those ideas a reality. Old goods have a story and a journey that no new item can replicate, and it makes them exciting to work with.  This is certainly not a mainstream activity, and making a living from this sort of work are even less common, however with the damage that we are relentlessly inflicting on our environment, this will have to change.  We need to start using what we already have.

There are plenty of us out there who love going hunting for pre-loved treasures.  We can spend days wandering through op-shops, vintage markets, and garage sales searching for that perfect piece.  Despite this, if we need something urgently, we are almost always going to shop new.  Finding the perfect reclaimed piece in a hurry is often just too hard.  Perhaps this is why we say “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” yet we buy new with a warranty. Perhaps this is also why we see the likes of Schots Emporium and even Kmart selling replica and vintage inspired pieces, and why we celebrate the fact that the current Triumph Bonneville looks almost identical to one from 20 or 30 years ago. Perhaps this is part of the reason that 87% of the goods sold in Australia are purchased new.

Continue reading “The Reimaginarium” →