Message from Our CEO We Are Heading Toward a Big Event for Our Organisation – Ocsober
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Giraffe NEWSLETTER FOR SUPPORTERS OF LIFE EDUCATION SOUTHERNT alk SEPTEMBER 2015 Message from our CEO We are heading toward a big event for our organisation – Ocsober. This is our annual, major fundraiser where we encourage Australians to “Lose the booze to help Aussie kids”. Our goal is to raise $700,000 nationally which will go towards helping us to empower 700,000 Aussie kids to live free from drug and alcohol misuse. For those of you who may be thinking “great idea, and great initiative”, but planning to skip the rest of this article because you “couldn’t do it”, keep reading... INSIDE Do I have a motive to encourage you to do Ocsober – absolutely! I am passionate about what we do and we need this campaign to assist us to not only keep doing THIS ISSUE what we do, but to do more of it. We need the funds and we need the increased awareness of our programs. So that is what is in it for me... that, and a month of pain and deprivation as I go without chocolate and sweets for the month as I don’t drink alcohol, but I do have chocolate…EVERY day! So what is in it for you? The impact of alcohol on our society............... pg 2 This is probably where I should talk to you about all of the great reasons that you should do Ocsober to help us and to help keep children safe and well – that goes Ocsober 2015................................................. pg 3 without saying; the health benefits – obviously, giving up alcohol, or undertaking a Education News.............................................. pg 4 healthy behaviour for an entire month is good; the financial benefits – alcohol can Meeting school demand in the North East be expensive; the great example that you will set – you will show the kids and your Victorian Region.............................................. pg 4 friends that alcohol is not needed to be happy and have a good time! Feedback from the field................................... pg 4 Do you know what… there are lots of reasons to do Ocsober but what I am going Interview with Bianca Moleta - Community to do is to appeal to your competitive nature – I am throwing out a challenge to all in Wellbeing Officer.............................................. pg 4 our three Life Education states – Victoria, Tasmania and SA. Let’s have the greatest News from Tasmania....................................... pg 5 number of participants and raise the most money for our states. I am saying that News from South Australia - Building our I think “healthy” competition is great, we can be the best if we work together... so Volunteer Base................................................ pg 5 let’s just do that! So to those of you who thought you would give it a miss this year, Contributions to Healthy Harold........................pg 5 I encourage you to sign-up, get all of your friends, family and colleagues to sign-up A sad farewell to our valued Committee Volunteer - and let’s be the best – it is only one month (it may be a painful month in some cases, Pam Palmer..................................................... pg 6 but we can commiserate together as our skin clears and our livers regenerate and Save the Date - Be the CEO of our pancreases take a deep breath and our waist feels a little smaller)! Remember - your Career....................................................... pg6 every dollar raised in our states stays in our states to be used to support our children – let’s empower our kids! Thank you to our Committee Chairs - Andy Sholl and Merna Slattery.......................pg6 I have a little saying on my desk: “Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, Farewell our Champion Richard Williams OAM....pg 7 you can make anything happen” I believe in our states and our team, and I know we Richard Williams OAM Community Award..........pg7 can make this happen. What’s On....................................................... pg 8 Have a great month! Michelle Wood, CEO SUPPORT OUR FRONTLINE AMBASSADORS FOR OCSOBER 2015 Stephen Fontana Jim Higgins ASM Tony Walker ASM Assistant Commissioner Crime CEO of Metropolitan Fire and Acting CEO Command of Victoria Police Emergency Services Board (MFB) of Ambulance Victoria More on page 3 Page 1 The impact of alcohol on our society “All societies, without exception, make use of intoxicating substances, alcohol being by far the most common. Drinking has always been a social activity, and both consumption and behaviour have been subject to self-imposed social controls” – this is a statement which appears on the Ocsober website and comes from the European Commission Report ‘Social and Cultural Aspects of Drinking’. “Drinking has always been a social activity”…an interesting statement, and one which perhaps we as a society Empowering our children should challenge. and young people to