Literary Legend
MEM FOX
Modewarre mums a BLOOMING SUCCESS
Shannon Bell’s FIGHTING SPIRIT
Summer sun’s no match for UV tech About Us
I’M going to be honest: I’m not a summer gal.
Give me the (theoretically) more moderate weather of autumn or spring any day.
But my active, outdoorsy daughter loves the warmer months.
For her, this time of year means holidaying by a creek and spending hours in the water with family and friends.
For me, it means seemingly endless sunscreen application and reapplication, reminders to put on her hat, and chasing shade.
Having live UV level readings at my fingertips is - and I’m reluctant to use this ubiquitous term, but I think it’s appropriate - a game-changer for someone with my pale complexion, and unblemished porcelain skin like my strawberry-blonde daughter.
CONTENTS
IT’S YOUR LIFE
New children’s emergency department doors open
PAGE 3
Steve Biddulph: We can beat anxietyhere’s how
PAGE 4
Modewarre mums’ blooming success PAGE 5
Literary legend Mem Fox: “I‘ve been given a gift. I feel that I have to use it until the last.”
PAGE 7
Kids in the Kitchen: Chocolate crackle slice
PAGE 8
First look at Geelong’s new hospital for women, children
PAGE 9
‘Cancer made our bond stronger’: Mum’s battle weeks after giving birth
PAGE 9
RETIREMENT LIVING
Armstrong Green: A village lifestyle with plenty going on
PAGE 11
Don’t let an amazing lifestyle pass you by PAGE 13
For those not in the know, iPhone users can add a widget to their lock screen that displays the live UV rating for your location. Perhaps androids have the same capability? Please let me know!
Visiting arpansa.gov.au also provides UV measurements in real-time alongside predicted levels across the day.
What incredible tools to have at our disposal in such a sundrenched state.
It’s a far cry from the guessing game our parents - and our younger selveshad to play.
How often I assumed I wouldn’t get burnt on an overcast or cooler summer day only to discover patches of angry red skin after I returned indoors.
Now I relish the rays in the early hours - when the sun is yet to unleash its full fury - and soak up the gentle evening sunshine sans hat and rashie.
I celebrate the final sunscreen application for the day and feel grateful for the technology that helps me better protect my daughter not just from painful sunburn, but from skin damage and - most importantly - skin cancer. I know I probably look a little overprotective when I call my daughter out of the water for her two-hourly sunscreen reapplication, and regularly receive a sideways glance for seeking shade while others soak up the sun, but having lost a loved one to melanoma these are sacrifices I’m very willing to make.
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HEALTHY LIVING
Crossing the Gap: Matching you with the right support
PAGE 14
Preparing bodies for birth: Mum and physio breaks taboos
PAGE 15
Maternity care under review
PAGE 16
Holding onto hope: Psychologist on keeping kids on track
PAGE 16
DENTAL
Balyang Dental: Sparkling smiles start early
PAGE 17
EDUCATION
North Geelong Secondary College: Creative, caring and diverse
PAGE 19
Battle back-to-school blues
PAGE 20
Crackerjack Kids: Nurture a brighter future
PAGE 20
ACTIVE KIDS
Scream and save with a Luna Park Family Pass
PAGE 21
Geelong Swimming Club: Fostering a love of swimming
PAGE 22
On your marks...get crafting!
PAGE 23
Outside Adventures: Kayaking Greater Geelong and beyond
PAGE 23
Summer pool safety
PAGE 24
Freckleberry Chocolate Factory: Festive fun
PAGE 24
REALITY BITES
Author Shelley Davidow: Parenting in an unstable world
PAGE 25
Angie’s Catchup: Geelong mum’s fighting spirit shines after loss PAGES 26-27
for some summer fun.
BOOKS
‘Magical’ new tools help kids regulate emotions
PAGE 28
Bernie Thinks in Boxes: Thinking differently and navigating change in a neurotypical world
PAGE 29
Embracing a brighter future with Nicho Hynes
PAGE 31
Discover new book releases for all ages
PAGE 31
Cover: Abby is all smiles, ready
(Rob Carew)
New kids’ ED doors open
THE new state-of-the-art children’s emergency department at Geelong’s University Hospital is complete.
The $20 million facility at one of Victoria’s busiest hospitals will deliver specialised paediatric emergency care to the region’s growing population.
The new emergency department (ED) has been designed to provide a dedicated, calming space for families and is completely separate from the general ED.
Health Mary-Anne Thomas officially opened the emergency department in September, touring the facilities alongside local MPs Christine Couzens, Ella George, and Alison Marchant and meeting staff.
“This is a critical project for children and families across Geelong,” she said.
“It will help to meet growing demand in the region while ensuring care is delivered in a friendly environment for kids.
“We know that children present a whole range of special needs and challenges to our health services.
“It’s really important that an environment is created where the children themselves and their families feel that they have the time and a place where they can talk to clinicians about all of their concerns.”
The children’s ED includes 28 dedicated treatment spaces with two fast-track and eight short-stay beds, including new treatment rooms, support spaces, and a separate paediatric triage system and waiting area.
The project’s final stage included new clinical areas and a reconstructed main drop-off point for the emergency department.
Next up for Geelong families is the new Barwon Women’s and Children’s, which will be integrated into the existing
WHAT’S ON
University Hospital and provide worldclass women’s health.
The new facilities will provide more birthing suites, extra maternity inpatient beds, more paediatric inpatient beds, and additional special care nursery cots.
Health Minister Mary-Ann Thomas outlines the new facility’s importance alongside local MPs Christine Couzens, Ella George and Alison Marchant.
We can beat anxiety
STEVE BIDDULPH
explains how our wild animal side helps us feel calm and strong.
ANXIETY is a horrible and upsetting thing.
I have had it myself and many readers will have too.
In the world we live in today, it is hardly surprising that children, teens, and adults feel anxious; there are so many real dangers, from the coming effects of the climate emergency to the meanness of people towards each other in politics, on the news, and on social media.
As parents, we are waking up to not having the TV news blasting in our living rooms, and not letting kids have social media or internet in their lives until well into their teen years.
Something we might also have to address is how to lower our own anxiety levels, since children are very sensitive to how we are faring.
In short, if we are anxious, they will know it and this will make them uneasy too.
So here is a simple strategy to use, from my new book Wild Creature Mind,
to lower your own anxiety so it doesn’t affect your kids.
The neuroscience behind this is described in the book, but here in a short column, I want to give you a tool to get started.
Think first of how we tend to describe our mental state in everyday language.
We nearly always say ‘I AM anxious’ or ‘I AM angry’ and so on.
When we say it this way, it sounds, and feels, very total. Like every cell of my being is affected.
But here is something to try.
Instead of ‘I AM’, try saying ‘SOMETHING IN ME is anxious’ (or angry, or whatever it is).
Notice that as soon as you say it this way, there is a kind of space around the feeling; that it’s there in you but is not ALL of you.
This wording is actually more objectively true, since mental states like anxiety are actually located somewhere in your body.
If you then direct your attention to WHERE you feel anxious, a very interesting thing happens.
It will start off quite hazy but within seconds you will notice ‘It’s in my tummy’ or ‘My heart feels tight’, or ‘It’s in my throat’.
Everyone feels it slightly differently, and it moves about too.
Something very interesting is going on
as your body is trying to get your attention.
A part of you is where the bad feeling lives, and you can send it a message of kindness and give it some room.
It is trying to tell you something. And you are starting to listen.
So now we go to the next step.
Now, the mental hack that therapists are finding quite amazing is to try and put words to the sensation you have noticed.
Is it tight or churning or thumping or hard? A friend of mine who had just suffered a very major grief experience described his heart feeling like a stone.
As you describe in words the sensation, an amazing thing starts to happen.
The ‘wild creature’ part of you which has been ignored up until now starts to soften and move, and the anxiety begins to dissolve.
If you are in a safe place - your home or in bed - then your body will automatically soften and begin to relax.
If you are in an unsafe place, then it will actually begin to mobilise so you can fight or flee, but either way you will have broken the frozen anxiety state and know what you need to do.
My book Wild Creature Mind starts with a teenage girl called Ellie who is blitzed with anxiety, found by her mum sobbing on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night.
With the right help, contacting her wild animal wisdom, Ellie discovers she is really furiously angry at the boys who have been sexually harassing her and her friends at the bus stop, and she and her friends take action to get the school to deal with them.
Her anxiety was frozen anger and she was able to set it free.
My friend who had the stone in his heart paid close attention to it and felt it move to his throat, and then pour out of him in tears of release.
His anxiety was frozen sorrow and it was so healing to let it go.
Our bodies are very wise and capable.
For now, just try out this ‘hack’ yourself. Next time you feel bad, say ‘something in me is…’ anxious, or depressed, or angry, or sad, and go and find where inside you it lives.
Describe it to yourself, feel it start to change, and see where it goes.
Soon you will find anxiety lessens in your life and, despite the awfulness of the world, you will be a safe harbour for your children and a fierce panther or tiger when you have to be.
Steve Biddulph is a retired psychologist who campaigns for a better life for parents and kids. For climate action. And for solving the worldwide epidemic of anxiety.
His book Wild Creature Mind is out now in shops, online, and in audiobook.
A blooming success IT’S
By Casey Neill
THREE Modewarre mums are sowing seeds of friendship for themselves and their children.
Pharmacist Abbey Galbraith, lawyer Amy Brady, and occupational therapist Anna Jenkins have 10 children between them.
They’re now also responsible for thousands of sunflowers, which last summer attracted visitors from far and wide and raised $1250 each for their local CFA and the Royal Children’s Hospital.
The ambitious venture all started with Abbey seeking out like-minded mums and finding Anna and Amy.
“We did some gardening together and we got on really well,” she said.
“We continued that Wednesday morning gardening each week.
“We all live out of town. There’s an isolation component to that.
“You can often get quite housebound with kids’ nap times and all of that stuff.
“It was really lovely for our kids as well, to establish that local community.
“They are just the best of friends. They get so excited to go to each other’s houses.
“We’ve now nicknamed them ‘The Children of the Sunflowers’.
“The sunflowers have helped us to strengthen that bond.”
But it was dahlias that initially caught the imagination of these mums.
“In Winchelsea, which is close to us, a dahlia business came up. We exercised restraint,” Abbey laughed.
“That’s a business that requires year-round input. You’ve got the flowers but they die off and you dig up the tubers and sell those. It’s a lot of shed work in the winter.
