Parkes Phoenix Editor

Young people face many life challenges, one of them being school, and particularly exam periods. These can be stressful. It is important to note, however, that stress is different to anxiety.

Many young people are able to manage stressful life events and stressful periods in their life without experiencing a mental illness. Current statistics show that:
• 75% of mental health difficulties first onset is before the age of 25.
• Anxiety disorders first onset is predominantly younger in age, under 16 years old.

When a young person is supported by their school and family to work through times of difficulty, this can build resilience. A supportive school and family environment provides information and resources that help young people feel in control, and help young people build a range of strategies that support them to do the things they want to do, even in times of stress and difficulty.

Headspace Senior Clinical Advisor Nick Duigan advises those in need to go to the headspace website www.headspace.org.au for Centre details, as well as factsheets and resources for young people and their families and friends.

NSW Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research, Brad Hazzard, stated there would be no changes to the services available at both the Forbes and Parkes Hospitals.

At a Joint Organisation Meeting in Sydney last week Mr Hazzard stated the services currently available in these two hospitals will remain as is, despite the recent rumours. The message was reaffirmed at the Country Mayors Meeting on Friday 31st May in which Parkes Shire Mayor, Ken Keith OAM asked the question, with the same response from the minister.

“I want to assure the residents of Forbes and Parkes that we will continue to advocate on our communities behalf to ensure there are no losses of services or staff,” says Forbes Shire Council Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM. “We have had confirmation from Minister Hazzard that our two hospitals will continue to operate as they are.”

A shortage of doctors in remote and regional centres is leaving some Australians without access to basic medical services.

“The two towns continue to work with State and Federal Governments to ensure the doctor numbers remain,” says Mayor Miller. “As a rural community we are entitled to medical facilities and services the same as our city counterparts have.”

Arts OutWest is encouraging local groups to apply for the 2020 round of Country Arts Support Program funding.

The State Government’s annual Country Arts Support Program (CASP) provides small grants of up to $3,000 to arts and community organisations in regional NSW to run their own local arts projects.
Applications for 2020 funding close Monday 29 July 2019.

“CASP funds are a valuable way to kick start exciting local, on-the-ground arts projects,” Arts OutWest executive director Tracey Callinan said, “This funding program
about giving regional people access to a diverse range of arts activities that are made for and by the local community.”

Projects could include workshops, arts activities as part of community festivals or events, artist-in-residence programs, public art and design projects, performances, community seminars and forums and exhibitions.

The funding is open to all incorporated associations, not just those focused on the arts. Unincorporated groups or collectives of artists are allowed to find a local organisation to auspice their funding. Likewise if an individual artist has a project in mind they can team up with a local group.

There were six projects funded in the Central West region through CASP in 2019: a performance by the Allegri Singers; a mural at Bathurst Seymour Centre; a sketchbook library in Forbes; a youth drama program in Condobolin; and creative poetry workshops in schools in Orange. You can read more about these projects under ‘news’ at artsoutwest.org.au

To apply for the funding groups must discuss their project with Arts OutWest beforesubmitting an online application. Read the funding criteria at http://regionalartsnsw.com.au/grants/casp/ and contact Arts Out-West on 02 6338 4657 or email artsoutwest@csu.edu.au

 

One focus of the CWA is to assist and support women and children in country areas. The branch’s attention was drawn to the issue of children who visit the Forbes Women’s Refuge who may not have many personal items with them as it is emergency accommodation for women facing some form of domestic crisis and need to leave home quickly.

To make the children feel more “at home” and safe, the CWA Evening Branch provide pyjamas for children up to the age of 14. A pair of pyjamas may not be a lot but when you have little or nothing and have had to leave the comfort of home quickly without much, it can be comforting to have something that can be kept and taken with them when they move to longer term accommodation. It gives the children something of their own.

Another focus of the CWA is to encourage friendship and broaden members’ cultural knowledge and experiences.

At the May meeting some of those recently experienced cultural events by members were discussed. Just a few of them included joining an archaeological dig just outside Forbes in a dry creek bed and quarry where fossilised remains of small water born creatures called Triobites were unearthed by a group of researchers from the Sydney Museum with locals assisting.

Other experiences included traveling on the Ghan, visiting the Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame (Alice Springs), exploring the Royal Flying Doctors Service, School of the Air and experiencing the Bombing of Darwin through a virtual 3D display (Darwin).

“Inked,” a display of cartoons satirising political and social issues was also visited at the National Gallery Canberra.

Each year the CWA nominate an issue in the agricultural area to focus on. This year the Agricultural focus is on Honey. To fit in with this issue some members explained the process of making environmentally friendly food wraps by using beeswax and cotton material.

At the July meeting members will experiment by making some of these popular wraps to replace the use of plastic food wrap in an effort to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Members of the group, Robyn Miller, Karen Wright, Stephanie Allen and Grace Allen who attended the Royal Easter Show gave a brief talk about their experiences working on the CWA stand.

They were involved in all parts of the service whether it was making scones, serving scones, and washing up the mountains of dirty plates. These ladies were also able to provide moral support for Forbes entrant, Sally Downie, in the Miss Showgirl competition.

Congratulations to Sally on achieving a very creditable second runner up and surviving what was a very long and arduous week for all the contestants.

New members are welcome to attend any meeting which are held every second Thursday evening of each month at the Vandenburg Hotel at 6.30pm.

By Sue Cunningham
Publicity Officer,
CWA Forbes Evening Branch

What a catch by Adriaan van Wyk!