Melissa H. Coleman's Blog
October 12, 2020
The Power of Thought to Raise Your Vibration
MENTAL HEALTH WEEK
[image error]Credit: Melissa Coleman
During Mental Health Week Australians are urged to look out for their mates and family members who may be struggling, encourage them to seek treatment as well as take a moment to recognise actions to manage mental health.
One of the most frequent activities we should learn to manage is our thoughts.
Thoughts, emotions, intentions, and choices all contribute to our energetic state, and as a result, everything we think and feel has an influence on our everyday life.
A bad thought, word or action creates a poor energetic vibration whereas constructive thoughts produce feelings of happiness, peace and love.
A positive attitude is the most important tool we can possess. When we cultivate habits that contribute to positive mental health our vibration is raised.
Eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep and finding individual strategies to manage stress are very useful tools in coping with mental illness but we can’t always control our environment.
What we can control, or learn to, is our thoughts and how we react to them.
Ways of thinking that contribute to positive thoughts and reactions
Become aware of negative thoughts when they rise and relabel, reverse or refineFocus on the good things that happen throughout your day.Practice gratitude by keeping a journal of all the good things that happen to youIdentify your areas of negativity and judgementLaugh at yourself, don’t take your mind so seriouslySpend time with positive people, eliminate toxic people or at least curb the time spent with them
Positive thoughts enable us to be creative and prepares us to approach life’s challenges in a more productive way.
It may not be easy to begin with, but it is doable. With practice, a more positive you will blossom, and you will attract like-minded high vibration people.
#positivethoughts #mentalhealth #wellness #wellbeing
October 11, 2020
Yoga Encourages You to Listen to the Whispers Before They Become Screams
Despite an increasing number of studies suggesting that yoga is an effective practice for men and women experiencing anxiety disorders, some patients claim that the simple act of getting out of bed of a morning can be a major hurdle.
While it’s quite common to experience some level of anxiety from time to time, the fine line into disorder territory is triggered once the state of mind infiltrates everyday life for more than a six-month period.
And because no two people are alike, the cause of anxiety and the level of severity, affect patients differently, just as stress management differs from country to country.
International Yoga Educator and Teacher Sharon Neish from Mind Body Yoga said having the tools to regulate the nervous system comes in many ways as well.
“I’ve noticed therapy more prevalent in European countries, whereas body therapy activities such as yoga, tai-chi and chi-gong are becoming more popularised in the west.”
“Countries such as France have a completely different approach to stress management. They’ve adapted an alternate sleep-wake pattern which is more commonly seen in Asian countries. This altering of the circadian rhythm affects hormones in a positive way,” she said.
While the ancient discipline of yoga incorporates physical poses, meditation and breathing techniques, its main purpose is to help the practitioner to discipline the mind and body and to have control over oneself.
The word yoga literally means ‘to unite’ or ‘union’.
“It means to draw inward, including any path or therapies that help holistically,” Sharon said.
“We’re now seeing many psychologists using yoga, meditation, mantra, reiki and body therapies as part of their treatments to betterment.”
“Whatever is in the mind stays in the body which is why moving viscerally shifts cognitive patterns re-wiring the internal hard drive to consciously recognise emotions.”
However, like anything, the more you force it, the more resistance you will face.
While yoga can be your daily dose of medicine. It’s important to recognise “with any chronic illness such as GAD, an allied healthcare professional must work alongside holistic therapists carving these habits day by day.”
“Consistency of practice retrains the nervous system to be less reactive and more responsive, allowing us to listen to these whispers before they become screams,” Sharon said.
