Business profile: Ocean Road Allied Health and Movement

Mobility, function and movement

By Liz Clark

There are big changes at Anglesea Osteopathic Clinic, which has for the past few years been operating from the little house next to Stabb’s butchers. It has undergone not only a move but a transformation to become Ocean Road Allied Health and Movement. Business owner and osteopath Georgina Sayer is very proud to explain how things have changed, not only for her but for the growing team of health professionals who now work at the new clinic. A great opportunity opened up when the Community Bank moved to its new location and the large premises they left behind became available. It provided a chance to consider just what health and movement activities were needed in this community, in addition to continuing with osteopathy, massage and other therapies that were already in place. COVID has changed the needs and the outlook of many people, and there seems to be a growing demand for classes and activities – classes where people don’t have to travel too far, and that focus on support and mobility for elderly clients, children’s activities, and evening classes. A very professional and experienced team has worked and planned together to alter and develop the building’s space into a multifunctional area. There are five treatment rooms and a large room suitable for group exercise classes, meditation, yoga, circus and dance classes, acrobatics, pilates – an ongoing range of innovative classes that answer the needs of the community. Georgina approached people who were already in the health/fitness business in the community to join her in the new facility. She has an exceptional team of people with innovative ideas, a willingness to work together, to refer on if they are unable to help a client, and enthusiasm to offer new and exciting activities for people at all age levels. The new name for the clinic tries to cover all possibilities. I had thought it was the OHM (or OM) that frequently is associated with transcendental meditation, relaxation and aromatherapy, and I thought it a very clever choice. The treatment rooms certainly have nothing clinical about them, giving the feeling of cleanliness, freshness and professionalism, enhanced by a new air purification system and newly painted walls and beautiful artworks. OHM is however an umbrella name for a team that is working closely together to offer Anglesea residents a range of treatments and therapies for their health and fitness and movement activities that will help with physical conditions, regular socialisation and fun. Contact Ocean Road Allied Health and Movement on 5263 1001 or go to the website for all details –oceanroadhealth.com.au. New classes will be organised for Term 4 – keep an eye out for listing online or at the front of OHM.

The happy team at OHM

Young authors support Royal Children’s Hospital

By Jenna Crawford

Two Anglesea Primary School students show their creativity and community awareness with a successful comic book project.

Two of the most interested and motivated students I have ever met are Addis Sedgwick (grade five) and Theodore McAloon (grade four) at Anglesea Primary School. Together they have created a comic book that has sold through the Anglesea Newsagency and Pholklore restaurant in Torquay. Addis has written and illustrated ‘The Adventures of Blob, Snorlando and Rocky’. The story is about Blob who is a boring, but easily annoyed character; Snorlando who is playful and annoying (an ‘are we there yet’ character); and Rocky who is very childish. Blob is the main character and everything centres around him. All the boys have distinct personalities and readers can often identify with one of the characters. While Addis was busy writing and drawing, Theodore volunteered to do the colouring of the cartoon characters. Since then, they have worked together harmoniously, bouncing ideas off one another to increase their enthusiasm and creativity. Both boys have loved drawing and reading comics, where the written word is enhanced by drawings, and the reader does not have to visualise the meanings of the written words. They both want their stories and plots never to be too serious, preferring them to be creative, random and funny. Their love of drawing has been instrumental in this project and they have both sourced YouTube to practise their own images. ‘Captain Underpants’ and ‘Dog Man’ have influenced the outcomes. The proprietor of the Anglesea Newsagency, Corinne Nigra stapled and photocopied the original ‘Adventures of Blob, Snorlando and Rocky’. She volunteered to put them on display and sell them through the shop. The price was set at $3. From every sale, Addis received 50 cents, Theodore received 50 cents and the other $2 was donated to the Royal Children’s Hospital. I asked them why they were being so generous and donating to a Melbourne hospital. Addis responded by telling me and showing me he’d had open-heart surgery when he was younger. He said, ‘I would not be here to write and draw these comics without them’.

Proud comic book creators Addis and Theodore with Anglesea newsagency proprietor Corinne Nigra.

