Home & Lifestyle Summer 2022

Grandma Moses Art Competition

W ater safety education is key to ensuring children learn vital safety and survival skills from a young age – a skill they will keep with them for life. The First Lap voucher program aims to make water safety education more accessible for NSW families, providing $100 vouchers for parents, guardians and carers of children aged 3-6 years who are not enrolled in school, towards the cost of swimming lessons. Theprogramhasbeenexpanded for the2021/22 financial year to include children in kindergarten in 2021 and children starting kindergarten in 2022, who missed out on vital water safety education during their pre-school years due to COVID-19 restrictions The vouchers may be used with an approved First Lap provider and are available through the Service NSW website. By making swimming T hispopularcompetition isnowin its38thyear. ThecompetitionisnamedafterAmericanartist Anna Mary Moses, affectionately known as Grandma Moses, who created over 1,500 artworks between the ages of 78 and 101. Council Administrator, Rik Hart said the calibre of entries the competition attracts each year shows that age is no barrier to learning new skills. “The older residents of the Central Coast have a deep well of talent and creativity to dip their paintbrushes into. We want to celebrate that, and all the ways older people contribute to the cultural life of our community,” Mr Hart said. There’s over $3,000 in prize money to be awarded across six categories, including Open,

and water safety education more accessible for families, the First Lap program will help keep NSW children healthy, happy, and safe in and around the water. The voucher can be used for a program of at least 5 structured and supervised swimming lessons, which are either intensive (daily) or regular weekly lessons, can be used at any participating business that is an approved First Lap provider, is valid until 30 June 2022. You can apply for a voucher for each eligible child, to pay for pool entrance/membership costs for the child, parent, guardian or carer, to redeem cash. The first $100 First Lap voucher is valid from 1 December 2021 to 30 June 2022 *A second First Lap voucher will be available from July 2022. Need help? Call Service NSW on 13 77 88 or email firstlap@sport.nsw.gov.au. www.sport.nsw.gov.au/firstlap Entries close Friday 28 January. Entrants must be 50 years of age or over and be a resident of the Central Coast Local Government Area. Entry forms and competition guidelines are available on https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov. au/council/news/2022-grandma-moses-art- competition-exhibition Watercolour, Novice, 50+ Centre/Senior Centre Art Group Member and Central Coast Inspired. This year, the competition has added a new category for works inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. All entries will be exhibited at the Gosford 50+ Leisure and Learning Centre from 8-10 March. Winners will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 8 March from 10am.

Phil Meatchem - Grandma Moses

Bruce Illingworth - Grandma Moses

First lap learn to swim voucher for children aged 3-6 years

Compassionate Care for Kids on the Central Coast

8 Home & Lifestyle Magazine | Summer 2022 All children receive an interactive special children’s admission to a ‘Jungle Safari’ which is jungle themed W hen Registered Nurse Adrianne discovered her one-year- old son would need to have grommets, she was naturally nervous and anxious about what was to come. While experienced within the nursing field, navigating it as a parent was a completely different experience according to Adrianne. “My main concern was making sure that Finley had a smooth journey from start to finish and that he didn’t experience any of the anxiety I was feeling,” she said. “I really didn’t know what to expect for the procedure or the process but the team at Brisbane Waters Private Hospital walked me through the entire experience so I felt supported and comfortable. “I have never seen anything like what they do with the Jungle Safari and it was every little touch that added to making Finley feel as comfortable as possible.” Brisbane Waters Private Hospital’s ‘Caring for Kids’ program is aimed at supporting our littlest of patients and their families who come through for procedures from a range of speciality areas.

and includes a welcome pack, safari hat, binoculars and safari map they can use while undertaking a safari tour in a kid-size jeep through to theatre. Along the way they are encouraged to look out for buffaloes, giraffes, monkeys tigers, flamingos, parrots and others animals hiding along the ward corridors. To provide further comfort, private rooms are individually named and decorated to suit each child including jungle sheet and doona sets that families can take home with them and a selection of jungle themed food menu options. “It was amazing seeing Finley react to all this adventure and excitement, it put us both at ease,” Adrianne said. “The kind and caring staff just went above and beyond for me and Finley, especially when he went in for surgery, they talked me through the process and allayed any anxiety or fears I had. “I couldn’t have asked for a more gentle, compassionate and caring experience for my son and I would absolutely return for any future procedures.” Learn more via: Brisbane Waters Private Hospital — Caring for Kids www.brisbanewatersprivate.com.au/ patients/caring-for-kids Ph: 4341 9522