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News Free meals to help families and kids over the holidays

THE state government has provided thousands of Victorian students with food packs to ensure they can get healthy meals over the school holiday period. Minister for Education, Natalie Hutchins, recently visited the Brooklyn distribution warehouse used by Foodbank Victoria to pack and deliver School Breakfast Clubs products to school communities doing it tough over the holiday period, at a time when the cost of living is rising for many families. Almost 6000 holiday food packs were delivered to families for the summer break, while more than 28 million free, healthy meals have been provided to students in Victorian schools as part of the state government’s School Breakfast Clubs program. “We’re making sure Victorian students - especially those whose families are doing it tough - are still getting access to healthy meals during the school holiday period,” Ms Hutchins said. “We understand that programs like the School Breakfast Club provide many students and their families with a helping hand and that’s why providing holiday food packs over the summer break is so important. “The program has already made a huge difference to students who need a bit of extra support to have a nutritious, delicious meal every morning and we’re proud to support the School Breakfast Club all year round.” The program, which is delivered in partnership with Foodbank Victoria, provides free healthy food for students at 1000 government schools. The state government has invested more than $71 million in the program since its establishment in 2016. It will return again in schools across the state when Term 1 begins later this month. Under the program, healthy breakfasts are available to all students, with lunches and home food supplies, including food products for holiday periods provided to students requiring additional support. Interactive cooking classes focused on healthy and accessible meal choices are a feature of the program, and offered to families in 100 disadvantaged school communities.

Minister for Education, Natalie Hutchins.

Photo: Contributed

Foodbank Victoria also operates mobile supermarket buses that visit schools around Victoria to provide healthy and nutritious food to families in need. Feedback from schools has shown the School Breakfast Club program has delivered benefits beyond making students happier and healthier. It has also fostered a sense of connection for students and the school community, improved student engagement and concentration, strengthened staff-student relationships, enhanced social skills and improved academic performance.

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Gippsland Jersey co-founder and director Sallie Jones.

Photo: File Jersey calendar

Stefan Bradley

FARMERS around the region have been enjoying the 2023 Gippsland Jersey yearly calendar, which contains photos and stories from dairy farmers to encourage conversations around mental health. The 2023 calendar is the fifth that dairy company Gippsland Jersey has released, featuring tales of strength and resilience from the region’s dairy farmers for each month. Sale, Kilmany, Denison and Meerlieu are among the towns represented by the participants. Gippsland Jersey co-founder and director, Sallie Jones, said she was grateful to the dairy farmers who opened their hearts out. “Each year it is a blessing to be welcomed into these farmers’ lives, and onto their farms, and to hear their stories. I absolutely love putting this calendar together. We hope to do more in the next calendar…(the farmers) look forward to it every year,” she said. “And it has saved lives, it has led to peer support with farmers reaching out to other farmers who have shared their stories. “I think the conversations about mental health have definitely changed in our region. My dad became a suicide statistic in 2016, and I felt that no-one was talking about mental health then. And I think that the needle has shifted since then. “Gippsland Jersey are committed to creating social change in mental health.” Ms Jones said one of Gippsland Jersey’s business pillars was better rural wellness as “8.6 Australians die every day by suicide”. “That’s more than double the road toll,” she said, citing 2022 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. “Seventy-five per cent of those who take their own life are male. Beyond the tragic loss of the person, the impact of a suicide death is felt by up to 135 people, that includes family members, work colleagues, friends, and first responders. “Many of the stories in this calendar talk about how the most simplistic act of someone showing up for them when things are hard was the best medicine.

Tourists and locals in Lakes Entrance enjoying Gippsland Jersey milkshakes in hot weather during January.

Photo: Stefan Bradley

“Don’t hide behind a text message; make an effort and knock on someone’s door, look that person in the eye and really ask them how they’re going. Hold space for them. We cannot rely on government programs or medical professionals to fix all the problems. We all must play an active role in looking after one another. Talking about my experience of my dad’s death has helped heal my heart.” Last year Ms Jones was featured in This Man’s Worth, a suicide prevention advocacy film available to stream on SBS on Demand. “For me, there’s no shame in dad’s death; mental health is a real health problem, and the statistics of suicide, and its ripple effect in our communities, are enormous,” she said. The calendar is available for free from the Gippsland Jersey website. Ms Jones thanked Gippsland Lakes Complete Health, East Gippsland Community Foundation, Royal Flying Doctors Service, Orbost Regional Health, counsellor Sheree Breaden and her business partner Steve Ronalds for their help in making the calendar possible.

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New heavy tankers announced for CFA brigades in Gippsland

CFA will commence the final phase of its rollout to deliver 50 new replacement tankers to brigades across Victoria, in a boost that ensures volunteer firefighters are well equipped to protect their communities. The next 28 brigades to receive the new heavy tankers as part of the rollout were recently announced, and include Maffra, Rosedale and Morwell. The new appliances have been funded through the state government’s $126m CFA Capability Funding package, announced in June 2020. The fleet of new dual-cab appliances includes 48 heavy tankers and two light tankers, all of which replace single-cab tankers and allow a full crew to sit within the cabin. CFA chief officer, Jason Heffernan, said tankers are a vital part of CFA’s fleet, with more than 1900 across the state. “These new tankers are state-of-the-art firefighting vehicles,” Mr Heffernan said. “The heavy tankers feature a 15-tonne crew-cab chassis with a 4000-litre water tank, while their 4x4 capability and automatic transmission will help crews access fires in difficult terrain. “They also include features such as electronic monitors and electric rewind hose reels, as well as using a higher percentage of recyclable build materials.” Last year, CFA announced the first 20 heavy tankers as part of the rollout package will be allocated to the following brigades: Inglewood, Shoreham, Dunkeld, Buninyong, Mansfield, Merbein, Poowong, Penshurst, Ballan, Wangaratta,

Maffra and Rosedale are two of three local brigades that will receive a heavy tanker.

Photo: Contributed

Caroline Springs, Hastings, Noorat, Creswick, Seymour, Junortoun, Moorooduc, Beaufort, Wallan and Irymple. The final 28 heavy tankers that have been announced will be delivered to selected brigades, and the full rollout will be complete by late-2023. The heavy tankers also have a 1200 l/min diesel engine-driven fire-fighting pump, crew/vehicle roll over and burn-over protection, and full equipment stowage cache. Manufacturing on the 48 heavy tankers began in September 2021 at Sunshine North manufacturer R.A Bell & Co., with the final vehicles expected to be complete in September 2023. Construction of the two light tankers will commence at a later date.