Kids Voice November 2013

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Can you believe that this is our twelfth edition, which means Kids’ Voice has been providing parenting articles to the Geelong region for a year? How exciting to be starting year two with a fresh approach, revamped ideas and slight tweaks to our layout. Watch out for the December edition!

This past month has been filled with freak weather and forces of nature overpowering parts of our beautiful country. All the more reason to be holding our children tighter and not letting them go. This is not always a positive thing, as we can be too over-protective of our children at times. My daughter recently went on a three day camp in the great outdoors where they learnt to build their own shelters, cook their own food and remain outdoors for activities and team-building exercises. The morning she left we had wild rain and wind and all I wanted to do was

drive her straight back home.

However, this was a fantastic opportunity for learning about the great outdoors, having no contact with any technology or electricity whatsoever – not even a light switch, and building ones strength in both character and mindset. She came back grubby with bright red cheeks from the wind and campfire, yet full of stories and adventures. Yes she was cold and wet, however this paled into insignificance compared to the spark in her eye.

Perhaps we all need to be out of our comfort zones at times. Taking a brisk walk down to the beach on a windy day, letting our children play in the rain, putting down that mobile phone for more than five minutes. . ..

Have a great November and keep us posted on what you’ve been up to.

- KV

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Kids’ Voic e Team Katie Fiorillo Photography

d... l r o w e h to t Welcome

Kids’ Voice is a monthly publication for parents with children

of all ages. Each month the magazine will be jam-packed with news, views, reader stories, feature articles, advice columns as well as product, book and website reviews.

There will be something for everyone.

Experts have joined our team and will provide regular columns to ensure you’re in the know about all sorts of issues in the areas of health, education and alternative therapies.

Emmerson Reiter and Bayley Reiter born 19/9/13.

Twins for Belinda and Harry

Elisha Lindsay Photography

BUSINESS MANAGER Michele Mitten

Henry Eaton born 13/9/13. First son for Daniella and Michael

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Alan Barber GRAPHICS & LAYOUT ARTIST Elise Blach COVER MODEL Maddie O’Malley

PO Box 54, Ocean Grove Victoria, 3226

Phone: 03 5255 3233 Fax: 03 5255 3255

FIND US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/Kids Voice Geelong www.kidsvoice.com.au No part of this magazine, including the advertisements, may be reproduced without permission of the editor.

The opinions expressed within Kids’ Voice magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher, but those of individual writers.

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C o n t e nts

SCHOOLS 8 College students strike gold 19 Coffees for a cause

S C H O O L S I N FO CU S 11 Kardinia Supported Playgroup 12 Highton Primary School 13 North Geelong Secondary College

E A C H M O N TH 14 Kids’ corner photos 15 Vox Pop - St Ignatius College 28 Reviews

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HEALTH 18 Taking steps to look after little feet

EVEN TS 25 Families have a blast at dance party

READ ER STORIES 7 City frogs jump in to help youths 9 Foster son joins family’s adventures 10 Physical exercise helping mental health 21 Baby carriers

TEC HN OLOGY 23 Shopping for Christmas

BIRTH STORY 17 Snow baby

COOK I N G A N D CRA F T 30 Cheese snails and rock art

W HA T’S ON 31 What’s happening this month in your area

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R e ad e r S t o ry

City frogs jump in to help youths A team of volunteers is offering support for up to 100 young people each week as they converge in Little Malop Street, aka the mall. Geelong City Frogs team leader, Steve Wright, shares the happenings of a typical Friday afternoon Little Malop Street, in the heart of the city is a bustling place.

Hundreds of commuters wait daily at the nearby terminals to catch buses.

It is a popular meeting place for a large number of youth in our city and has often attracted anti-social behaviour with the reputation linked to this area, sadly negative.

It is Friday afternoon and the Geelong City Frogs team have set up their marquee, are cooking pancakes and the urn is boiling in preparation for hot Milo.

Groups of young people are gathering around and conversations have started to fire up.

A couple of volunteers walk into Banjo’s bakery and café and return to the marquee soon after laden with platters of donated pies, sausage rolls and muffins.

The sight and smell of these baked goods alerts the senses of another 20 or so young people and there is now a large group gathering around the marquee.

Over the next hour we see young people in small groups asking for something to eat or drink and there is an appreciation evident as polite manners are displayed.

Conversation is taking place and there is a sense of community as our volunteers engage with young people and people of all ages and walks of life.

It is in this atmosphere that our volunteers offer help and support and on many occasions have meaningful encounters where they are able to refer people for help or offer advice or encouragement when it was really needed.

Some people stay for an extended period of time, others stop by briefly and continue on their way.

There are many familiar faces and many people with whom a genuine relationship has been established.

It is in this setting that we have often been at the right place at the right time to offer support or direct someone for much-needed help to some of the services available in Geelong.

In an hour or so the numbers dwindle, people disperse to the various buses and our volunteers sweep the area, collecting any rubbish on the street.

On a busy day the team may encounter 100 or more people, but each week offers a different opportunity to meet people where they are at.

The values of loving and serving others are an integral foundation for this program.

Geelong City Frogs started in early 2012 and is based on a model used by the Red Frogs Chaplaincy Support Network. Red Frogs offers a wide range of support to school and university students and in particular having teams of volunteers offering crucial help and support at the popular ‘Schoolie’ destinations.

Although Geelong City Frogs shares some of the key principles used by Red Frogs, Geelong City Frogs is uniquely shaped for Geelong to meet the specific needs of our city.

There are many hurting and lonely people in our city and hopefully for one person an encounter with a Geelong City Frogs volunteer will make all the difference Geelong City Frogs is supported by a local Church, Barrabool Hills Baptist Church who have been significant in seeing this program established.

The City of Greater Geelong have also been a great support, particularly with the practical aspects.

Also, without the wonderful generosity of Banjo’s bakery and café, we would not be able to do what we do each week.

Each week offers different opportunities for our team to engage with the local community and the atmosphere is always positive and lively.

There are many hurting and lonely people in our city and hopefully for one person an encounter with a Geelong City Frogs volunteer will make all the difference.

STEVE WRIGHT

Geelong City Frogs team leaders Steve and Kelley Wright (above).

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S ch o o l s

College students strike gold Year 10 students visit Queensland and walk away with awards

Christian College Geelong is proud to recognise two of its students who won the Senior Robot Dance Title at the Junior RoboCup National Finals in Brisbane during the October school holidays.

Sophie Collier and Renee de Vlugt of Year 10 surprised even themselves when they were awarded the Senior Robot Dance Title.

In this league, robots are required to dance to the a beat of music for a set amount of time and are judged on performance, timing and during an interview.

Renee and Sophie decided to build the dancing robots as part of their Systems Engineering class at Christian College.

The robots performed in perfect timing to the music for each of their three scored performances.

It was exciting when the girls were named as finalists, but even more so when they were proclaimed National Champions.

Seven students from Christian College competed at the RoboCup Junior National finals with the event attracting 160 teams from around Australia as well as teams from Korea, Taiwan and China.

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R e ad e r S t o ry

Foster son joins family’s adventures A Geelong family who welcomed a foster son into their lives have experienced many ups and downs during their journey, but wouldn’t change it for the world. They share their story

FOSTER Care first came to our interest about 20 years ago when, after a couple of miscarriages, it was thought that my husband and I, who had been married almost two years may not be able to have children.

We started our initial interview and information evening in Melbourne as that is where we were living.

Not long after our interest/enquiry I had then become pregnant and was quite unwell during my pregnancy and it was decided that we would pursue Foster Care at a later date.

After many years and two children later we again enquired with Glastonbury as we were now living in the Torquay/Geelong region.

My husband, who was working full time, and I, who had just lost my job, felt we were in a position to provide some care to a child in need, even as a respite carer.

We are an active family with many activities on weekends and we thought to be able to share in our adventures with another child not so fortunate would also be beneficial to our children as well as any children that came into our care.

Although we didn’t own our own home, we were renting a largish four-bedroom home.

We had a guest room that we could provide a bed to a child in need.

We had consulted with our two teenage boys, who by now were 12 and 15 years old, as to our plan and how they felt about becoming a foster family.

It was agreed we could provide respite care perhaps once or twice a month. The boys also helped to decide the sex and ages we may have been prepared to take, keeping in mind as to not take away our own children’s role/position within the household.

We also discussed our plans with our parents and other family members and friends.

We had some mixed reactions as to why we would take on “other people’s problems” but most were supportive.

My husband and I then pursued our interest and went on to attend informative classes/ training over an eight-week period.

Some 20 years prior, training was not provided and it was a matter of a couple of interviews and character references.

The training that Glastonbury provided was invaluable and I believe a necessity.

The training involved real case scenarios, hypotheticals, role playing and some guest speakers within the industry.

A lot of the information was definitely shocking and certainly eye opening.

You hear of ‘stories’ but that’s all they appear to be, to be hit with the cold harsh reality was quite confronting.

Upon completion of our training I had received the call that I knew would one day come, but when it actually happened I was a little apprehensive...”Were we ready”? “Had we been provided with the necessary tools to make this work”? “Was someone actually going to hand somebody’s child over to us to care for”?

It was a little boy who was five years old that needed emergency housing as his last placement had broken down.

