SPRING 2019

WYNDAG RAG

This Newsletter is Published by

Wyndham Disability Action Group

Inc.

50 Marlborough Cres Hoppers Crossing

3029

Phone: (03) 9749 6949 or 0411 049 550

Material in this

Newsletter may be reproduced

providing the source is

acknowledged.

The opinions

expressed are not necessarily those of

WYNDAG, nor does WYNDAG

guarantee the accuracy of the

statements made by contributors.

All contributions and inquiries are

welcome and should be

addressed to The Editor

at the above address.

This newsletter was kindly printed by the Office of Tim Pallas MP

Member for Werribee

Inc. No. A0033919F

WYNDAG 2019 AGM

Members, friends & supporters are warmly invited to

WYNDAG’s 24th Annual General Meeting

Date: Wednesday, 4th December 2019

Time: 10am - 12noon

Venue: IPC Health, Meeting Room 3

117-129 Warringa Crescent, Hoppers Crossing

(behind DiCaprio Family Restaurant)

Screening of Two Short Films:

including Jeremy the Dud which flips disability discrimination on its head

Join us for morning tea & a chat following the AGM

For catering purposes please RSVP by 2nd December to 0403 982 185 or enquiries@wyndag.com.au

Nomination & Proxy Forms:

If you would like to stand for election to the committee, or to vote by proxy, please contact WYNDAG’s Secretary on 0403 982 185

or email enquiries@wyndag.com.au to request either or both forms.

Celebrate International Day of People with Disability

A FREE WYNDHAM CITY EVENT

FRIDAY 6 DEC 2019 4PM – 8PM

Wyndham Civic Centre Lawns 45 Princes Highway, Werribee

WYNDAG RAG PAGE 2

Return to Australia By Ian Gray

It is just over a year since I lost my beautiful wife of 50 years, Anne.

I endured the winter of 2018-19 alone in our home surrounded by all the memories and belongings accumulated in our time together. It was then that I decided to return to Australia where we had spent 24 years of our marriage and had some wonderful times. I missed the weather, outdoor lifestyle and the friends we had made. My children did not want me to return but

they understood my reasons. It took a few months and a lot of heartache disposing of all the accumulated “stuff” and selling our home.

I am now back in Hoppers Crossing. I arrived with nothing but the clothes I was wearing, a few photographs, computer and a few essentials. I have to buy a vehicle and have it adapted for a left foot accelerator, an electric wheelchair and a kayak (my passion is fishing from a kayak), and of course a trailer to transport them. I then intend to travel up the East coast and, if I find somewhere suitable, purchase a home.

Now she is gone for all of time I can’t stop crying for the girl that once was mine I love her still and always will The girl that once was mine She is in my heart, she is in my soul She was my friend as we grew old The girl that once was mine My love, my wife, my life The girl of mine

My Anne

Relief for Wyndham Learner Drivers

After the State Government’s decision to close the Sunshine VicRoads centre to licence testing 2 years ago, there has been an enormous amount of pressure put on the Werribee centre, with licence tests waiting times more than doubling. This has been due to the large influx of tests required from the City of Brimbank.

VicRoads has announced that they will be building a new licence testing centre in Brimbank, to probably be built in Derrimut. This means that once built, many of the Brimbank learner drivers will be able to have their licence tests more local, which will free up many more tests for Wyndham learner drivers. This is great news for all and will hopefully make waiting times much less than they currently are.

Source: Peter Thomson, Email 16.11.2019

The wheelchair should not be a symbol of disability.

A wheelchair is a vehicle to liberation and freedom;

a chariot for independence.

- Rick Hansen

WYNDAG RAG PAGE 3

Christine’s Chatter Season’s Greetings Everyone!

2019 is almost over. Unbelievable! WYNDAG’s committee wish you and your loved-ones a joyous Christmas, followed by a happy and healthy New Year. However, we acknowledge this can be a painful time of year for the more recently bereaved or those estranged from their families.

I’m blessed to have friends from many parts of the world and from many faith traditions. It is fascinating to learn from them and to realise how much we have in common. At the Melbourne Ganesh Festival held in Wyndham, I found this Hindu god’s elephant head intriguing. Devotees believe that if Ganesha is worshiped, he grants success, prosperity and protection against adversity. Thank you Manisha for inviting me along and for taking this photo.

