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NEWS
Cairns Local News
Friday November 27, 2020
Join the reindeer hunt TANYA MURPHY
CHRISTMAS is the time to give back to your community and this silly season, a group of 30 local businesses are combining forces to give back in a massive way! The businesses have donated $10,000, of which $5000 will go to a lucky winner, and the other $5000 will be donated to a local charity. The winner can choose to donate the $5000 to any of the following organisations: Cairns Organisation United for Cancer Health, Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation, Kick On, Wheels of Wellness, and YAPS Animal Refuge.
Practical solutions to youth crime NICOLE GIBSON Despite a lack of commitment from major parties at the recent Queensland State election, the Crime and Justice Action Group (CJAG) are pushing forward with their 12-point plan to tackle youth crime, with a focus on rehabilitation. Section four of CJAG’s plan outlines a proposal to fund the construction of an education and employment sentencing academy and programs targeting serious youth offenders. The academy will focus on identifying the cause of a youth’s offending and provide rehabilitation programs targeting mental health, nutrition and wellness, skills building and education, with pathways into employment, training and entrepreneurship. Two local men who have experienced first-hand what a program of this nature can do are CJAG spokesperson Aaron McLeod and Almaden local Alwyn Lyall. Both men were students at the Petford Training Academy, which the CJAG model is based on, and credit the program for giving them a solid foundation to become self-sufficient and create
success in their lives. Mr McLeod said he was sent to Petford at 15 by his father after he decided to leave school. “My father said if you don’t go to school and you don’t get a job, you’re going up to Norma who was Geoff Guest’s wife,” McLeod said. Petford’s rigorous program included teaching students horsemanship, mustering cattle, farming and growing food. Having forged a successful career in government and business, McLeod said the routine, discipline and respect he learnt at Petford gave him the confidence he needed to pursue education and employment opportunities. “I had a lot more respect for my parents, for my home and getting an education which subsequently I went on to do and I went on to get employment,” McLeod said. From here, McLeod said the flow on effects of the what he learnt carried him throughout his life, even giving him the resilience to recover and continue onto business success after a serious car accident left him an amputee. “It’s a matter of being able to make decisions and problem
solve, for us to make the right decisions as adults, then we can become independent, we can become resourceful,” he said. “We can not only protect ourselves, we can develop the skills, the knowledge, the characteristics to be able to help other people and contribute to causes and a purposeful, meaningful life.” Almaden man Alwyn Lyall also knows first-hand how early intervention can change lives. Mr Lyall said he was on the brink of getting into trouble as a youngster when he started attending Petford. He now manages a land trust in Cape York exporting timber and passes the knowledge he learnt onto others. “I’m lucky enough to use Old-Man’s (Geoff Guest) stuff throughout my whole life,” he said. “We’ve just started exporting to China and I have eight boys from Mareeba started up there working and they’re doing really well. “The foundation of anybody, man or woman, is you’ve gotta know how to work, you’ve gotta know how to live your life and not depend on anybody.”
To enter, all you need to do is help track down missing fugitive Ralph the Reindeer who has been photographed hiding in various local businesses. Starting on Monday, November 23 and continuing until Tuesday, December 22, a new picture of Ralph in a new local business along with a written clue, will be posted every day on the ‘Adllins Media’ Facebook page. If you think you know where
Help is sought in tracking down missing fugitive Ralph the Reindeer who has been photographed hiding in various local businesses over the past week. Ralph is hiding, you can enter the competition at any time before the closing date at 11:59am on December 23.
ly, like the Facebook page of every business that you think Ralph visited, and also like the Adllins Media Facebook page.
Simply enter your answer for each day whenever you like and save your progress until all days are complete, before submitting your completed entry form.
The first entry drawn which meets the criteria and has all businesses listed correctly will win the prize!
To be eligible you must name all 30 business correct-
For more information and to register, visit: www.adllinsmedia.com.au/ ralph.
Young people love our natural assets YOUNG people rank the region’s natural assets as the top reason they love living in Cairns, followed by the relaxed lifestyle and the great weather. That’s according to the inaugural Our Cairns Youth Survey, which was one of two community surveys undertaken by Council from August 28 to October 16. Overall, 8065 people responded to both surveys – 6786 completed the Our Cairns Survey for people aged over 18, while 1279 people responded to the Youth Survey for people aged under 18. Almost 80 per cent of respondents to the Youth Survey said exploring the region’s natural outdoor areas (beaches, creeks and waterfalls) was their favourite reason for living in Cairns. This reflected in their
responses to what facilities they frequented, with beaches (83%) top of the list, followed by the Esplanade (80%), parks and sporting facilities (67%), walking tracks (58%) and the Lagoon (46%). When it came to their future, getting a job (61%) and having enough money (60%) were the two greatest concerns for young people, along with mental health (50%), getting into university (43%) and climate change (30%). Notably, half of the respondents in the Youth Survey planned to leave Cairns once they completed school, with 62% intending to return to the city in the future. The main reason for leaving was for study (48%), followed by the allure of a bigger city (26%).
Almost three-quarters of the young people who responded to the survey (74%) have not been a victim of crime over the past two years. Most young people indicated they feel safe in their suburb, with 50% feeling safe all the time and 28% feeling safe during the day. Unfortunately, 4% do not feel safe anytime. For those respondents who have been a victim of crime, they have been impacted by theft (71%), harassment (23%), assault (19%), bullying (18%) or sexual assault (12%). Go to www.cairns.qld.gov. au/council/have-say/closed/ ourcairns for the full list of results.