Yes, now or never we accepted the challenge.

Although we had only ever spoken about respite, this was to be a ‘short term’ placement for two weeks until another full-time

Our two son’s relationship with our foster child seems like any normal sibling rivalry at times and it’s hard to differentiate foster brothers from biological carer was found.

I remember the very first day we were introduced.

We were far more nervous than he was, we were concerned about the way we looked, I think I had changed my outfit a couple of times, I needn’t have bothered, he didn’t appear to care.

His previous carers had dropped him at our home and within a matter of minutes were gone.

I felt relieved that the transition went so smoothly, but sad at the same time that this five-year-old boy had just spent the past six months with this couple and there was such a ‘disconnection’.

I discussed this with my husband and had said that perhaps we were not cut out for this as my emotions were certainly going to be a part of this journey and I was concerned that to be a real ‘Foster Parent’ you had to ‘disconnect’.

I have since found out that this is not the case and that this little boy and many others need my emotion, my nurturing, my natural ability to care, and the ability to ‘disconnect’ is not part of the criteria.

Of course it was difficult at times to try to understand certain behaviours,and things like his hatred of police.

We could only try to comprehend what he had been through in his short life so far.

Two years later after many trials and tribulations he is flourishing, doing incredibly well at school, is a fantastic speller, and enjoys all

types of sports, and has decided he wants to be a policeman when he grows up.

He has mastered wakeboarding, and cannot wait to start next term with his new basketball team.

He is very excited as we are planning his eighth birthday in Queensland as this is something he has wanted to do since who knows when, as that is all he has talked about since we met.

Things have not been easy at times, especially with our other children and we do have respite on a regular basis to regain some balance and much needed attention back on our original family unit.

Our two son’s relationship with our foster child seems like any normal sibling rivalry at times and it’s hard to differentiate foster brothers from biological.

The support we are offered from Glastonbury has been fantastic even if only to vent, as I sometimes do.

Although we have had our ups and downs, having met this little boy, we wouldn’t change it for the world.

He is a very special part of our family, and our family treat him as one of their own.

He decided on his own accord to call our parents nan and pop, as it just appeared to come naturally to him.

We are not 100 per cent certain as to our plans for the future with our foster child or what the future holds for him, but we will always play a supportive role in his life, whether it be on a part-time or full-time basis.

We will forever endeavour to be there for him for the rest of his life.

Want more information?

Glastonbury Community Services, one of Geelong’s most highly regarded community service organisations, has launched a Foster Carer Recruitment Campaign to run across the next 12 months to help address a critical shortage of foster carers in the local region.

Glastonbury’s foster carer recruitment campaign is being launched because of three key factors: • a growing numbers of children

requiring foster care in the region, • an increased number of children remaining in foster care for longer periods • a shortage of foster carers.

For anyone who would like further information about what’s involved in becoming a foster carer, please visit www.glastonbury.org.au, send an email to fostercare@ glastonbury.org,au or telephone Foster Carer Recruitment Team on 5222 6911.

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R e a de r S t o ry

Physical exercise helping mental health Physical Exercise is a Mental Health Intervention We tend to think of physical activity as mainly affecting our physical as opposed to our mental health.

However, the more we understand the close connection of mind and body, and the more research done exploring the relationship between mind and body, the more the topic of physical exercise comes to the fore.

One of the increasingly highlighted themes in the mental health field is the importance of physical exercise, not just for overall wellbeing, but as a mental health intervention in its own right.

This is partly because of the increasing interest in neurogenesis, or the capacity to form new brain cells throughout the entire life span.

Physical exercise is a key means of increasing the production of new brain cells in the hippocampus, a structure in the brain that helps consolidate new learning and memory.

Other things that assist neurogenesis include novel experiences and states of heightened and focussed attention.

As described at a recent World Congress on Positive Psychology in Los Angeles, exercising helps us to form new neurons, but approximately 50 per cent of these new neurons will be lost if they are not consolidated by new learning.

Therefore, a combination of physical exercise and new learning, or exercising combined with spending time in stimulating and engaging environments, can enhance neurogenesis.

The neurogenesis effect in itself provides one reason why exercise may help with depression.

Some people speculate that depression is partly caused by a relative “shutting down” or limiting of neurogenesis.

But apart from this, there is considerable evidence that physical exercise of approximately three hours per week can alleviate depression as effectively as many conventional therapies.

This includes both aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging or cycling which involves lower intensity exercise over longer periods of time, or anaerobic exercise which involves brief periods of intense physical effort.

There is some evidence of a dose-response relationship whereby more vigorous physical activity leads to greater benefit for depression than moderate physical activity.

Those who engage in regular physical exercise are less likely to experience anxiety and depression in the first place.

This is true for people of all ages. For example, children aged eight to 12 years, who are relatively inactive are approxi-

mately three times more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms.

The importance of considering exercise as a component of routine health interventions has been highlighted in recent recommendations by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom.

They recommend the following: • Be active daily • Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week • Alternatively, engage in 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week • Engage in muscle strengthening activity on at least two days per week • Minimise sedentary activity • for older adults at risk of falls, engage in activity on at least two days per week which promotes balance or co-ordination.

These guidelines are recommended for all health professionals to promote to clients for a wide range of health-related issues.

Such guidelines are all the more important given that improving fitness can significantly reduce the risk of illness and mortality from a range of causes including cardiovascular disease.

Our mental health is strongly influenced by our perception of our physical health.

The latter is improved by the physical health benefits of exercise.

Exercise also directly improves mental health by improving mood, alleviating stress reactions, bolstering feelings of competence and achievement and enhancing memory and speed of processing information.

It also has positive effects on our brain chemistry by bolstering endorphins, serotonin and cerebral blood flow.

Research suggests that at least two thirds of us could benefit from increasing our exercise levels.

In order to do so and to maintain increased levels of exercise, it would likely help to choose activities which are more readily accessible to us, which we are likely to enjoy. It sometimes helps to find an exercise buddy or choose activities which involve the company of others.

By being aware of the significant physical and mental health benefits which result, as well as by mindfully paying attention to benefits we notice at the time such as enjoyment from the activity itself, we are more likely to continue the activity as a satisfying part of our everyday life.

CHRIS MACKEY AND ASSOCIATES

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KARDINIA SUPPORTED PLAYGROUP FULL OF FUN

The Kardinia Supported Playgroup is a fortnightly playgroup and parent support group for families of children with extra needs which is located in Grovedale in the playgroup room at the South Campus of Kardinia Church.

The Kardinia Supported Playgroup is an ideal place for children to learn good social skills and begin to learn appropriate group behaviour in an appropriate and fun setting.

They also provide the opportunity for caregivers to grow in their relationship with the children in their care.

Kardinia Supported Playgroup has two different types of sessions, which alternate fortnightly, which are a playgroup and and a guest speaker session who comes and shares useful information with our families.

Our next guest speaker on November 19 will be Jodi Gall - Art Therapist.

During the guest speaker sessions we have trained staff who supervise the children so the parents can go and participate in the support group and guest speaker portion of the day.

In term 4 we are looking forward to a busy program which includes such fun activities as attending a free childrens week concert, participating in and experiencing being a part of our end of year Kardinia Playgroup concert and the big finale for 2013 is the Kardinia Playgroup end of year breakup party.

Kardinia Playgroups have five different types of playgroups – Pre Kinder, Tinies, Music, Book Club and the Kardinia Supported Playgroup for children with extra needs.

Kardinia playgroups are run by trained leaders from Kardinia Church and are open to any caregiver of infants, toddler or pre-school aged children.

Bible themes, like Christmas or Easter

will be featured each term.

Our families come from all over the Geelong region and all have a family member who has a special need.

We are always welcoming to any new families who would like to come and experience a warm and welcoming playgroup and parent support group.

As a mother of two children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, I understand the importance of supporting the families as we move through the parenting journey together.

For information on session times and enrolments contact the Kardinia Church office on 5272 2003.

The Kardinia Supported Playgroup is located at: South Campus, 9/147 Marshalltown Road, Grovedale.

CLARE BUNTING

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR KINDER TO APPEAR IN OUR ‘SCHOOLS IN FOCUS’ SECTION, SEND AN ARTICLE AND PHOTOS TO

EDITOR@K IDS VOICE.COM.AU

waurn ponds shopping ctr

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HIGHTON PRIMARY SCHOOL LEADING THE WAY At Highton Primary School we teach the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate.

with just a small number of students from a waiting list from outside our area.

We are the only government school teaching this program in Geelong and it is fantastic to be part of a global education system.

There is a bit of a misconception that the Primary Years Program is no different to what is happening in other local schools, however the emphasis on attitudes and values is an integral part of our school and the empathy, generous behaviour and collaboration between our students is a very strong feature of our school.

Every four years we are visited by overseas evaluators to make sure our curriculum is both rigorous and inquiry based, meeting international standards.

Our teachers are involved in professional learning through a commitment to international standards and our teachers are invited to present at international conferences on the importance of inclusion for all students and on linking the Australian curriculum with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program.

As a State school we are enormously proud of the work our students do and the level at which they enter and present in their learning at the local secondary schools.