On a different cultural diversity note, friend Peter and I were invited to an evening of vibrant traditional music and dance by the Australian Uyghur Mukam Ensemble, and featuring world-renowned performer Shohret Tursun. It

has been reported that more than a million Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority, have been rounded up and detained in China's far north-west.

I was privileged to be a volunteer interviewer for Wyndham City’s Mock Interview Project, which prepares young Wyndham residents with special needs for the workforce. Prior to the Mock Interview Day, Council conducts workshops to help the students prepare resumés and build a cover letter. Almost 100 high school students and school leavers were given a taste of what real life interviews entail when they came face-to-face with interview panels made up of staff from Wyndham City and Wyndham Disability Support Network members.

Warmest congratulations to former WYNDAG committee member Les Porter on his tenth ‘Wyndham 1000’ fundraiser for The Salvation Army in his hometown. Les makes this annual 1,000km ride on a custom tricycle, generously assisted by The Rotary Club. Over the past nine years and with the help of the community, Les has raised over $135,000 and seen over 12,000 tin goods donated. A monumental effort!

Circus Quikus is a contemporary take on traditional circuses of ages past, an eclectic and entertaining mix of acts from all over the world, but without the use of animals. The show is for free, suitable for audiences of all ages, and the venues will accommodate wheelchairs. The performance I attended was kindly sponsored by Rotary Preston for carers, children from special schools, foster children and indigenous members of the community.

My sister Sophie, brother-in-law John, and I look forward to attending the Polish Festival at Federation Square, now in its 15th year. Before check-ing out the merchandise or watching some entertainment, we head for the food stalls lined beside the Yarra River. It has become an annual pilgrim-age to feast on the tastes of our childhood. This year there was a special treat in store, when I was spotted by friends Sean and Jess, who had taken their young daughter to the Playhouse Theatre. Don’t know who was more thrilled, Abby with Sammy Sloth or I, when her dad took our photo.

Blessings to you all. Christine Williams - WYNDAG President

PAGE 4 WYNDAG RAG

From the Secretary’s Desk

In July I was accepted into the “Everything Point Cook” Building Blocks leadership program run in conjunction with Council and Victoria Univer-sity. I have learnt more about how council works, local demographics, about running events in Wyndham, and am now working on the grant proposal for my small group project. Our group is looking at identifying barriers to accessing health care services in Wyndham, particularly for the recently arrived and those where English is not their first language (or not spoken much at home). We have created a survey and hope to present the results to Council in April 2020.

If you are a recent arrival or from a non English speaking background, or are just generally experiencing barriers when accessing healthcare services, we would love to hear from you: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YFHPYCT.

In Access and Accessibility Plan news, the community advisory group has been renamed WynAction. We have set our top priorities for implementation, and these have been shared with the council’s Project Management Group and the Family Friendly Portfolio Group. The Working Group (staff members overseeing the implementation internally) have set up a spreadsheet to manage timeframes, who does what, etc, and I am feeling quietly confident in the process moving forward.

Unfortunately Jenny Watts-Sampson has moved on to a new job in the banking sector (created out of the Royal Commission). We are sad to lose her, but wish her well and are excited for the change she may create in her new position. Fortunately she is a local resident, so I am sure she will still be supporting local accessibility efforts in other ways!

I look forward to meeting some of you at the Disability Expo on November 29th OR our Annual General Meeting on December 4th.

Karen Howard - WYNDAG Secretary

The Bridge Community Choir

Singing is known to have emotional, social, spiritual, physical and mental health benefits.

The Bridge Community Choir is all-abilities for anyone who cares to join (adults that is, although they do have some young children who come with their mother and are very good). This is a choir for any member of the community, and they actually have about six members with some kind of disability, including low vision.

The choir rehearse every Monday night from 7.30pm to 8.30pm, in the old building at the Werribee Baptist Church opposite the Plaza (corner Derrimut & Heaths Roads). Entry is from Heaths Road, with ample parking, and disability access. Everyone has a display book with copies of every song, and they sing a range of well-known music.

Afterwards, the choir members have coffee and biccies and chat. If people can manage a $5 donation, that’s great (this covers the song copies), but if they can’t, that’s fine too. And, there are no auditions!!!

For more information, phone 0409 177 461 or email max_coster@live.com.au.