“We couldn’t commit to that with everything else that we had going on.
“But that whet our appetite.”
They needed a short and sharp flowering season and sunflowers fit the bill.
“We love them, they’re beautiful, they’re grand,” Abbey said.
“Everyone knows them, everyone can identify with a sunflower rather than a dahlia.
“It was a chance for the kids to catch up, for us to catch up.
“Individually none of us would take this on, but together we can tap into this creativity we’re yearning to use and do something for ourselves and for our community.
“It takes a village and our husbands are part of that village.
“They are very good at being given jobs and doing them. They’re very supportive and encouraging.”
Abbey said they went into their first season without expectations, which was fortunate because the first year was ‘a total flop’.
“I think we planted 30,000 sunflowers,” Abbey said.
“I’m pretty sure we grew seven or eight.
“It was a steep learning curve.
“That was the really wet year. We couldn’t get into the fields so we planted them late.”
Locals pointed to the failure as proof they couldn’t achieve their dreams of a sunflower field, so they doubled down and got an agronomist involved.
“Last year they just went gangbusters,” Abbey said.
“We couldn’t believe what we produced.”
They charged $10 admission and $3 per stem to pick.
“We ran it as a business. That was a good challenge for us,” Abbey said.
“One of our main drivers was wanting to do something for a rural community to bring everyone together as well as a meeting place.
“Lots of young families have moved to the area.
“We thought there’d be an appetite for something like this for young families.”
So that’s who they pitched the experience to, but they were blown away by the response from all ages - families of teenagers, especially.
“I think it’s really hard for them to find activities that are fun for the whole family and get the teenagers off screens,” she said.
“They did take heaps of photos for their Insta, but they’re not at home gaming.
“When people came out of the paddock they had this expression of joy.
“We had a nursing home come and bring a busload of residents. They all had morning tea in the paddock.
“The look on their faces was just amazing.
“It gave us a pep in our step. It gave us self-belief.”
One visitor described how she’d spent 10 minutes watching a bee pollinate a flower.
“She just had a look of awe,” Abbey said.
“To be able to give that to people these days…
“You pay an admission fee but you get transported into a field where you can forget about the world around you and just enjoy the moment.”
When we spoke to Abbey, they’d just planted their next crop.
“We’ve prepped the paddock and got someone in to seed it this year,” she said.
“We’ve rabbit-proofed all of the fencing because the rabbits are pretty rife where we are.
“That was an activity we did with the kids and got them involved as well, which they all loved.
“Now we’re more looking into what services we’ll offer this year.
“Last year one great thing that we did was we offer professional photography sessions.
“We didn’t think about the response or the outcome of that, but that was probably a game changer with our social media.
“That gave us the content - some beautiful family photos started circulating.
“We’ll be looking at yoga in the paddock or paint and sip.
“We really want to go hard on the experience.
“People love that. It’s lacking from life sometimes so people seek that out.”
Their crop flowered in the first week of January last year, so they’ve mirrored their planting schedule with the hopes of achieving a similar timeline.
“Subject to Mother Nature,” Abbey laughed.
“The season will be 10 to 12 days. We’re just hoping for another great season.”
Surf Coast Sunflowers is at 455 Considines Road, Modewarre, just off Cape Otway Road.
IT’S YOUR LIFE
Literary legend Mem shares her magic
MEM FOX’S books have touched most Australians over the past 40 years.
The Adelaide-based author’s first book is probably still her most recognisable: Possum Magic.
Reporter Casey Neill spoke to the witty and warm Mem with her copy - a fourth birthday gift from the early 90s that now sits on her own daughter’s book shelf - beside her.
POSSUM Magic has unlikely origins in the King James Bible and London’s theatre scene.
Mem Fox’s Australian literary classic has been captivating children in print since 1983 - only after publishers rejected the ‘quintessential quest’ tale nine times in five years.
She puts its enduring success firstly down to the illustrations.
“We know that the pictures of any picture book are half the book,” she said.
“People often ignore that the pictures in Possum Magic are sublime.
“Julie (Vivas) doesn’t get enough credit.”
It’s also “very, very Australian” and “the last thing is because the rhythm of the language in Possum Magic is so alluring”.
The 10th publisher to see Possum Magic told Mem to cut it by two thirds, and “write lyrically, make music with the words”.
“I knew how to make it musical because I had been to drama school for three years in the mid-60s in London,” Mem said.
“I had also grown up on a mission in Africa so I was very familiar with the King James Bible.
“All of that was in the marrow of my bones.
“I had Shakespeare, I had the bible, and I also had Dr Seuss.
“I think I started writing Possum Magic when my daughter was 7, so we’d gone through seven years of Dr Seuss. I knew so many of his books by heart. Dr Seuss never gets it wrong.”
The King James Bible perhaps had the strongest influence - without Mem even noticing until six years later.
“When I was at drama school, all of us had to choose a bible story - King James Version - and learn it and tell it in a way that was not like a preacher,” she said.
“I chose the story of Ruth, which starts off, ‘Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land…’.
“I copied the rhyme of those first few paragraphs for the start of Possum Magic.
“Beat for beat it’s the same.
“The rhythm is so comforting. It calms the soul.”
Mem’s latest book, Meerkat Mayhem, also has unlikely origins.
“I’m a constant declutterer. I’m the absolute polar opposite of a hoarder,” she said.
“I’m always throwing things out.
“I was going through a book shelf of storybooks - I was a storyteller before I was a writer.
“I had a very old book of stories - a hardback book, yellowed, you could barely read it - called Little Stories for Children.
“I looked back through it and thought ‘I can’t throw this book away’.”
Inside was folk tale The Great Big Enormous Turnip.
“The farmer grows a turnip so big he can’t pull it up,” she said.
So he calls for help from his wife, his son, and his daughter…
“It builds up, and finally up comes the turnip and they cook it for supper,” Mem said.
She regularly encountered meerkats while growing up in Africa, and easily imagined one eating too much and getting stuck in the sand.
She added a host of other African animals from her childhood and Meerkat Mayhem took shape.
“I loved creating the character of the meerkat,” Mem said.
“He’s not just a cardboard cutout meerkat.
“He is hilarious. He’s a real cool dude.”
She said Meerkat Mayhem could be her penultimate book.
“I have very few ideas - fewer and fewer,” she said.
“My next book - which is being illustrated next year and will come out in 2026 - that book may be my last book, which is OK.
“I turn 80 in 2026.”
Mem has no plans to give up writing, though she only puts pen to paper when inspiration strikes.
“If you’ve got an idea gnawing away at you, it’s irritating not to deal with it,” she said.
“If you haven’t got an idea it’s not a problem.
“If I’m not writing, it doesn’t matter to me at all.
“I don’t write for months on end.
“I am working on a story at the moment. I’ve got the word count right, it’s got repetition, it will interest little boys in particular…but when you write a book, there has to be a change in a child’s heart from the first word to the last.”
The reader needs to be excited, laughing, thoughtful, reflective, grossed out, or even frightened, she said.
“I haven’t got the emotion in the story yet. I think I will persevere,” she said.
“If you’ve been given a gift and you don’t use it, that’s very ungrateful.
“I‘ve been given a gift.
“I feel that I have to use it until the last.”
Writing is Mem’s gift but it’s her second love. Her first is teaching.
Given her passion for helping kids to read, does she consider literacy when she writes?
“It’s never front of mind, but I’m always pleased when I’ve written a book that I know is going to aid literacy,” Mem said.
“If I wrote with the aim of making kids literate I would write a woke book that was anodyne, without character.
“It’s why school readers are the worst books.
“They’re absolutely dead. They’re totally without life.”
Similarly, Mem hasn’t written any of her books with her daughter or grandson, now aged 14, in mind.
“I think that would be too particular; I have to write for everybody,” she said.
“But they might have provided the idea for a book.”
For example, she wrote Time for Bed in 1993 to ‘mesmerise’ children to sleep.
“The idea for that came from my daughter’s early life,” she said.
“She was a shocker about going to sleep.
“If only I had a book that mesmerised her… by 1993 she was 22.”
Another of Mem’s mesmersising tales is Where is the Green Sheep?, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024.
“That took 11 months to write and it’s 190 words, because of the rhyme scheme,” she said.
“The rhythm has to be perfect, the beat has to fall in the right place.
“Otherwise you’re forcing a rhyme.
“And not only did line B have to rhyme with D, but also the first two lines had to connect with each other.”
Like bath and bed, moon and stars, and up and down.
“That had to happen all the way through in every verse,” Mem said.
“It’s worth persevering with the rhyme because when you don’t persevere with the rhythm and get it correct the book dies - it just dies.
“Kids don’t like reading it. Parents don’t like it, teachers don’t like it.”
Anybody who’s relayed the sheep shenanigans to a child would agree the result was worth the effort.
Chocolate crackle slice
CHOCOLATE crackles were possibly my favourite party food as a kid and when it came to my birthday, I don’t know what I enjoyed more: making them with my mum or eating them.
It’s these fond memories that inspired my chocolate crackle slice.
I’ve given it a nourishing twist but kept the nostalgic flavour and texture and, as always, made it easy enough for kids of all ages help to make.
In place of rice bubbles I’ve used puffed brown rice, but any puffed grain will do.
I’ve added some seeds for fibre, protein and extra nutrients; pumpkin seeds for zinc and immune support, sesame seeds for calcium and healthy bones and teeth, and sunflower seeds for cell protective antioxidants vitamin E and selenium.
In place of copha I’ve used a little coconut oil, as well as nut butter to add more protein – yes, we want to focus on getting adequate protein into all our kids’ meals and snacks as this is what is going to keep them feeling fuller for longer.
Any nut butter will do; I like to vary it each time I make this. It’s an easy way to offer kids a variety of different nutrients.
The slice is sweetened with honey and, honestly, the chocolate layer on top really is optional but I think it makes it feel a little special.
If you wanted to make this slice caffeine-free and more toddler-friendly, you could replace the cacao powder with carob powder and reduce the honey to taste.
Visit www.lucystewartnutrition.comor find @lucystewartkidsnutrition on Instagram for more content.
Serves: 18 – Prep time: 10 mins – Cool time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
■ 2 cups puffed grains
■ ½ cup nut butter
■ ½ cup honey
■ ½ cup desiccated coconut
■ ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
■ ¼ cup sesame seeds
■ ¼ cup sunflower seeds
■ ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
■ ¼ cup cacao powder
■ 100g melted 70% dark chocolate
Instructions:
1. Line a 29cm x 18cm baking tray with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, nut butter and melted coconut oil.