Morning routine
Start with an intention to move your body slowly, mindfully and lovingly without pain.CHILD’S POSE: Roll onto your stomach and rest your chest on your pillow. Stack your knees hip width apart under your belly with big toes touching. Your arms can rest alongside you or wherever they are comfortable. Close your eyes, relax your jaw and focus on your breath.HALF FROG POSE: Remove the pillow and continue to lay on your belly. Extend one leg out to the side and bend it at a 90-degree angle ensuring your knee is level with your hip. The opposite leg should be straight. Turn your head to rest in the direction of the bent leg. Relax and focus on your breath flowing in and out. Repeat on the other side.RECLINING BOUND ANGLE POSE: Now lay flat on your back. Bring the soles of your feet together with legs bent. You have the option here of placing a pillow under both thighs for extra support. Place your hands on your stomach and focus on the rise and fall of your torso.CORPSE POSE: Stretch your legs out straight and rest your arms at your sides. With eyes closed and body relaxed repeat this positive affirmation. I am worthy to tune into the abundant nature of who I can be and what I can create.Once your feet have hit the floor. Light a candle, set up a permanent sacred space within your home, play calming music and light some incense to lighten the energy of the room.Invite yourself to meet with yourself at 1 pm every day. By keeping this appointment with the most important person in the world, you’re sure to show up even at your worst.
Remember, nothing is expected of you on your yoga mat. Just for you to be.
For further information or if you have any questions please contact Melissa Coleman on 0409002088
http://www.melissahcoleman.com
January 16, 2020
Climate Skeptics Can’t Deny the Evidence From an Everyday Aussie
The bushfire crisis, seven years of drought, and an estimated 50 per cent of corals on the Great Barrier Reef have died and still some Aussies including those in Federal government are denying the reality of climate change.
The fires came in September of the hottest and driest year on record in Australia.
And much to the Australian populations disgust came the Nations leaders’ poor handling of the situation along with their particularly dismal record on climate action, disgracing them in media world.
Much of the media coverage discussed the different factors that have driven the extreme fire season, with climate change coming up as a prominent theme.
USA Today quoted a tweet from Nasa climate scientist Dr Kate Marvel. She noted that Australia has warmed by around 1 degree Celsius since records began.
An article in the New York Times said, “longer and more frequent periods of extreme heat which worsen thee conditions and makes vegetation drier and more likely to burn”. It added “A changing climate has meant an increase in temperatures in the Indian and Southern Oceans, which in turn has meant drier and hotter weather across Australia this summer.”
Closer to home Mike Brown, Former Chief Fire Officer from the Tasmania Fire Service member of the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action hopes that the skeptics of the Australia population can have a better understating of what is meant by climate change and its effects after reading this article.
“My view of climate change is the variance that exists from the average in rainfall and temperature from known records, for example, and even records from geological survey,” Mr Brown said.
“Australia has a pretty accurate recording of meteorological events for over 100 years even ice-core samples, so the recent variances we are seeing, over an alarming short period of time, is of great concern.”
Climate change means accepting certain facts.
Mr Brown said going back some years there was division within the scientific community about climate change.
“There was debate about climate change being a natural cycle or whether it is something influenced by humans but now there is a lot of hard evidence and a more united stronger opinion by the scientific community that climate change has been accelerated since the Industrial Revolution.”
“One thing I noticed in the latter decade of my career was that we were having the incidents of lightning starting fires more frequently. A lot more frequently than 30 years ago.”
Mr Brown recently discussed the topic with senior scientists at the Bureau of Meteorology.
“The scientists suggest that dry lightning is not increasing in frequency due to climate change, in fact they are not seeing any real pattern of increase in dry lightning. However, because the landscape is so much drier and there is more available fuel in the vegetation, its catching alight far more readily.”
“Twenty or thirty years ago the environment was damper, lightning would strike, and nothing would come of it but now, we have had it feature in major bushfire starts in the last decade.”
[image error]Smoke haze from bushfires in Tasmania. The Tasman Bridge. Credit: Mike Brown
“Climate change is warming up and drying the landscape, influencing fires in Australia and other parts of the world,” he said.
Dry lightning occurs when a storm forms from high temperatures, but the rain evaporates before it reaches the ground, the lightning strikes the vegetation and sparks a bushfire.
Research has found that as climate change creates drier environments in Australia and around the world fires due to dry lightning will increase.
“In Tasmania, we have had lightning feature in major fire starts in remote areas, often in high altitude places, which makes access for firefighting equipment and people difficult.”
Mr Brown asked that sceptics to climate change consider what changes have taken place in recent times.
“We are experiencing more ferocious fires more frequently. An example is someone will say ‘we’ve had bad fires forever’. I agree, I know that in Tasmania for example there are records of major fires dated in 1850 and in the 1890s.