Art of the Minds Festival

By Geraldine Ditchburn When: 9–16 October 2022 Where: Various venues on the Surf Coast More information: www.artoftheminds.org.au The first thing that you notice about founder and organiser of the annual Art of the Minds Festival, Jules Haddock is her passion to create safe spaces for people to talk about, share stories and understand the importance of mental wellbeing. The festival held in various locations along the Surf Coast is designed for everyone: those suffering mental illness (often in silence), carers, health care providers and all community members, in order to be better informed and engaged about maintaining mental health and appropriately responding to mental illness. For Jules, ‘education [about mental health] is an important part of recovery’ and the festival provides one vehicle towards achieving that. The Art of the Minds festival is geared towards demystifying the language around mental illness and the stigma that is often associated with it. Jules believes the festival ‘gives people permission to disclose’ by creating spaces to share personal stories through art and music about mental illness and recovery. Supported by grants from government and business sources, as well some ticketed events, the festival provides a week-long smorgasbord of experiences. Starting with a ball on 1 October, most of the other events are arts based or low-key get-togethers and coincide with Mental Health Week. Each year, through ever-expanding networks, the festival has grown and is now an embedded part of awareness raising about the importance of mental health – and ways to sustain it – along the Surf Coast.

Brought to you by Nicole and the team @ Great Escape Books

Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down

Heart-wrenching and uncomfortable, this is a striking story of life at its most raw. When a Facebook message appears in Maggie’s inbox, she is catapulted back to her childhood, and we see Maggie suffer more in her life than one can ever imagine surviving – and yet, she does. We come to know her profoundly through the brilliant storytelling of her

upbringing. Abuse, neglect, and trauma are themes throughout, and while the story is certainly heavy and heartbreaking, Jennifer Down has captured a deep hope and intense fierceness that is underpinning it all. This is an incredible story and most worthy of winning 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award.

Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham

Cyrus Haven is a man with a deeply troubled past. Nine years old when he witnesses his beloved older brother kill his parents and twin sister after hearing voices in his head. Now he is a seasoned forensic psychologist, with his own brilliant but troubled young ward Evie Cormac. His world is thrown into chaos when he is tasked with a complex case that despite his best efforts in separating his worlds, catches Evie up in his web. Adding to the general mayhem, Cyrus’s brother is now being considered for day release from a secure psychiatric institution, the kicker being that it he is being released exclusively into Cyrus’s care. With glimpses into residual guilt, blame and forgiveness, this is one of the most fabulous thrillers you are likely to get your hands on this year.

Flipper and Finnegan by Sophie Cunningham, illustrated by Anil Tortop

A true story of the 2001 oil spill in Port Phillip Bay, Flipper and Finnegan is an incredible tale of friendship and teamwork. Residing on the shores of Phillip Island with their friends the wallabies and bandicoots, Flipper and Finnegan spend their days somersaulting through the ocean and parading on the picturesque beaches. One day Flipper, Finnegan and their penguin friends find themselves facing the devastating effects of an oil spill. Alone and exhausted, the penguins urgently need help. This story describes the remarkable work of the local wildlife rangers and thousands of people globally who sent in tiny, knitted jumpers to help the penguins on their journey to recovery. In collaboration with the striking, delightful illustrations, this is a beautiful story and important reminder of the impacts we can make to the environment and wildlife that call it home.

Salt and Skin by Eliza henry-Jones

Be transported by this haunting novel set in the wild craggy isles of northern Scotland. Young Australian photographer Luda Managan and her two teenage children flee the crippling drought and a family tragedy to make a new beginning in Scotland. Yet here they feel utterly outcast and alone until they come upon another foundling …Theo, the selkie, the strange boy from the sea. They meet women who may be witches and see signs of magical symbols around doorways protecting the town. They come across stories, long buried, of the unexpected ways past traumas rise unbidden to the surface. A remarkable novel – delicate and beautiful. Yet it is also a powerful and uplifting novel, full of hope and wonder.

