Once again we hit the last quarter of the year, and this normally is the busiest for the centre! We are all looking forward to completing activities and projects and starting to wrap up things as we prepare to have a well deserved break for a couple of weeks during the Christmas Holidays! This is the time when we all become very busy preparing for our year end parties and get together which is always fun and exciting to do!
We are very eager to see the final stages of our Creative Freedom Project under the Youth Network Program. We are very proud of the artwork produced by the young participants under the mentorship of Willy Paes and Jenni Saunders. We are in the thick of preparation for our ‘Thank You Evening’ which is coming very soon! Once the mural and the rest of the artworks are completed, these amazing creations, of this group of young participants will be available for the public to view next month. Another announcement will be made in relation to this. If anyone is interested to sponsor Creative Freedom 2023 under the Youth Network Program, please drop us an email at programs@maryboroughnc.org.
Next year, we will straight away get ready for our ‘OUT & ABOUT’ project in conjunction with the celebration of Youth Week. We have already secured some business sponsors for this, however if anyone else is Interested to support this project for young people, please contact us. We are also looking for community organisations (servicing young people) to be partners for this project. To know more please contact us at 4121 2141 or email programs@maryboroughnc.org.
As 2022 comes to an end, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for supporting the centre one way or another! A BIG SHOUT OUT to all our volunteers, staff & management for doing what they do! It does make a lot of difference if you have a great team who are dedicated, committed and works well together! MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL! Until next time! Gay
Hi all.
It’s Leah here, Recovery Officer with Red Cross in partnership with the Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre. Thanks for reading this article about preparing, responding and recovering from an emergency or natural disaster.
Well, we are well and truly in storm season, having already experienced flood and severe weather warnings. On 27.10.22 we held a “secure your safety and mental health” information session on preparing for a natural disaster presented by Brendan Guy of FCRC, Craig Adams from QFES, Wolfgang and Suka from SES, and myself. Lots of information shared, if you want more tips or missed the session come in to the Centre and chat. Our main message was emotionally and physically PREPARE and PLAN for a natural disaster and PRACTICE this plan.
I will leave you all with an activity that’s great for calming stress and anxiety, you can do it anywhere and anytime, all you need is some food such as a biscuit, lolly, grape, strawberry, anything really and a calm comfortable place to sit. Once you have this, take a few slow deep breathes and feel yourself slow your breathing. When ready, and you can close your eyes if your comfortable to, place a piece of food into your mouth. Let it just sit there, maybe roll it around with your tongue. Notice how if feels, it’s shape, it’s texture, it’s taste. Keep your breathing slow and deep. When your ready, take a slow bite of the food and notice what happened, how it feels, how it tastes, how it changes its shape, it’s texture. Continue to slowly chew and notice the changes. When your ready swallow. Notice the taste that’s left, how your feeling. Repeat if you want to. Hopefully this activity calms your breathing, clears your thoughts, brings your focus back to the now and allows you to think clearer.
I can be contacted through the Neighbourhood Centre by either just dropping in, ringing 4121 2141 or sending me an email, lobrien@redcross.org.au, if you need anything Recovery related.
Take care, Leah
A co-location partnership with the Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre and the Australian Red Cross 27 October 2022 An information session hosted by the Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre and the Australian Red Cross.The Cancer Support Program is a support group providing a welcoming & supportive environment for people who have survived or going through any type of cancer and their families. Our program also offers our fortnightly social phone call initiative. If you would like to be part of the group or to register for our social phone call initiative or if you just want more information, please contact 07 4121 2141 or email programs@maryboroughnc.org.
‘
When the centre started the Sewing Program, its initial objective was just to deliver classes for Beginners at no cost. Since it started more than a year ago, it has evolved to having a more meaningful objective through the creation of The Sewing Circle. Ladies of the sewing circle are participants of the sewing classes who have been recruited to participate in the centre’s social enterprise project. Under the supervision of a very capable volunteer coordinator, the group produce sewing projects that the centre sells to support the sewing program and other community projects of the centre. Throughout the duration of the program, the ladies managed to create a variety of items to support its zero waste and ‘going green’ objectives, including their useful items that are re usable. Continuity of the project depends largely on recruited volunteers from the sewing class and from more experienced volunteers. All projects created through this program are available to view at the centre’s website www.maryboroughneighbourhoodcentre.org.If interested to purchase or order any of the items please contact centre reception on 4121 2141.
The Cancer Support Program welcomed guest speakers Leah O’Brien from Red Cross and Tahnee & Jane from Wellways. The topics covered were about community recovery and well being & mental health and services available for carers. If you want to be included in our CSP Fortnightly Social phone call, contact 07 4121 2141 or email programs@maryboroughnc.org to register your name.