Unfortunately, due to high demand we can only take local students and siblings

We are a relatively small school with no intention of growing larger.

We encourage students of all abilities to enroll in our school as we personalise learning to meet the needs of all students both gifted and in need of extra support.

We have amazing community support, with a strong environment group, a vibrant parent group and an amazing turnout for all school events.

If you live in the area and have a student due to start school in 2015 we strongly encourage you to book in a tour of the school in term one next year.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR PRIMARY SCHOOL TO APPEAR IN OUR ‘SCHOOLS IN FOCUS’ SECTION, SEND AN ARTICLE AND PHOTOS TO

EDITOR@KIDSVOICE.COM.AU

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NORTH GEELONG SECONDARY COLLEGE COMMITTED

North Geelong Secondary College is committed to providing the best educational, cutting edge programs to the wider community.

The school is also committed to providing the best possible transition program from primary to secondary school.

The new Scholarship Program, beginning in 2014, is a program to promote outstanding commitment of primary school students who have displayed a strong involvement in their College community.

The College looks for outstanding young people who are exceptional in different areas and possess personal qualities and values that will contribute to the life of North Geelong Secondary College.

North Geelong Secondary College Scholarship Program recognises the considerable achievements of children in our wider community and provides them with the opportunity to experience exciting curriculum opportunities through a broad range of engaging cutting edge programs delivered by our dedicated teachers.

Our Year Seven scholarships for 2014 are to the value of $2000.

The scholarship runs over a twoyear period in which time covering the following items: • All school fees for Year 7 and 8 • iPad • School Blazer

• Year 7 Camp

• All books for Years 7 and 8 •All excursions for Years 7 and 8 Scholarships are available in the following areas: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE The Academic Excellence Scholarship is available to students with an exemplary academic record who have demonstrated outstanding application and achievement in one or more of English, Mathematics or Science, together with a strong performance in general studies.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP The Student Leadership Scholarship is available to students who have demonstrated leadership skills.

The successful applicant(s) will have excellent communication skills, display initiative, and have a passion to motivate, delegate, guide and direct fellow students.

COMMUNITY ( G O O D CI T I ZE N SH I P ) The Community (Good Citizenship) Scholarship is available to students who have made a significant demonstrable contribution to their community.

The successful applicant(s) will display a strong social conscience as well as an outstanding work ethic and behaviour.

SPORTING EXCELL ENCE The Sporting Excellence Scholarship is available to keen sportspersons who have shown outstanding aptitude and personal achievement in one or many sporting field(s).

Scholarships are awarded for two years in Years 7 and 8, 9 and 10 and 11 and 12.

The first scholarship recipients are 2013 Grade 6 students who will be attending North Geelong SC in Year 7 in 2014.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SECONDARY SCHOOL TO APPEAR IN OUR ‘SCHOOLS IN FOCUS’ SECTION, SEND AN ARTICLE AND PHOTOS TO

EDITOR@KIDSVOICE.COM.AU

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Carly Flakemore, Geelong

SHORT STORY COM PETITION Wombat’s Wish proudly presents “Letting Go” a short story writing competition for primary and secondary school students Word Limit: 750 maximum Topic: this competition encourages young people to express their personal experience with grief, and celebrate the life of someone or something special

e

RYDER TAYLOR,

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4 ALSO WITH ZALI

THE BURMESE CAT from Lara

GRIFFIN DODDS, 12 WITH ZALI THE BURMESE CAT from Lara

Entries close: November 12, 2013 Prizes for first and second places in both primary and secondary categories Please submit entries to: Wombat’s Wish Writing Competition, PO BOX 2045, GEELONG, 3220 Or email to jill@wombatswish.org.au Winners will be announced on November 26. Please check our website for further details - www.wombatswish.org.au

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VO X P O P WE ASKED SAINT IGNATIUS COLLEGE STUDENTS IF THEY COULD MEET ANYONE IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE?

OLIVIA D’ADDAZIO - If I could meet

HARRY BENSON - Julian Assange. I

COOPER SEIFFERT - Mark Zucker-

CALLUM MCWATERS - Barrack

STEPHANIE GOLIGHTLY - Lleyton

EMMA FABRIS - Ariana Grande as

KERRY KINGSBURY - If I could meet

SHAE CHARMAN - I would like to

one person in the world it would be Stephanie Rice because I love swimming and she inspires me to be an Olympic swimmer just like her.

Hewitt because he is a inspiration for me as I am hoping to embark on a tennis career.

would like to know what drives him to do what he does even though he is in international exile.

she is my favourite singer, sings in my favourite style and I think she is generous and donates to charity.

T ra de Business Oportunities

Health

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berg, creator of Facebook, as I would like to ask him how he developed his idea for Facebook and how he develops new ideas.

anyone in the world I would like to meet Michael Morpurgo, as he has an amazing writing sense and is a great inspiration and even before I started school I knew I wanted to become a novelist too.

D i re ct o ry

List your business in the Kids’ Voice trade directory.

Obama because of the effective way he deals with all his country’s problems and how he wants peaceful solutions to world problems such as Syria.

meet Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione in Harry Potter. I would like to meet her because she began with no training as an actor and she combines her career with going to University.

Parties

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Email: ads@kidsvoice.com au

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B i r t h S t o ry

Snow Baby Fiona (a pseudonym) is a General Practitioner, who has her own practice in Geelong.

She has been married to Shane for 28 years, and they have two sons, Simon (aged 22) and Bryce (aged 12).

Simon was born around midday the next day. He weighed about 2kgs. The delivery was by forceps, and Fiona had an epidural block for pain relief.

Shane hid behind a newspaper as he didn’t want a repeat fainting performance.

Shane works in a business that freights liquids around the world, such as Bourbon, Whisky, Wine, Milk and Toxic Chemicals.

Fiona also has a diploma in Obstetrics.

Fiona was very determined to name her newborn son before they left the delivery room, as she was so worried about stories of hospitals mixing babies up!

Fiona was in her late 20’s when she experienced her first pregnancy.

Shane was reading the sports pages of the newspaper and there was an article about Simon O’Donnell the cricketer, so they decided to call their baby Simon!

She suffered from terrible nausea for the first 15 weeks.

She was able to keep working in General Practice because she would have a nap every day on the examination table in her office between midday and 2pm, in between the morning and afternoon patient sessions.

The nausea eased 15 weeks into the pregnancy, thank goodness.

When Fiona was around 33 weeks pregnant she felt extremely tired and was relieved that she only had a week to go before finishing work to have six weeks off before her due date- lots of long lunches with friends and fimo jewellery making at home were what she had planned for those six weeks!

The obstetrician took some blood tests as the baby was small, and there were decreased amounts of liquid around the baby.

The blood test revealed that the placenta was not working as well as it could be (in medical terms this is called placental insufficiency).

Fiona and Shane, unaware at this stage of the blood test result, decided to go to Marysville for a few days enjoying the snow, the day after she finished work.

She was knee deep in the snow when she started to experience severe back pain.

That evening they were playing billiards in the hotel when the back pain commenced again.

Fiona thought that she had hurt her back walking through the snow, so tried to ‘soldier on’.

When the pain continued, Shane suggested to Fiona that she may be experiencing labour pains, but Fiona thought she had either hurt her back or had a severe gastroenteritis.

However Fiona’s waters broke and it became obvious that she was experiencing labour.

Shane is not very medically orientated and he fainted and hit his head when he went to ring for an ambulance, so Fiona had to patch him up and then they rang an ambulance.

The Marysville Ambulance Officer who was on call, had gone home from work and forgotten his pager, so someone had to go to his house to wake him up to collect Fiona.

She was taken to a hospital in Marysville, but it was not geared to cope with the delivery of a premature baby, so a nurse escort was organised and Fiona was taken, through the snow, in an ambulance all the way to the Mercy Maternity Hospital, which was in those days located in East Melbourne.

Shane had to pack up the hotel room and followed in his own car once he had recovered from his fainting episode.

They arrived at the hospital around 12 midnight.

Fiona remembers that the contractions were regular but not co-ordinated, which inevitably leads to a long labour.

Simon was healthy considering that he was born six weeks early.

He was transferred to the Special Care Nursery for ongoing care.

Fiona learned from this experience that it’s important to ‘go with the flow’ when in labour, and not to worry about what might go wrong.

For instance she was worried Simon might experience breathing problems from being premature.

She thinks that you don’t actually know what is going to happen, so you are just best to trust that for every problem there is an obstetric solution, and for every problem there are health professionals trained to deal with the situation. So she advises to trust the process and have faith in the people who are helping you.

Fiona found the Special Care Nursery experience to be a very positive one, and she loved the security and the community ‘feel’ of the Special Care Nursery.

She was very nervous when the paediatrician told her that it was time to take Simon home after a three week stay in the SCN. Once she went home she loved every second of motherhood.

Breast feeding was the biggest issue post delivery as Simon did not feed very well at the breast and Fiona’s milk supply was low.

Fiona felt like she was feeding a breast pump machine and not a baby and felt like a ‘cow that had no milk’.

With the help of a Lactation Consultant Fiona ended up breast feeding for four months, until her milk supply totally dried up.

Fiona and Shane tried for many years to have a second baby, including trying IVF. In the end Fiona gave up all hope and she started her own one woman General Practice in Geelong.

