Community register gives peace of mind BY ERIN PEARSON GEELONG police are encouraging parents and carers of children with autism, down syndrome and other conditions to register their details as part of a new regional initiative. Launching the Geelong Community Support Register on Wednesday Corio Police Senior Sergeant Adrian Bickley said the record would give police fast access to detailed information about a person and their health issues in an emergency. The register until now only held personal information provided by those in need of community support including elderly persons and those living alone or in isolat-
ed locations. Sen Sgt Bickley said the database would provide police with contact information, nicknames, physical descriptions, known routines, behaviour triggers and favourite attractions. “In an emergency it’s sometimes difficult to pull that kind of information together quickly so having easy access to those details will be extremely valuable,” he said. “Children with autism, for example, are sometimes known to wander off so the register offers parents and carers the confidence that medical and personal information can be securely accessed by emergency services staff if required.” Volunteered information would
be stored on a confidential database and only accessed by police, ambulance, hospital and fire services in an emergency. Gateways Support Services chief executive officer Rosemary Malone said the initiative was fantastic. “For families living with someone who has the potential to abscond or wander off they live with that fear all the time of the gate being left open. For them this will be so very positive,” she said. “It’s great to know the police are there for people in that hour of need but this proactive measure could mean the difference between a good or tragic outcome. For more information visit geelongregister.org.au.
Holiday hangout beats boredom GEELONG teens are being urged to step away from televisions and into public libraries as part of an initiative to boost youth membership, according to Geelong library. Children and Youth Services coordinator Maryanne Hyde said all activities as part of the library’s school holiday program were free, arts-based and creative. “From Wii gaming to the latest music, e-books, new release DVDs, drama workshops, and cartooning, libraries are a great place for youth to hang out,” she said. Youth-specific classes include workshops on cartooning, drama, Manga art, blogging, animation, book art, journalism and magazine production. The holiday program runs until January 27. For more information visit geelonglibraries.vic.gov.au.
Book ‘em: Connor 13 from Clifton Springs (back), Geelong’s Josh 11, Sophie 8, and Lizzie 12 get into the activities. Picture: Tommy Ritchie 75502
Summer camp full of memories HIGH ropes courses, flying foxes, canoeing, mini golf, basketball and swimming are just some of the activities 60 lucky Geelong children are trying this week at Licola Wildnerness camp. These life-long memories will be thanks to the Lions Club of Geelong Corio Bay which has sponsored the primary school-age children to attend the five-day camp. The diverse range of children includes new migrants, children on child protection orders, parentally bereaved children and Wathaurong Aboriginal community members. Lions Club of Geelong Corio Bay president Denis Barritt said the camp helped less privileged children “enjoy themselves” in the holiday season instead of “worrying”. “They have a wow of a week with lots of supervision and lots of exercise. We load them up with good food and give them enough activities to make them sleep well at night,” he said.
Diversitat’s Suzanne Cooper said 19 children from Geelong’s new communities would attend, mainly Karenni people from Burma and Congolese. “It’s incredibly exciting because for all of them its the first time they’ve been able to go away from parents and have a holiday. “They will have opportunities to mix with a range of kids, build understanding and learn how to work in teams.” Ms Cooper said the camp was also an education opportunity for new migrant parents. Glastonbury’s Sandra Cameron said her organisation had arranged 10 children on child protection orders for the camp. “Currently these kids can’t live at home, so this camp gives them new experiences and challenges their boundaries.” She said this was the second year Glastonbury participated and last year was “fantastic”.
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