Romcom | Aboriginal & English | Subtitles in English Starring Miranda Tapswell, Gwilym Lee Approximate runningtime 113minutes
Lauren and Ned are engaged, and they have just ten days to find Lauren’s mother who has gone AWOL somewhere in the remote far north of Australia, reunite her parents and pull off their dream wedding.
Hervey Bay Library
Thursday 10 November | 12:30pm
Maryborough Library
Tuesday 22 November | 10am
The Maryborough Interagency Network Meeting is a bi monthly meeting attended by community service workers in Maryborough and surrounds to discuss current activities and programs and potential ways of working together as a community. Meetings are informal but with structure and long enough for attendees to develop opportunities to meet our specific program goals.
Meeting dates for 2023
* 14 February * 11 April
* 13 June
* 8 August * 10 October
Meetings are held at the Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre or via Microsoft TEAMS from 9.15am 10.30am and booking is essential if you wish to attend. To book your attendance please call 4121 2141 or email admin@maryboroughnc.org.
Ladies Friday Night dance party and Birthday celebration for our dance instructor Lorna! Everyone came in their cowboy inspired attire, yummy spread, and lots of dancing…oh and Dolly Parton came by to join in the dancing!
JOIN OUR REGULAR SESSION EVERY FRIDAY!
The delivery of Multicultural programs is one of the many strengths of the service. Through the years, the centre has achieved significantly in the implementation of programs that benefitted members of the migrant community. Through it’s own initiatives and in partnerships with relevant services and programs that support diversity, awareness and understanding of cultures. Activities in the form of cultural events, multicultural workshops, information sessions and community education were implemented and is continuously being planned and implemented.
The Asian Women’s Group formerly known as the Asian Women’s Development Program is now part of MDP as a sub program. MDP continues to accept membership into the program and encourage all migrants to be a member for an opportunity to be part of future multicultural activities and projects.
The centre is offering assistance in completing and understanding forms on a Friday BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!!! We have a volunteer who is willing to have a look and help you complete and understand your forms.
PLEASE be aware that some forms and documents might be too difficult for our volunteer and therefore cannot assist you, but every attempt will be made by our volunteer to refer you on to another organisation or individual who might be able to assist further.
To make an appointment with our volunteer, contact centre reception on 4121 2141 or email admin@maryboroughnc.org
NOTE: Please be advised that if your need for support in completing forms is urgent, the centre WILL NOT be able to assist you as this FREE service is being provided to you by our kind volunteers at a time that they are available. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.
English Mentoring provides the opportunity to newly arrived and settled migrants to learn basic conversational English from a volunteer tutor. The program also offers mentoring for advanced grammar and writing practice. Pre assessment is conducted to assess the appropriateness of the program to the need of the participant. The delivery of this community program depends highly on the availability of a volunteer tutor.
Literacy mentoring is provided on a case to case basis. Flexible entry and exit and depends largely on the availability of volunteers. The centre will make the effort to match a client with a volunteer tutor to provide one on one support. Pre assessment is conducted to assess client need vis à vis the resources available and ability of the volunteer tutor to provide the required support or more information, please contact centre reception on 4121 2141 or email programs@maryboroughnc.org
The Christmas holidays are almost upon us and we have more than earned a decent break after another year in the pandemic. The festive season generally involves copious amounts of food and booze, along with twinkling lights, gifts and laughter. But it also seems to leave us feeling a little worse for wear. A very busy month followed by a week of overindulging in food and alcohol can lead to a crash in January. “No one can be blamed for wanting to let their hair down, relax and overindulge this Christmas,” accredited dietitian Geraldine Georgeou told The New Daily. But there are ways to join in the festivities without sacrificing your health, she said.
Here are Ms Georgeou’s top five tips
1. Stay hydrated: A hot summer day with celebratory bubbles over the festive season could mean our bodies need more water than usual. Staying hydrated can help you to increase your energy levels and regulate your body temperature so you don’t overheat or dehydrate
2. Start the day with fibre: Fibre rich foods help you to feel fuller for longer, meaning you’re less likely to over snack throughout the day or overindulge in a Christmas lunch. Start the day with high fibre foods, such as fibre breakfast cereal or wholegrain toast
3. Switch up your trimmings: Swap calorie dense Christmas trimmings for healthier options like potatoes and sugary desserts for a fresh fruit salad. Simple and easy swaps like these allow you to enjoy your meal without the guilt
4. Use small plates: With all the delicious food on offer over Christmas, our eyes can often be bigger than our bellies. Research from the University of Cambridge shows using smaller plates will decrease your intake by 16 per cent. You won’t even notice you are eating less
5. Prioritise sleep: Christmas time tends to be jam packed, but it is important we don’t skimp on sleep throughout this period. Sleep helps our body rest, restore and recover. Eating well, taking exercise, and moderating alcohol intake can help with sleep.