Fiona and Shane planned a holiday to America to take Simon to Disneyland around his 10th birthday.

Before they went on their holiday Fiona felt very nauseated, and she couldn’t face a feed of salmon on New Year’s Eve. Shane said to Fiona maybe she was pregnant because she couldn’t face eating fish when she was pregnant with Simon.

Shane insisted that Fiona have a pregnancy blood test before going to the USA, and to Fiona’s shock it was positive.

Fiona took the phone call to find that she was pregnant at her surgery, and when the result was positive she buckled at the knees and went very pale.

Her next patient was very worried that she looked unwell and asked her if she was feeling OK, and Fiona told him that she was pregnant, so her patient was the first to know!

The flight to LA was interesting as Fiona had to attend to a man with severe gastro-

A YOUNGER SIMON AND BRYCE enteritis who couldn’t get off the toilet floor due to weakness from dehydration.

She was carrying two different nausea remedies in readiness for a holiday with morning sickness.

She advised him that he could choose which remedy he would like and she would have the other one!

The airline did not have any plastic gloves to give her when she rehydrated him with a bag of fluid, so she was relieved when the patient’s boyfriend said to her, don’t worry, we have both just had blood tests and we are both clear.

She did, however, wash her hands well to ensure she didn’t catch his gastro bug while in the nauseating first trimester of pregnancy!

Once again she felt terribly nauseated for the first 15 weeks.

There wasn’t much fresh food to eat in America so that didn’t help her to feel better.

After 15 weeks the nausea improved but then Fiona found out that she had Gestational Diabetes, which was a shock as there is no history of diabetes in her family.

Fiona managed the diabetes by avoiding foods with flour and sugar in them, and she was able to check her blood sugar levels each day to ensure that they remained stable.

She made sure that she had protein snacks every two to three hours, that reduced the hunger for carbohydrates and maintained stable blood sugar levels.

Fiona planned an Elective LUSCS because of the previous obstructed labour and difficult forceps delivery.

Fiona’s mum was her support person, and Shane and Simon went to Time Zone in Malop St to await news of the birth.

The Elective LUSCS was not the pleasant experience that Fiona had hoped for as the effect of the epidural wore off before the operation was complete and Fiona could feel severe burning pain during the procedure.

Her mum talked her through the pain and helped her to cope. When Shane and Simon came into recovery to meet the new baby boy they both felt faint and had to be assisted by the nurses in recovery!

Simon was very happy to have a baby

brother. They called the baby Bryce after a customer that had come into Shane’s work the previous day.

Fiona’s mum lived with the family for a few weeks before Bryce was born to help out, but when Bryce came home from hospital she packed her bags and went home. Fiona says it felt like watching Mary Poppins leave!

Once again the breast feeding did not go very well, and the milk supply was low and the nipples were sore.

Fiona breast fed Bryce until she went back to work after two months. Fiona couldn’t take too much time out from her General Practice so she employed a nanny to look after Bryce and went back to work for five hours a day, four days a week.

Fiona was happy to leave Bryce with the nanny who she describes as a ‘beautiful, loving soul’ who she knew would care for him like he was her own child.

Simon loved having a baby brother and Fiona found it beautiful watching Simon feed Bryce a bottle.

There has always been a lovely bond between the two brothers despite the ten year age gap.

Fiona was nervous about having a baby when she was aged in her late 30’s, but Bryce has brought the family so much ‘pure joy’ that she is so happy that she was gifted a second child.

When Fiona reflects on the births of her two sons, she can see how different it is to be on the ‘other side’ of the medical profession, rather than being in control and diagnosing and logically treating another person.

She doubted she was in labour when she was at the snow, where as if she had been the person helping the woman in labour she would have known what was happening instantly.

Looking back Fiona thinks she was in denial about being in labour, having to deal with the shock and emotion of the unexpected premature labour and she wasn’t able to process things logically as she normally would.

Cheers and thanks to Fiona, Shane, Simon and Bryce for their birthing story.

AS TOLD TO JENNIFER CARR

Page 18

Health

Taking steps to look after little feet

Children are born with 22 bones in each of their feet and by the time a child reaches eight years of age, that will increase to 26.

• Laces, straps or equivalent to prevent excessive movement of the foot when walking.

The first few years are crucial to healthy foot development, as the bones in your child’s feet develop over time from soft, flexible cartilage to hardened bone.

WHEN SHOULD I CONSULT MY LOCAL PODIATRIST?

Parental concern should never be discounted.

Developing feet are particularly vulnerable to injury if they’re not cared for properly.

As parents, you pay the most attention to your child, so if you are worried you should see your doctor or podiatrist .

TAKING CARE OF MY CHILD’S FEET

Some common issues that Podiatrists attend to:

Taking steps to looking after children’s feet will help to prevent foot issues in later life.

• Awkwardly shaped toes or feet • Ingrown toenails

Ensure that socks, onesies, soft booties and bedclothes allow for plenty of room so that the feet may move around freely.

• Limping either on one leg or two.

• The child complains of pain while walking

Use your eyes to check your child’s feet at least a couple times a day.

• Severe in-toeing or out-toeing • Flat feet beyond the age of 6 years of age

This will help you to identify problems, such as scratches, blisters or any bruises.

Don’t allow any white nail to hang over the end of the toe and ensure toenails are cut straight across and not down the side to prevent them from becoming ingrown.

Make sure to clean and wash your child’s feet and dry them well between the toes.

When your child starts walking they should be bare foot as much as possible.

The longer your child walks without the use of shoes, the more it will allow their feet to develop naturally and this will help the foot develop balance, coordination and posture.

At nappy changes you are also encouraged to tickle your baby’s feet and legs to encourage her to flex and stretch her foot muscles.

WEARING SHOES

A child learning to walk receives important sensory information from the soles of their feet.

Your toddler doesn’t need shoes until they have been walking for a couple of months, and then only to protect their feet from sharp objects.

Have your child’s shoes professionally fitted, which should include measuring each foot for length and width.

Children’s feet grow very quickly and their shoe size may need updating accordingly.

Shoes/socks that are too small will impede

your child’s walking and potentially cause problems.

• Unusual change in the way your child walks • If your child has not begun walking by 2 years of age.

SUGGESTIONS FOR SHOES

Shoes for your child should ideally have features including: • Firm, comfortable fit both lengthways and widthways • Rounded toe • A finger width of room from the end of the shoe to the longest toe • Firm flat sole, should only bend at the toe region • Firm heel support to make sure child’s heel movement is controlled

The Bellarine Community Health, Child Health and Development team comprises a number of allied health professionals, and caters for children aged 0-12 years.

Services are free to children listed as dependents on a health care or pension card.

For appointments and enquiries phone 5258 0812.

Page 19

S ch o o l s

Two thousand and thirteen has seen the ‘Geelong Schools United’ (G.S.U) Committee come together for its second year.

As a strong and varied group of sevenschools (Sacred Heart College, St Joseph’s College, Clonard College, Geelong College, Bellarine Secondary College, Western Heights College and Matthew Flinders Girls School), we brainstormed again to uncover other underlying issues Geelong was dealing with and establish a way to improve on them from a youth standpoint.

Our concept was to take action in the ever present issue in society of homelessness in Geelong from a new, less explored angle.

Over the past six months, as a group of senior leaders from eight schools around the Geelong region we have worked meticulously to uncover the underlying issues Geelong is dealing with and establish a way to improve on them from a youth standpoint.

Around Europe a phenomenon has grown out of cafes and their patrons.

Frequent visitors of these cafes will visit to order their coffee or meal, but on top of this, they will ‘suspend’ other items, paying for them, but not receiving the product, rather having it logged for someone else to enjoy that may not otherwise be in a position to afford it.

It is a simple yet successful ‘pay it forward’ initiative, acknowledging that there

Coffees for a cause are those in the world who aren’t able to enjoy a warm cup of coffee.

Here in Geelong a ‘Suspended Coffee Society’ is on the rise, and in collaboration with this group of cafes, we have raised funds and awareness within our school communities to donate towards those who may need a helping hand.

Our contribution is in the form of vouchers, all valued to allow those in need to receive a complimentary coffee at the various cafes involved, right across the Geelong region.

A total of $5500 has been raised, with this sum being transferred into vouchers, distributed to clients of various community organisations such as Christ Church, Bethany and Outpost, a wide demographic of Geelong was approached to receive these complimentary coffees and meals when they are in need.

We would like to thank Shayne Goodall of Lavish Cafe Belmont and Pamela Jewson of the Golden Plate Awards for their support, assistance and expertise over the planning process!

This initiative is one that we hope will carry on to future years, testament to the idea that in an ever changing world, youth have a responsibility and ability to make a united difference in the community.

Georgia Caruana

GEORGI A CA RUA NA (LEFT) AND CO-CAPTAIN ELIZA WILLIAMSON

Page 20

G a l a D ay PARADE & FAMILY FUN DAY SATURDAY 9 NOVEMBER

Lightening McQueen, Madagascar’s Alex the Lion, Dr Suess’s The Lorax, the Mik Maks and other special guests are coming to Gala Day on Saturday 9 November.

Gala Day is a great day out for families and it’s free to attend!

