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FRIDAY, 27 JANUARY 2023
HEALTH & EDUCATION
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Lachlan and Janine join Youth Taskforce Janine Southwell of Terrigal and Lachlan Middlemiss of Umina Beach will represent the Central Coast as members of the 2023 Regional Youth Taskforce, providing operational advice to the NSW Government to advance the needs of young people in the regions. Minister for Regional Youth Ben Franklin said 18 new young leaders from across regional had been selected from more than 140 applicants and include two young people from each of the state’s nine regions. They will meet throughout the year to focus on the NSW Regional Youth Framework pillars: work readiness, wellbeing, connectivity and community, Franklin said. “Throughout the year the taskforce will join me and senior representatives from Government and its agencies to have their say about services, programs and infrastructure that is important to them,” Franklin said. “The Government knows there’s no better way to be informed on the issues that
Lachlan Middlemiss
matter to young people in regional and rural NSW than to hear them directly from this exceptional group of young people. “In the role, our 18 new members will hone their skills in driving policy change, advocate for real outcomes for young people, and provide a voice for regional youth within the NSW Government.” Lachlan Middlemiss, who attends St Philip’s Christian College in Gosford, said he had applied to join the taskforce because he wanted to advocate for issues important to the
Janine Southwell
youth of the Central Coast. “My biggest issue is mental health support – making sure it is accessible for everyone,” he said. “I feel very strongly about inclusion and that the emotional and mental needs and issues of young people are met. “I especially want to see changes around waiting times. “I have head of some people having to wait three months for an appointment with headspace. “A lot of young people are struggling with their mental
health, especially in the wake of the COVID lockdowns.” Lachlan also hopes to advocate more more career guidance for young people. “A lot of people are concerned about this,” he said. “In schools, there is not much guidance on what people should be doing to align with their career pathways and I’d like to see that change.” For Janine Southwell, who attends Central Coast Grammar School, said she had a passion for youth advocacy. “I do a lot of debating and
public speaking and last year participated in the Youth Parliament program,” she said. “I thought being on the Youth Taskforce would be a great opportunity.” Like Lachlan, Janine believes mental health support is one of the largest issues affecting youth on the Central Coast. “Regional and rural areas are having difficulties in assessing long-term mental health care, especially since COVID,” she said. “I also think it is important to try to keep young people in regional areas by making sure
they are not forgotten. “A lot of people, when they finish school, move to Sydney or Newcastle. “We need to work to keep them so regional areas can be developed. “I am really excited for the opportunity to speak on behalf of my peers and regional youth in general. “This is a unique opportunity to work alongside members of parliament who will actually listen to what we have to say about policies affecting young people.” Franklin thanked the outgoing 2022 Regional Youth Taskforce for its input guiding major NSW Government policy decisions. “Some of the 2022 Taskforce’s achievements include raising awareness of the need for more mental health support for regional young people, improving messaging to youth about the harms of vaping and inclusion and awareness for LGBTQIA+ young people living in the regions,” he said. For more information on the Regional Youth Taskforce, visit: nsw.gov.au/ RegionalYouthTaskforce. Terry Collins
Men stepping out to boost wellbeing An increasing number of men are discovering the body and soul benefits of a new men’s walk and talk group at Tuggerawong. There was a strong turnout for the first walk in December and more men are joining in every Thursday to leisurely walk and chat along the 5km round trip between Saturday St and March St on the foreshore Tuggerawong pathway. Organiser and mental health speaker, Craig Ball, is a veteran who’s lost a lot of mates to suicide over the years and decided to do something about it. “The walk is intended to get
men out to talk, get some fresh air and work on their mental health,” he said. “It’s about having a conversation, ending isolation and doing something good for our health, both mental and physical – great for the soul, great for the mind. “If you don’t think you can make the full 5km distance, don’t let that discourage you, just walk as far as you can and come along anyway to meet the guys, have a chat and get some fellowship that way. “There’s an increasing number of men each week, it really feels like a community, a safe and open environment
completely free of judgement where all of us are here to listen. “Ending isolation and improving our health starts with each of us. “Bring a mate, bring your dog, and remember no one walks alone so join in and meet some friends,” Ball said. He’s at the Saturday St meeting place at about 6.30pm every Thursday and the walkers set off at about 7.05pm for the hour long amble. More information is available on the Facebook page Central Coast Men’s Walk and Talk. Sue Murray
Some of the men walking along Tuggerawong pathway
PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE VODAFONE & OPTUS MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION (INCLUDING 5G) ON THE MONOPOLE LOCATED AT: 10-16 MINGARA DRIVE, TUMBI UMBI, NSW, 2261 RFNSA SITE NO. 2261006 1. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new Optus and Vodafone equipment and associated works (including 5G), as follows: • Replace the existing Triangular Headframe with a Square Headframe at 24m • Removal of six (6) Vodafone/Optus panel antennas • Installation of three (3) twin beam passive antennas (no more than 2.8m in length) • Installation of three (3) single beam passive antennas (no more than 2.8m in length) • Reuse of one (1) Nokia GPS Antenna and one (1) Ericsson GPS Antenna • Removal of fifteen (15) existing remote radio units • Installation of twelve (12) Nokia and thirteen (13) Ericsson remote radio units (maximum size 560mm X 308mm) • Installation of six (6) Ericsson and three (3) Nokia active antenna units • The reconfiguration of existing technologies and addition of new technologies for 3G/4G/5G systems • The installation of ancillary equipment including but not limited to: new mounts, fibre and electrical cabling, and reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and in the existing equipment shelter 2. Optus & Vodafone regards the proposed installation as a Low-impact Facility under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 based on the description above.
Lic: 173676C
3. In accordance with Section 7 of C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, we invite you to provide feedback about the proposal. Further information and/or comments should be directed to: communityconsultation@ventia.com, telephone (+61 2 4904 5507) or postage to Level 1, South Tower, 10 Browning Street, West End QLD 4101 Australia by COB Friday, 10 February 2023.