NEWS DESK
Council recognises, rewards community works Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au THE president of the Friends of Wallace Reserve, David Cross, has been named 2016 Frankston City Citizen of the Year. Mr Cross joined Senior Citizen of the Year Alan Quaife at a special Australia Day citizenship ceremony last Tuesday (26 January) at Frankston Arts Centre to receive a commemorative certificate from Frankston mayor Cr James Dooley. “David Cross and Alan Quaife have given so much to our community and I’m proud to recognise their selfless achievements as we honour them as our 2016 Citizens of the Year,” Cr Dooley said. “They are inspiring and courageous and lead by example, displaying our Australian values and the importance of community spirit, volunteering and giving support to others throughout Frankston.” Mr Cross, 56, is an active member of the Rotary Club of Frankston and Foundation and also works with Guides, Scouts, disability groups and school councils alongside his conservation work at Wallace Reserve. “It’s a great surprise and is humbling. It’s an acknowledgement and award for a team effort from so many people who help and support and mentor me in my volunteer roles around Frankston,” he said. Senior Citizen of the Year Alan Quaife, 70, has devoted his life to helping those most in need such as refugees, the homeless, the mentally
Australian values: Alan Quaife, left, David Cross, Pastor Ulli Rothstein de Roldan and Reverend Angel Roldan received top citizenship awards on Australia Day.
ill and addicts. The former Collingwood and Fitzroy VFL player decided to establish the Reclink Dolphins Football Team in 2014 to give the disadvantaged a chance to improve their lot in life. “I felt very overwhelmed, it’s sensational and recognition of what we volunteers and the team do,” he said. Mr Quaife says the Reclink team “changes the lives” of the players
“and gives them goals in life itself”. Many have had a bad upbringing and Mr Quaife says they often “take drugs to forget and get hooked”. “All anyone wants is friendship, love and acceptance. That’s what they need.” The Recklink coach says he notices team members’ personalities change “and they begin to laugh”. “It’s like a family,” Mr Quaife said.
The 70-year-old is also involved in cricket, basketball and ten-pin bowling games for Reclink. The Colour of Hope exhibition, an event giving disadvantaged youth access to the arts and a chance to receive professional coaching and public recognition, hosted by Life Gate’s Reverend Angel Roldan and Pastor Ulli Rothstein de Roldan was named the 2016 Community Event
of the Year. At this year’s Australia Day citizenship ceremony in Frankston 96 adults and eight children from 30 different countries became Australian Citizens. “The Frankston City community is proud and excited to welcome our new Australian citizens to our municipality and we embrace them and wish them well,” Cr Dooley said.
Emily on track to help Kokoda villagers Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au CARING for others is not just Emily Vagg’s job, it’s a passion. The 31-year-old Peninsula Health nurse is heading off to Papua New Guinea next month to spread the word about health education to isolated villagers along the Kokoda Track. The trip, part of a No Roads Kokoda expedition, will see a team of health professionals visit remote villages along the Kokoda Track to dispense health advice and treatment if needed. It will certainly be a change of scene from Ms Vagg’s day job as a nurse at the Intensive Care Unit at
Frankston Hospital. “I’ve always wanted to branch out and use those skills elsewhere for the less fortunate,” Ms Vagg, a 10-year-veteran at the hospital, said. “It never seemed to be the right time to do volunteer work overseas but this is a wonderful opportunity to trek the Kokoda Track and experience that as well.” Ms Vagg says maternal and child health will be a focus for the team of about ten visiting the villages since mortality rates for women in childbirth and children under the age of five in PNG are high compared to western countries. The lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy for a PNG mother is 1 in
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20 and 1 in 12 children die before 5 years of age, according to the No Roads Kokoda organisation. “The idea of the trek is to provide a lot of health education as well as trying to strengthen the relationships between the Kokoda villages and the health provider that is there to help teach them,” Ms Vagg said. “There’s no point us giving them a machine they can’t use three weeks after we’ve left – it needs to be sustainable.” The expedition will be flown in to the middle of the Kokoda Track to give help to the most isolated villages along the trail and the volunteers will trek through tough jungle terrain for about five to six hours per day between villages.
Ms Vagg said she is “really excited” about the trip and the chance to help Kokoda villagers along the way. The team will hire guides from the villages to ensure money also goes to those most in need. n The No Roads Kokoda expedition will begin on 11 March until 18 March. Donations to help fund Emily’s journey including flights, insurance and guide fees can be made online at mycause.com.au (search for ‘Emily Vagg’) or by depositing money at ANZ Bank, BSB 013 483, account no: 490227661, reference: 3063. See noroads.com. au for further details about the expedition.
Kokoda bound: Nurse Emily Vagg will help PNG villagers on trek.
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1 February 2016
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