“Another major fire for Tasmania and Victoria was in the 1930s, another merciless fire disaster occurred in Tasmania in 1967 where 62 people died in the Black Tuesday fires.”
“If you look at those statistics, we had events almost once a generation – they were not that prevalent. Now compared to the last decade we have had major fires in 2006, 2013, 2016 and 2019. They are far more consistent, regular and of high intensity,” he said.
The data released from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology this week showed 2019 was the hottest and driest year on record.
The annual climate statement 2019 revealed nationally-averaged rainfall was 40% below average for the year, while the national mean temperature was 1.52 degrees Celsius above average.
The data confirms that Australia’s climate is warming.
Now more than ever, we need to act on climate change and reduce our emissions to protect Australia, our wildlife, our natural systems, and future generations.
Australia’s target is to reduce emissions to 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030.
#climatecrisis #climatechange #australia #bushfires #letsbethechange
January 13, 2020
A BUSINESS WITH NO NAME
Inspirational Women’s Advocate and local business owner Daisy Cross is ready to find a name for her new business and she wants the community’s help to do so.
Ms Cross said originally, she wasn’t going to name the studio.
“A good friend of mine mentioned it would be fun to hand it over to the community to name the space, to make it a competition.”
“I’m looking for a business name that represents the services and a name infused with personality,” she said.
The person with the most creative and appropriate name for the studio will win a free pass to the up-coming workshop Meditation 101 – ‘Develop a Practise’.
The three -part workshop will take place on Saturday 8 February and Sunday 9, and February 15 at 4/29 Miles Street.
Ms Cross has been involved in women’s advocacy roles for more than four years and felt inspired to provide a nurturing space for community members to evolve spiritually, emotionally and mentally.
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“I love collaborating and bringing community together, but I needed a consistent grounded space for these events to happen, as opposed to constantly trying to find a place each month.”
“Since the studio opened a couple of months ago, I’ve had many women ask to do a variety of workshops. This has always been my vision for opening the studio- for it to evolve into a co-creative shared space. I feel it adds creativity and flavour to Mount Isa,” she said.
The yet-to-be-named studio will hold Women’s Wisdom Circles, Kundalini and Hatha Yoga classes, meditation with crystal bowls healing, group coaching and spiritual talks, Chakra dance workshops and positive birth meet-up gatherings.
“Sometime in the near future Hypnobirthing workshops will be available as well,” Ms Cross said.
With more than eight years’ experience in teaching meditation and Yoga and a passion for self-development Ms Cross is ready to share the Dharma and ‘uplift those around me and the younger generation’.
“These gifts have greatly improved my quality of life, that’s why I’m inspired to share them with our community.”
You can get in touch with Daisy Cross on Facebook and Instagram under the handle @Daisycross.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Melissa Coleman on 0409 002 088
January 12, 2020
THE DANGERS OF BUSHFIRE SMOKE UNMASKED
The gases and fine particles produced during a bushfire can make underlying respiratory and cardiac diseases worse and wearing certain masks won’t help.
Nephrologist and Chairperson for Doctors for the Environment Australia Victorian Committee, Dr Katherine Barraclough said bushfire smoke is made of gases and particles, many of which can be detrimental to human health.
“One of the most damaging particles is called PM2.5. It’s incredibly small and can be inhaled deep into the lungs,” Dr Barraclough said.
While cloth and paper masks may feel helpful, they offer a false sense of security. These masks are not designed to filter out PM2.5 particles.
“We know these masks don’t filter out the tiny particles in smoke that cause the most damage to health. This includes PM2.5, but also PM10 which can cause lung damage,” she said.
“P2 masks are helpful to inhibit the tiny PM2.5 and PM10 particles that make bushfire smoke dangerous, but they need to have a really tight air seal around the nose and mouth for the mask to be effective.”
“Facial hair, beards or anything that stops the mask from giving a really tight fit needs to be addressed for optimum performance,” she said.
Melbourne is facing a shortage of P2 masks currently so exposure to severe amounts of bushfire smoke for extended periods of time should be avoided.
Dr Barraclough said the people most-at-risk are those with underlying heart and lung conditions.
“Also, the elderly, young children and pregnant women.”