Well Fed Kitchen is a range of healthy snacks for kids that you can make at home.
Created by Nutritionist and mum, Lucy Stewart, they’re made with only real wholefood and plant-based ingredients – no additives, nothing artificial, and without nuts, dairy, soy and wheat.
Well Fed Kitchen provides an easy snack alternative to the sugar-laden, healthy pro- cessed options, guaranteed to fill kids tummies, satisfy their hunger, provide a steady release of energy and some essential growing nutrients too.
www.wellfedkitchen.com.au @wellfedkitchen_snacks
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared baking tray, spread evenly, and press down.
6. Place in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes.
7. While your slice is setting, melt your dark chocolate in a double boiler. Break chocolate into pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl over a small saucepan of water. You don’t want the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Bring the water to a gentle boil and stir your chocolate until melted.
8. Pour the melted chocolate over the slice, tilting the pan to ensure it spreads evenly. Return the slice to the fridge for at least another 30 minutes.
9. Once your chocolate has set, slice into squares or bars and store in the fridge or freezer.
12562706-MS36-22
First look at new hospital’s maternity ward
DESIGNS for Geelong’s $500 million Barwon Women’s and Children’s hospital have been unveiled.
The ‘biggest health infrastructure project in Geelong’s history’ will be built within Barwon Health’s University Hospital Geelong precinct.
The designs provide an early look at the new maternity ward, inpatient rooms, and play spaces.
Locals across the region helped to inform the designs, contributing more than 600 ideas for the new health service.
“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed their ideas towards the project to date, and in particular the community advisory group – the Barwon Women’s and Children’s will truly reflect our community,” Geelong MP Christine Couzens said.
The input captured has been shared with the project’s architects for consideration as they continue to develop the facility’s designs. The final designs and a start on construction are due in late 2024.
“It’s critically important we build a facility that represents the community it serves - which is why we’re listening to the community to shape this flagship project for the region,” Health Infrastructure Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said.
With additional multi-day beds, birthing suites, operating theatres, and outpatient clinic rooms, the project will increase capacity to provide care for women and children.
A new neonatal and parent care unit will also expand the capacity and function of the hospital’s existing special care nursery to provide care for sick and pre-term babies in the first few weeks and months of life.
The Victorian Health Building Authority is expected to deliver the Barwon Women’s and Children’s by 2029 in partnership with Barwon Health, Lyons Architecture and Built.
‘Cancer made our bond stronger’
MYRNIONG
mum Lynn Burgess found a lump in her armpit when she was eight months pregnant.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer when son Oakley was three weeks old.
“The hardest part was seeing my loved ones really sad,” she said.
“It’s easier for you to go through it than watch people you love go through it.”
Lynn endured a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy.
“I lost all my hair, I gained weight from being pregnant and gained more weight from steroids,” she said.
“I didn’t really look in the mirror that much; I had no idea who I was.
“I just kept reminding myself that, internally, I am the same person.
“My son got me through it because I woke up in the morning and he just wanted me to be a mum, so that’s what I did.
“Even after my mastectomy, I developed a way to get him out of the cot with one arm.
“I made sure I was there for that baby every single day.
“He had no idea that I had cancer and he didn’t care that I was huge from steroids or bald.
“Cancer made our bond stronger because he just loved me for who I was.”
Lynn had tough days where she feared the worst, and shared her negative feelings with family and friends to get it out of her system.
“If you don’t have that, write it down and burn the piece of paper,” she said.
Lynn urged anyone supporting a woman battling cancer to simply listen.
“If it is your wife, your sister, your auntie, your mum, just tell them they’re beautiful,” she said.
“Never tell them, ‘your hair will grow back’ or ‘it’s just a boob’ or ‘you don’t need a boob’.
“Just say, ‘I don’t understand but what can I do to help?’.”
She also urged women to be vigilent about their health.
“I did the genetic testing and it came back negative,” she said.
“I thought it had to be in your family to get it and I learned fairly quick that it was the roll of a dice and it just picked me for whatever reason.”
Western Health breast care nurse
Damjan Janevski
consultant Sue Komp urged women to prioritise their health.
“The most important thing is being aware of your own body and then acting on it as soon as you’re concerned,” she said.
“So if you feel a lump or you feel something is not right, see your GP as soon as you can.”
- By Afraa Kori
RETIREMENT LIVING
TRISH Waterfall put off moving to a retirement village for as long as she could.
Husband Wally was keen, but for Trish, after spending the past 30 years in Ocean Grove and Wandana Heights, it was a case of cold feet before eventually settling on Armstrong Green just off Barwon Heads Road.
“We actually held two units and then I got cold feet and then had to have a big talk to myself and say, ‘This is silly, it’s so practical’,” she says.
Wally and Trish are glad they made the move.
As we talk at Armstrong Green - in a doctor’s surgery office, next door to the hairdressing salon - Trish and Wally look fit, healthy, and, most importantly, happy.
“A lot of people think it’s aged care and they say, ‘Oh, you’re too young to be there’ but it’s a long way from that,” Trish says.
“We’re busier now than we were when we left Wandana Heights,” Wally says.
“It’s like we are living in a resort,” Trish adds.
“You’ve got everything at your fingertips. We call it village retirement.
“I can remember when we were leaving Wandana Heights, we got someone to put some tiles on the front steps prior to selling our house.
“When we told him we were moving to a retirement village he said, ‘You’re not old enough’. I said, ‘We’re not going to an aged-care facility - it’s independent living’.
“It’s lovely. We’ve got this little community here.”
So what does a normal day look like for Trish and Wally?
They are both involved with the social club committee and Wally proudly volunteers in the bar, which raises money for group activities such as bus trips and lunch dates.
“Tonight, we’ve got a card game that you see in the pubs,” Wally says.
“The Joker. If someone draws your number out, you get to choose a card and if it’s the Joker, you win the prize.”
A village lifestyle with loads to do
Trish and Wally have four daughters and with that comes eight grandkids ranging in age from four to 20.
“We don’t miss out on any of the family stuff,” Wally says.
“We had two of the boys stay here last week. They love all the facilities.
“Our daughters know we’re happy and safe and they often joke and say that they have to make an appointment to see us.”
The village residents have organised plenty of groups to keep themselves occupied, ranging from mahjong to crafts, chat groups, coffee club, lawn bowls, snooker, and much more.
Trish and Wally love their villa and it was a big part of their decision to move to Armstrong Green.
“The supermarket is next door, it’s close to Geelong and not too far from Melbourne,” Trish says.
“The bus stops just out the front and the train station is just around the corner.”
Cathy Farmer moved to Armstrong Green from Bendigo for a change of lifestyle when she retired from her nursing career.
She has two daughters in Torquay and a son in Bendigo.
“I liked the idea of being close to my daughters and still not too far to go back to Bendigo to be with my son,” she says.
“It was perfect because the homes are exactly what I wanted. It’s perfect for having visitors because you’ve got a bathroom and a bedroom up one end and a bathroom and a bedroom up the other end.
“You can have your grandchildren come and stay and they enjoy when I take them to the pool.
“I’ve had the whole family here sitting outside of an evening playing bowls, having a barbecue.”
Cathy says she’s “certainly not lonely with all the different things I can do here”.
“I’m in a gardening club and I’m in a vegetable garden club and there are options to go on day trips and a group of us went to Bali a few months ago,” she says.
“You meet people who all want to do the same things. They want to travel, so you find travel buddies.”
It was important for Cathy to love where she lived.
“I love my home, that it’s new and there’s nothing to be done, and I’ve made myself the most beautiful garden out of much less space than I had before,” she says.
“Mine is facing north and in winter there’s constant sun all day in my windows in the living room and the kitchen’s perfect. It’s small, but it’s perfect for me and it’s really functional. Plenty of loungeroom space and a big table if I want the family there.
“And with my particular villa, it’s got a smaller outside area, but many villas have a much bigger outside area where I would say you could set up a big table and have a dinner outside that.
“If I wanted to do that, I would just come over to the clubrooms or there’s another barbecue place nearer to where my villa is that I could take them.”
One of Cathy’s daughters is a physiotherapist and runs water aerobics in the pool at the village once a week.
“There’s a walking group which I am involved in at 9am every Thursday morning,” she says.
“Off we go for an hour’s walk and then a coffee over to the Warralily shops. There’s two cafes there. We try to do a different walk and once a month we do a bus trip for our walk.”
And while Cathy is active, there is heaps to do for those who prefer a slower pace.
“There’s board games or the chat group and there’s a book club and a library,” she says.
“You can just tinker at home. The guys often have little sheds that they can do workshopping and there is a men’s group so they can get together and talk about whatever they talk about.
“The other thing is we play bowls and have happy hours.”
Coffee club volunteers Eugene McConville, Jenny Wilkins,Yvonne Busuttil, and Heather Jane.
Cathy Farmer made the move from
RETIREMENT LIVING
Live your life without limits
LIFESTYLE Communities believes in life without restrictions.
One with the freedom to do the things you love, and the confidence to be whoever you want to be.
Where every new day is a fresh opportunity.
It’s a philosophy that rings true, in Lifestyle Communities’ best-in-class homes and clubhouses.
Whether you’re working, semiretired or retired, join a community where life is unlimited.
Join in on pickleball, croquet, yoga, arts and crafts, woodworking, bowls and swimming.
There are also happy hours, guest speakers, musical entertainment and much more.
Plus, you’ll have loads of new friends to enjoy all of this with and a beautiful home to live in. The community is thoughtfully planned and designed making it easy to get around and enjoy.
Lifestyle Communities promotes a lifestyle that emphasises freedom.
The choice to do your thing, your way.
Live independently while also enjoying a vibrant social life and a variety of recreational activities.
Buying a home at Lifestyle Communities means embracing a life where your horizons are boundless.
With a host of activities and an abundance of new friendships waiting for you, your days will be filled with excitement and companionship.
At Lifestyle Communities, you are not just living, you are thriving, and it’s a testament to the limitless possibilities of a life unencumbered by restrictions.
Experience the freedom to be you, every day, in your new home at Lifestyle Communities.
Visit www.lifestylecommunities. com.au for more inforamation.