Ms Georgeou said following these tips don’t need to ruin your holiday, as they can easily be applied to your daily routine. “Small changes like these, which some may consider as sacrifices, can mean we stay energised throughout the festive season,” she said.
President of the Australian Psychological Society Tamara Cavenett told The New Daily being extra busy can also make this a stressful time of year. Our routines often fall by the wayside in favour of more night time events and additional work leading up to the holidays. We tend to reduce the things we need to do, like exercise and eating well, as we start to get busier and become more stressed, she said. But this is the time where we need predictability the most. “Grab your diary, look at the month and make sure that you’re still getting adequate sleep and time to prepare your food, make sure you’ve got exercise in there and have booked in some downtime as well,” she said. Here is Ms Cavenett’s advice for the silly season
1. Take care of yourself: Practice the basic healthy habits that support good mental health. Focus on sleep, nutrition, exercise and mindfulness
2. Moderation: Whether it’s alcohol or activities, take a step back and don’t be afraid to say ‘no’. It’s OK to prioritise downtime instead of saying ‘yes’ just because you were asked
3. Watch expectations: We have an image of what Christmas should look like, helped by social media, but things don’t always go to plan. Reduce those expectations of a perfect family with a perfect tree on a perfect Christmas Day
4. Acknowledge it has been a tough year: Acknowledging stress is an important step towards reducing it. We are fatigued, lockdowns have been hard on many of us, and some won’t feel like socialising as much
5. Stay connected: Most people find this holiday overwhelming. Remember you’re not alone and don’t be afraid to lean on friends for support. And put aside your differences. Politics can wait until January
6. Set boundaries: Have an exit plan and go over some safe talking points before attending an event to help minimise social anxiety.
If things are particularly difficult, don’t be afraid to seek help.
Lifeline 13 11 14 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732
This article refers specifically to Christmas, but applies to other holiday traditions too. The key is to practice self care while you celebrate.
Cheat’
s Mango Cheesecake Dessert Cups Ingredients:
cup thickened cream
double cream
cup caster sugar
lemon rind finely grated
tbsp. lemon juice
1
Passionfruit pulp, to serve
Mint leaves, to serve
Edible flowers, to serve (optional)
METHOD
2. Dollop some cream cheese mixture in the base of four 250ml glasses. Top with sliced mango. Continue layering and finish with mango slices. Top with passionfruit pulp, mint leaves and edible flowers, if you like.
Call
(Receptionist, Kitchen hand, gardener, maintenance, etc.)
If you have skills and would like to share them with your community, come in and see us at the Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre, 25 Ellena Street or phone us on 4121 2141 or send us an email admin@maryboroughnc.org.
Office Room 6 w/ outdoor courtyard
Roughly 3m x 3.5m in size.
(unfurnished)
Office Room 5
Roughly 3m x 2.5m size
(unfurnished)
These offices are currently being rented until the end of the year. If you wish to view the offices for next year, please email pfordham@maryboroughnc.org to make an appointment in 2023.
The Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre proudly supports the not for profit organisation Share the Dignity in providing disadvantaged women and girls in our community access to FREE sanitary items.
So next time you need or someone you know needs sanitary items, just before you get to the ladies lavatory, there is a small green box where you can help yourself with items that you need. You don’t even have to let us know. We also have hygiene bags available for women and teens. Just come see us at reception and let us know what you need and we are more that happy to provide this for you.
So if you know anyone who might benefit from these free hygiene bags, please send them over at the centre, 25 Ellena Street, Maryborough. ACCESS TO SANITARY ITEMS IS A WOMAN’S RIGHT!!! Thank you for your support!
The Neighbourhood Café is one of the fundraising arm of the Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre.
So if you want a relaxing atmosphere, why not come and support your local community centre.
CAFÉ hours is 10:30am 1:30pm (depending on volunteers)
The Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre publishes our newsletter bi monthly. A hard copy is available at the centre and a digital copy is sent to our members and networks.
If you would like to have your program/service published at our January/February 2023 edition of the newsletter, please email: admin@maryboroughnc.org
Deadline to receive articles is 4pm Thursday, 22 December 2022 .
*Please be aware that this is on a “first come first serve” basis and is dependant on the availability of article space.*
To make an appointment, please contact centre reception on 4121 2141 or email admin@maryboroughnc.org
If your need for a JP is urgent, a JP is available at MADCOTA Community Hub, 333 Alice Street every Tuesday & Wednesday from 10am 2pm or at the Tinana Post Office, Westside Village Shop 1/201 Gympie Road, Tinana. Phone: 4121 4601