Banksia Bulletin June 2024

Regular happenings and contacts

From the Editor

THE PASSION SHEET

HOURS

MONDAY - THURSDAY

8:30am 12:30pm 1:30pm—5:00pm

FRIDAY

8:30am 12:00pm

VISITING

PROFESSIONALS

Female GP

Dr Ellie Brusasco 17th & 18th June

Dietitian & Diabetes

Educator Laura Nairn

N/A June

Psychologist

Carol Deppe 12th & 26th June

Podiatrist

Rachel Mitchell 7th & 21st June

Audiologist

Michael Segal 11th June

OTHER SERVICES

OFFERED

• Health Assessments

• Skin Checks

• Flu Clinics

• Immunisations/Vaccinations

• Diabetes Management

• Pathology

• Preventative Medicine

• Chronic Illness Care Plans

• Antenatal Care

• Health Checks/Medical Reports

• PATS Patient Assisted Travel Scheme Applications

• Iron infusions

• Skin cancer removal procedures

Quairading Medical Practice

19 Harris Street

PO Box 125 Quairading WA 6383

PHONE: 9645 1210

FLU CLINIC EXTENDED

FAX: 9645 1066

We have extended our FLU Clinic and this will now run until Thursday 27th June. FLU Clinic times will remain Tuesday to Thursday mornings (9 –11am) and afternoons (2 3pm) during the month of June. Appointments are required and can be made by telephoning the practice on 9645 1210

Please Note: FLU Clinic is for FLU Vaccinations only. If you wish to speak with the Dr about other health matters, prescriptions etc, a separate appointment will be required.

PATIENT SMS REMINDERS

We have now commenced using SMS text messages to provide patients with appointment and clinical reminders . If you wish to receive these reminders, please see our Admin team who will set this up for you.

MEDICARE and CENTRELINK CARDS

A friendly reminder to please bring your Medicare card and any Centrelink concession card to your appointments. This assists our Admin team to keep your information current and updated.

**When arriving for appointments, please advise our Admin team if you are experiencing any Cold or Flu symptoms. Please wear a face mask**

WOMEN’S HEALTH GP JULY 2024 - JUNE 2025

Dr Irene Dolan

24 & 25 July 2024

21 & 22 August 2024

18 & 19 September 2024

30 & 31 October 2024

27 & 28 November 2024

19 & 20 Feb 2025

19 & 20 March 2025

30 April & 1 May 2025

28 & 29 May 2025

Please book your appointment with Quairading Medical Practice on (08) 9645 1210. Appointments are for Women’s Health and Mental Health issues.

NB This service is free to patients. Funding is provided from Rural Health West and the Department of Health.

Hello

Ladies of Quairading,

I am writing this note to let you know that I will no longer be coming to Quairading to do Rural Women’s Health Visits after June 2024. My last visit will be June 17 and 18.

I have been coming to Quairading since 2009(!) and have very much enjoyed my visits here, but it is now time for a new chapter, and I will no longer be working as a doctor anywhere.

However the very good news is that my colleague Dr Irene Dolan will be replacing me as of July 2024. Some of you may have already met her as she filled in for me in 2017. She is an experienced GP and a lovely person and very much looking forward to working in Quairading.

So please do continue to use the Rural Women’s Health GP Visiting service, which is free to patients, and funded by Rural Health West and Department of Health (and therefore subject to an annual funding review). The Quairading Medical Clinic will continue to kindly host the service and take bookings for appointments.

Thanks for the lovely country welcome you have always given me :- )

Take care, Dr Ellie Brusasco

Dr. Ellie Brusasco will be completing her final consults at QMP on Tuesday 18th June. We would like to Thank Dr. Ellie for her long standing, valuable contribution to Womens Health in Quairading. We are sad to see her go but excited for her next chapter. Thank you Dr. Ellie and all the very best for the future!

QMP is pleased to advise Dr Irene Dolan will be joining the team from July to replace Dr. Ellie Brusasco. Irene will continue Women’s Health Care and will visit the practice 2 days per month. While we are sad to say Goodbye to Dr. Ellie, we look forward to welcoming Irene to our practice. Irene has composed the following Introductory letter:

Dear Women of Quairading,

My name is Irene Dolan and I am the GP who will be taking over from Dr Ellie Brusasco from July 2024 onwards. Ellie and I worked together a number of years ago and I filled in for her in Quairading in 2017. I remember loving Quairading and found the work so rewarding and interesting. Thank you to Ellie for her long service to Quairading and for all her help in preparing me to take on this work. I know I have big shoes to fill but I am looking forward to getting started and meeting you all!

I graduated with honours from the University of Western Australia in 2008, worked within the hospital system for a few years and then completed GP training in 2015. I really enjoy studying and have completed a Vocational Graduate Diploma in Women's Health as well as a Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and a Masters of Occupational and Environmental Health. I have interests in women's health, mental health, LGBTQIA+ health and public health. I’ve had the privilege of working in a number of different areas as a GP including occupational health, homeless health, sexual health and in non-clinical roles. I love what I do and feel so lucky to be able to come out and work with you all.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my lovely young family and reading when I get the chance. I love cooking and exercising- I run every week at our local Parkrun, enjoy mountain biking and am an incredibly enthusiastic but not very fast swimmer.

Looking forward to seeing some of you in the coming year!

Kind regards,

Irene

Town Uniform Order

Need some town uniform? We’re about to do a restock of sample sizes, let us know if you’d like to order a polo shirt or jacket! Quairading CRC: email admin@quairadingcrc.com.au or call 9645 0096.

DIGGING DOCKER

COMBINED PEST CONTROL

GERMAN BEER

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

FOOD AVAILABLE ALL DAY STALLS GAMES

SHACK-TOBERFEST

OCTOBER

5TH 2024

COME TO SHACKLETON FOR ALL THE FUN!! FROM 3PM ONWARDS

BRATWURST EATING COMPETITION, STEIN CARRYING COMPETITION, KEG CARRYING RACES, GERMAN BEER, LIVE MUSIC, STALLS, BOUNCY CASTLE FOR THE KIDS, PRIZES FOR BEST DRESSED MALE & FEMALE.