PM2.5 and PM10 can cause irritation of the eyes, the nose and throat in people. They can also cause coughing, wheezing and other respiratory symptoms even in those who have never had a respiratory condition, however, for those with underlying respiratory conditions, they can exacerbate symptoms.
“The really worrying thing about PM2.5 is that it’s so fine, it can be absorbed into the blood stream and from there it can lead to inflammation, affect the heart and sometimes trigger heart attacks,” Dr Barraclough said.
“It has also been associated with strokes and blood clots.”
In early December Sydney experienced a 25 per cent increase in respiratory presentations than the weekly average and the NSW Ambulance Service experienced a 50 per cent increase in respiratory callouts in the first six days of 2020 compared to the same period last year.
The levels of air pollution were up to 11 times the hazardous levels.
But Dr Barraclough said the important thing is to recognise that there is no safe level of air pollution – any level of air pollution is bad for health.
“These statistics show that the smoke is having short term health impacts but what remains to be seen is the long-term health impacts.”
Dr Barraclough said the statistics for Victoria were unavailable at this time.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO LIMIT EXPOSURE
– Stay indoors
– Keep windows and doors closed and sealed before smoke gets inside
– Most air conditioners don’t have filters for PM2.5 particles. Set your air-con to circulate the indoor air rather than taking air from the outside
“This really is unchartered territory, particularly this prolonged bushfire smoke. Impacts on short term and long-term health of the population is concerning so one of the major priorities is to look after any underlying health conditions you may have,” Dr Barraclough said.
“If you have asthma and you’ve be prescribed preventors make sure you take them before the smoke impacts you and have an asthma management plan in place if you have to evacuate.”
“Ensure you have all your medications and check on people around you that have respiratory diseases,” she said.
If you experience difficulties breathing or shortness of breath seek medical advice immediately.
#australianbushfires #healthhazards #bushfiremask bushfiresmoke #saveaustralia #australiaonfire
January 11, 2020
Wildlife Carer Escapes Unprecedented Fire to Look after Native Animals
Wildlife carer Rena Gaborovevacuated her home and wildlife shelter with an eight-month-old wombat named Fred, a six-month-old ringtail possum named Ginger, and three joeys named Satin, Lenny and Link, as a great wall of fire approached their property.
Residents from Goongerah, East Gippsland, were urged to leave on Friday when fire authorities’ door-knocked expressing imminent danger.
Since then Rena and her partner Joe Henderson have set up a temporary shelter for wildlife in Sarsfield, over two hours away from their home.
“There haven’t been many animals come off the fire ground, I think it’s because at the moment we can’t get access to it.”
However, with 15 years of wildlife experience up her sleeve and a compassionate community, local landowners are helping feed animals with pellets, hay and lucerne from their properties.
Rena, who also lost her home in the fire, felt deeply about the vast loss of animal life but knew she couldn’t let the thought overwhelm her and distract her from her current task of looking after the animals already in her care.
[image error] Kangaroo joeys returning to Sarsfield after the fire.
“In East Gippsland we have a third of the States threatened species such as the long-footed potoroo, brush-tailed rock-wallabies, and glossy-black cockatoos.”
The glossy black cockatoo is endangered and very particular about what it eats, they only eat casuarina seeds.
“The whole area has been burnt including their food supply, so I don’t know what will happen to those birds,” she said.
A staggering one billion animals have perished in the National bushfires however Rena says that number sounds conservative.
“The number of animals that have been impacted is absolutely devastating.”
“I know it’s horrible to say but some would have died slowly due to smoke inhalation as well as some quickly from being burnt.”
“These fires are unprecedented, a huge devastation to wildlife, their homes, and their food stock.”
[image error] Bairnsdale . Image: Marion McKeown.
Rena is also concerned about the impact of climate change on Australia’s native animals. As a member of Goongerah Environment Centre Office (GECO), a community group who campaign for the protection of East Gippsland’s forests using a variety of strategies including education, political lobbying, nonviolent direct action, citizen science and forest monitoring, she feels equip to talk about Climate Change.
“With a hotter climate drying out the vegetation and more frequent bushfires how will the animals survive?”
“Pademelons, rock wallabies and potoroos are highly endangered or extinct, but these animals were once considered pests. Wallabies and wombats can quickly become uncommon or even extinct given the right or wrong circumstances.”