Source: Kathy MacKendrick, Email 2.9.2019

WYNDAG RAG PAGE 5

Update from Ravy, Wayne, Malis & Pitou

House and gardens pretty well completed. Brother-in-law and I fenced the front garden, but the Body Corporate said NO FRONT FENCES! We had fence to protect twins - if they got through front door, they would be on the road. Body Corporate didn’t care, so after 7 months of arguing, my legal advice was that only 50/50 chance of winning and Body Corporate would get me on something else! So I compromised, moved the fence back 1 metre and planted 10 hedging plants (similar to Lilly Pillies).

Some good news: Ravy has interview and then test for her citizenship 22nd

November. Success will mean Ravy will be eligible for Centrelink – virtually double our income. Will try to accelerate the citizenship ceremony process (can get private ceremony from Council).

I have managed to enroll my 2 nieces and nephew into government schools. Fees are $300 per child per week ($10,000 for each term!), but I have applied for a fee waiver. They can attend school until decision made - although I think that I have to go through the exercise every term.

Next battle is to get permission for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law to be in paid work. I need to show either change of circumstances or financial hardship (last time I applied they didn’t think that 9 people living on $600 per week was a hardship!).

Weather has been warm. I have still only worn a jumper once. Plenty of bushfires but only one on island since Christmas which was an out of control back-burn.

Our van has changed again - it is now a 9 seater.

Ravy has been approved for NDIS. She now has a carer/companion 6 hours a day - big help with twins. Ravy is waiting approval for new braces (2 pairs), is trialing electric wheelchair with lift capability and once chosen will then apply for bathroom and vehicle modification to suit it.

I am on MY AGED CARE but not as good as NDIS. Will try to get my new brace partly under MY AGED CARE and partly by MAAS - similar to aids and equipment program in Victoria but it pays maximum of $2,200.

My and twins health still generally good, but Ravy’s is up and down.

Twins growing quickly although I think that Malis will always be small for her age. They are talking more – each specializes, Pitou is letters and numbers and Malis is colors and general vocabulary.

We have reasonably frequent family outings/picnics down on the beach.

Sister-in-law and her family are slowly settling in – still a degree of homesickness and still learning English. Australian culture still baffles them. We regularly meet up with other Cambodians, but they are mainly urban whereas our family are very rural, so they don’t even have a lot in common with the Cambodians here.

We will probably spend Christmas and New Year on the island, although I’m hopeful of doing at least one trip. My aim is Cairns – only 1600km from here. Tight finances have limited our tourist pursuits – pricey for 9 person outings!

My sister came for a short visit - good for catch up and we are still hopeful that WYNDAG’s President will make it up here. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

WYNDAG RAG PAGE 6

Update from Ravy, Wayne, & Twins … Continued

We go to pagoda in Brisbane so that our family can keep up their Buddhist religion and catch up with fellow Cambodians. Pagoda is in south Brisbane. We may end up living there if can find right house and sell our other one for right price.

I have begun doing the community markets again.

Christmas Eve is our 1 year anniversary up here. It has been tough, but some of the problems would have happened even if we were still in Victoria. I think that this is definitely better for our health and sister-in-law and family would have really struggled in Victoria.

Being so far from our “networks” has been difficult. We are starting to build new ones up here. I think that Ravy’s carer will be a real positive for her – they seem to get on very well. Overall I feel more confident in the family’s future than my last update, touch wood that it will continue.

Best wishes to all! Wayne, Ravy, Malis, Pitou, Som Ol, Sam Ath, Lay, Sreypich & Boramey.

WynDeaf Support Group

Welcoming deaf, hard of hearing, their families, friends, co-workers & carers, for support, friendship, learning & crafts in a safe place.

Meet 10am-1pm 1st & 3rd Mondays each month

at Wyndham Park Community Centre.

For more information, email wyndeaf.sg@gmail.com

or text 0490 453 287.

Free Event

Transport Solutions

LINK Community Transport enables mobility for people experiencing transport difficulties, limitations, or special needs in the Northern and Western suburbs of Melbourne.

LINK offers subsidised services to: Indigenous Australians over 50 Seniors aged 65 and over People with a disability and their carers

And the general public, who can access non-subsidised services.

LINK provides safe and affordable transport to social, recreational, health and family com-mitments.

Link’s vehicles are driven by highly trained volunteers well known for their professional-ism and their friendly and helpful nature. They will come to your door, and ensure your safety and comfort each step of the way.

LINK is a registered My-Aged-Care and NDIS provider.

To book the service or for more information call 1300 54 65 28.