See the full Gala Day programme on the Gala Day website www.galaday.com.au Find a position on Malop Street at 10.30am for the Morris Finance parade.

Spectators will be entertained by some old parade entry favorites and new community entries featuring costumes, music and lots of surprises.

Barwon Health Patron Peter Hitchener, Ambassador Denis Walter, Geelong Cats halfcat, Geelong Supercats players and other personalities will be part of the parade. Santa and Mrs Claus will be making an appearance thanks to Market Square.

Before the parade passes on Malop Street, watch clowns entertain the crowd.

Support the Geelong Hospital Appeal on the day by purchasing a pinwheel for $2 before the parade.

The fun continues from 12noon at the Gforce Family Fun Day at Steampacket Gardens, Geelong Waterfront. The children’s entertainment is action-packed, with stage shows by Madagascar’s Alex the Lion, Dr Suess’s The Lorax and the Mik Maks. You can also have your photo taken with Lightening McQueen!

The crowd will also be treated to amazing water ski displays by the Stars Down Under Water Ski and Stunt Show. Plus there will be market stalls and food vendors, showbags, rides and a Youth Activities Area aimed at 12 to 17-year-olds.

Page 21

B ab y C arri e rs Geelong Babywearers (a branch of Babywearing Victoria Incorporated) is a group of local parents who meet once a month to discuss different types of baby carriers, safe and optimal Babywearing, and the benefits of Babywearing to both parent and child.

Babywearing is the practice of carrying your baby (or toddler, or preschooler!) in a carrier. This can range from a stretchy fabric carrier, to a structured carrier, and everything in between. Geelong Babywearers has a large range of carriers available for people to try out, to see what suits them.

Babywearing has many benefits - convenience is a big one! It’s so quick and easy to pop bub into a carrier for a quick trip into the shops, hands free, happy baby. There have also been studies that have shown that babies who are worn are more settled, crying 43% less than babies who are not (this goes up to over 50% in the evening hours).

There are benefits to Mum too with Babywearing being linked to a reduction in post natal depression, and to an increase in breast feeding success due to oxytocin release. Geelong Babywearers aims to offer help to Mums and Dads who want to know more about Babywearing, or who need help working out their carrier or assistance in buying a carrier to best suit their needs.

We have no affiliations with any particular brands or companies and all the advice we offer will come directly from our personal experiences wearing our own children.

Geelong Babywearers is lead by Rachel, mum to a 5 year old and a 2 year old; Elizabeth, mum to a 2 year old; Rhiannon, mum to a nearly 2 year old and Suze, mum to an 8 year old and a nearly 2 year old.

Between us, we have used pretty much every style of carrier out there, and we

each have our own favourites, which just goes to show there is no “one size fits all” approach to Babywearing. It’s never to late (or too early) to start wearing your baby.

happy to meet with people outside of this time too. There is a $2.50 fee per family for hall hire, and there are plenty of toys to keep everyone occupied.

Newborns through to preschoolers (and beyond even if they’re willing!) can all be safely and comfortably worn in a carrier or sling.

Find us on Facebook by searching “Geelong Babywearers”, email us at geelongbabywearers@yahoo.com.au or contact Rhiannon on 0414060040 for more information.

Geelong Babywearers meet on the third Wednesday of the month, at the Wesley Centre Hall on the corner of Ryrie and Yarra Sts in central Geelong. We are always

RHIANNON KOWALIK

Page 22

GEELONG SHOW

IN DIA , TE GA N & SU MM ER

SK YL AH

CO O PE R, ER IN & K IA

ZA C IN TH E WA TE R BU BB LE

RU BY , L AU RA & S AB IN E

Page 23

T e ch no l o gy My kids love getting the toy catalogues that come out in July.

I, on the other hand, am not one of those organised mum’s who take note of what they love and head directly to the store to purchase in preparation for Christmas.

No, I am the short-term shopper.

It is not until way after the decorations are everywhere and we are all sick of the carols playing in the supermarket until I start making a list.

Unfortunately, this means I am also leaving it too late to make some online purchases.

If you are a little more organised than me – but no so that you already have everything from the July toy sales – then online shopping could be the answer to missing those last minute trashy purchases.

GE T O R GA N IS ED

Spend some time sitting down and making a list, and checking it twice!

It is very important to make sure you have a good think about what you ‘need’ to buy before jumping online.

Just like the retail stores, you will be tempted to buy unnecessary items.

K E E P A R EC OR D

Make sure you keep a record of what you have purchased and for who, so when they miraculously appear on your door step you can wrap the pressie along with the correct name on the gift tag.

HAV E A BAC K UP P L A N

I must make mention of my local delivery guy Pete here.

Pete and I were at school together, but other than a 30 second meet and greet at the door,

An option is to have parcels delivered to a neighbour or family member, but this is a pretty drastic measure.

Perhaps a quick distraction for the child to another room when answering the door might suffice.

WHERE TO SHOP

we have never had the chance for a chat about the good old days.

You see Pete is flat out. Like all parcel delivers, they are experiencing an exponential workload that never seems to end.

While there is the unfortunate closure of many local businesses lately, I am thrilled that guys like Pete have heaps of work, but there is a down side….the chance of a parcel not arriving on time.

In this case you have a couple of options, you can do the ‘sorry, your gift is on its way’ or you can make a last minute purchase so there is no disappointment on the day.

The only issue with this second option is that when the gift actually does arrive, what to do with it?

Do you keep if for next year and hope they haven’t out-grown the gift or they have gone out of fashion like footy cards from last season.

S T A RT EA RL Y

The best way to avoid disappointment is to make sure you do your purchases online well in advance.

Most websites with online shopping will include the shipping policy on their site.

Generally they indicate to allow around 2-4 weeks, but six weeks will give you a good buffer.

WA RNI NG!

There is no chance for trying to sneak the odd shopping bag into the house after a trip to the shops.

I know of some parents that hit the shops way past their kids’ bedtime, so they are not caught out.

With online shopping there is the risk that your children may be aware of parcels arriving, which could potentially ruin the ‘magic’ of Christmas.

So let’s go shopping! My husband will agree that I am an expert in shopping online.

The key is to make sure you know what you are after, and what is a reasonable price to pay.

Also beware of shipping fees, as sometimes these are more than the item you are purchasing.

Another key thing to watch for is to make sure the company is reputable. This includes identifying that there are contact details for the company and that they have a reasonable returns policy.

Another thing to be conscious of is coupons and vouchers and to make sure they don’t come with any conditions that may cause issues. Read the fine print.

On the positive side, keep an eye out for bonuses. Some shops have loyalty clubs and reward with points and discounts.

Last year, around $2 billion was spent locally online by Australians for Christmas.

This figure doesn’t include the amount spent offshore and, not surprisingly, the totals are expected to increase this festive season.

So why should Santa have all the fun.

Avoid the shops this silly season by shopping online.

While you are there, you might even find a little treat for yourself.

Page 24

R e a de r S t o ry

My Experience with Allergies and kids My gorgeous son, William was born by emergency cesarian at 38 weeks due to breech presentation. He was an unsettled sleeper, but other than that, grew and developed as expected. He was solely breastfed without any problems until at 4 months of age, I thought I’d try him on some formula, to see if he might sleep better.

I gave him the bottle, which he refused and spat out. I didn’t think too much of it at the time. After a couple of minutes, I noticed his mouth had swollen up and gone red. He also had some red spots spreading down his chest. It took me a few moments to realize he was having an allergic reaction. I bundled him into his carseat and drove him to our local doctor. When we arrived, he was hurried through to a treatment room and given antihistamines. Luckily, the reaction resolved without any further treatment. This was the start of a scarey journey into food allergies.

An appointment was made at the Royal Childrens Hospital for further testing. A skin test revealed William was also sensitive to peanuts and egg, but at this age, he was yet to be exposed to these foods. We had numerous accidental exposures to dairy, and William always broke out in hives around his mouth. At this stage, carrying antihistamines was all that was needed.

As William became a toddler, he outgrew his milk allergy, but the skin test for egg was very high, and the peanuts were moderately high. Williams first exposure to egg happened in a day care facility when he was three.

The staff were well aware of his allergies, and had always been very careful. But on one day, a temporary staff member accidently gave William scrambled egg on toast.

William picked up the toast and took a bite. Within seconds, his face turned bright red, huge hives developed and began to spread. I was at home that day, just a short

distance from the daycare. I received a call to say that William had been given egg and was having a reaction.

My heart stopped, and I felt the icy cold sensation of dread wash over me. I asked them if they had given him his antihistamines as per the allergy plan. They had not.

I told them to give him his medicine and that I’d come straight there. I was at the center within five minutes to find my little boy bright red, drooling, and gasping for air. The staff were crying, and not coping with the situation at all.

I called 000 and within minutes an ambulance arrived with Mobile Intensive Care back up. William had developed anaphylaxis, and was dropping his blood pressure.

In the ambulance, William was given an injection and oxygen, and I felt like I was going to pass out. After arriving at the RCH, William was much improved. The adrenaline had made him hyperactive, and he was running around the emergency department.

From that day on, we carry an ‘Epipen’, an injection of life saving adrenaline.