“The fires that went through our place started in areas that previously burned in 2014. The time between fire seasons is getting shorter and shorter, way more frequent than the natural cycle, and the flora and fauna have not evolved to deal with this new pattern,” she said.
Australia is ranked the 57th worst-performing country on climate change policy a report prepared by international thinktanks revealed. The report criticised the Morrison government of being a “regressive force” internationally.
“The federal government has done nothing to cut the pollution that causes climate change and now we are seeing the terrible consequences,” she said.
[image error] Female baby wombat Fred in brown jumper sleeve.
Rena said for example if you take a serious accident where someone is bleeding out, the first thing you do is control the bleeding.
“In the case of trees replanting or keeping seed stocks would mean a firm hand and rag controlling the bleeding. But what’s causing the bleeding? You need to stop that or else it will overcome you and soak the rag. You must stop the cause and the cause is our carbon footprint. We need to get rid of that or at least lower it.”
“We can’t recolonise the wildlife and plants if the land is going to keep burning and some species take a really long time to get back on their feet!”
“It’s really scary and disgusting and if there is no government leadership and our Prime Minister is not prepared to lead, then he should just quit,” she said.
Victorian Bushfire Appeal
Donations to the Victorian bushfire appeal will be distributed to wildlife shelters and carers to help rebuild enclosures and equipment that have lost in the fires so they can continue their lifesaving work.
https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/
To Report a Wildlife Emergency in Victoria
https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/wildlife-information/report-a-wildlife-emergency
Volunteer
Wildlife Victoria are unable to accept or train any new volunteers currently. They have been inundated with hundreds of volunteering requests in the last few days and cannot get to them all. Please follow them on social media or sign up to their newsletter.
#australianbushfires #climatechange #australiaonfire #letsbethechange #wildlife #saveourplanet #emergency #climatecrisis #bushfireappeal #bushfires #eastgippsland
January 9, 2020
Hiking on an Island

The Indigenous Wulgurukaba people of the Island call it Yunbenun. Wulgurukaba which means canoe people are the traditional custodians of the land eight kilometres off the east coast of Townsville, known as Magnetic Island.
They are descendants from the Dreamtime and they say their creation began with a snake that came down from the Herbert River and slithered out to sea. The creation snake shaped the Hichinbrook Channel and continued its journey to Palm and Magnetic Islands. The Wulgurukaba people say his body broke up into three parts along the coast with the tail of the snake at Halifax Bay, his body at Palm Island, and his head at Arcadia on Magnetic Island.
The Wulgurukaba people have resided in the region for thousands and thousands of years and have a spiritual, physical, social and cultural connection to the land.

It wasn’t until June 1770 that the mountainous island received its common name Magnetic Island by Lieutenant James Cook in June 1770.
The story goes that as Cook travelled along the east coast of Australia, the island had a magnetic effect on his ships compass. Cook wrote in his journal that the Endeavor ‘would not travis well when near it’. Hence the inference that the Island was magnetic. To this day there are no conclusions as to why it had this effect.
The World Heritage-listed Island is a 20 minute ferry ride from Townsville and has become a holiday destination for North Queensland locals and International tourists alike.
Over half the island is protected as a National Park, leaving the untamed beauty of woodland, rainforests and wildlife environments unscathed by developement.
Maggie Island, as the locals now call it, is home to a large colony of rock wallabies, possums, more than 185 bird species including red-tail black cockatoos, and boasts being home to one of the largest koala habitats in Australia.

Not wishing to leave a carbon footprint on the small island which is, at its widest point, only 11km wide, my husband and I chose to traverse the Island on foot.
After disembarking from the ferry at Nelly Bay we followed the road out of town and along a walkway beside the busy road until we came to Geoffrey Bay. Within minutes of arriving we saw a rock wallaby, then another and another. One had a baby in its pouch and was even tame enough to get up close with.
The natural landscape of granite boulders was majestic. The sun lit up crevices and tunnels where the wildlife find protection from the elements and safe refuges to sleep and rear their young.
As you walk, you’ll notice the ever-changing diversity of habitats from freshwater creeks meandering through pockets of woodland to native vine thickets cloaking rocky valleys, and the majesty of the headland with enormous granite boulders over-looking the sea.
