EMERALD
THEYEAR IN GENERAL
We are now completely resourced
again and back up and running
at full capacity post-floods. We’ve
received great community feedback
and participation in the various
groups run throughout the year
(
staff receiving some delicious
edible feedback too!). Our OT and
speech pathology outreach services
have been extended to Dysart.
Feedback has been very positive,
and the school and community
have been very grateful BUSHkids
involvement in their region.
It has been a big year for staff
changes: Lucy Waldby started as
our OT in March; we farewelled
our provisional psychologist, Jeff
Mitchell; Family Health Support
Worker Bronwyn White left us in
September and speech pathologist
Teneille Webster in October.
AROUND OURAREA
This has been a tumultuous year
for our region’s families, with the
announcement of several mine
closures across our service district.
As many families in the Central
Highlands work in the mining
sector, this means many client
families relocated at short notice.
This also led to many staff changes
in schools and other agencies with
which we’re involved.
On a brighter note, Emerald now
has a new shopping centre, enticing
lots of visitors to town.
Another highlight was the annual
Multicultural Festival, which show-
cased the Tongan, Fijian, Indian,
Thai, Vietnamese, Peruvian, and
Irish communities, to name a few!
November saw the inaugural
Brigalow Beatz Arts and Music
Festival held in Clermont. It was a
fantastic weekend for young and
old, with ARIA award-winning
musicians and cultural workshops
on offer.
ACTIVITYAND OUTPUTS
With Dysart joining our outreach
services (along with Blackwater
and Clermont), the Emerald team
is trialling a new model of service
delivery, focussing on increasing
family involvement in therapy.
This will be reviewed at the end of
the year, with hopes to implement
on a permanent basis in 2013.
Our speech-language pathologist
has also run two articulation and
two literacy groups, and our OT
provided one fine motor groups to
external clients and two to clients
on the waitlist. The family health
support worker also facilitated
Friends for Life, Fun Friends, Body
Think, Pals and assisted with the
facilitation of SLP and OT groups.
IN OUR COMMUNITY
The SLP provided an in-service to
all teachers in the area, regarding
completion of SLP screeners and
how to make appropriate referrals.
A clinic in Blackwater now offers
paediatric occupational therapy
and speech-language services and,
after prolonged vacancies, the
Education Queensland Allied
Health team is now fully staffed.
On a side note, the Division of
General Practice has amalgamated
with another region and is now
known as Medicare Local.
IN OUR OFFICE
Our new solar panels are taking
advantage of our wonderful
sunshine to power our centre.
The new branding on our car is
a real head-turner, with staff
receiving many comments and
being stopped and asked about our
service.
The centre and gardens are looking
immaculate after all of Brett’s
recent hard work! Everything in the
centre is in working order, with our
troublesome printer now running
again.
EMERALDWISH LIST
ITEM
As a centre, our wish list
includes technological advances
in the form of updated (faster)
computers, colour printing
facilities and access to an iPad,
to provide even better services
to our community.
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