18+ Event from 6pm onwards

TICKETS $50 EACH

ONLY 100 TICKETS AVAILABLE SO GET IN QUICK SPONSORED BY

Shack Club Kitchen: 6pm-8pm every 2nd Friday

(see our FB page for which Fridays as they can vary)

Food Allergies: please inform staff prior to place your order. Menu items may contain or come into contact with wheat, eggs, nuts or milk.

REED Quairading

The past month at REED Quairading, we have been busy learning about different animals. Week one was zoo animals, week 2 was sea animals and then we learnt about farm animals! We did lots of craft of the different animals to decorate our room too.

The children have been loving using the magnets to build things and they even made a zoo enclosure for the animals to live in.

We are teaching the children to be more independent and learn self help skills such as making and packing up their beds, getting their own water bottles and packing away their lunch boxes.

At mat sessions the children love singing the good morning song and doing the actions that go with it. They then sing songs, do some counting, and read a story. In May, it was the National Simultaneous Storytelling Day, which we participated in and read the book called “The Bowerbird Blues”. The children enjoyed the book and did some activities afterwards.

CONGRATULATIONS!

We would like to extend a warm congratulations to John Hards for his contributions to our community and the impact he has made on so many lives. John received the WA Volunteer Service Award from Hon Don Punch MLA, Minister for Regional Development; Volunteering, on Tuesday 21st May 2024 for his 52 years of voluntary service in Western Australia. What a fantastic achievement this is for John!

Quairading Sub Centre Update:

We would like to welcome Liz to our St John WA family! Liz has just joined us as an Administration Officer 2 days a week. The Sub Centre is now open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9.00 am – 2.00 pm.

quairading.subcentre@stjohnwa.com.au

Tight A** Tuesday

Tuesdays from 5pm - 6pm

$5.50 middies and $10 pints

Mug of the Week

Thursdays 4pm - 6pm

Get a ticket for every drink purchased, to go in the draw to win 5 mugs a day for the next week (conditions apply).

Member’s Draw & Raffles

Fridays 5pm - 7pm

Get a ticket with every drink purchase to win a chance to Spin The Wheel for prizes! Plus voucher raffles and the big Member’s Draw at 7pm.

Footy Beers

$1 off tap beers siren to siren when the footy is live on TV!

Mrs YT & Crewz Kitchen

Open Wednesday Sunday for lunch and dinner. Check Facebook for any changes.

Events

We’ve got a few ideas in the works, and our staff and committee are always keen to hear your ideas too.

AGM

Our 2024 Annual General Meeting will be held in the next couple of months. Keep an eye on the Passion Sheet and on Facebook for the date, and consider nominating to join our committee. Our current committee is: Glen Jones, Darryl Bubb, Jill Hayes, Don Woodcock, Jason Caporn, Rohan Hadlow & Maddy Lee.

To the wonderful community of Quairading Firstly I would like to thank you all for your very warm welcome to Quairading and Quairading Foodworks. I knew very quickly I had walked into a great workplace full of hardworking, dedicated and fun-loving colleagues as well as a terrific community of warm and friendly folk who are justifiably proud of Quairading.

I originally stem from Queensland but fell in love with this side of the world when I was travelling around Australia a few years ago. Subsequently I have lived in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern Area for the last three years.

I have two sons, Kristopher who lives in Sydney and Matthew who lives in the Wheatbelt, so it is nice to be near at least one of them. Sydney is a quick direct flight anyway which is good.

I have a background in leadership, management, education and business but I am just loving this new opportunity. I feel indeed blessed to have been appointed to the role of General Manager and am very proud to be a new member of the store, the Farmer’s Co-op and the Quairading Community.

Thank you to everyone who has introduced themselves and welcomed me. It has been lovely to meet you all.

The Maker’s Keep

We are delighted to welcome Janine and Riley to “The Maker’s Keep”, Quairading’s new Coffee Shop.

This is a real credit to Janine and the team as the Coffee Shop is beautifully presented and a wonderful place for the community to gather and enjoy some very special treats. There is a

children’s corner for the little ones to enjoy and some great giftware on offer.

The décor is lovely and inviting with some very notable pieces of Quairading’s history tastefully and thoughtfully integrated.

The Maker’s Keep is open from 7:30am to 1:30 pm from Tuesday through to Saturday but Janine advises that these days and hours will be extended during the tourist season as our wildflowers bloom and our crops are in full colour.

So what is happening at the Co-op?

Specials

We often have great specials weekly but these can be easily lost on our shelving, so we have dedicated two end shelves to the promotion of just some of these specials. The new display areas are between the fridges nearest the checkout so be sure to seek them out. Many more specials can be found on our shelves and they change weekly on a Wednesday.

Winter Goodies

Winter certainly arrived on Wednesday catching us all a little by surprise. We are delighted to advise that we will be stocking some electric blankets in single and queen size.

The order is due soon but if you would like us to put one or more aside for you as an order, please just let us know.

Additionally, if you require a different size such as a king single, double and or a king we can order these especially for you. We will ring you as soon as your order has arrived.

We will also have some warm winter electric throws that are very cozy and some electric heat pads that are great to help alleviate some of those winter aches and pains.

We have our usual range of flannel sheets, throw rugs, blankets, hot water bottles and fun blanket

Professional Catering

Our catering service has been going from strength to strength and we are delighted to be able to provide this service to our community.

Tracey, Natalie and Marilou do a great job preparing customized orders to meet your catering needs.

This includes sandwiches, wraps, muffins and other baking, sausage rolls, fruit platters, soups and hot platters.

We can deliver to your local venue if preferred. We can also meet special dietary requirements.

Please give us as much notice as possible so we can ensure your order is filled exactly as requested.

Our café has been making a delicious “Soup of the Day” which has been selling very well.

The soup varieties to date include:

• Potato and leak – a great starter

• Pea and ham – always popular

• Pumpkin – an old favourite

• Tomato and chorizo – a little bit fancy

• Tomato, bacon and vegetables – warm and homely

• Lamb shank, barley and vegetables – an oldie but a goldie

• Chicken noodle and vegetable – another of the old favourites

• Cream of Cauliflower – very thick and yummy.

Tracey advises there are many more varieties to come and special requests are most welcome.