HEALTHY LIVING
Free RSV protection
A new, free immunisation is set to protect newborns and infants from RSV next winter.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas
in October announced $18.7 million to deliver the vaccine as part of a coordinated national prevention program for unprotected newborns and
eligible infants up to eight months.
The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine will complement an expected Commonwealth-funded
maternal vaccine.
“We have worked closely with the Federal Government and other jurisdictions to ensure we can deliver a lifesaving RSV immunisation program for all eligible women and babies regardless of their postcode or bank balance,” Ms Thomas said.
The monoclonal antibody is a long-acting vaccine that will be available for Victorian babies and infants whose mother was unable to be immunised or was immunised less than two weeks before delivery.
The infant vaccine provides protection for about five months, which covers the winter peak of RSV infections from April to September.
A dedicated catch-up program will also be offered for eligible Victorian infants aged up to two years who are vulnerable to severe RSV and entering their second RSV season.
In most cases, immunisations will be administered in a hospital setting as part of standard post-birth care, helping parents avoid any additional healthcare costs and time spent attending appointments.
RSV can cause respiratory infections in the airways and lungs such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. It is especially common in infants and young children, with most infected by the age of two years.
With more than 3800 infant RSVassociated ED presentations in 2023/24 and about 85 percent of those requiring a hospital admission, this vaccine will help reduce pressure on EDs and keep Victorian babies healthy. For more information, visit betterhealth.vic.gov.au/respiratorysyncytial-virus-rsv.
Matching you with the right support
MATCHING you with the right behavioural support is a big focus for Anna Treloar-Tanner and her Barwon Occupational Therapy team.
The comprehensive practice offers occupational therapy, positive behaviour support, therapy assistant services, and dietetic support for children, youth, adults, and the elderly.
Anna is an endorsed mental health occupational therapist and believes a big part of providing behavioural support is not about changing a person but instead trying to understand their view and what they need.
“People are just people, and sometimes it’s about finding your tribe and the right people,” she said.
“A good proportion of our clients are neurodiverse, whether that’s autism, ADHD, bipolar, dyspraxia, learning disabilities or a range of different neurotypes.
“Each client is different...and we ensure that we’re going to be a good match for that family and the clients; if not, we look for an alternative option.
“There are lots of different agencies that provide behaviour support, and they might be focusing on a different area that we’re not necessarily providing at that given point in time.”
Barwon Occupational Therapy’s behaviour support team focuses on non-pharmacological interventions for
behavioural concerns while working alongside clients’ carers, schools, and agencies.
“I often describe ourselves as scaffolding that goes around the
individual as well as working and moving with the individual,” Anna said.
“We shouldn’t be a static thing. We should be able to be moved around and work with the person in whatever
settings are important to them.
“Our clients deserve really good quality clinicians and...I want to give my clients the best opportunity to develop skills, understanding, and qualities.
“For us, it’s often advocating for our client that what you deem as a behaviour of concern may not be a behaviour of concern...and we need to be thinking about what they want and need.”
Anna said an important part of assisting people with behavioural concerns was that there were no judgements and that each client was treated respectfully.
“People quite often get confused and believe that an individual can do a task but they’re just choosing not to,” she said.
“I’m the mum of two neurodiverse little people, and I have multiple friends who are health professionals who are neurodiverse as well.
“It is about being able to help you and your family at your normal baseline so that it is putting in strategies that will work for you and your family.
“I’m going to use the example of autism; it’s important to understand how one client can be doing an activity one day and then the next day they can’t do the activity.”
You don’t need a referral to visit Barwon Occupational Therapy, but consulting your GP for a mental healthcare plan or chronic disease management plan can be beneficial.
By Casey Neill
Preparing bodies for birth
MELBOURNE mum and physio Alex Lopes is arming women with ‘taboo’ knowledge around pregnancy and birth.
“It’s not talked about enough,” she said.
“Modern science can’t protect us from potential trauma during childbirth; things can go wrong.”
Alex knows this first-hand.
The director at Altona North’s Pelvic Health Melbourne worked as a sports physiotherapist before a traumatic birth ‘ripped (her) in two’, causing bladder, bowel, and prolapse issues.
“There’s a journey of feeling disfigured, feeling damaged,” she said.
“I did not feel supported in my recovery so I retrained in this field.
“A lot of physios have gone into this field because of their own childbirth experiences - some from very positive experiences, others less so.
“After my own experience, I wanted to create a safe space for women in my community to be looked after.”
This was the impetus behind Pelvic Health Melbourne, which has evolved to offer pelvic health services to men, women, kids, and all genders.
Alex became the National Chair of the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s Women’s, Men’s, and Pelvic Health Group.
During her term she was passionate about establishing a consistent national physiotherapy training pathway, which has now been developed and rolled out across Australia.
She’s has run post-birth education sessions for 10 years, reaching out to community health centres, working with maternal child health nurses and helping women to understand the birth risks and their rights and choices.
Alex hosts free Body After Baby events, which include ultrasounds for participants, and her presentation is available on the Pelvic Health Melbourne website under ‘pregnancy services’.
“This class has been based on filling in the gaps I’ve seen in the pregnancy and postnatal education healthcare space,” she said.
“I wish we could get together and develop a national online education program so that we have consistent comprehensive education to all parents across Australia.”
She turns to humour to share her message; her aim is to normalise the language around pelvic health concerns.
The good news? We’re getting more comfortable talking about birth injuries, bladder, bowel prolapse, and intimate concerns.
“I’m really hopeful for the next generation,” Alex said.
“My friends, in their fifties? I can still see them squirm.”
Alex said most event attendees had already given birth and she hoped to see more attend prenatally so they could be better prepared.
“I don’t use fear tactics - it’s about putting it in perspective, saying ‘these are things to be aware of’,” she said.
“They tend to cope so much better with things that may not have gone to plan if they’ve been informed.”
She covers episiotomies, epidurals, forceps, suction, caesareans, pushing and all after-birth care, which is often missed.
“The birth is only one day and we want to make it as efficient as possible,” she said.
The post-birth complications, though, can last a lot longer.
One of the complications can be pelvic organ prolapse. Alex said 50 percent of women would develop an anatomical prolapse over their lifetime, but it might never have any impact.
“Only 23 percent will develop symptoms,” she said.
What is a prolapse? Your pelvic floor muscles support your organs from below.
Throughout pregnancy and during birth the ligaments supporting the organs can stretch and the organs - the bladder, bowel, or uterus - can fall into the vaginal space.
Prolapses are usually felt as bulge or heaviness, not pain.
Having a prolapse and increased vaginal laxity can “throw your sense of identity as a sexual being”.
“But there is hope,” Alex said.
“We look at how to reduce your symptoms.
“See a pelvic health physio for any symptoms that persist.
“As a general rule, if you’ve got persistent leakage, bowel or pain complaints after three months, see someone.
“In an ideal world, pelvic health physios would see every woman at six weeks post-birth.”
She said seeking help put women in a vulnerable position, but that it was a less intimidating prospect after birth.
“You’ve lost a little bit of the prudishness,” she laughed.
“You’re a little bit more open to people looking than you were before having kids.
“If you go into a space and you know that’s all they do, you feel safe.”
She often hears, ‘Wow, I wish I had come in earlier’ and ‘I felt so heard, so understood’.
Alex said that in the ‘old days’ and in other cultures it was common for women to have 40 days of confinement post-birth.
“We’ve lost our way, caring for our women,” she said.
“You’re left to fend for yourself.
“So many women struggle.
“You’re still recovering from passive whole-body trauma and then you’re sleep-deprived and trying to cook, clean, and do everything else.”
Body After Baby also covers breastfeeding and attachment, particularly blocked ducts and lymphatic drainage.
Alex is a strong advocate for teaching women to feed lying down.
She said it was ‘everything’ in the 1940s but fell out of favour with the advent of bottle feeding.
“The muscles of the pelvic floor are stretched to three times their normal length and suffer microscopic tears,” she said.
“The only way to rest is lying down, not sitting.
“I guarantee you women suffer back and shoulder pain from feeding upright.
“I haven’t had any woman who feeds lying down and didn’t enjoy it.”
Alex Lopes, standing, is passionate about pelvic health.
Maternity care under review HEALTHY LIVING
A taskforce is reviewing Victoria’s maternity system to identify ways to improve it.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas announced the Victorian Maternity Taskforce in October and said it would focus on ensuring hospitals have the best workforce and models of care in place.
It will identify opportunities and address challenges that can affect service delivery, including workforce recruitment and retention.
Nursing and midwifery experts will form the taskforce and work with health services, community, and experts to consider care models that support women to have choice in their
pregnancy and birth experiences.
“Victoria has some of the world’s best and safest maternity and newborn services in the world,” Ms Thomas said.
“This taskforce is an opportunity to continue improving these services, so women receive the best support during pregnancy and birth.”
Victoria has 52 maternity health service providers, including 33 in regional areas.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) has more than 6000 midwifery members and welcomed the taskforce.
Assistant secretary Madeleine Harradence said the midwifery workforce was still recovering and
rebuilding from the difficult pandemic years.
She said statewide reform was needed to ensure the viability of maternity services, particularly in rural and regional Victoria.
Research released in 2022 found that midwives moved from permanent to casual employment during the pandemic years and this was impacting the ability to provide maternity services due to staffing shortfalls.
The La Trobe University School of Nursing and Midwifery conducted the initial study - The FUSCHIA study: Future proofing the midwifery workforce in Victoria - in 2021.
ANMF provided funding to continue
Helping parents to give kids hope
By Casey Neill
A Hoppers Crossing psychologist says a little bit of hope can keep kids on track.
Dr Lyn O’Grady has dedicated more than 30 years to enhancing mental health and wellbeing for children, young people, and their families. Her new book, Keeping Our Kids Hopeful: Parenting Children During Times of Uncertainty, delves into what drives us to face each new day - hope and confidence in the future.
“A loss of hope is where we become most stuck,” she said.
The book explores how this sense of hope can be fostered in children, even amid uncertainties and challenges.
“It’s for parents of primary schoolaged children, really aiming to help parents understand the uncertainty and all the different things their kids might be facing, and to bring an element of hope to that,” Dr O’Grady said.
“How do we be hopeful in this space and work out how we can be hopeful as role models?”
In 2020, Dr O’Grady wrote Keeping Our Kids Alive: Parenting a Suicidal Young person.
Then she took a step back. Why wait until teens were at breaking point?
