National Council of Women of NSW Newsletter 2020 Issue N04

Patron, Her Excellency the Honourable AO QC Governor of

Letter from the President… Inside This Issue

Hello All You Ladies in Lockdown Land! Letter from the President 1, 2 I sincerely hope you are all coping in a very healthy way with the ongoing Coronavirus Epidemic. It has certainly put a lot of constraints on our normal day-to-day lives. Some General Updates 3 of us are questioning what is ‘normal’ anymore? Just a Spoonful of…Turmeric? 4

Just a couple of facts about the Coronavirus (confirmed by Dr Norman Swann of the Letters to the Editor 4 ABC): Spotlight On…. Girl Guides ACT NSW NT 5 • If someone sneezes with the virus, it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the National Child Protection Alliance 6 ground and is no longer airborne; • Wash your hands frequently as the virus lives on your hands for 5-10 minutes Diary and Announcements 7 – but a lot can happen during that time – you can rub your eyes pick your nose unwittingly and so on; • If a coronavirus drops onto a metal surface, it will live for at least 12 hours – so if you touch a metal handrail etc. wash your hands as soon as possible with a bacterial soap. NCW NSW Inc. is affiliated with the • This new virus hates the sun and is not heat resistant - it can be killed by a National Council of Women

temperature of just 26/27 degrees. Inc., and the International Council • Drinking warm water is effective – try not to drink liquids with ice. of Women • Drink plenty of water.

CONTACT DETAILS I recently attended, via Zoom, an Aged Care Roundtable meeting where the issue of Tonya Valentino, Editor having nurses on duty 24/7 was again raised. There is an ongoing problem with LG Letterbox 3 unregistered staff being permitted to administer drugs to patients in their care with 280 Pitt Street incorrect dosages given, no dosages given when required which has resulted in many NSW 2000 mishaps including inconsistencies with regard to end of life care and the ability to manage the activities of daily living (ADLs). Examples were given by two Roundtable T +61 2 9269 0433 members, both GPs and members of the RACGP, who expressed grave concern about E [email protected] these matters. W www.ncwnsw.org.au

President’s letter continued Page 2…

NCW NSW Newsletter Page 2

Daughter, Tonya, and I recently attended a bushfire recovery fancy dress “Unlockdown Dinner”. We represented the NCWNSW and CWA of NSW.

Tonya went as ‘Little Red Riding Wolf’ and I went as ‘Where’s Wally?’

I won First Prize and donated the monetary prize to the Bushfire Appeal.

A report was given about the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The Commission is at present examining the financial aspects of aged care in forthcoming hearings and several independent reports have been written demonstrating there are huge profits still being made. The Commission will be publicising these and making enquiries at forthcoming hearings. The Commission will be examining responses to Covid 19 in Sydney during the week commencing 10th August, 2020.

I recently was asked to become a member of the Customer Council Board of Endeavour Energy’s investigation into “Reporting Streetlight Faults”. This is a program where customers can report streetlight faults via an app on their mobile phone and/or on the EE website; the progress of the reported streetlight fault can be tracked.

The Dame Peace Awards are going forward. We have had some wonderful applicants and the judges have found it challenging in selecting the Awardees. With the current climate we are perhaps looking at presentations via Zoom instead of our usual function at Parliament House. Watch this space for details.

In July, the NCWNSW was invited to a Zoom meeting with the NSW State Governor, Margaret Beazley, AC, QC. Our two Vice-Presidents, Julie Morris and Margaret Wood and myself, were privileged to speak with Her Excellency. The main reason for the meeting was to touch base with the Governor and to update her on our Council. She was very interested in all we do and made copious notes about all we discussed. We advised of our work with Refugees, via Michelle Pedersen and the work Niki Norris is doing with Domestic Violence etc. We also mentioned the various representations we have on our Council as well as the many Roundtables and Boards we are representatives to.

Our Constitution Committee, comprising of Doreen Todd, OAM, Jane Baker, Anne Sheehan and Julie Morris are beavering away and making progress on analysing and reviewing our Constitution. We look forward to receiving their deliberations in due course.

At present, we are continuing to have our Executive Meetings and our General Meetings via Zoom. We would love for you to join us on the last Thursday of the month at 4:30pm for our General Meeting.

I trust you are keeping well, safe, happy and Covid-free - Maybe in the New Year we can meet face-to-face once more. Annie Annie Kiefer

• Sydney City is a HOT-SPOT! • Clean your hands frequently • Still maintain metre distance • Avoid touching eyes/nose/mouth • Avoid crowded places • Stay home & self-isolate! • SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION if you have: A fever, cough, headache, temperature, breathlessness

NCW NSW Newsletter Page 3

NCW NSW AGM th 24th September 2020 Happy 90 Anniversary to BPW International!!

Please be on time. Congratulations on the

Can all members, including affiliates and organisations ensure you celebration of empowering are FINANCIAL for the AGM. women

If you have not received a membership form – Please email us and we will send one out to you

And remember…

Gift memberships are a FAB idea if you are looking for that special something for a friend, relative or your company!!