Paula Brushe General Manager Quairading

Co-op

Out of This World

It has been a very eventful year so far for High Strangeness. At the end of 2023 High Strangeness was featured in The Melbourne Underground Film Festival being selected for the opening night film with Aaron (Casper) winning the “Break Out” talent award for the film. Winners for this award previously include James Wan (The Fast and The Furious Films, The Conjuring Films, Saw Films, Insidious Films) and Greg McLean probably best known for Wolf Creek. High Strangeness was then officially selected for the WA Made Film Festival and was shown to a sold out audience and followed by a Q & A (given by Casper and Britt Hadlow) at the Palace Cinema in Raine Square, Murray Street, earlier this year. It was given amazing audience feedback. Since then our locally shot film was officially selected for a global film festival at Pinewood Studios in London and also officially selected for IIMP Film Festival in Italy which High Strangeness won its selection, taking the award for best experimental horror film-with one of the judges being Michael Biehn, best known as Kyle Reese from The Terminator Films.

There was an article in Ripe Magazine in the Farm Weekly discussing the film and the Editor of Cinema Australia Matthew Eeles calls High Strangeness “a truly out there paranoia sci-fi horror thriller, unlike anything you’re likely to have seen before”. High Strangeness has been taken under contract by a major Australian distribution company for world wide distribution. With contracts already signed and poster work being prepared. High Strangeness will be available on selected streaming services in four months, the film will also be sold to a foreign market so dubbed into other languages such as French, Spanish, Indian etc, sold to television channels in the United States and be available on both DVD and Blu-ray! There will also be a small theatrical release (cinema). At the moment the ‘extras’ are being prepared for the Blu-ray. Such as Director’s Cut, audio commentary and a small tell all documentary about Quairading has been commissioned to be part of it. It is so wonderful that the world is getting to see what a beautiful place Quairading is, and we look forward to showcasing the landscape in upcoming projects with our producer legendary Australian film maker Brian Trenchard-Smith (A favourite director of Quentin Tarantino) who will be coming to Quairading. If you would like to be interviewed for the documentary or just want to find out more about our films, please feel free to ask.

Written by Peta West.

Quairading CWA

Many people think that Country Women's’ Association members are just a group of women sitting around having a cuppa with scones and cream. But you would be wrong there. We may sit around having that cuppa and scones, but we are also discussing what we can do to help the community in Quairading, and also to put our support behind Head Office Initiatives. The Government is listening to our leaders in CWA, you only have to look at what we achieved in retaining the Moora Residential College.

We stand for:

1. Equal rights and service for country and city people.

2. Advocacy in health, housing, education, social services, transport and telecommunications.

3. Assistance with financial and disaster relief.

4. Tackling isolation and promoting mental fitness.

5. Improving train lighting and passive level crossing safety.

6. Clean water.

7. Environmental protection and conservation.

We stand against:

1. Ageism 2. Elder abuse 3. Family and domestic violence

4. Racial discrimination

5. Superannuation inequality

CWA is also involved with the Grandparents rearing Grandchildren Organisations and petitioned for regional St Johns Ambulance Centres be sufficiently funded to provide care to all.

I would like you to remember that your local CWA is part of a larger organisation and if you would like to be part of that organisation please contact Elaine Johnson 0448 475 597 or Heather Wheeler 0449 569 285.

Submitted by Heather Wheeler.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

6th June 1944D-Day (80th anniversary)

FACTS ABOUT D-DAY

The D in D-Day stands for Day and this term was used to describe the first day of any military operation. By 1944, over 2 million troops were in Britain preparing for D-Day. They came from twelve countries: Britain, America, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, The Netherlands, France, Greece, New Zealand, Norway, Rhodesia and Poland. On June 6th, the long awaited Allied landing in Northern France began facing Hitlers’ Atlantic Wall. Over 5,000 ships and landing craft were used to land more than 150,000 Allied troops from United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia, Canada and other Allied countries on beaches in Normandy, as part of the largest seaborne invasion in history. This campaign (know as Operation Overlord) was to last until 24th July 1944.

Early on 6th June, Allied airborne forces parachuted into drop zones across Northern France.

Ground troops then landed across five assault beaches: UTAH – OMAHA – GOLD – JUNO – SWORD.

On 9th June, Allies sink 53 Old ships off Normandy to serve as breakwaters. For the first time since 1904 the R.A.F fly out of French airfields.

A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day, more than 5,000 were wounded. In the battle of Normandy 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 were wounded. Allied bombings of French villages and cities killed around 20,000 French civilians.

13 Australians were killed on D-Day:

• 2 from the Royal Australian Navy

• 11 from the Royal Australian Air Force.

D-Day casualty list:

• Germany, over 6,000

• United States 2501

• United Kingdom 1449

• Canada 391

LEST WE FORGET

Rosemary

Rosemary is an ancient symbol of fidelity and remembrance.

This herb grows wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, where the original Anzacs served in World War 1.

Australians traditionally wear a sprig of rosemary as a symbol of remembrance on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

It is a fitting commemorative symbol to help us remember those who served and those who died serving.

Cutting from plants from Gallipoli were planted in nurseries across Australia to support Avenues of honour.

LEST WE FORGET

Submitted by Heather Wheeler.

Celebrating 30years of Parker House

What a fabulous turnout we had on Tuesday 21st May at the Quairading Town Hall to celebrate 30 years of Parker House. Our guests of honour were most certainly our current residents of Parker House, followed closely by families of past residents, past carers and committee members along with Shire Councillors, fabulous WACHS representatives and our ever-faithful community members.

In addition to 72 people coming together for a catch up we enjoyed two fabulous displays of memorabilia and photos carefully curated by Carolynne Thornton, an excellent overview of the history of Parker House by Graeme Fardon, catering competently coordinated by Donna Hayes, fabulous floral arrangements by Lyn Whyte, a stunning celebration cake created by Mary Edmands, the unveiling of the contents of the Parker House time capsule, an enthusiastic singalong with Bel Canto leader Mary Stacey and a tour of Parker House for interested guests.

Thank you to Shire of Quairading for use of the Town Hall, for setting up tables and chairs and use of the Community Bus. Thanks also to Janet Hall for kindly driving the bus.