“I was very aware from my work that sometimes children had been aware of suicide but it didn’t become apparent to their parents until they were teenagers,” she said.
So she set out to provide parents with early intervention tactics and a preventative approach.
Dr O’Grady said suicide represented a loss of hope.
“It made sense to be thinking of how to embrace hope,” she said.
A consistent theme throughout the book is adults listening to children, giving children hope they’re being heard.
She said kids had lots of ideas that adults - parents, teachers, etcetera -
weren’t really tuning into or really hearing. Tune into your child and work out what to do together.
“That again makes people feel hopeful,” Dr O’Grady said.
Modelling confidence is another key way to give children confidence in themselves.
“Parents have to work out this stuff first,” she said.
“If they get their own support then they’re better equipped to support the child.”
Acknowledging a child’s concern is also key.
“Sometimes parents can be dismissive of what children’s worries are,” Dr O’Grady said.
“It is about validating these worries and trying to make sense of it for yourself and being able to face it together.
“What are some of the things we can do as a family? What are some actions that we can take?”
this study through to 2026 to better understand and respond to midwifery workforce wellbeing and retention over time.
“We know there are rostering, work/ life balance, student employment and career path strategies and models of care that, if implemented, could better support and retain our passionate midwifery workforce,” Ms Harradence said.
“Our members want to work in a system that provides access, choice, and flexibility to them and to women in their choice of maternity care, to enable safe woman-centred midwifery care.
“The aim is for midwives to stay in the profession that they love.”
Parents need to acknowledge that the big things exist.
“Deaths, separations, can create feelings of being less hopeful, or uncertain, or stressed,” Dr O’Grady said.
“It’s about normalising that distress and recognising children’s responses to it as being really normal.”
DENTAL
Sparkling smiles start early
TAKING care of your child’s smile is an important part of their overall health, and starting early makes all the difference!
At Balyang Dental, the caring and experienced team, led by Dr Neha Raman, is there to help your child develop healthy habits for a lifetime of strong, happy teeth.
Did you know that your child can benefit from their first dental visit as early as two years of age?
This might seem young, but those tiny teeth play a big role in helping your child chew, speak, and smile confidently.
Early visits to the dentist can help detect potential issues like lip or tongue ties, evaluate gum and bone health, and ensure those baby teeth are coming in as they should.
Why early dental visits matter
Early visits are not just about examining your child’s teeth; they’re also an opportunity for parents to learn how to support their child’s dental health.
From brushing techniques to diet tips, Dr Neha Raman and the team at Balyang Dental provide parents with the tools they need to care for their little one’s smile.
Young children are often curious about new experiences, and a friendly, welcoming dental practice like Balyang helps them see the dentist as a fun and positive place.
This early familiarity can prevent fear of dental visits later in life, setting the stage for stress-free check-ups as they grow.
Healthy smiles begin at home Good oral hygiene starts with simple habits.
At Balyang Dental, the team helps parents understand how to make brushing and flossing a part of their child’s daily routine.
Did you know that using a softbristled toothbrush and just a small smear of fluoride toothpaste is all you need to keep those pearly whites clean?
Diet plays a huge role, too. Balyang loves sharing tips for creating healthy, tooth-friendly lunchboxes.
Crunchy fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots are natural tooth cleaners, while sugary snacks and sticky treats are best kept as occasional indulgences.
Hydration is key, so encourage your child to drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Water not only keeps them hydrated but also washes away food particles and helps maintain a healthy mouth.
The Balyang difference
At Balyang Dental, the team is proud to offer a boutique dental experience where every patient, big or small, feels special.
Dr Neha Raman is passionate about educating families and creating a supportive environment for your child’s dental journey.
From interactive learning to a gentle and personalised approach, the team ensures that both parents and kids feel confident in their oral health routines.
The team understands that every child is unique and tailors its care to meet their individual needs.
Book your visit today
Give your child the gift of a sparkling smile and a lifetime of healthy habits.
Contact Balyang Dental today to schedule your child’s first appointment with Dr Neha Raman, build a foundation for excellent oral health, and make every dental visit something to smile about.
The Balyang Dental team believes every child deserves to shine, one tooth at a time.
Creative, caring and diverse EDUCATION
NORTH Geelong Secondary College is a single campus Year 7-12 academic college.
It is a creative, caring, and diverse college where young people grow into autonomous learners by engaging with our imaginative and intellectually rigorous programs.
“We tailor programs to suit students’ individual needs and help students to develop their confidence, to follow their interests and reach their potential,” principal Paul Dawson said.
The school community is a friendly and supportive environment, underpinned by the values of respect, excellence, achievement, and diversity.
The school places high expectations on student behaviour and academic endeavour, as evidenced by outstanding VCE results and VCE Vocational Major outcomes.
Specialist programs in the areas of the arts, information and communication technologies, and sports, that incorporate innovative curriculum design, enhance the learning experience.
North Geelong Secondary College students are privileged to enjoy:
■ Learning areas equipped with the latest ICT facilities;
■ An extensive, well-resourced, library;
■ Plentiful state-of-the-art sporting facilities; and
A creative art and technology complex which caters for food technology, studio art, ceramics, woodwork, and performing arts.
North Geelong Secondary College is proud to offer the Scholarship Program, Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) Program, the Strive to Achieve Results (STAR), the Achieving Core Education (ACE) Programs, and Excellence in Sport (EIS) Program.
The Scholarship Program promotes and recognises outstanding commitment by school students who have displayed a strong involvement in their school community.
Scholarships are available in the following areas: academic excellence, student leadership, community, sporting excellence, and the arts.
The SEAL Program provides a focused educational environment for academically oriented students.
SEAL classes incorporate a fast-paced curriculum, with less repetition than mainstream classes.
Strive is a supplementary program that is based around fostering research skills, academic writing, and grounded in inquiry-based learning.
The program prepares students for the rigours of senior secondary, tertiary education, and learning beyond the classroom.
STAR is an innovative literacy and numeracy program unique to the college.
This program identifies students who have the potential to become future ‘stars’ and achieve outstanding results in Years 7 to 9.
The ACE program aims to improve the numeracy and literacy development of students who are performing below the expected level.
The EIS Program develops students’ sport-specific skills, knowledge, and practical application in their chosen sports of Australian rules, soccer, or volleyball.
Students are encouraged to engage in a myriad of extracurricular activities, including human powered vehicles,
debating, student representative council, and lunchtime clubs such as chess club, cultural appreciation club, Dungeons and Dragons, and Japanese club.
The transition from primary to secondary school is seamless for North Geelong Secondary College’s Year 7 students.
In Grade 6, all students are invited to the college early in the year for a ‘taste’ of secondary school, and later in the year there is a specialised two-day program that allows students to develop new friendships and familiarise themselves with their new surroundings.
Students start the secondary school year with confidence.
An integral part of the transition program is the Year 7 camp. The camp experience allows students and staff to build positive relationships in a fun learning environment.
These relationships build trust that fosters unity, allowing students and teachers to work together in facilitating teaching and learning.
Parents and guardians are welcome to visit and see the school in operation.
They’re promised a dynamic, highquality government school for their child.
To find out more and to book a personalised tour of North Geelong Secondary College, call 5240 5800 or email north.geelong.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au.
EDUCATION
Battle back-to-school blues
THE transition between the holidays and starting or going back to school can often be full of mixed emotions.
So primary school teacher Miss B, known on TikTok as Lil’ Miss Sunshinee, shared her tips for parents on getting kids ready for the new school year ahead.
Positive vibes
Back-to-school time can be full of mixed emotions. Returning or starting school leaves many children with unanswered questions: “Who will my teacher be?”
“Who will be in my class?”
Have a conversation with your child, listen to their worries, and respond in a calm and supportive manner to help them navigate this transitional time.
Remind them of the positives! They will be able to play with their friends again, see their teachers and learn new things.
Read all about it
Reading is a great way to share time with your child, spark their imagination, and maintain routine Reading books about going back to or starting school can help relieve some of those first-day jitters.
Not only can the story provide your child with a sense of what the transition might be like, they can also get a boost of confidence as the story unfolds.
Reading these books can offer an opportunity for your child to share their feelings.
Set goals
Goal-setting is a big part of learning.
Encourage your child to set some goals to help them get into the right frame of mind for school. They can be academic or social goals, or a new habit, such as packing their schoolbag before bed every night.
LEARNING WHILE HAVING FUN
This could even be a great time for the whole family to set some goals. You can cheer each other on and celebrate everyone’s wins!
Have some fun!
Children are quick to pick up on our attitudes towards things, so creating a positive energy towards the back-toschool lead-up can help.
Build anticipation by going shopping together and buying school supplies.
They can pick out their lunchbox and pencil case and fill it with a fabulous collection of pens and markers.
Ease into routine
It can be helpful to start waking up earlier little by little in the days leading up to the first day back.
Getting back into a bedtime routine can also help.
For some families, this might mean enforcing a ‘no electronics’ rule the hour before bedtime or having dinner a little earlier.
Get organised
The first back-to-school morning might be a whirlwind for the whole family!
Back to waking up early, packing lunches, organising uniforms, and making sure you get everyone to where they need to be.
The more organised you can be, the easier the first back-to-school morning will be.
Planning the morning routine might be a whole family affair, so ensure you are all on the same page.
This might include figuring out what time you need to wake up, sharing responsibilities such as breakfast and packing lunches, and laying out your child’s uniform the night before.
Brighter futures
CRACKERJACK Kids is dedicated to unlocking the potential within every child.
Its mission is to provide specialised instruction in literacy, numeracy, and school readiness, catering to children and adolescents with specific learning differences such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia.
Crackerjack sets itself apart with its commitment to delivering multisensory instruction and evidencebased programs.
It uses Orton Gillingham-based methods for teaching reading and spelling, as well as multi-sensory approaches for teaching math concepts. This ensures that every child receives tailored support that suits their unique learning needs.
The Crackerjack Kids team believes in the power of collaboration.
The proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” resonates deeply with the team.
Staff work closely with parents, carers, and schoolteachers to provide holistic support for their students.
They offer resources and guidance to help parents and teachers understand and assist with students’ learning journeys.
Crackerjack programs start with an initial assessment to determine the best course of action for each child.
Whether it’s screening assessments for dyslexia, multi-sensory instruction for numeracy, or Crackerjack’s school readiness program, the team is there to help every child reach their full potential.