We followed a hiking track over steep hills and into gully’s until we reached The Forts, one of the best areas for Koala spotting. It took about an hour, but was certainly worth it. The 360 degree views are simply picturesque, conquering your senses fully and entrancing you to stay that moment longer to take it all in.
The construction of The Forts or Magnetic Battery began on 28 September 1942 and finished 10 months later on July 1943.
Building materials were delivered by barge from the mainland to Arcadia Bay and loaded on to the ‘red terror’, a local V8 truck originally used to cart pineapples.
Crews laboured hard in the tropical heat concreting and they building framework but critical to the forts’ operation were the two 155mm guns each weighing over 10 tonnes and with 26 foot long barrels.
They had a 6 foot (1.8m) recoil and could shoot to a range of nearly 16.5km with a 105 pound shell (47.6kg). The guns never fired a shot in anger but apparently it’s believed they fired a warning to a US Navy PT Boat that arrived in the bay unannounced.
The gun placements were hauled up the beach over logs and towed behind a tractor to reach their final destination. Could you imagine the ordeal or getting those monsters up there?
The mostly downhill walk from The Forts to Horseshoe Bay, the tourist strip, included a residential area and a village with boutique shops, cafes and pubs right opposite the beach. We saw a Kangaroo in the parkland area near the Skatepark.
Many water activities are available with canoes and jet skis for hire at Horseshoe Bay.
We loved our short time on Maggie Island and although this wasn’t our first time there, we know it won’t be our last either. After all there are 24km of walking trails on the Island.
December 1, 2019
What does Christmas mean to you?
Christmas is one of the busiest times of year with people rushing to buy gifts or trying to out-do one another by keeping up with the Jones’, travelling by land, air or sea to meet up with friends and family, and not to mention, working extra hours just to keep the essentials coming in.
Christmas as we know it today is actually an American holiday based loosely on past Christmas-time traditions from all over the world such as Christmas trees from Germany and gift-giving from the Victorians; all of which began 15 centuries after Christs’ birthday was declared a holiday. (Let’s not get into the fact that December 25 isn’t His real birthday but if you want to learn about that, click on this link!)
[image error]How The Grinch Stole Christmas
So what is the true meaning of Christmas to you? And don’t say watching The Grinch.
Is it the gifts under the tree, the coloured lights in the windows, receiving cards in the mail, dinners with family and friends, stockings hanging in the living room, singing carols in the shopping centre or shouts of “Merry Christmas” to those who pass by in the streets?
For many, especially children, the meaning of Christmas is simply how many cool presents they receive, yet the older you get the more the meaning begins to change.
For me, this year, my thoughts on what Christmas means has evolved.
Over the last few years it has meant sharing, spreading happiness by giving gifts that are a symbol of love, being grateful and it’s also meant spending quality time with family and friends.
But I’ve grown a lot this year, evolved in mind and thought and in order to embrace the true meaning of Christmas, I came to realise we must first feel Unconditional Love within ourselves because no gift from a department store can ever equal Unconditional Love. Once we have it, it’s easy to spread around to loved ones and strangers, and show acceptance with no judgement.
And instead of focusing on all the things we want, appreciate what we already have, and feel grateful for it.
Embracing the spirit of Christmas also means giving to those most in need by demonstrating with our actions an understanding of what the real nature of Spirit is. For me, this year, Christmas is a powerful time of reflection and Spiritual growth. What does it mean to you?
I feel when we truly embrace the spirit of Christmas and all it’s meaning, warmth, joy and Love, we most closely resemble Spirit and one of the greatest Healers to set foot on Earth – Jesus.
Merry Christmas!
[image error]Merry Christmas from Us to You
September 12, 2019
R U OK? North West Queensland
Saving a person’s life could be as simple as starting a conversation about mental health this R U OK? Day, and that is just what Gidgee Healing Programme Officer Quiana Busch intended when she organised the Deadly Choice event with Headspace and Mob Fm.
R U OK? Day is
dedicated to reminding everyone to ask that question, however Quiana said it’s
more than that.
“It’s a reminder
to all members of the community to ask the question everyday, by asking
R U OK? We open the lines of communication,” Quiana said.