My sincere thanks to my fellow Frail & Aged Lodge Committee members in Carolynne Thornton, Donna Hayes, Phyllis Brown, Lyn Whyte, Liz Anderson and Joy Arbusti for their support, hard work and contributions along with support from Shire CEO Natalie Ness, EO Marion Haeusler and HSM Diana Ellison and her team at the Quairading Hospital.

Jo Hayes Chair - QFAL

Long time Secretary/Treasurer Quairading Frail

Our amazing catering crew who coordinated and Aged Lodge Committee, Graeme Fardon, morning tea, light lunch and delicious punch for providing an overview of the history of Parker House. 72 guests.

Maggie Hadlow and Graeme Fardon cutting the

Time capsule contents that sadly did not fare well celebratory cake made by talented local Mary Edmands. after 30 years of containment.

Recollections of the early days of the QFALC and Parker House

Good Afternoon Friends All.

It is a pleasure to be with you today as we celebrate the 30th Birthday of “Parker House”

I acknowledge the Distinguished Guests with us today.

Thankyou Jo and Carolynne for the invitation to be part of the Celebrations and they have asked me to speak on my recollections of the early days of the QFALC and Parker House.

I firstly comment and question on how quickly the last 30 years has passed!

My connection with the Committee commenced when I was appointed Shire Clerk (Position later renamed CEO) of the Shire starting on the 3rd August 1993.

At this time, it was assumed that the new Shire Clerk would also take on the Office of Secretary of the QFALC as the Committee, Council and the Community were undertaking the enormous task of Planning and Fundraising towards the Construction of the Quairading Frail Aged Lodge.

I acknowledge the good work of my predecessor John Martin who ably held the position of Committee Secretary in the formative stages of the Organisation.

My connection with the Committee, Staff & Residents spanned the 28 years that I was Secretary and later Secretary and Treasurer of the Committee until my Retirement from the Shire in December 2021.

There were significant fundraising efforts by the Committee within the Community that many of you here today will recall and would have been actively involved in.

Most of the Fundraising for the Building Construction had been secured by the time of my arrival in Quairading, but I have strong

recollection of the record of significant efforts made to secure Federal Government Approval to have an Aged Care Facility Licence and achieving the Capital Grant funding needed for the construction of the Facility.

The ongoing Aged Care Facility Licence enable the Committee to receive recurrent Government Funding to largely cover the cost of the day to day operations of the Facility.

The Committee was formed following Public Interest Meetings in the early 1990’s, which led to Incorporation of the Organisation on the 8th May 1991. The Foundation Chairperson Frank Smith provided strong leadership to the energetic Foundation Members of the Committee.

Despite the significant Government Funding, the Project (as planned and designed) would not have proceeded without the generous financial contribution from the Estate of the Late Charlie Parker and strong support (both practical and financial) over the years by Jim and Audrey Parker and the “Parker Estate”.

The final Financial Contribution by the “Parker Estate” enabled the Construction of Parker House to proceed with the planned 7 Rooms and a Carer’s Room, plus of course the delightful Sitting Room, Lounge Room and Dining Areas. The Layout was to mirror a large Home rather than an Aged Care Facility. Prior to my arrival in Quairading there had been significant commentary and community debate on the preferred location of “Parker House” with options including land to the South of the Quairading Hospital Campus and the Shire owned land on the corner of Jennaberring Road and Louden Street on the Eastern boundary of the Townsite.

The Shire freehold land option on Lot 2 Jennaberring Road won out over the State Government held land on the Hospital Site. I understand that at that time there was considerable difficulty in securing the commitment of Federal Government Funding for a Community owned Facility to be built on the Hospital grounds. It is also understood

that there were social and community advantages of building Parker House adjoining the Quairading Retirement Village Units which were constructed on the Southwestern portion of the Land in the early to mid 1970’s.

Just prior to August 1993, the Project got the green light and full Funding was secured to enable the Building Contract to be awarded. The Committee had worked closely with Architect Greg Sansom of Greg Sansom & Associates of Perth Metro to achieve the “Homestead” and “Homely” feel of the Parker House.

The Building Contract was let to Builder Mr Maurice Hickey of Westruct Constructions also of Perth.

Mr Maurice Hickey also was the Builder of the enlarged Shire Administration Centre in 1995/96.

Prior to any onsite Building Works, there was significant earthworks to be undertaken by the Shire’s Works Crew and this was an “in kind” contribution by Council towards the Project. I can recall on my starting of employment with Council, visiting the Site and seeing the large mounds of yellow sand imported onto the Site and it being levelled, graded and compacted to ensure that the building would be high above the clay soils that were naturally occurring on the site. I recall Shire Grader Driver Billy Collard and other Members of the Works Team working their machines on the Sand Pad to ensure that Parker House had a firm Foundation on which to be built on.

Building Construction Works progressed smoothly once the Siteworks had been completed. The Construction was under the watchful eye of the Architect, Council’s Building Surveyor and of the very interested Committee Members and the broader Community.

I do recall the excavation of part of the newly prepared Site for the installation of the large “Bio Waste” System to the NE of Parker House (beyond the Memorial Rose Garden) as the clay soils and large size of the building

did not allow for the use of Domestic Septic Tanks and Leach Drains. Many years later this System was removed and sold once the Deep Sewerage System was commissioned in Town by the Water Corporation and Parker House was connected up.

During the Construction Phase, the Committee were hard at work on deciding on the Interior Décor and procuring the Furniture & Equipment requirements to equip and operate “Parker House”.

The Committee were still active on Community fundraising which saw generous donations of electrical goods, furniture, linen etc. from local families, individuals and business houses. Some Grant funding was secured from the then Lotteries Commission to assist with the Carpeting and fit out of the Facility, but most smaller items were donated (Cash and Physical items) by the Community.

The Grant Funding did not stretch to the brickpaving, reticulation and gardens required to make the building a “Home” and there was a concerted effort calling for locals to “donate a pallet of brickpavers”. Again, the Q Community came through with flying colours and all supplies were procured for the Surrounds & Gardens to proceed as planned.

I recall the feverish work undertaken by many volunteers in the lead up to the Official Opening Day to ensure everything was in good order for the day. I recall that we had a minor setback as a storm in the day/s before the Opening Day, required some urgent reworks on the paving and garden beds.

