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Wednesday April 2, 2014
Community rallies to help others General Manager, JOE VESCIO
Removal of the first twelve poplar trees lining the Kosciuszko Road through Berridale has commenced. Kosciuszko Road between Myack Street and Poplar Street will be closed from 9am and 3.30pm, Monday to Friday for the duration of this week and next. While work to remove the trees is in progress, residents, especially those with properties along Kosciuszko Road should expect some disruption to their normal activities as pedestrian and vehicle access will be restricted. At last weeks Council meeting, a few items of interest were tabled. Earlier this year, the Minister for Local Government released the final reports from the Independent Local Government Review Panel and the Local Government Acts Review Taskforce. These reports were in response to significant changes required to make local government more effective. Councils have now been given the opportunity to comment on the reports and a combined submission from Snowy River, Bombala and Cooma Monaro has been prepared, outlining our thoughts. Amongst other business, Council also discussed a report on the upgrade of its Corporate Systems software, which is a slow moving but necessary and ongoing project. Council was given a deadline of 31 March 2014 for completion of all Disaster Relief works following the floods of March 2012 and almost all work is now complete. Seven Special Projects were identified during this process and those were contracted to NSW Public Works and are subject to a separately agreed completion date. In addition, Council applied for and was granted, an extension to the Abington Park repairs due to increased rain fall and the quantity of water flowing under the bridge. However, work is expected to be complete by 25 April 2014 and this will conclude all disaster work across the Shire.
Last Saturday, more than 40 garage sales were registered in Cooma, with some of the proceeds going to the Community Chest. The Community Chest is an initative developed to assist those in need within our community.
The sales on Saturday were listed on a map available from Cooma Visitors’ Centre,
Pictured right, volunteers at the coffee stall in Centennial Park. Above, milkshakes and munchies were also available to those collecting their maps.
Working with Ability for 23 Years This year WorkAbility celebrates 23 years assisting job seekers with disability to find and keep jobs across the south east. One of the first rural agencies to focus on the needs of our most disadvantaged job seekers. WorkAbility has built a strong connection with local communities across the Bega, Eurobodalla, Cooma, Snowy and Bombala region. With its inception as a Youth Service for job seekers with a disability WorkAbility now helps job seekers of any age and range of needs including physical, intellectual, learning and sensory disability with a strong emphasis on support for school leavers to make the transition from school to work. Many of the job seekers who find a new career or their first job through WorkAbility are not those we think of as having a disability. ‘The real point,’ says Executive Manager Virginia Fitzclarence, ‘is that WorkAbility is there to give that extra bit of support for those who need it most. We match the individual to their best environment and support them to make the most of their abilities.’ As we are all aware, one in five members of the community experiences mental illness and WorkAbility has tailored its services to help job seekers living with depression and anxiety, as well as a range of other barriers to employment, to overcome or manage those barriers to find and keep the job of their choice. With extensive experience in the local area for 23 years WorkAbility provides comprehensive support to employers across the south east. Employers benefit from the fact that WorkAbility staff know their job seekers well, provide honest and practical information and support
that enables employers to make the most of their employee’s abilities. In collaboration with the employer, on the job and offsite training is available for those who need it. Access to equipment, training incentives, communication support, traineeships and apprenticeships and specific disability and mental health management is available to help employers make their workplaces centres of excellence. WorkAbility also provides Community Inclusion for people with disability. Each week at Eurobodalla a group of eight women come together to try new activities and ways of expressing themselves. These include candle making, crafts, making masks, mindfulness programs and working together to navigate a maze. As well as having fun with these activities the women work together and tackle more serious issues when they arise, such as bullying on Facebook and maintaining friendships. WorkAbility has also helped a young man move into independent accommodation in Moruya which is a huge step into independence for him. In the Cooma Monaro, we work in partnership with families and individuals to assist in achieving goals, getting to know what is important to our client and how best to support them. We emphasise on the individual goals, strengths and needs and are dedicated to ensuring that the youth of the Monaro have positive experiences in the Community and Workplace. In the Bega Valley we have recently hired some enthusiastic young staff members to provide a wonderful service for young people with disabilities and also to help people with disability have a smooth and successful transition from school to work. Celebrate Ability and improve the diversity and skill base of your workplace by contacting WorkAbility to find skilled staff you will want to keep or to get professional help for existing staff who need some support. If you are an employer looking for jobseekers or a jobseeker looking for employment please contact WorkAbility Bega Valley on 6492 3222, Eurobodalla on 4472 3707 and Cooma- Monaro on 6452 6522.