It is hard to describe the anxiety of caring for someone with life threatening food allergies, and it is something that many people don’t understand. Every packet must be read, every take a way meal questioned. Traveling overseas creates additional worries, with language barriers and unfamiliar foods. There is the concern of leaving him in the care of others, whether it be school, babysitters or family. Of all the accidental exposures to allergens, almost all have been while he was in the care of others.

So although William is 8 now, and is very knowledgeable of which foods he can eat, there is always the concern that someone else may make a mistake.

Food allergies cannot be taken lightly, they are not

caused by ‘fussiness’ or ‘picky eating’. Awareness and education is the key to avoiding ‘accidents’, and anyone that knows of someone with food allergies must take it very very seriously.

SOPHIE SAINT

Page 25

E v e nt FAMILIES HAVE A BLAST AT DANCE PARTY ON Saturday, October 12, The Treehouse Autism Support Group threw a free dance party for all Geelong families living with disability.

What a fantastic day it turned out to be, the sun was shining as families came together for an afternoon of dance, games, arts, crafts and much more.

The main attraction though was the promise of acceptance.

Families that may find it difficult to go out together gave it a go and the kids had a blast.

No judgement, no stares, just kids being kids and having a wonderful time. I think one parent’s comment afterwards says it all “Two parents, four children (AS/ADHD) one afternoon out... Recipe for disaster? NO! We had the BEST time ever!

Thanks SO much for providing such a welcoming, wonderful atmosphere, activities and entertainment. So incredibly grateful - thank you”.

SHARON DEMOPOULOS

Page 26

F u t u re L e ad ers

Teesdale Win Big Mrs. Southall our school science teacher received confirmation that we had received 1st prize in this national competition. To add to the excitement our school will receive $3500 to further add to our science program.

In May of this year student accepted an invitation from Mrs Dianne Lyons (NATA) to take on the task of entering the Year 5&6 category.

In 2011 we won this award for ‘Acids and Bases in our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program’. In 2012 we didn’t succeed but our entry on “Renewable energy-solar windmills’ was highly regarded.

The theme ‘Water in Our Lives’ was planned and the student’s journey through the following activities began; The water cycle (Research article and diorama), Water conservation and pollution (Animated game and ICT), Water gives and takes life (Drama and news reportsmedia presentation), Water facts, conservation and pollution (Board games), Water salinity and its effect on plant growth (Garden experiments and data analysis), Water for Health (Urine testing and emotional health observations), River health (Testing water in our local creek), ‘What water means to me’ statement on a collaged quilt.

The student nominated activities included tasks that were challenging and involved detailed planning, commitment and collaboration at every level. Given that this is the third year of science as an across the school specialist area the students were familiar with the concepts and expectations of the tasks they were

committed to completing. The competition included public and private schools nationally so the students were aware of the importance of producing work at their highest standard.

The win not only brings recognition for the work of teachers and support staff, but also the enthusiasm, effort and commitment from students and their families.

The following people contributed to endorse the community involvement that allows the students to be so successful: Families who supported our students with their ‘Water for Health’ testing and emotional responses to high sugar consumption-some strong emotional responses to deal with, Ms Melissa Hannah and Ms Rianne Aitken for the art work and inspiration for the quilt, Mr Chris Hose for giving students information for their project and for allowing us to video responses to explain the effect of salinity on plants., Families who provided support at home to allow all students to complete their tasks., Our dedicated and very flexible staff at TPS, And most importantly Mrs Merron Southall who has further enhanced her status as an outstanding science teacher with her knowledge and commitment to promoting science to all students.

The community will be invited along to share in the excitement of this significant achievement. NATA representatives and sponsors will visit our school to present the award to our 5/6 students.

UN Conference Local schools conduct model United Nations conference at City Hall. Students from Belmont High School, Clonard College and St Joseph’s College took part in a model United Nations conference today at City Hall to discuss the topic Ending Violence against Women and Girls.

The model conference was run according to the United Nations protocols and procedures with the students forming teams to represent 14 different UN member states. City of Greater Geelong Community development portfolio holder Cr Kylie Fisher said the conference gave students an insight into the workings of the United Nations. “Students become an ‘international delegate’ for the

purposes of the conference and so must advocate on behalf of their nominated country,” said Cr Fisher.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to understand about the diversity of other cultures and the variety of world views that make up the member council of the United Nations. “At the same time the model conference will test the students’ diplomacy and advocacy skills,” said Cr Fisher. “One of the other aims of such conferences is to inspire young people to become more involved in the democratic process in their future years,” Cr Fisher added.

Approximately 30 local students took part in the model conference which was hosted by the City of

Greater Geelong in the Council Chamber. Adjunct Professor RMIT University Ian Howie, acted in the role of United Nations Secretary General for the conference.

“It’s great that people are discussing the topic of ending violence against women and girls which is a global issue but closer to home if people are experiencing violence - or know of family and friends who are - it’s vital to seek help from professionals. This could be your school counsellor, Zena Women’s Services or Victoria Police.”

“I THANK ZENA WOMEN’S SERVICE FOR THEIR

INVOLVEMENT AND

SUPPORT”, SAID CR FISHER.

Page 27

B l o g a b o u t it T EDDY BEA R’S PIC NI C

Dear K i d s V oi ce E d i tor

Grab your teddy and head to the Potato Shed for the Kids Plus Teddy Bear’s Picnic on Sunday 10th November. The picnic is presented by LP Communications Diploma of Events participants to raise much needed funds and awareness for Kids Plus.

I have recently read your September 2013 issue and saw the article “Little fighter has just a scar to show” about Angus who was born with Gastroschisis. It was nice to see Angus has done so well as many with the condition can have lengthy stays in hospital. It was also good to see Gastroschisis for a change as there have been two little boys with the similar condition of omphalocele in the Geelong region mentioned in papers over the recent years.

There’s plenty of fun for the kids with entertainment by the Funky Mummies, DJ Slav, a story teller and special guest characters, plus there will be an art room and face painting, for a gold coin donation. Entry is $8 per child and includes a picnic snack box. Adults are free.

All proceeds go to Kids Plus, a local charity that provides over 3600 hours of free early intervention therapy each year for babies and children with Cerebral palsy and other similar physical disabilities. Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in Australia.

Kids Plus helps children achieve the daily functional activities the rest of us take for granted; walking, talking, eating and drinking independently.

To s u p p o r t K ids Plu s a nd jo in in t he fun of th e T eddy Bea r’s Pic nic , p u rchase t icke t s fr o m T r i s h o n 0 4 0 3 0 2 3 52 3 or e mail th e f u nk y mu mm ies @gm a il.c o m

I know of the condition Gastroschisis as my 2 year old was born with the same condition but unlike Angus she arrived at 34 weeks weighting 1.9kg. She required a silo and 3 operations to get and fix her intestines. She was not left with a little scar but something that looked like a shark attach scar. The scar was recently fixed but an infection saw some of the scar fall apart and my little girl attached to a vacuum system (usually used on burn patients and a lot older children) for 4 weeks.

She is now healed but may require surgery again next year.

K at e Tonkin

LE T US K N O W WH A T I S O N Y O U R M I N D A N D DR OP US A L I N E e d i t o r @ k i d s v o i c e .c o m .a u

Page 28

R e v i e ws

B ANJ O PA TE R S ON

NED KELLY

P eter Fi tzsi m ons - R a nd om house

TREA S UR Y

I llu s t r at e d b y Ol s o Da v i e s - R and o mho us e

Love him or loathe him, Ned Kelly has been at the heart of Australian culture and identity since he and his gang were tracked down in bushland by the Victorian police and came out fighting, dressed in bulletproof iron armour made from farmers’ ploughs. Historians still disagree over virtually every aspect of the eldest Kelly boy’s brushes with the law. Did he or did he not shoot Constable Fitzpatrick at their family home?

Was he a lawless thug or a noble Robin Hood, a remorseless killer or a crusader against oppression and discrimination? Was he even a political revolutionary, an Australian republican channelling the spirit of Eureka? Peter FitzSimons, bestselling chronicler of many of the great defining moments and people of this nation’s history, is the perfect person to tell this most iconic of all Australian stories. From Kelly’s early days in Beveridge, Victoria, in the mid-1800s, to the Felons’ Apprehension Act, which made it possible for anyone to shoot the Kelly gang, to Ned’s appearance in his now-famous armour, prompting the shocked and bewildered police to exclaim ‘He is the devil!’ and ‘He is the bunyip!’, FitzSimons brings the history of Ned Kelly and his gang exuberantly to life, weighing in on all of the myths, legends and controversies generated by this compelling and divisive Irish-Australian rebel

WIN

A treasury of classic verse from Australia’s most famous poet, Banjo Paterson. Includes ‘Waltzing Matilda’, ‘The Man from Snowy River’, ‘Clancy of the Overflow’ and many more. Banjo Paterson is Australia’s most famous poet. Ballads such as ‘The Man from Snowy River’, ‘Clancy of the Overflow’, ‘The Man from Ironbark’, ‘Mulga Bill’s Bicycle’ and ‘Waltzing Matilda’ have become part of our Australian heritage. Known as a poet of the bush, Banjo’s iconic verse captures the To win LIKE and landscape, hardship, resilience and humour SHARE our Facebook of Australian life at the turn of the nineteenth page. facebook.com/ KidsVoiceGeelong and tell century. This is a treasury is of Banjo’s us why you’d like to win. most loved poems, as well as some of his lesser-known works. The poems appear in chronological order and cover Australian bush life, as well broader topics such as war and Federation. This beautifully illustrated collection offers a unique glimpse into our national history and identity, as told by one of our most iconic and best-loved voices.