The Opening Day (Saturday 21st May 1994) saw bright sunshine and a large gathering of Locals and Distinguished Guests to celebrate the Opening of this fine facility and for then local State Upper House Member, the Hon Kim Chance to unveil the Plaque and to officially declare “Parker House” open. It was a proud moment for the hardworking Committee and the Q Community as a whole, to see this Project come to fruition.

Now came the even harder work to own and operate this modern Aged Care Facility.

There were many initial challenges for the Committee, including appointment of the inaugural Carer / Administrator Ms Tina Reader and setting up Administration and Care Systems to comply with the everpresent red tape. The Carer / Administrator had an unenviable job of working and living on the premises 6 days per week. This basis of employment proved to be unsustainable and after some period was changed to the roles of Office Administrator, Daytime Carer and a Roster of Carers who worked night times and weekends.

Parker House was filled with many of our Community’s long standing citizens who were quick to call Parker House their “Home” and pleased that they could continue to live in their Community and not need to move away for Aged Care Services.

Over time there were many changes of Staff and to the Administration Structure as the Volunteer Committee juggled the demands of keeping the high Aged Care Standards and the financial viability of a relatively small Aged Care Facility.

It became all too apparent that anything below full occupancy resulted in a funding shortfall that could not be bridged by the Committee from it’s limited funds. This same crisis situation was occurring in other nearby Wheatbelt towns including York and Corrigin.

In discussion with Officers of the WA Country Health Services Officers, including local residents Ray Pozzi and Graeme Leverington, it was proposed to the Department of Health through WACHS to adopt the Multipurpose Service Model (MPS) in the Wheatbelt Region. This saw the transfer of day to day management of Parker House from the Committee to the Quairading Hospital. In return WACHS would receive the funded Residential Aged Care Packages from the Federal Department of Aged Care to offset some of the recurrent expenditure outlays to keep “Parker House” fully functioning. This significant change saw a shift in the Committee’s function from Aged Care

Provider to the Owner of the Facility and leasing the Premises and Surrounds to WA Country Health Service.

This immediately reduced the legislative and financial burden on the Committee and changed its Role significantly.

I acknowledge the Care shown to our Residents by the Staff employed by the Committee from the Opening Day of Parker House until the MPS model was adopted and implemented a number of years later.

I also acknowledge the fantastic level of Care provided to the Parker House Residents in recent years by staff employed by the Quairading Hospital (WACHS) and the significant role undertaken by the current Health Services Manager Diana Ellison in managing “Parker House” in recent years.

I wish to acknowledge the hard work of all Committee Members over the years but, in particular I pay tribute to the persons who held the Office of Committee Chair over the past 30+ years, being Frank Smith, Betty Hudson, Deidre Edwards, Phyllis Brown and Jo Hayes.

I also particularly acknowledge the sterling efforts of the Founding and longstanding Treasurer, the Late Roy Rogers who passed the Financial Books onto me after his many years of solid Volunteer bookkeeping service. It has been a pleasure to work alongside the many Committee Members and to meet most of the Parker House Residents and their Families over my 28 years on the Quairading Frail Aged Committee Inc.

In Closing, I thank Jo and Carolynne for the Invitation to join you all to celebrate this special Milestone.

I wish Parker House and the Committee well for the Future.

Graeme Fardon

QDHS Newsletter

From the Principal's Office

Dear families and friends, It’s certainly been a busy few weeks at Quairading DHS, with many activities and achievements to celebrate.

We’ve had a Red Cross Emergency Preparedness incursion for every class, the Year 4, 5 and 6’s travelled to Dowerin for the Primary Winter Carnival, Year 11 and 12 SIDE students completed their semester 1 ATAR exams and our Year 9/10’s performed admirably at our first assembly for Term 2.

Please note that the Year 4/5 class assembly has been moved to Thursday 13th June. We look forward to seeing as many parents, family members, friends and community at 2pm in the Undercover Assembly area.

Staffing update

After much consideration, Kim Bell has decided not to continue as Deputy Principal - Secondary at Quairading DHS. In consultation with the other members of the Leadership Team, we have decided that maintaining the Secondary Deputy position would be beneficial to Quairading DHS, and that we can fill the role from within our own staffing profile.

Please join me in congratulating Kelsie Squiers who will take on the role of Deputy Principal –Secondary, through to the end of 2024. Quairading DHS will now run a process to appoint a teacher to backfill Kelsie’s teaching load.

Semester 1 Reporting

As outlined in the last newsletter, Quairading DHS will be distributing Semester 1 Reports for students on Wednesday 26th June and holding a Parent – Teacher Interview Day on Tuesday 23rd July (Week 2, Term 3).

Please make an appointment to meet with your classroom teacher/s through the front office. Further details about the Parent – Teacher Interviews will be sent home with Semester 1 Reports.

Michael Oliver Principal

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club programs are an important feature of an inclusive school. Some (but not all) of the benefits of running a Breakfast Club program are:

• Create an environment where students can meet with their peers and eat a healthy breakfast together in a social, informal environment prior to starting school.

• Create an inclusive environment that allows students and staff to come together in an informal and welcoming environment.

• Staff to model respectful interactions regarding sharing food, using respectful manners and having informal conversations with students.

• Provide opportunities for students to learn positive eating habits, in a safe and secure social environment.

• Encourage healthy eating, which is proven to foster better mental health and wellbeing.

• Provide the opportunity to guide students to practice their social skills with staff and other students while eating together in an informal setting.

• Bring students together and provides an opportunity for wellbeing and other staff to check in on student’s wellbeing at the beginning of the day.

This week our team of Breakfast Club volunteers met to discuss opportunities to streamline our operations and add value to the existing program.

Starting Term 2 Week 3, Monday 29 April, the Quairading DHS Breakfast Club will offer the following menu:

• Milo Mondays

• Cheese Toastie Tuesdays

• Wiggly Spaghetti Wednesdays

• Hot Toast Thursdays

• Surprise Fridays

N.B. cereal, milk and juice will be additional standard items available every day.