Join Crackerjack Kids, where every child deserves the chance to shine.
Call 0400 816 105 or email contact@ crackerjackkids.com.au to learn more and schedule an assessment.
Together, you and Crackerjack can empower your child for a brighter future.
Screams and smiles galore!
SCORE high-value fun with Luna Park’s unlimited rides pass for the whole family, priced at $170.
That’s as many rides as you can handle on your chosen day of adventure.
Unlimited access to thrilling rides
From the oldest continually operating rollercoaster in the world, to carnival classics like the Grand Carousel, there’s something for every age and thrill-seeker alike.
Feel the rush as you take on Luna Park’s exhilarating rides together.
Family-friendly attractions for all ages
Enjoy the whimsical fun of the Sky Rider Ferris Wheel or brace yourself for the Power Surge as you spin up, down, all around.
Younger kids aged 0 to 3 also enter and ride free of charge.
Year-round fun
No matter the season, Luna Park offers unforgettable experiences, including endless school holiday fun.
Enjoy the charming carnival atmosphere by day or night, during Luna Park’s extended summertime opening hours.
Memories to last a lifetime
Loved by generations, Luna Park Melbourne is Australia’s oldest
amusement park and hosts an array of truly unique experiences.
Valid for up to four guests, the Family Pass grants park entry and unlimited rides to no more than two guests over 13 years.
You can add up to three additional family members to your Family Pass for an additional discounted rate at the checkout.
Book your Family Pass today and make your next family day out unforgettable.
Luna Park – Just For Fun!
ACTIVE KIDS
Fostering a love of swimming
SUMMER is upon us and we all want to enjoy the water, whether it’s in a backyard pool or at one of the many beaches we are fortunate to have on our doorstep.
Learning to swim is a vital life skill and the Geelong Swimming Club (GSC) has been fostering a love of swimming across the Geelong region for more than 140 years.
The GSC Learn to Swim School offers an engaging and competency-based program catering for all abilities.
Under the governance of Life Saving Victoria, the curriculum is based on the Swim and Survive program.
“Many of our swim teachers are competitive swimmers themselves – some who trialed for the Paris Olympics and recent World Championships – and many are aspiring educators with a passion for fostering a love of swimming,” club president Tim Woods said.
“GSC Learn to Swim is the starting point, with the integrated program providing the pathway for aspiring competitive swimmers to join the club’s competitive squads.
“For those children inspired by the Australian Dolphins, we provide the opportunity to go all the way from learning to swim to the very top of the sport.”
GSC is one of the top four swimming clubs in Victoria, the top-ranked regional swimming club in the state, the reigning
Country Victorian Champion (for the third successive year), and operates one of Australia’s fastest-developing swimming programs.
More than 60 GSC juniors – many of whom came up through GSC Learn to Swim – competed in local swimming carnivals and the District Championships, and more than half the club’s swimmers qualified for the Victorian Country Championships over the past year.
“It is exciting seeing young swimmers come through the Learn to Swim program, compete, earn qualifying times, attend and achieve at local and country championship levels,” GSC head coach Aaron Tenabel said.
“Our program also supports those swimmers to qualify at a state level where we have around 50 swimmers each year, and this year our team at the Australian Swimming Championships had more than 20 local swimmers.”
The club and GSC Learn to Swim take special pride in supporting people with a range of disabilities to engage in swimming, compete, and represent Victoria and Australia.
“Most of our squads include athletes with disabilities, who are integrated members of the squads that best suit them and their needs,” Tim said.
“Integration and diversity are about action, not just words.”
Speedo Australia recently signed a four-year partnership to make GSC its premier Australian club partner.
Like its Learn to Swim instructors, GSC’s coaches are engaged in constant professional development, including working with specialist sport science partners, academies, and sports professionals as the club develops an increasingly ambitious program.
“Our aim is for Geelong Swimming Club to be the centre of excellence for swimming, from water safety to competitive swimming for all,” Tim said.
With 350 members and more than 150 competitive swimmers training in nine squads, the club has a strong familyfriendly atmosphere.
Visit www.geelongswimmingclub.com. au for more information.
On your marks... get crafty!
STEPHANIE Martinez starred in the first season of Making It on Network 10, where she ignited her passion for crafting.
Now she’s sharing exciting craft projects with our readers, designed to inspire and spark creativity and turn everyday materials into something extraordinary.
Try your hand at these monster bookmarks. Happy crafting!
Monster bookmarks
Materials
■ Googly eyes
■ Marker
■ Coloured cardboard
■ Coloured yarn - 30cm x four pieces
Equipment
■ Template
■ Glue stick
■ Scissors
■ Hole puncher
1. Can the QR to download and print the template for the monster bookmark and nose.
2. Use the template to cut out the monster and the nose.
3. Create a hole at the top of the monster. Fold the pieces of yarn in half, thread them through the hole, and tie a lark’s head knot.
4. Glue googly eye in place. Fold the top of the nose and glue the folded part to the monster.
5. Glue some colourful strips to the bottom of the monster.
6. Draw an eyebrow and a mouth. Cut out a tooth and glue it in place.
7. Give the monster some spots by hole-punching contrasting cardboard and randomly gluing the circles in place.
Instagram: Steph It Up with Stephanie Tik Tok: Steph It Up with Stephanie
Scan the QR code to download the bookmark template.
Kayaking Greater Geelong and beyond
GET ready for a splashtastic summer.
From five-day kids’ holiday kayaking camps to family-friendly tours, Outside Adventures has kayaking fun that suits everyone.
All activities are run by passionate kayaking instructors who make sure everyone is safe while sharing their kayaking knowledge, so you can relax and have a great time on the water.
Outside Adventures’ two fun-filled school holiday kayaking camps are based on the Barwon River in Newtown, Geelong, and run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday on 6 to 10 or 13 to 17 January.
With different activities each day including kayaking skills, canoe polo, water rescue training, and much more, this is the ideal way to get your kids outside, active, and having heaps of fun this summer.
The kayaking camps are suitable for kids and teens aged 8 to 16 years and for all skill levels.
Keen to get the family on the water together this summer? Then check out Outside Adventures’ family-friendly tours. Choose from the Barwon River Explorer Tour for a gentle two-hour paddle on the scenic Barwon River in Newtown, the early morning coffee/hot choc and kayak in Barwon Heads, or take on Outside Adventures’ biggest challenge and paddle from Lake Connewarre to the Barwon River Mouth with Outside Adventures’ lake-to-ocean paddle.
Interested in joining the kayaking community for more than the summer holidays? Then book in for term one with kids, adults and she paddles classes available.
To learn more or to book, visit www. outsideadventures.com.au.
School Holiday Kids Kayaking Camps
DETAILS
• Location: Barwon River, Newtown, Geelong
• Dates: January 6 - 10 or 13 - 17
• Times: Monday to Friday, 9am - 12pm
• Ages: 8 - 16
• Cost: $295 pp
INCLUSIONS
• 5 mornings of SPLASHTASTIC kayaking and water rescue skills, playing games, making friends and having fun!
• Experienced instructors
• Kayaks, life jackets and paddles for use during sessions
• Morning tea
• Certificate of Completion
Get ready for Children’s Book Week by creating your own monster bookmark. (Supplied)
KIDS Summer pool safety
MORE than half of pool owners admitted to propping open their pool gates in a Check-Your-Pool-Gate Month survey.
The report from Kids Alive and D&D Technologies revealed two in five parents let their children swim unsupervised, and a quarter of families admitted their child had gained unsupervised access to the pool.
Kids Alive founder Laurie Lawrence stressed the importance of constant supervision and pool gate maintenance.
“I was shocked to discover nearly half of parents have left children unattended in the pool to complete quick chores,” the Check-Your-Pool-Gate Month ambassador said.
“Leaving a child unsupervised significantly increases the risk of accidents.
“Supervision is a drowning prevention method that parents really can’t overlook.
“These statistics are a stark reminder of the dangers of complacency in pool safety.”
Summer is the start of the peak drowning season and 16 children aged under five drowned in 2022.
But more than half of pool owners surveyed (55 percent) admitted to propping open their pool gates, especially when children are in the pool (25 percent) or during social gatherings (20 percent).
Almost a third (30 percent) of pool owners said they’d faced issues with their pool gates not closing properly, but nearly half (47 percent) said they took more than a month to rectify the safety issue.
“Ensuring that pool gates function correctly and are never left open can be the difference between safety and tragedy,” Laurie said.
“Regular checks and immediate repairs are non-negotiable. A pool gate should never be propped open under any circumstance.”
Emma Lawrence, Kids Alive operations director, said she was worried about how many children were gaining access to pools unsupervised.
“A quarter of families said there was an incident of children accessing their
pools unsupervised, yet 30 percent of pool owners did not have the highest safety standards in place; with no lock or alarm on the pool gate,” she said.
“With nearly a third of families already experiencing a pool-related injury or emergency, it is understandable parents are worried.
“The report shows 85 percent of families are concerned about the safety of their children swimming at other people’s pools and based on this information, they have reason to as the best safety methods are not being utilised enough by pool owners.”
Check-Your-Pool-Gate Month urged pool owners to take immediate action to ensure their pools were safe environments, including routine checks of pool gates and fences, promptly fixing any issues, and never leaving children unattended in or around the pool.
A comprehensive checklist and tips for safe parties can be found at www. checkyourpoolgate.com.au.
One-of-a-kind chocolate creations
MAKE this festive season unforgettable with a visit to Freckleberry Chocolate Factory.
Renowned for smooth Belgian chocolate and handcrafted creations, Freckleberry is a true local favourite.
Explore the signature chocolate freckles range, giant chocolate pizzas, and an array of artisanal chocolates, all
crafted daily at the Freckleberry factory in North Geelong.
Dive into the ultimate chocolate experience with the Make Your Own: Giant Chocolate Lolly Christmas Tree activity.
This hands-on adventure lets participants create their own giant chocolate masterpiece - perfect for
families, friends, and all chocolate enthusiasts.
But hurry - spaces fill up quickly, so don’t forget to book a spot online.
Freckleberry Chocolate Factory offers the perfect gift for every occasion, with a selection of one-ofa-kind chocolate creations that can’t be found anywhere else.
Whether it’s luxurious hampers, personalised chocolates, or exclusive holiday treats, Freckleberry’s handcrafted chocolates are designed to make any celebration memorable.