WIN

C H ILL F A CT O R SL U S HY M A KE R

To win a ChillFactor Slushy Maker, LIKE and SHARE our Facebook page facebook.com/ KidsVoiceGeelong and tell us why you’d like to win.

Freeze it, Squeeze it and Enjoy! What’s quick, fun and cool?

The Slushy Maker from ChillFactor! CHILL FACTOR™ Slushy Maker is an amazing, quick and easy at-home slushy making sensation. No mess, no fuss! In less than a minute, you can make a delicious frozen slushy treat. Just add your favourite chilled drink to the frozen cup, put on the lid and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze! In less than a minute, you can make a delicious frozen slushy treat. CHILL FACTOR Slushy Maker is reusable. Simply wash in warm soapy water after each use, refreeze and it’s ready to be used for the next slushy party. With a variety of funky colours available, CHILL FACTOR Slushy Maker is quick, convenient, easy-to-use and ready to make a slushy whenever you are. No mess, no fuss!

L E GO S T A R W A R S & F RI ENDS ADVENT CALEN DER 20 1 3

WIN

New Lego Advent Calenders are a great way for Lego enthusiast to enjoy the lead up to Christmas. These two new calendars are great for any age. LEGO Friends Advent Calendar features 24 gifts, each enclosed in its own compartment in a LEGO Friends holiday-themed calendar. Includes Stephanie and Lily mini-doll figures. Open a new compartment each day and count down to Christmas with buildable gifts, including a snow scooter, sled, snowman, ice skates, brown squirrel and a Christmas tree! Count down to Christmas with the LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, featuring 24 Star Wars-themed gifts including exclusive minifigures. Open a window every day to reveal 24 different LEGO Star Wars themed gifts; makes a great gift for fans of the LEGO Star Wars building sets. Features 6 minifigures and 3 droids, including an exclusive holiday-themed minifigure. Vehicles include Dooku’s Solar Sailor, Coruscant Freighter, Cloud car, Republic gunship, Attack cruiser. Also includes AT-TE, Republic Dropship, Geonosian Starfighter, Naboo To win an advent calender, Cruiser, Neimoidian Shuttle, Jedi Starfighter and Slave.

LIKE and SHARE our Facebook page facebook. com/KidsVoiceGeelong and tell us why you’d like to win.

BIERTVICS ES IT S

S MI GGL E

LLY

E

IA SPEC

UR O Y FOR SS! E N BUSI

Contact Shaun on 5255 3925 OR 0411 416 384 to discuss your requirements! www.bitsit.com.au

Smiggle has Christmas covered with colourful stationery, tech gadgets, boredom busting games and quirky accessories. With over 200 bright and colourful treats, there is something for everyone! Girls will love the super cute retro strawberry, apple, cupcake and ice-cream characters.

For boys, it’s a little more wicked with cool hamburger, milkshake and pizza characters. We had a sneak preview of some of their exciting goodies – the backpack has heaps of room for all your stuff, the speaker case is a novel way to carry your sound around with you... in fact all of the goodies are up to Smiggle’s high standards.

We provide a managed IT support p lan for: · IT Mainte nance

& Audits · Project Pla nning & Su pport · New Purc hases & Up grades · Network M onitoring · Data Back up · Broadban d, E-mail & Website Se · Anti-Virus tup , Malware & Spyware M onitoring

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Lily Thomas is as determined as they come. A professional skier who won the bronze medal at the age of fourteen, she’s now seventeen and poised to take the gold at the upcoming Olympic Games.

Everything is on track for a successful competition and a celebrated future, until the unforeseeable occurs and her life is changed forever in a horrific accident. Lily’s wealthy father, Bill, is utterly beside himself in the wake of his daughter’s devastating news. Lily means the world to him, especially since he raised her singlehandedly after her mother’s death.

So when he feels the need to pin the blame on someone, it seems only natural that his anger be directed at Jessica Matthews, Lily’s orthopedic surgeon who, though she managed to save his daughter’s life, simply couldn’t prevent the ghastly reality that she would forever be confined to a wheelchair. In the midst of all this, Jessica receives her own set of dreadful news on the night of Lily’s surgery - her husband was killed in a horrific car Accident on his way to take one of their four children bowling; an event she would have accompanied him on had she not been called away for the emergency. With their worlds collapsing around them, the recovery process is a slow one for these three very different people. But just when it seems things couldn’t get worse, hope, love and redemption reign supreme as they work to turn their personal tragedies into triumphs and spread joy to others.

R S P C A - R andom house

Pets are gorgeous, loveable and a lifetime commitment. Full of adorable pets of all shapes and sizes, A Pet Isn’t Just for Christmas is endorsed by the RSPCA and with beautiful, full-colour photographs, a timely reminder that animals deserve our love and attention every day of the year.

To win LIKE and SHARE our Facebook page. facebook.com/ KidsVoiceGeelong and tell

WIN

Da nielle S t e e l e - R a ndom ho us e

A PE T I S N’ T JU ST F O R C H RI ST M A S

us why you’d like to win.

S A NTA ’S S E CR E T

Mi k e D umb l e ton - R a nd om house What does Santa get up to after all the presents have been delivered? An adorable Christmas picture book with a cheeky Australian twist. The Christmas presents have all been delivered, but Santa is back on his sleigh. What is he up to?

Where is he going? Quick ... hop on board.

To win LIKE and SHARE our Facebook page. facebook.com/ KidsVoiceGeelong and tell us why you’d like to win.

MOV I E RE VI E W S Sponsored by T HE HU N G ER GA ME S : C A T C HI N G FIR E

Royalties from each sale go direct to the RSPCA.

WIN

WINNERS

R e v i e ws

IN CINEMAS 21ST NOVEMBER 2013 The second instalment of the Suzanne Collins HUNGER GAMES novels, Catching Fire, hits cinemas this November and we here at KIDS VOICE are very excited!

The gorgeous Jennifer Lawrence reprises her role as our hero Katniss Everdeen, who returns home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark.

Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering amongst the people, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the next instalment of the Hunger Games, which will be the Quarter Quell. Every 25 years, the Quarter Quell sees the return of past champions competing against one another, with Katniss forced to once more participate in the epic game of survival! Let the Games Begin!

GEELONG

CLOUDY WI TH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS

2

IN CINEMAS 5TH DECEMBER 2013 This months choice for kiddies is an animated comedy that is bright, loud and guaranteed to dazzle!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 continues right after the first film, where a food-making machine gets out of control.

Its creator and young inventor Flint and his friends are forced to leave their home but when the food machine awakens, this time producing food beasts, they must return to save the world.

The gang go on a wild finger-licking adventure where they finally manage to stop Flint’s machine in it’s tracks.

If you think the sight of giant swimming cheeseburgers and banana dolphins will leave you in wonder, don’t miss this great flick!

Rev ie w s by M a t t L a n ca st e r ( a k a t h e M ovie Guy)

T U O B A S TELL U !

S T N E V E YOUR IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA DROP US A LINE news@kidsvoice.com.au

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C r a f t s & C oo ki n g

S L I A N S Fun and easy! These are so simple to make, PIZZA and you can put whatever you want in them.

This recipe makes 24 snails, which sounds like a lot. But they are so easy to eat, don’t be fooled H O W T O:

NOT ES :

Preheat oven to 2000 C. Line 2 biscuit tins with baking paper.

Lay the puff pastry sheets flat and put topping on while its still frozen.

IN G R E D IE N T S :

2 SHEETS PUF F PASTRY TOMATO SAUC E 20 0 G S H R E D D E D HAM 1 CUP GRATED CHEESE

First spread the sheets with tomato sauce. Then sprinkle with shredded ham, followed by cheese.

Roll up and then cut each roll in half. Then cut each half into 6 (easiest if you cut in half, then each half into 3).

Lay your snails, 12 per tray, flat on the trays. Pop into the oven for 1015 minutes, or until pasty is puffed and golden.

- These are wonderful with dipping sauces too.

- As well as getting creative with your topping, you may want to expermient with the sauce on the base. Barbecue or sweet chilli sauce would be lovely.

- If you use a piece of baking paper that’s larger than what you need when you line the tin (so it sticks up a bit), you can easily lift the final cooked slab out of the pan without burning yourself, ready to cut into bars while warm

Serve hot.

S T F A R C 3D ROCK WHAT YOU

W IL L N E E D : RO CK S (M ED IUM AN D SM AL L)

CR AF T PA IN T PA IN TB RU SH

HO W TO:

1. Use super glue to glue the rocks together to form the body of your 3-D rock animal. Use the mediumsized rocks to form the body and the head, and smaller rocks for feet, eyes, nose, ears, etc.

SU PE R GL UE 2. Once the glue is dry, paint the rocks the color of the animal you are making.