If you would like to support the Quairading DHS Breakfast Club, we are accepting the following donations:

• Cash – for the purchase of food items not supplied by Foodbank

• Tins of Milo

• Loaves of sliced bread

Primary Winter Carnival

A big congratulations to all the year 4-6 students who attended the Primary Winter Carnival in Dowerin on Friday 24th May.

We entered 2 netball teams, 2 hockey teams and had our football players join our friends in Cunderdin DHS. We had a wonderful day, with fabulous weather. Two of our teams came home with a champion trophy which is an added bonus! Big thanks to Dowerin DHS for hosting the day. A big thanks to all the parent helpers for coaching and umpiring on the day.

Premier’s Reading Challenge 2024!

All QDHS students from Kindergarten to Year 10 are invited to participate in this year’s Premier’s Reading Challenge. The challenge runs from Monday 6 May until Friday 6 September and is a great way to encourage students to develop a love of reading. The challenge asks students to read a minimum of 12 books during this time period. Books used in the challenge can be from home, the local public library and, of course, our school library.

At the end of the challenge, students who complete it will receive a special certificate signed by the premier. Not only is this competition designed to get kids reading, but there are also some fantastic prizes to be won. There will be weekly prize draws just for logging books including Kindles, wireless headphones and cinema vouchers.

Anyone who wishes to participate needs to register online at https:// www.premiersreadingchallenge.wa.edu.au/. Adventures Await!

Gardening in the Wheatbelt

At first glance May’s rain fall doesn’t look too bad. However, when taking into account the temperatures and dry winds during May and the two previous months and the almost totally dry April then we see an entirely different picture emerge. Our soils have dehydrated to the point where we now need a much more consistent and moderately heavy amount of rain before the topsoil is moist enough to sustain seeds into maturity. As I’ve previously stated holding out until we’re assured of consistent rain has probably meant that our winter crops haven’t gone in yet and because we’ve had warm daytime temperatures that is probably not a bad thing. I bought my seedlings about three weeks ago and took them out of the little punnets and potted them up into small pots with good potting mix. I have been spraying them with foliar fertilizer, they have put on strong growth and I now plan to have them in the garden beds during this coming week. Fingers crossed June will be kinder than May in terms of rainfall.

On Wednesday 12th June the members of the Quairading Garden Lovers Group and invited guests are going to Dawsons Rose Nursery and then onto Zanthorrea Nursery. Quairading residents who would like to come on this bus trip please call Lyn Whyte on 0447 450 170 there are only two or three places left. The next GLGG meeting will be on the 26th June at 9:30 at the CRC in Quairading. Please join this very knowledgeable group to learn more about getting the best out of your garden.

Birds add interest, sound and colour to our gardens. They are a huge asset in aiding with our fight against pests and in some cases help to pollinate native plants. So how do we attract birds into our gardens without of course resorting to feeding them, which is strictly prohibited and is always detrimental to their long-term health. Firstly, we need to decide which birds we want in the garden. Large predator birds and seed eating birds are regular visitors in our part of WA but the small birds need a bit more encouragement. Perhaps nectar feeding and insect feeding birds are what we’d like to add to the mix. These birds are usually smaller and less visible especially if they don’t feel safe. So, what we need to do is think like a small bird. The smaller the bird the more vulnerable it is to attack from larger birds and therefore providing cover, food sources and nesting sites will give them the security they need to visit your garden. Some of the plants that can provide this are a variety of native plants including grasses, ground covers, climbers and small to medium shrubs. The following is not an exhaustive list: Kangaroo paw, Pigface, groundcover Banksia, Honeysuckle, Wonga vine, Hakea varieties, Correas, Grevillea varieties, Callistemon sp., Calothamnus and if your garden lacks trees consider a small tree whether evergreen or deciduous which

might provide a nesting place. Providing water is also absolutely crucial to encouraging birds to visit your garden. Birdbaths should be placed close to trees so birds can escape if they feel threatened, the water should be fresh and the birds will only come if the water source is reliable in other words the container shouldn’t be allowed to dry out. Finally using organic fertilisers and organic pest controls will ensure the birds that visit your garden will stay healthy and your garden will also be healthier their being there too.

June in the Garden

It’s time to – it’s going to be a “funny old” time this coming spring because I have no idea what starting two months behind is going to do to our spring flowering times. Normally all the tasks done in April will be being done in June. Prune and take cuttings from deciduous flowering plants like Hydrangeas; reduce watering for indoor plants; take orchids from under shade and place in a protected area where they will receive some winter sun; spread a layer aged manure slow release chicken pellets around fruit trees; take advantage of the cooler temperatures to check for scale pests and spray with eco oil, citrus leaf miner can also be dealt with in this way; spray liquid copper on peach trees that are susceptible to leaf curl; erect covers over frost tender trees and shrubs; add leaves from deciduous trees to your compost; open compost piles to allow rain to moisten the pile but once moist remember cover again and now is the time to do those jobs that have been waiting until cooler weather arrived, it’s here now!

Sow – last month I may have thought it was time to sow seeds for poppies, sweat pea, calendula, primula, and putting in seedlings for foxgloves, stock, cineraria but with warm soils there’s still time. I have removed the weeds and will tackle ant nests in a few new areas of the garden and will be sowing native paper daisies in the first week of June.

Plant – native shrubs and trees will establish well in the warm soils and with rain predicted to continue late into spring this year they will have a good start to cope with summer.

Harvest – All the apples and quinces have now been harvested and oranges and early mandarins will start soon. In the vegetable garden the all the pumpkins have been harvested we are still picking carrots, snake beans, tomatoes and eggplant as well as basil and parsley.

The last word – "Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come."

- Chinese Proverb. I would add keep a green tree in your garden and birds of all sorts will come.

“Pink Lakes Quairading” on Airbnb Sleeps 6

“Red Gum Cottage” on Airbnb Sleeps 6

Rural Aid Services

Written by Roger Hitchcock

In my travels talking to people I have been reminded that not everyone realises the practical assistance Rural Aid also provide. Especially when Farmers are facing or have experienced natural events such as fires, floods, cyclones and drought. So I’ve decided to use this month’s article to highlight the support ‘other than counselling’ Rural Aid provides. Especially in these trying times.