Don’t just settle for ordinary this Christmas - make it extraordinary at Freckleberry Chocolate Factory.
Don’t forget to mention Geelong Coast Kids for an exclusive discount in-store.
Freckleberry Chocolate Factory is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm, and Saturdays 9am to 2pm at 1 Baxter Road, North Geelong.
Please check socials for holiday opening times.
Visit www.freckleberry.com.au or search @freckleberrychocolate on Instagram or Freckleberry Chocolate Factory on Facebook.
Take two minutes to breathe
By Casey Neill
“YOU are your child’s environment,” says Dr Shelley Davidow.
So the teacher and author says parents need to first put on their own oxygen masks before they help their children.
“Your body is the first and most important instrument in the orchestra of your child’s life,” she said.
“It’s almost like tuning our instruments so we’re ready to be played - we’re more likely to have a measured, calm, loving response, a steady response to whatever’s happening.
“You as the parent have the most profound connection to your child.
“Your body needs to get taken care of because that’s what’s going to respond to your child’s needs.”
Shelley is originally from South Africa but now calls the Sunshine Coast home.
“I’m just passionate about living life to the fullest and supporting people to live their best lives,” she said.
“What story do you want to tell about your life today?
“We can tell a story of ‘terrible things always happen to me’ or you can tell ‘it’s the 12 labours of Hercules and I’m on number 11 and it’s going to be hell but I’m going to get through it’.”
Shelley has spent more than a decade working in schools and with parent bodies, “To really help parents reduce their stress, to practice being in a state of automatic nervous system balance”.
“When you are in that balanced state you are so much less likely to overreact,” she said.
“When you are caught in a continuous fight or flight or freeze, your body is not designed for that on a long-term basis.
“I think a lot of parents are caught. ‘Are we doing the right thing? Are we parenting in the right way?’
“My message is about coming back to the most fundamental things that we all know, but sometimes we need reminding.
“Love and gratitude have the most powerful impact on your physiology and the physiology of the children around you.”
She recently co-authored Grounded: The off-road guide to parenting in an unstable world with Dr Michael Nagel.
“What Mike and I are talking about is how parents need to put their own oxygen mask on first before they help others,” she said.
“Take those two minutes.”
Shelley said to breathe in for five counts, then out for five, “Just focusing your attention on the area of the heart, then actively feeling gratitude or love or care for something or someone.”
“Bring that feeling of gratitude into your heart until you’re actively feeling it,” she said.
“You sustain that for at least two minutes.
“It changes your physiology.
“It actually can change your entire heart rhythm pattern.
“It changes the heart rate variability of the children who are close to you.
“It’s something I would do in the morning or in the grocery aisle when my 3-year-old is throwing a complete tantrum.
“The worst thing we can do is stoop to the level of the fray.
“Pick yourself up and move on.
“The best for them is if you’re calm.
“We get caught up trying to rationalise with irrational little beings.
“You can say, ‘I hear you, I love you, we’re not getting that right now’.”
She stressed that there is no quick fix when it comes to parenting.
“People can’t say, ‘When your child does this, do that’,” she said.
“In the end, it’s your steadiness that is going to help them be steady.”
But “expect things to go pear-shaped”.
“Life is like this wiggly, unpredictable road,” she said.
“We strive to be good humans but sometimes we all do shitty things.
“Forgive yourself, kiss yourself better.
“I have been grumpy and rough in my words with my kid and my classes and the next day I’ll go back and say, ‘Hey, yesterday I was so grumpy, I’m really sorry’.
“Expect everything to go pear-shaped a lot of the time, because when you’re parenting things are going to go wrong.”
Shelley encouraged parents to model the kind of fixing they wanted to see after things had gone pear-shaped.
“We find out what happened, who’s been hurt, how have they been hurt…” she said.
“How do we make this better? What needs to happen to make this better?
“I had a rule in my classroom and in my house that if something’s broken, we do everything we can to fix it.
“There’s no point playing the blame game. Everyone who’s part of the problem is part of the solution.”
Shelley’s child is now ‘grown’ so she has “only three jobs and a writing career”.
“I think I’m very energetic and inspired about different things,” she said when asked how she juggled it all.
“I do not sit around to relax and watch movies.
“I write a book instead.
“The things that relax me are considered work for other people.
“Relaxing is sitting with my laptop or with my journal and jotting down ideas.
“That entertains me.
“At some level it might be a survival instinct.
“I come from a long line of refugees and I grew up in a very tumultuous South Africa.
“Surviving is the first thing that you have to do.”
Shelley doesn’t sit down at a designated time and place to work on a project.
“I’m very opportunistic in terms of writing,” she said.
“I do it in the cracks between.
“Maybe I have ADD.
“There’s no such thing as sitting with writer’s block.
“I go from one thing to the next.”
Geelong mum’s fighting spirit
By Angie Hilton
I first heard about Shannon Bell through a friend who had gone to see her for a ‘soul reading’.
He couldn’t stop talking about how she had told him so many accurate things that no one else could have known.
Naturally, I was intrigued.
I’ve always been a bit of a skeptic when it comes to psychics, so I decided to book a session but went in with my guard up, expecting to meet someone who fit the stereotypical ‘spiritual person’ image I had in my mind.
What surprised me was how different Shannon was from that expectation.
Instead of crystals and incense, I met a polished, confident young Geelong mum with a sweet but fierce demeanor. She radiated warmth and authenticity.
It was only after our reading that I learned about Shannon’s heartbreaking story of loss - an experience that fueled her mission to help others reconnect with their own intuition.
Here’s a glimpse into our conversation.
Shannon, your journey into motherhood sounds deeply transformative. Before you became a mother, you had big dreams of becoming a brain surgeon or a chef. Can you share more about how your
early ambitions shaped your path, especially growing up without the support of your mother?
From a young age, I had this intense fascination with the brain and the medical field.
I remember being just 4 or 5 years old, studying brain photos in an encyclopedia, imagining myself as a brain surgeon one day.
I always knew I wanted to help others, and that passion led me to nursing.
But when my mother left when I was 6, life became very different.
I had to take on responsibilities early, and I didn’t have much support emotionally.
Losing my son Jude later in life helped me realise that my mother wasn’t able to provide what I needed.
Those early challenges, though, built my resilience and made me even more compassionate.
That resilience has certainly shaped your path as both a mother and a professional. How has becoming a mother, especially at such a young age, influenced your journey?
Becoming a mother at 19 was challenging, but it was also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.
I felt like I had to prove myself, especially being so young, but I always took pride in being a mum to Xavier.
We grew up together in many ways.
Now, with the wisdom I’ve gained, motherhood feels different.
I don’t feel the need to prove anything anymore - I can just enjoy the moments with my sons, knowing I’m doing my best for them.
What a beautiful evolution. You’ve shared that your journey into becoming a psychic medium was deeply tied to the experience of losing
your son, Jude. Can you tell us more about that connection?
Absolutely. I’ve always felt connected, even as a little girl, but life pulled me away from that.
When I had Jude during COVID, I felt this deep, telepathic bond with him from the moment he was born.
After his passing, that connection reopened in a profound way.
It became my way of healing, and now I use that connection to help others.
It’s about using my spiritual gifts to bring healing and clarity to those who need it.
Losing a child is unimaginable for many of us. How has that loss changed the way you approach parenting with your other children?
It’s made me trust my intuition more than ever.
With Jude, I knew something wasn’t right, and I had to fight to get medical help.
It was terrifying, but I trusted my gut, and that’s something I continue to do with my other children.
I believe parents are intuitively connected to their kids, and it’s important to listen to those feelings, even if others don’t understand them.
How can parents learn to trust and develop their own intuition, especially when it comes to raising their children?
Start by paying attention to the small nudges - those gut feelings you get when something doesn’t feel right, or when you ‘just know’ something without being able to explain why.
That’s your intuition speaking.
I like to think of intuition as a guide from our higher self, or even our ‘future self’, leading us toward our highest potential and what’s best for everyone involved.
Shannon Bell with Sonny. Pictures: Louisa Jones
It will never steer you wrong or make you feel fear.
Reconnecting with it is about building a relationship of trust in the wisdom that’s already within you.
The more you listen and act on those feelings, the stronger that connection becomes.
Trust in yourself and give it time to grow by nurturing your wellbeing with self care and self love and always remember to show yourself compassion for where you are in your journey. And for parents who want to nurture their children’s intuition, what would you recommend?
Children are naturally intuitive.
They may talk about dreams or imaginary friends, which I believe is part of their spiritual connection.
Rather than dismissing it, encourage them to explore what they feel and think. By supporting their intuition, they’ll grow up confident in trusting it.
Name: Shannon Bell (Shannon Patching on Instagram).
Age: 34.
Occupation: Holistic and spiritual mentor with a background in nursing.
Childrens names, ages and three words to describe them: Xavier, 15 - funny, kind, stubborn. Jude, 4 earth years, forever 6 months - wise, gentle, brave. Sonny, 2.5 - intelligent, curious, intuitive.
Quirky or annoying habit: I twirl my hair constantly, to the point that my arm aches, but I can’t stop, especially if I’m stressed or tired. Just like I did as a child. I’ve learned it’s a self-soothing thing to calm the nervous system.
For parents who feel disconnected from their intuition and want to reconnect, what advice would you give?
Start small. Just a few minutes of mindful breathing or a short walk in nature can make a big difference.
Self-care is crucial too. When you take time for yourself, you’re better able to show up for your kids.
It’s about finding those little moments to tune in and reconnect.
That’s such a comforting approach. Have you had any experiences where trusting your intuition as a parent made all the difference?
Definitely. With Jude, I knew something was wrong from the start, even when doctors told me otherwise.
I had to push and push until they found what was wrong, but I never stopped trusting my instincts.
That experience solidified my belief in the power of a parent’s intuition.
You know your child better than anyone.
Go-to karaoke song: Summer Rain was the last song I sang at karaoke but I do love old school rap, haha!
A movie you love: Bridesmaids. I have seen it so many times and I still laugh. An embarrassing moment: I actually can’t think of one - I’m sure there’s plenty!
Mantra: Everything you desire, you deserve.
A quote you love: I have so many! But I think it would be, “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
What superpower would you love to have and why? To give full health back to people. I don’t want anyone to ever
Many parents struggle with guilt when it comes to making time for self-care. How do you balance self-care with parenting?
It doesn’t have to be a big thing - just five minutes of quiet or a short walk can do wonders.