3. After the paint has dried, add features such as the eyes, nose and mouth with markers.

MA RK ER S

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W h a t ’s 3 0 OCTOBER - 4 DECEMBER

WEDNESDAYS Bringing up Great Kids Parenting Program - A new parenting program devised by the Australian Childhood Foundation, aiming to promote positive, respectful parent/child relationships. The program is open to parents of children aged 5-11 years. Every Wednesday of every week at Ariston House, 245 Pakington St, Newtown. Costs - adult: $20, Concession: $6.50. Contact: Chris Wolfe on 5272 4817

2 NOVEMBER

St Leonards Community Festival The Festival hosts cultural, culinary, historic activities and various exhibits.

Free entertainment, cultural group performances, children’s activities along with a foreshore market and historic displays. From 8:30am - 4:30pm, St Leonards Primary School Oval https:// www.facebook.com/stleonards. communityfestival

3 NOVEMBER

Surfside Primary School - Fresh Food Fair. Held on Melbourne Cup weekend, the Fair provides a great day out for the whole family with plenty of music, rides and activities for all. Come along between 10am- 3pm. Entry is by gold coin donation. Be inspired by their approach to Fresh Food. P 5256 1411 • John Dory Drive, Ocean Grove • E surfside.ps@ edumail.vic.gov.au

3 NOVEMBER

The Lara Fun Run - A family focused event where everyone can participate.

The event starts and finishes at the beautifully renovated Pirra Mansion.

The 5k and 10k courses take participants through Serendip Sanctuary amongst a spectacular bush setting and plenty of wildlife. A great value, healthy, enjoyable experience for everyone, whilst at the same time helping local community groups raise much needed funds. Group discounts and early entry prize draws. www.larafunrun.com

3 NOVEMBER

Trick or Treat Kidz Fest - A “Fangtastic Family Day Out” from 10am to 4pm at the Historical Haunted Barwon Park Mansion, Winchelsea (20 minutes from Waurn Ponds). Family Tickets just $60 for a family of five. Supporting local community groups and Winchelsea Primary School. Courtesy Bus Service from Winchelsea Train Station to Festival and return. To book call 5267 2028 or www.trickortreatkidzfest.org.au

9 NOVEMBER

Bellarine Relay For Life - 12:00 PM - 12:00 AM - Relay For Life is an overnight community event where teams of 10-15 ‘camp out’ and participate in a relay style walk or run to keep their team baton

moving around the track for 24hrs to raise funds for Cancer Council Victoria.

The event brings the whole community together for a night of entertainment, celebration and remembrance in support of loved ones going through a cancer experience and of those who have lost loved ones to cancer. Collendina Recreation Reserve, Minerva Close, Ocean Grove. Participant Entry Fee: $20.00 Contact: Sarah Mayhew, phone: 0477 346 810

9 NOVEMBER

Gala Day Parade and Family Fun Day - Before the Parade on Malop Street Watch local kids and personalities in the TAC Boot it the Bay kicking competition , See the Community Care Chemist junior netball shooting competition , Buy a pinwheel to support the Geelong Hospital Appeal for $2 , parade entries will be judged and the Best Overall parade Entry announced. Parade through Geelong City Centre for families with popular children’s characters and local clubs: Parade Highlights - 11am Malop Street , Gforce Family Fun Day 12pm5pm Steampacket Gardens, Geelong Waterfront

17 NOVEMBER

Run Geelong - Help the Cotton On Foundation raise funds for the Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward. Runners and walkers of all abilities can challenge themselves with the 12km or 6km course that starts and finishes at Kardinia Park and passes some of Geelong’s iconic landmarks. This year 15.000 people are expected to participate. All proceeds go to the Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward redevelopment - visit www.rungeelong. com.au for more details.

19 NOVEMBER

The Worlds Happiest Christmas Show -See the year out with Drop of a Hat and guest stars as they explore and enjoy Christmas Carols, customs and cheer!

Tickets - $14.00 - can be purchase at any City of Greater Geelong Customer Service Centre or over the phone 52511998, with credit card. 10:30 AM at the Potato Shed, Peninsula Drive, Drysdale (Includes Morning Tea):

19 NOVEMBER

The Kardinia Supported Playgroup will host guest speaker Jodi Gall - Art Therapist on at 11.30am. The talk is at South Campus, 9/147 Marshalltown Road, Grovedale. For information contact the Kardinia Church office on 5272 2003.

2 2 , 2 3 AND 24 NOVEMBER

Queenscliff Music Festival - The 17th Queenscliff Music Festival attracts some of Australia’s best loved performers. The festival began in 1997 and is held annually on the last weekend of November.

Queenscliff Foreshore, Queenscliff www.qmf.net.au

T E L L U S W H A T ’S O N I N Y O U R A R E A

On

22 - 30 NOVEMBER

“Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs” - Geelong Performing Arts Centre, 50 Little Malop St, Geelong. http://www. gpac.com. All proceeds from this years Medimime pantomime to go to the redevelopment of the Special Care Nursery at The Geelong Hospital. Tickets $25.

27 NOVEMBER

Vostro Institutes, Community Service Certificate IV Students Present Stress Stops’ Inauguration Evening at Diversitats’ Northern Community Hub from 6pm-8:30pm. Come along for a free evening with guest speakers, exhibitors, free entertainment and Finger food.

29 NOVEMBER

Fyans Park Christmas Fair - Fyans Park Primary School is situated overlooking the Barwon River Valley on Newtown Hill.

The School Fair on is their annual major fundraiser and is fun local community event with rides, great food, artisan craft stalls, and amazing homemade preserves and cakes. From 4pm – 8pm at Fyans Park Primary School, 37 Cook Street Newtown http://www.facebook.com/ FyansParkChristmasFair

30 NOVEMBER - 1 DECEMBER Geelong Revival Motoring Festival 2013 - The festival brings Classic Sprints back to the Geelong Waterfront. Join tens of thousands of classic and veteran motoring fans for:. Entry is FREE! www.geelongrevival.com.au Geelong Waterfront, Ritchie Boulevarde, Eastern Beach.

7 DECEMBER

Dream to Fly – Geelong’s Kids Place Circus combined with National Institute of Circus Arts present one show only at The Arena, North Geelong, 2.30-4.30pm.

Tickets $20. Phone 0405776256 or email sandra@kidsplace.com.au

M O N D AY S :

TUESDAYS: ‘acaBellaBubs’ singing and music group for bubs and pre-school children 9.45am -10.30am, Geelong West Senior Citizens Hall, cnr Autumn and Pakington Streets Geelong West. Phone 0407 804 886 or visit www.acabellas.net.au Freshwater Creek Steiner play groupstoddler’s group and 3-year-old groupsExperience baking, singing, storytelling, crafts and free play. Phone 5264 5077 or visit www.fwcss.com.au Road to Reading, age-group sessons Between 9am-1pm, Western Heights Uniting Church, Douglass Street, Herne Hill.

W E D NE S D A Y S : Girl Connect 3241 Free community art program for women 14 and over. Programs will run in Winchelsea from February to June.

Phone 5221 6333 or email geelong@ ywca.net Coastal Sound Youth and Children’s Choir - Amy Leposa’s choirs are filled with FUN, FUN, FUN! Children’s Choir - Grades 1-4 from 3:45pm - 4:30pm. Youth Choir Year 5 – 8 from 4:30pm - 5:30pm. Held at Torquay Salvation Army - 35 Boston Rd, Torquay. For more information and details please go to our website www. salvos.org.au/torquay Group Fitness Lara 9.30am Mums and Bubs/Kids. Tuesday and Thursday 6pm, circuit.Sunday 9am, running group. Foot Crt Lara. Phone 0403369917 www.yourmissionpossible. com Pregnant Young Mum’s Club Newcomb Community Health Centre, 104-108 Bellarine Highway, Newcomb.

Phone 0423 603 633 or 52603333.

Yoga and dance, 9.30am-10.30am, Barwon Heads Community Hall, corner of Hitchcock Avenue and Ozone Street.

THURSDAYS:

‘acabellas kid’s’ singing and music group for primary school children 4.30pm - 5.30pm, Kalkee Hall, 48 Thomson Street Belmont. Phone 0407 804 886 or visit www.acabellas.net.au

4-6pm at StudioMade, A unique opportunity for kids older than eight years, to free fall on art, allowing experimentation and exploration of clay, wood and other organic materials. Visit geelongartstudio.com

Group Fitness Lara 9.30am Mums and Bubs/Kids. Tuesday and Thursday 6pm, circuit.Sunday 9am, running group. Foot Crt Lara. Phone 0403369917 www.yourmissionpossible. com

Freshwater Creek Steiner play groupstoddler’s group and 3-year-old groupsexperience baking, singing, storytelling, crafts and free play. Phone 5264 5077 or visit www.fwcss.com.au

Parent and toddler group fitness 9-10am, Barwon Heads Community Hall, corner of Hitchcock Avenue and Ozone Street.

FRIDAYS First Friday of every month: Greenmums, Moby, Esplanade, Torquay, 10am.

Road to Reading, age-group sessions Between 9am-3pm, at Uniting Church, Anderson Street, Torquay.

- E M A I L E D I TO R @K I D S VO I C E .C O M .A U

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