Rural Aid currently supports around 18,000 registered farmers across all agricultural sectors in Australia and collaborates with over 60 small rural towns to foster community development. Our efforts predominantly support family-run farms, encouraging farming families to register and utilise our services to assist with resilience and growth.

Rural Aid began in 2015 with the ‘Buy a Bale' initiative to help Queensland farmers in drought. At this time a lot of WA farmers assisted by donating hay and funds. This included WA farmers and truckies taking a truck convoy of hay over the Nullarbor. Rural Aid since then has expanded its services and initiatives to include, investing in strong communities, mental health counselling, disaster support, and support for sustainable agriculture practices. Rural Aid's central commitment remains providing support to farmers and rural communities in the recovery from Natural Disaster.

Below are the current initiatives assistance and services Rural Aid as a whole team working together provides.

• Disaster Assistance:

 Fodder

 Domestic water

 Domestic water tanks

 Disaster Financial Assistance

 Farm recovery Events.

• www.FarmArmy.com.au free job hosting platform for Farmers

• Free mental health and wellbeing - counselling services

 "One conversation at the right time with the right person can change everything."

• Sustainable Ag Educational resources: Rural Aid Education Funding

• Community Development Programs

• Community Engagement

Accessing assistance does require Farmers to register online with Rural Aid and provide proof that they are a registered Rural Farming business. But registering does have its advantages. In the last few weeks farmers who had registered in the Southwest after the fire event in 2022 phoned and requested hay and water assistance. As their details were all set up the process to get this aid to these farmers was easier. Even where you may feel your OK now, registering does not mean you need help now and does not mean you have to talk to a mental health counsellor. But if in the future a natural event occurs Rural Aid will call you as you are registered. When in hard times you will be able to access assistance as the required registration paperwork has been done. Everything has some red tape.

For more detailed information about our initiatives and support, please phone 1300 327 661 or visit Rural Aids website at https://www.ruralaid.org.au/about/

Remember to look after yourself and those around you. You are the expert on how you are feeling both physically and emotionally. If you are struggling reach out and ask for help.

Quairading Photo Club

MAY 2024 PHOTO COMPETITION SUBJECT

“PERSON AT WORK”

GOLD: GEOFF (BRAD WORKING ON A MUSTANG ENGINE)

SILVER: RUSSELL (POURING A COCKTAIL NAMED QUAIRADING PINK)

BRONZE: RUSSELL (MICK THE QDG POSTIE DELIVERING MAIL)

The May photo competition subject was “PERSON AT WORK”.

For this subject the photos in the competition captured a pic that is telling a story.

Whilst taking these photos we were also doing a little bit of portrait photography. When setting up the composure of our pic we used the knowledge that we had gleaned over the years of how to make a portrait photo better. There is certainly a vast array of pics you can take here in Quairading of people working in the wheatbelt that is so different of what is available to photograph of someone working in Perth or London or New York cities.

People at work photos capture a pic of someone usually doing something with a focus point on their hands. The hands in your pic then tell a story of what that person is doing. There are people at work photos everywhere on advertising posters, these pics show the emotional or intellectual energy or intensity being revealed by the person in a person at work pic. These pics can look deep into the soul of a person and capture a connection to an emotional level of just what they are actually doing at their work. The pic you capture then creates a discussion of what’s happening and what the person is doing for work. Our pics then lead onto an important point akin to taking a portrait pic. Which is to have a discussion about the person in our pic and what they are going to achieve when the work task has been completed.

At the photo club meetings this is what we do, we discuss the photographs entered in the competition and this leads onto another chat discussion. Some keen photographers quote, That you must discuss your pics that leads onto having a fun discussion.

For example whilst critiquing our photos at the meeting we discussed how doing work on farms has changed. If you took a photo of a farmer planting a crop for a person at work pic100 years ago it would be a photo of hard yakka, like working with horses to plant a crop. This discussion then leads onto another discussion of what will a people at work photo be like of a farmer planting a crop in another 100 years. Humans at work on a tractor may be replaced by robots and computer systems and Artificial Intelligence doing tasks that at present day are done by humans. Artificial Intelligence is a machine were a computer mimics how humans think in order to perform tasks such as reasoning, learning and problem solving.

I guess there will come a day in Quairading when a robot will be the worker that operates farm machinery. We already have autonomous dump trucks in the mining industry and robot jockeys used in camel racing in the Middle East countries that replace the human driver doing the work. Taking a photo of a person at work on a farm in another 100 years will be a lot different than the days of a farmer in Quairading operating a horse drawn machine in the blazing sunshine over this 200 year period of time,

Recently we had a little one hour activity at the Vintage Club taking pics. We had a list of five types of photograph to take, with subjects like, leading lines, depth of field, curves and two other subjects. At our last meeting we then showed and discussed our best two pics of each of the five styles. This was a fun activity to do and practise adjusting the many camera and lens settings and then discuss our pics when shown on the big TV screen. Activities like a walk around the Quairading Vintage Club taking pics with your camera is a great way to get out do something that costs nothing and talk to each other about what and why we are taking a pic of.

Anybody can join the Quairading Photo Club. We meet at the Quairading CRC at 7pm on the 2nd Tuesday. Currently we need to get some more members, so if you have thought about checking out a Photo Club meeting, just roll up. You don’t need a flash camera, a lot of us use our mobile phones to take our winning pics.

Warrior Wellbeing Article

Societal Violence

An important question we all need to be asking ourselves as a community member is how can we reduce overall societal violence?

We need to consider that the majority of violence in our society is men on men and it goes largely unreported to the police and has limited exposure in the media because it is too common a subject. Why is all the focus on male violence to females when all violence is abhorrent, evil and sick?

Under the umbrella of societal violence, men on men violence, statistically is the largest category (69% of all murder victims) and until this is recognised, talked about and addressed, all the other statistics relating to violence, in particular family/domestic violence, will be hard to change.

This is a tough conversation to have but it needs to be had. The historical background of our society, through thousands of years, has defined men by events that have condoned, championed, accepted and normalized violent actions. Many historical and current events are horrific and violent, such as the invasion of other countries, civil war, ethnic cleansing, and sporting contests both in the gladiator/roman days and today with modern day cage fighting as an example. This type of violence, usually men against men, is often called entertainment. Society justifies and supports it every day.