“Suicide is
becoming a common occurrence so this is the perfect opportunity to raise
awareness and support people who may be struggling.”
The Gidgee
Healing Burke St Clinic car park transformed into a place where community
members came for a yarn, to play games, win merchandise and to have a feed.
“It’s also to
help them become aware of some of the services the community offer,” she said.
Gidgee Healing
Health Services Manager Mount Isa Rachel Wainwright said this is the first
event they have had since she came on board.
“I have been with Gidgee for two years working in the Lower Gulf clinics, and the last three months at Burke Street. This a big event for us here. It’s very exciting,” Rachel said.
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“Sometimes asking
R U OK? Is all it takes. Mental health still has a stigma about it and that
needs to be broken down, so we need to ask the question more. Even just taking
the time to say G’day could be all it takes for someone to open up.”
“Within Gidgee
Healing, I want to create a space where people can come and feel safe to have a
yarn if they’re feeling a bit off,” she said.
Gidgee Healing’s
Deadly Choices provide a number of school and community-based programs that
promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging changes in behaviour.
Good Quick
Tukka –
healthy cooking and nutrition demonstrations within schools
Tobacco Cessation Program – addressing the risk
factors of smoking and encourages cessation in schools and community
Gidgee Healing Deadly Choices, Headspace Coffee Corner Cart, Mob Fm attended the event.
[image error][image error][image error][image error]
August 2, 2019
Are our major supermarkets selling out the environment?
Our major supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths have been accused of lining their pockets rather than helping the environment.
In a hypocritical move when most people are doing their best to bring their own reusable bags, choosing less packaging on their food and saying no to straws, they launch a plastic extravaganza and enlist parents to do their bidding.
Both supermarket giants are trying to replicate the success of Coles’ original Plastic toy promotion, which analysts estimate pocketed the supermarket $200 million in extra revenue last year.
June 20, 2018 was the date Coles and Woolworths both pledged to reduce their role in contributing to plastic pollution and see the removal of 3.2 billion lightweight plastic bags from circulation each year.
But is that where their environmentally friendly plastic affair ends.
2000 miles from the nearest continent, Midway Island in the North Pacific Ocean, is the home of the Albatross. The island is littered in plastic, which the albatross population ingest causing a shocking and painful death.
A Coles Media release described ‘Little Shop’ collectables as a “phenomenon”, “hugely popular” and “incredibly cute,” while making no environmental statement about the plastic toys.
However Woolworths said in a Media Release that their Lion King Ooshies were made from FSC material – The Forest Stewardship Council – which means the product is made from wood or wood based product or contains wood. There are three types of FSC labels – 100%, FSC Mix or FSC Recycled.
Although Woolworths failed to identify which label, they also stated they had established a partnership with TerraCycle to turn any pre-loved Ooshies into plastic pellets which would then be used to make outdoor products such as garden beds, decks, fences and benches.
Meanwhile Australians nationwide have started petitions to ban the toys.
A Change.org.au petition by Annabel Henriques in Melbourne states enough is enough. When are these retail giants going to take some responsibility for the sad state of the planet, and the plastic strangling wildlife and killing thousands in slow torturous deaths as they feed on plastic.
The petition has 109 864 signatures and it’s not the only one.
In another petition Sarah Coates said Wow.. Coles.. just wow.. You have just proved you really do not care for our children’s future by bringing these so called “collectables” back.
Ms Coates said it’s time to think of our children and what their future will look like with all this unnecessary plastic.
Plastic from last year’s Little Shop have been found washed-up on beaches, and waste management experts say the non-reusable items could be worse for the environment than plastic bags.
Dr Trevor Thornton, a lecturer in hazardous materials management at Deakin University, told ABC, these toys probably use more plastics than the bags…and they’re not being recycled at the end of the day.
On July 31, 2019, just three days ago, a Sea Shepherd Australia Marine Debris Campaign volunteer claimed to have found several Coles Stikeez figurines toys on a Perth beach.
The Stikeez promotion was designed to encourage healthy eating habits among children however for an animal there’s nothing healthy about a stomach full of plastic.
Parents need to start being more mindful of the impact kids’ toys are making on the environment and be the change.
Say no to plastic collectables.