Please be advised that the NCWA mid-term conference Dame Marie Bashir Peace Awards 2020 scheduled for October 2020 in Adelaide has been CANCELLED The applications are still coming in and are… due to covid-19 restrictions.

In lieu of the conference, a 2hr Zoom meeting will be held Final details will be announced. on the 16th October 2020

Details to be advised accordingly

BECONNECTED

BeConnected is an Australia wide initiative empowering all Australians to thrive in a digital world.

There is a plethora of online learning services as well as a network of community partners – the Be Connected Network! https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au/find-local-help

The Be Connected Network willingly offer their support so that people can develop their digital skills with confidence!

NCW NSW is proud to partner with BeConnected – if you know any women 50years and over that would like assistance and support with the digital world – then email us and let us know!

We’d like to thank our VP Julie Morris for organising our involvement in such a worthy enterprise!

NCW NSW Newsletter PAGE 4

Just a spoonful of…. Turmeric?

Turmeric is a spice that comes from the turmeric plant, which is related to the ginger plant family. It’s one of the most common ingredients used in Asian food.

Most of us know turmeric as the main spice in curry. It has a warm, bitter taste and is frequently used to flavor or color curry powders, mustards, butters, and cheeses.

It contains a yellow-colored chemical called curcumin, which is often used to color foods and cosmetics.

However, did you know that the root of turmeric is also widely used to make medicine??

Turmeric is commonly used for conditions involving pain and inflammation, such as osteoarthritis. It’s also used for hay fever, depression, high cholesterol, a type of liver disease, and itching.

Some people use turmeric for heartburn, thinking and memory skills, inflammatory bowel disease, stress, and many other conditions, but please note that there is no viable scientific evidence to support these uses! https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono- 662/turmeric#:~:text=Turmeric%20is%20commonly%20used%20for%20conditions%20involving%20pain,cholesterol%2C%20a%20type%20of%20liver%20disease%2C%20and% 20itching.

SPOTLIGHT ON……

Girl Guides NSW – ACT – NT

People still ask me today; “Are Girl Guides still around?” I tell them, “yes we are”!

What do Girl Guides do? Is another question I have been asked over my 30 years of being a member of this wonderful organisation?

Our main aim is: We are empowering the women of the future; for they will not only impact their families, communities, and country—they will change the world.

• They grow into confident, self-respecting and responsible community members. • They uphold loyalty, honesty, true fullness, qualities that all parents, employers look for. • Girl Guides Care for the Community!

This is done in many ways. One is through giving the Girls a voice in their Units’ program that they belong and attend on a weekly basis during the public-school term. They learn skills that help them through life; they attend their meetings which are in a safe, non-bullying environment. They gain new like-minded friends knowing they can leave the bullying school playground behind and have a “Fun and Fantastic Time” once a week. They learn and understand more about other Girl Guides/Girl Scouts around the world, all contributing to their community, making it a better place for all.

I commenced as one of these Unit Leaders over 30 years ago. To see the joy and smiles on the Girls’ faces, always told me, they enjoyed the program that night. This gave me the happiest feeling in the World…

These Girls not only learn things from their Leaders, but their Leaders learn things from the Girls.

This is truly a Worthy organisation to belong too! Contributed by Margaret Wood

The Girl Guides Australia logo is comprised of three parts. The first two parts are the trefoil and the wording. These parts are essential. The third part, the State identity, is optional and is included beneath the GIRL GUIDES AUSTRALIA wording.

website details: https://www.girlguides.org.au/about/ biscuit details: https://www.girlguidebiscuits.com.au/ newsletter details: https://www.girlguides.org.au/wp- content/uploads/2020/06/gga_newsletter_june2020.pdf

NCW NSW Newsletter Page 6

An update and brief history of the National Child Protection Alliance Website: www.ncpa.org.au

At Annie’s request – an update and a few words on progress and my involvement with the National Child Protection Alliance and the plight of children.

When Covid19 restrictions were brought in I had high hopes I would enjoy a period of relative quiet. That didn’t happen. It seems I’m busier than ever – sometimes exhausted. Despite many Government Inquiries we see no changes to Family Law legislation introduced. The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC)

Inquiry of Sept 2017 brought some excellent recommendations which would have helped thousands, however any hopes that they’d be implemented disappeared when Senator Pauline Hanson demanded yet another Inquiry, taking another year at least and allowing more victims to suffer at the hands of perpetrators unnecessarily.