When you take care of yourself, you’re better able to care for your children.
Remember, your energy affects them, so looking after yourself is not selfish - it’s essential for being the best parent you can be.
You can find Shannon on Instagram @ yourwellbeingwarrior. suffer in their body.
Fast facts
BOOKS
Magical tools tame emotions
By Casey Neill
PROFESSIONAL and personal experiences guided a new toolkit helping kids identify and regulate emotions through play.
Elsternwick psychologist Sharon Kirschner and Surrey Hills occupational therapist Lucy Jones joined forces to create My Magical Belt.
“It’s aimed to make learning fun, and normalise emotions and the use of resources and tools to help us manage our world that we live in,” Lucy said.
“It’s something that can be used and embedded into routines and everyday life.
“Little humans don’t naturally know how to take breaks and have their outlet.
“As adults, we’ve learned to take a walk or grab a coffee.
“Throughout life, you’re going to need different outlets and this is a fun, playful way to start.”
They met through Sharon’s eldest child, who is neurodiverse.
“I watch Lucy do incredible work with my son, who has big emotions,” Sharon said.
“There are a lot of incredible books and a lot of incredible tools, but there wasn’t anything that combined them.
“Each book focuses on a particular technique to help them with their regulation.
“The books each come with their own physical tool.”
A bubble wand harnesses the power of deep breathing, and a squishy tool taps into deep pressure, like a stress ball for kids.
Kids roll a dice and mimic the movements of the animal pictured‘heavy work movement’ that compresses major joints, releasing chemicals that slow the body down.
As the glitter drifts through a sparkle disc, the child’s body mimics the falling, reducing the heart rate and helping them feel grounded.
“Within each book, we have parent and teacher pages as well,” Sharon said.
“It explains why we included each tool and how to implement it.
“The tools are applicable for them as well.
“The kids will say ‘Mum, do you want to use my magical belt?’ or ‘Why don’t you use your sparkle disc?’.
“It’s increasing their understanding of emotions not just for themselves.”
Lucy said: “How empowering as well, when a parent can be vulnerable and share ‘I’m learning all these new skills as well, can we do it together?’”
“My husband has the sparkle disc sitting on his desk for if any of his meetings get frustrating.”
The My Magical Belt concept came to life when Covid lockdowns were ending.
“We were really reflecting on the separation anxiety of kids going back to school,” Lucy said.
Plus the waiting lists for child therapists, which Sharon said rose to an all-time high.
“These books are not a replacement for proper professional intervention, but if you can’t get your child in to see someone for months, they can help assist your child’s emotional growth and well-being in the meantime,” she said.
The duo visits schools and kinders each week.
“We help educators see how connected kids can be to these concepts,” Lucy said.
Sharon said: “That’s been a highlight for both of us, the extension of workshops and readings in schools, seeing kids, teachers, and aids excited.”
“It’s about empowering kids.
“Their body might feel out of control, but they know they can use one of their tools.
“Normalising using these tools is a huge, huge part of what we’re doing.” Books and tools can be purchased together and separately. Visit www. mymagicalbelt.com.au for more information.
BOOKS
Breaking out of the box
By Casey Neill
THINKING outside the box helped Jess Horn share her message of selfacceptance with thousands of Victorian Preps.
Picture book Bernie Thinks in Boxes is about thinking differently and navigating change in a neurotypical world.
“I was about a year past having just started my picture book journey, learning about writing picture books and trying to get something published,” Jess said.
“The idea came to me when I was reflecting on how I think.
“My head loves to play with words so I was amused by the literal idea of thinking in boxes - sitting in a box to do your thinking.
“I want it to give kids permission to be themselves, even if it’s not what society tells them to be.
“I wanted to create a conversation around different ways of thinking.
“I’m hopeful that will lead kids to be more understanding and accommodating of their peers.
“There’s no harm in pointing out differences.”
Bernie Thinks in Boxes is one of five picture books included in Prep Bags that will be gifted to all Victorian school starters in 2025, to improve literacy and build a love of reading.
“That was an unexpected and wonderful piece of news,” Jess said.
“I got a phone call from the publisher the day after the release of Bernie.
“I had absolutely no idea they’d even entered the book. I didn’t know it was a thing.
“I didn’t have any expectation that my book might be included.”
She’s thrilled that there’ll be “65,000 little Bernies running around next year”.
“It’s such a good way of getting stories into homes that hopefully can add some value,” she said.
Jess has loved writing since she was a kid.
“I wrote poems and handed them to my teachers at school,” she said.
“I thought one day I’d write a novel, but I went to uni and studied something different.”
Jess has a degree in speech pathology and worked in the disability field while continuing to try her hand at writing that novel.
But reading picture books with her kids, now aged 9 and 6, inspired her to take a picture book writing course with the Australian Writers Centre.
“It gave me enough information to get going,” she said.
“My head is always full of books and book-related things.
“It’s been my main interest for years.
“I’ve got two other books in the works coming out with Hardie Grant with their Bright Light imprint, one next year and one the year after.”
Jess’s parenting journey has “been rocky”, she admitted with a laugh.
“My children are wonderful and I love them and it has been overall an amazing journey,” she said.
“Every parent knows it comes with challenges.
“I went into that journey nine years ago not knowing a lot of things about myself.
“Having that big shift in my life, it did pose some challenges.
“I’ve got kids with their own needs and it’s just a matter of trying to navigate everyone’s needs in the household.
“As someone who’s very black and white, I’ve struggled with the fact that there’s not a right answer, there’s not one right approach.
“I didn’t trust myself because I hadn’t done it before.
“I didn’t have the confidence.”
And there’s such a wealth of information at our fingertips.
“It complicates our lives, it gives us more to think about,” Jess said.
“You can’t do everything you see, you can’t apply every strategy that you see.
“You can’t be that picture-perfect family that’s presented on social media.
“I think I’ve stopped trying to apply other people’s strategies.
“I just try to do the best that I can do on the day.”
Embracing a brighter future
By Casey Neill
RUGBY league star Nicho Hynes has always known he is Aboriginal but not what that actually means.
So he’s sharing his journey to embrace culture and feel like he belonged in his Aboriginal identity in the new book Stand Proud.
“I hope that kids from all different backgrounds can feel seen by this story and know they are enough as they are,” he told Kids.
“When people can see themselves in someone else’s stories, they don’t feel so alone in their struggles or they realise for the first time there is a brighter future ahead.
“I think a young Nicho would’ve really appreciated a story like this.
“This story would’ve inspired me as a young fella and I hope that’s the kind of impact it has.”
Greg the Galah, Superstar!
Patrick Guest and Jonathan Bentley
Galahs love to boogie and act like a clown. They always pull faces or hang upside down.
As soon as they hatch and crawl from their egg, Galahs are hilarious...and then...there was Greg.
Everyone knows that galahs are hilarious. They’re silly, loud and love attention! But then there’s Greg...who’s nothing like the rest of the flock.
Scholastic
$19.99
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks halfback co-authored Stand Proud with friend Marlee Silva, and 2022 Archibald Prize willer Blak Douglas provided the illustrations.
Nicho hopes it helps readers from culturally diverse backgrounds feel like they can be proud of their identity no matter what others say or think.
“I hope it encourages them to express themselves and connect with their culture and community in whatever way they can - because their culture is beautiful and it makes them strong,” he said.
“For those other kids who might not relate to the cultural identity elements of this book, I hope it opens their minds to empathy for kids who are different to them.
“I hope it gets them interested in learning about their classmates or friends’ cultural backgrounds and educates them.”
He thinks parents will also benefit from reading Stand Proud to their children.
“I hope it excites them to help their child embrace their culture and navigate their identity and encourage parents to go away from the book with the intention of continuing to bring more culturally diverse stories and lessons into their homes,” he said.
“Each individual has a unique identity and tapestry of family background, history, and experience that makes them who they are.
“And that this unique combination is something that everyone should have space to grow into, explore and celebrate.
“I hope classrooms and homes alike can provide safe spaces for discussion and questions about identity and culture and ultimately young readers can come to find strength in their differences and pride in who they are.
“There’s no one way to be any particular identity or culture.
“There’s no one way to be Aboriginal or Japanese or Muslim or a boy or a girl, all the things that make us who we are, are specific to who we are and that’s OK.
“Don’t judge another person’s identity by your own stereotypes and expectations and let people be who they are freely and with joy.”
The
Kill Factor
Ben Oliver
In a world where social media is everything and followers equal money, Emerson is facing a prison sentence.
She’s offered a way out - a brand new gameshow for young felons that combines social media and reality TV.
The first prize? Freedom and a comfortable life for Emerson’s little brother. But if she loses? Incarceration for life.
The games kick off on a remote island with the prison at its heart.
Little do the viewers or contestants know the prison is empty, and the truth about why is even more brutal than the games themselves ...
The Chicken House
$19.99
The
Impatient Glacier
Shaun Micallef and Rebel
Challenger
A glacier up on a mountain grew tired of the same boring view.
He wanted excitement; he wanted some fun, he wanted to see something new.
From Shaun Micallef comes this warming new picture-book adventure about enjoying life’s moments...before they’re gone.
Scholastic $19.99
Goodnight, Joeys
Renee Treml
Whisper goodnight to the land, where joeys race on cool, soft sand.
All baby marsupials are known as joeys, yet they come in different shapes and sizes.
Join your little one as you whisper a goodnight wish to joeys across Australia in this quiet lullaby.
Puffin $14.99
My Big Fat Smelly Poo Diary
Jim Smith
From the bestselling creator of Barry Loser comes Jim Smith’s new full-colour graphic novel series for readers aged 7-plus. It’s packed full of friendship, fun and toilet jokes galore!
Join best friends Pedro, Olga and Ozzie - otherwise known as the Poopies - on a series of fun adventure stories, and help them solve mysteries of the most unexpected kind.
Scholastic $16.99
is Geelong and the Sufcoasts only specialist tennis and squash retailer.
Located at the iconic Geelong Lawn Tennis Club in Belmont, we are a full service tennis and squash shop ranging the best brands at the best prices. Our racquet range includes Yonex, Wilson, Head and Babolat whilst our tennis shoe range includes ASICS, Wilson, KSwiss and Head. We also offer a professional restringing service with experience stringing at the Australian Open and other major tennis and squash tournaments.
Surfcoast Racquets also offers a free racquet demonstration service to allow
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