Traditionally for blokes our fight or flight sequence is fear, anger and then aggression. When we are talking with angry young (and old) men we need to continually put into place positive strategies reinforcing that physical aggression and violence against anybody is not condoned and should not be part of modern society.

Family/domestic violence can happen in any relationship and can happen to any socioeconomic group. Victims can be men, women or children, perpetrators can be men or women. Family/ domestic violence encapsulates not just physical abuse but also emotional or psychological abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and financial abuse. Recognising that you are in a violent relationship is an important first step. Things will not change for the better if you do nothing.

There are many commentators on family/domestic violence, and it is disappointing that the majority ignore men and children. Do people realise that one in three victims of reported domestic/family violence is male? Therein lies the philosophical problem when we don’t balance out the whole discussion. We need to be having an ongoing holistic community discussion on the broader issue of societal violence.

Just to repeat family/domestic violence is a subset of the total picture of violence, and in our opinion, we will struggle to stop family/domestic violence without discussing the bigger picture. Random violent acts are being broadcast by social media continually, thus delivering instant gratification, adoration and promoting this violence in society as acceptable and normal.

All of us men need to be having a serious discussion about tackling violence in our lives and saying yes to stopping violence against each other, against women, against children, and against the community.

As always, remember before it all gets too much Talk to a Mate®!!

NYT Connections!

Find groups of four items that share something in common. EG Types of Fish: Bass, Flounder, Salmon Trout. FIRE ___: Ant, Drill, Island, Opal. Categories will always be more specific than “5 letter words” , “Names” or “Verbs”. Here’s an example, or you can play a new puzzle every day online. Just Google “NYT Connections”.

DAUNT, RATTLE. __ Market: BULL, FLEA, MEAT, STOCK.

Anglican Church (St Faith’s)

Worship in June, Parish of St Faith’s, Quairading

Darnley Island Story of the Coming of the Light, Darnley Island Art Gang

St Faith’s Church, Quairading

Sunday, 2nd June

Sunday, 9th June

Saturday, 15th June

9.00 a.m. Plough Sunday & Second Sunday after Pentecost

9.00 a.m. Third Sunday after Pentecost – Morning Prayer

5.30 p.m. Fourth Sunday after Pentecost – Eucharist

Sunday, 23rd June 9.00 a.m. Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – Morning Prayer

Tuesday, 25th June

Sunday, 30th June

Sunday, 16th June

6.30 p.m. Founder’s Day, The Hale School

10.00 a.m. Combined Churches’ Service, Quairading St Andrew’s Church, Greenhills

9.30 a.m. Plough Sunday & Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Annual Plough Sunday services will take place at 9.00 a.m. on 2nd June at St Faith’s Church, Quairading and at 9.30 a.m. on 16th June at St Andrew’s Church, Greenhills. After Greenhill’s service worshippers are invited to have lunch together at Greenhill’s Inn. Come and join our prayers for a bounteous season.

The Annual Meeting of the Parish of St Faith’s Quairading will take place on Tuesday, 4th June at 5 p.m.

Founder’s Day, The Hale School marks the admission of the first student to the school on 28th June, 1858. Old Haleians, boarding families of The Hale School, and local parishioners are welcome, to a service honouring the occasion and the School at 6.30 p.m. at St Faith’s Church, Quairading, on Tuesday, 25th June.

Combined Churches Service, Quairading – At 10.00 a.m. on the Fifth Sunday in June members of the Quairading Parish will be joined by members of the parishes of Beverley-Brookton, York, Northam, Bruce Rock and Narembeen, for a combined service celebrating the Festival of The Coming of Light. This festival recalls when missionaries of the London Missionary Society landed at Erub (Darnley) Island in the Torres Strait on 1st July 1871, introducing Christianity to the region. The Coming of Light service honours a significant moment in the life of the Anglican Church of Australia and the people of the Torres Strait. The service will be followed by a “bring and share” lunch.

Catholic Church (St Francis Xavier)

June 2024

Confession: Contact Father Matthew at any time. Father Matthew Hodgson. Phone: 9061 1094 Email: brucerockparish@gmail.com

Feast Days in June

2nd: The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 7th: The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 24th: The Nativity of St John the Baptist 29th: Sts Peter and Paul, Apostles

Uniting Church

Sunday 2nd June Service 10. 30am, M. Beadle. Sunday 9th June Service 10. 30am , Cafe Church, Sunday 16th June Service 10. 30am P. West, Sunday 23rd June Service 10. 30am A. West. Sunday 30th June Service 10. 30am T.

C. Gimbel

D. Wood

June Birthdays

2nd June

4th June

5th June

6th June

8th June

9th June

10th June

11th June

12th June

13th June

14th June

15th June

Amber Bond, Courtney Hayes

Stacie Davies, Kent Stone, Godfrey (Charlie) Colbung

Allira Winmar, Rhein Pritchard

Jane Johnston, Annette Atkinson, Joanne Van Elden, Mark Robinson, Joan Bartlett, Haydyn Richards, Vincent Stacey, Russell Stacey

Janice Clemens-Sinclair

Gwen Hards, Eric Hayes

Darren Hart, Bob Maynard

Kaydee Hayes

Carly Stewart, Lindsay George (Gadget)

Sandra Stone, Leanne Morgan

Cynthia Yarran

Bobbie-Jo Simpson, June Hardingham, Tim Shenton, Lance Clemens, Rohan Johnston, 16th June

17th June

18th June

20th June

21st June

23rdJune

24th June

25th June

27th June

28th June

30th June

Cheryl Stone, Paige Morgan Woods

Joshua Heal, Sam Caporn, Tim Fardon

Donna Hayes, Carrie Jarman

Richard Edmands, Graeme Edmands

Wendy Bubb, Jake Stacey, Stacie Tompsett, Jarque Stone

Jason Caporn, Jan Dawson

Nathan Seivwright, Chris Lawrence

Brendon Stone, Johnathan Stroud

Cheryl Shenton, Alex Stacey, Graeme Fardon

Apryl Longford, David Whyte

Emily Powell, Lauren Passmore, Ethan Brown

Meals at Home Quairading Driver’s Roster June 2024