Every day my admiration grows for mothers and children, who are victims of DV and child abuse. I remain in contact with many in our cases. In fact, a picnic is planned for these July 2020 school holidays. Some children are now much older and are young adults. Strong friendships have been built through the years since 2010, when we held BBQs at our home to bring them together. Mums and children from country areas would stay the weekend with us, in our home. It was a ‘full house’! We can no longer have them stay overnight; however, we hope to hold a pool party later this year, which, no doubt, will bring Mums and children from far and near. Children and mothers got up to crazy antics in our pool, a lot of laughter and hugs, a few tears maybe, but those days brought them together and let them know they weren’t alone. This is so very important. Mothers who call us sometimes breakdown and weep when we assure them.... ‘you are no longer alone’. My admiration and empathy for these extraordinary mothers, and their children, is never ending. People often ask me how I manage to keep going – my answer is “how can I not?” I must pay tribute to my mentors, former Chairman of the NCPA Charles Pragnell, Dip.S.W; L.R.C.C. [UK HOME OFFICE] and the late Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs AO (Senior Australian of the Year 2000). Two humble people whose sacrifices for children over decades are immeasurable. I miss Freda and treasure Charles and the wealth of knowledge he has on the issues. Charles was involved with exposing the infamous Cleveland Child Sexual Abuse Scandal which he recorded in an Online article. "The Cleveland Sexual Abuse Scandal”. You will find it on Google. As the children in our cases grew, we felt we must create a younger group just for them, and so we formed ‘Young People Against Child Abuse’, (YPACA) under the umbrella of the NCPA. There is no charge for membership to YPACA. A young thirteen years old boy was the first young person we helped. After six abusive years, our involvement led to him being removed from the sole custody of his abuser and allowed to live with his protective parent. We made him Jnr. Vice President of YPACA. This young man is now nearly twenty years of age. We share our birthdays and for years celebrated and cut our cake together during special BBQ/Pool Parties at our home. YPACA was created in 2014, its formation being a natural flow on effect of a steadily increasing group of young people who responded well after meeting each other and grew stronger in mind and body. It is our intention that, just as the older YPACA members do now, the younger members will grow to become capable of attending meetings, explaining to State and Federal Government Ministers how the systems are failing children. Early in 2017 I arranged for four teenagers, two boys (14 yrs.) and two girls (12 yrs.) to speak with former Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell. I held two meetings to prepare the children for this meeting and we spent two extremely productive hours with Ms. Mitchell and her assistants, with the children putting forth their ideas and solutions. The Commissioner published the recommendations of the children in the 2017 edition of the Annual Children’s Rights Report and then alerted the Federal Government and Attorney-General of those recommendations. One was ‘we wanted to speak to the Judge and more than anything else, to be believed’. You may have noticed recent newspaper articles advocating for the right of children to speak in the Family Courts of Australia. Our four children can be proud, as that is what they told the Commissioner. Ms. Mitchell also published a poem in the same 2017 Children’s Rights Annual Report, written by ten years old, ‘KK’ (Children’s Rights Report 2017 – Page 34). I took his poem with me and suggested he allow her to read it. She then asked if she may keep it. She told me later she intended passing it on to every politician in Canberra and then to take steps to frame it and to hang on a wall in Parliament. I’m unsure if she managed to do this, but it was a wonderful idea. ‘KK’ is now fifteen years old. Despite nearly a decade of counselling, he stopped attending school over two years ago and refused to leave his home. I’ll leave you with ‘KK’s poem, as written by him, and thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of ‘KK’ and other children. ‘From Sunshine to Darkness’ “You start off as a little kid thinking everything is sunny and nice the world is an adventure. There's nothing scary and that everybody is good and you don’t even know what badness is. It’s easy, you make friends and play it’s all so easy, learnings fun and you don’t have to worry about anything. Then someone like him comes along and your world goes from sunshine to blackness and everything goes bad, nothings easy, nothings fun and nobody is good anymore. I want to live for a really long time because I’m not going to die until everything is like when you are a little kid again.”

Article submitted by Niki Norris AM

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Diary: August & September

EXECUTIVE NCW NSW

• Wednesday 19th August 2020

GENERAL MEETING NCW NSW

• Thursday 27th August 2020 • 4:30pm

EXECUTIVE NCW NSW

• Date: 16th September 2020

GENERAL MEETING AND AGM NCW NSW

• Thursday 24th September 2020 • 4:30pm

Dame Marie Bashir Peace Awards

• Monday 28th September 2020

Kindly advise Margaret Wood via email if you are attending a meeting or if you are an apology as all records must be thorough.

NSW Health Calendar: NSW Health Calendar: August September

Tradies National Health Therapy Dog Awareness Month… Month… Approx. 20, 000 people each Awareness of the health and week have their lives enriched by injury risks affecting those who Delta Society’s Therapy visits. work in trade occupations is The Society’s purpose is to help especially recognized this month animals bring joy to people as —among tradies themselves, they believe the human-animal their families, employers and the bond improves quality of life.

wider community. This is achieved via visits to aged FYI: Statistics show almost 3 in 5 care facilities, hospitals, mental serious workplace injuries health facilities, dementia wards, involve a tradie—despite making palliative care patients, disability up only 35 per cent of the services, health clinics, schools, workforce! correctional facilities and workplaces – to name a few!