Twitchers’ Corner

Written and illustrated by Kaye Traynor

Australian Shelduck

Tadorna tadornoides Other names: Mountain Duck, Chestnut-breasted Shelduck, Sheldrake Size: males 590–720mm; females 555–675mm Shelducks prefer to breed and live in lowland areas, especially large brackish lakes near the coast. They are also found at deep freshwater lakes, large lagoons and billabongs. In the non-breeding season, they congregate in large flocks sometimes numbering 1000 or more. They tend to graze on the green plants on land or in shallow water; mainly grasses and clovers, duckweed, sedges, pondweed, algae, insects and molluscs, and other insect life. They can also cause damage to cereal and vegetable crops. Shelducks are large, attractive birds. Males have a smallish, black head with glossy green, continuing halfway down the neck to a narrow white band that separates the green-black neck from the rich, cinnamon-coloured mantle and breast. Back and scapulars are black and the belly is dark-brown; undertail black. White upper-wing covets form the white shoulder patch. Primaries are black; secondaries glossygreen for half the length, with black at base. Tertiaries are rich chestnut. Eye dark-brown, bill black, legs and feet, dark grey. In non-breeding males, the breast plumage is yellowbrown and neck ring is less defined. Females are similar, but have a white ring around the bill and a white eye patch. The male makes a loud honking sound, deeper and grunted; the female sound is higher and more resonant. Shelducks pair for a long time, sometimes for life. Breeding occurs June and October. The nest, well lined with down, is constructed in a hollow limb of a tall tree. They have also been known to nest in a hollow of a cliff face. Ten to 14 creamy white eggs are laid with incubation from 30–35 days. The range of Shelducks includes south-western and southeastern Australia including Tasmania. Locally it is not unusual to see these very distinctive and handsome birds, more often in pairs, grazing in green grasses in the paddocks. References: Menkhorst P, Rogers D, Clarke R, Davies J, Marsack P, Franklin K 2019 The Australian Bird Guide, CSIRO Publishing Morcombe M, 1986 The Great Australian Birdfinder, AbeBooks.com

by Mayor, Councillor Libby Stapleton

McMillan Street future plan

The recent closure of the Senior Citizens in Anglesea due to termite damage has provided Council and local user groups with a unique opportunity to reimagine what the entire precinct might look like and how it could better serve the community now and into the future. Council has recently submitted an application to the state government for ‘fast-track funding’ to secure $200,000 to create a vision and ‘masterplan’ for an integrated community and health precinct at the McMillan St site. Home to multiple community groups and agencies, including the Memorial Hall, Kinder, Community House, Angair, Anglesea Medical, Barwon Health, Community Garden, Historical Society – and of course the Senior Citz – this precinct is of vital importance to the Anglesea and Aireys Inlet communities. There is also an opportunity to incorporate much needed affordable accommodation for key workers into a redeveloped site. If the funding application is successful, Council will contribute $50,000 and work closely with user groups and the broader community to develop a vision for what could be. It’s an exciting opportunity.

Health of the Anglesea River

Council endorsed a submission to Southern Rural Water (SRW) in June, regarding the application by Alcoa to extend its groundwater pumping trial, confirming that we do not support further extraction unless it is proven to not have a detrimental impact on the Anglesea River and/or its catchment. Council is becoming increasingly concerned about the health of the Anglesea River and its catchment and possible causal links with Alcoa’s historical and current groundwater extraction from the Upper Eastern View Formation aquifer. Friends of the Anglesea River (FOAR) and other community members and/or groups also made submissions to SRW. At a recent community meeting organised by FOAR, more than 100 people heard about discoveries associated with the historical management of groundwater extraction at the Barwon Downs borefield, and Council has called on SRW to apply the relevant lessons learned in that example to this situation. I also had the opportunity to meet with Minister for Water, Regional Development, and Equality, Harriet Shing, as part of a G21 visit to Spring Street. She confirmed that the health challenges facing our river are on the state government’s radar. Southern Rural Water is still considering submissions it received in relation to the pumping application from Alcoa, but in the meantime we continue to support our community who are working hard to learn more and raise awareness of the issues.

End of mayoral term

My term as Mayor ends in November, and while it’s been such a privilege to represent the Surf Coast Shire Council as Mayor for the past two years, I’m looking forward to having some more time to spend with people in our community, alongside Mike Bodsworth, as your local ward councillors.