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FliipSyde opening during Youth Week BELOW: Shane Hough at the opening of YHAG Fliipsyde on the weekend. Present inlcuded Lyn Breuer, Amanda Hudson, Petra Noble, Dr Andrew Killcross and Kath MacAlister.
Vol. 8 Wednesday, April 13, 2011
CFIT fund first stage of pool T
By Millie Thomas
he generosity of local companies in Roxby Downs is second to none. Regardless of key performance indicators, companies seem to be more than happy to contribute to make an event or fundraiser successful.
By Celeste Lustosa FliipSyde, the initiative of the Roxby Downs Youth Health Advisory Group (YHAG), had its official opening during Roxby Youth Week last Saturday, April 9. It was held in the presence of local youth members, Roxby Youth Officer Shane Hough, Dr Andrew Killcross, Petra Noble, Belinda Ramsey who was also accompanied by Roxby Downs Area School principal Kath Macalister, Amanda Hudson representing BHP Billiton and Hon Lyn Breuer, Speaker of the House of Assembly. Petra Noble, who is now living in Adelaide, came to Roxby to participate in the opening. “Roxby Youth should be very proud of themselves and of everything they have achieved. To be part of such important service is a true honour. The determination of each member of the Youth Advisory Group is an excellent indication of what young people can achieve when they are listened to and given genuine support,” she said. Dr Andrew Killcross, founder and coordinator of FliipSyde Youth Health Service, praised the YHAG, comprised of students from Roxby Downs Area School, for their dedication to the design of the program and its ongoing development as highlighted by their semi-finals appearance in the Channel 9 Young Achievers Awards.
“I also would like to say a few ‘thank yous’. Firstly to all the members of YHAG, which is a very inspiring group to be part of and their dedication keeps me motivated to continue the service. “I would also like to thank Roxby Council and Roxby Leisure Centre for their involvement in this service, especially Shane Hough for his commitment in getting this service up and running. “Thank you to Roxby Downs Area School; they have been phenomenal and special thanks go to principal Kath Macalister and Belinda Ramsey who has been superb. I believe that if you don’t have the school on board, it won’t succeed with a service like this. “I would also like to thank Roxby Health Services, which has very kindly provided us with nurse support for the service. Petra Noble has been huge in setting this service up and also to Janine and the rest of the people at the hospital. Thank you for your hard work.” He also acknowledged and thanked the Flinders and Far North Division of General Practice members who couldn’t be present at the ceremony in Roxby. “A huge thanks to BHP Billiton who has come on board to fund this service and it’s thanks to them that we can keep providing
this service for the next 12 months. I look forward to continue working with FliipSyde,” Dr Killcross concluded. BHP Billiton recently signed on as FliipSyde’s principal funder for this year and it was represented by Amanda Hudson on the official opening of the service. “Roxby Downs has an incredibly concentrated youth demographic and BHP Billiton recognises the importance of youth health in regional and remote areas and the subsequent impact it has on the broader community,” says BHP Billiton Olympic Dam Head of HSEC, Andrew Barnfield. Hon Lyn Breuer was also present at the ceremony and said, “It is lovely to see so many young people present here. I would like to acknowledge Mr Shane Hough, who I believe has been instrumental in this service and in serving the youth of Roxby Downs. “I made it a priority to come here because Roxby has so many young people less than 20 years of age so a service like FliipSyde to be provided in a community like this is essential,” Ms Breuer said. She also added: “I would like to congratulate BHP Billiton for funding this service and for having the understanding that the young people are the future of Roxby.” “To get this service going has been an incredible effort from those involved and I
The indoor swimming pool has been the subject of debate and controversy but what people may not know is that this swimming pool will be purpose built, not just for off season swimmers. According to George Giakoumis, there are between 140 and 150 disabled children in Roxby Downs. Roxby also has the highest birth rate in the state. These two factors show a need for swimming lessons, not just in the peak season, but during winter also. George is the middle man in the pool building process, connecting the Leisure Centre and the Council with the CFIT (Contractor Framework Implementation Team) community and now, as they near the end of stage one, the CFIT contribution has almost completely covered costs tof this section of the project. The Monitor spoke with George about the process. “I became aware of the swimming pool when I was asked to take the trees down,” said George. “I was also asked to do the dig the hole for the pool, but that’s out of my league - I don’t really have the machinery or means to be able to do that, as much as I would have liked to. “In that process, as I got to thinking more and more about it, the pool was all
about teaching and therapy and an all weather pool. I got to think about it with Lake Mary and water holes and hundreds of backyard pools... There’s just water everywhere. A teaching pool to me became really important all of a sudden. I loved the concept and sort of got behind it from a personal point of view.” When George realised that his company would be unable to orchestrate the dig for the pool, he approached CFIT member, York Civil, and asked if it was in their capacity to complete the dig as a community contribution. They agreed, and that got the momentum going for George. “I started thinking what more now could I do in engaging whoever or whatever to contribute more to this pool so that we could stretch the budget,” he said. “There’s nothing in it for me, it’s really about the community. It’s driven by the council and the Leisure Centre, they drove it they submitted for the grants and made it happen and designed it. “I went to a CFIT meeting and we were talking about CFIT taking the next step in its maturation. Maturing as a group and as a collective with common purposes, common obligations, common expectations, and a common vision around safety. “ George’s idea was welcomed unanimously, and so he became the mediator. He provided the CFIT group with material and labour lists from the Leisure Centre, outlining exactly what was required to get stage one of the pool development underway. Continued on page 5
ON THE ROAD TO ROXBY Turn to pages 10 & 11 to
uncover the wonder of Northpark Shopping Centre... Roxby Downs Shoppers welcome - ample parking at the rear of the centre off Main North Road