make Alcohol is a drug. Drinking alcohol is an activity which arguably, and safer and healthier choices according to some health professionals and frontline workers, is the through education. greatest cause of harm within our society – should any activity which has the health and behavioural implications which alcohol is very well known to Our Ambassadors have, be known as a “social activity”? This is a conversation which is too large for this forum, however the following statistical information (from the Dr John Tickell Ocsober website) is alarming, and supports the need for strong, repetitive, Cameron Ling age-relevant education to every Australian child, so that they each make Andrew Gaze AM informed decisions and do not simply become the next generation which Neil Mitchell embraces this “social activity”, which although can cause great harm and Alex Fevola has great cost, is seen generally as an acceptable behaviour. Steve Moneghetti AM • Every 24 minutes an Australian dies through either legal or illegal drugs Russell Robertson • Alcohol related harm was responsible for 5,554 deaths in 2010 and Our Frontline Ambassadors same year 157,132 people were hospitalised due to excessive alcohol consumption (Alcohol’s Burden of Disease In Australia, 2014) Dr de Villiers Smit - Alfred Health • Teenagers who start drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to Dr Fergus Kerr - Peninsula Health become dependent on alcohol than those who don’t start until they are 21 Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana - • Nearly 50% of 16-17 year old drinkers say they intend to get drunk most Victoria Police times/ every time they drank alcohol Associate Professor Tony Walker ASM - • More than 20% of 14 – 19 year olds consume alcohol on a weekly basis Ambulance Victoria • Alcohol is involved in 13% of all deaths among 14–17-year-old Australians. Jim Higgins ASM - Metropolitan Fire and • One Australian teenager dies and more than 60 are hospitalised each Emergency Services Board (MFB) week from alcohol-related harms. • Drinking contributes to the three leading causes of death among Our Board of Directors adolescents – unintentional injuries, homicide and suicide. Andrew Bennetto - Executive Chair Paul Wheelton OAM - Non-Executive Chair These statistics alone are alarming, so when according to the ADF, there is Lindsay Beer significant evidence to support the fact that drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer, particularly mouth and throat cancer, oesophageal cancer, George Kalandadse bowel cancer (colon and rectum), liver cancer and female breast cancer, Caroline Jane Knight it is reasonable to question this drugs availability and consumption further. Campbell MacKintosh In 1988, the World Health Organisation classified alcohol as a Group Andrew Pirchan 1 carcinogen, which is the highest rating for any substance, and means Doug Rowe that alcohol causes cancer. It’s not just heavy drinking that places a person Rosemarie Stuhlener at risk of cancer; although drinking four or more standard drinks per day Angela Young doubles your cancer risk, even small amounts can lead to a higher risk. It doesn’t matter what type of alcohol is consumed, there is greater risk Our CEO whether you drink wine, beer or spirits. Conversely there is no evidence that Michelle Wood consuming alcohol prevents cancer, unlike the evidence that indicates small amounts of alcohol may help prevent heart disease. Our Contact Details PO Box 2439 So, this is a quandary… is it wise to consume a drug which has mind- Templestowe Heights, VIC 3107 altering effects; which has significant negative impacts on behaviour; which has evidenced detrimental, long-term health implications; which can cause Phone: (03) 9852 0199 injury and death; which has such a huge impost on the community? Fax: (03) 9852 0629 The question here is which drug is being discussed with these dangers - Email: [email protected] methamphetamines such as ice... or alcohol? Website: www.lifeeducation.org.au Alcohol is a drug…. a drug which is acceptable to our society, but twitter.com/lifeedsouthern without doubt, there are significant reasons to reduce its consumption. facebook.com/pages/Life-Education Michelle Wood, CEO Page 2 lose the booze to help Aussie kids Three of our frontline ambassadors who are senior members of the Victorian emergency services have decided to take the challenge and do Ocsober.lose Tony, Steve the and Jim have boozecommitted to Life Education as staunch supporters of preventative education for children – it is their teams who are at the cold-face, and who have the greatest interaction with people who haveto made help poor choices Aussie – sometimes to thekids detriment of their own health. These community leaders have made a commitment to Life Education and Ocsober, and we are so proud of them, and HOW TO GET INVOLVED welcome them to our team! Sign up as an individual This national campaign is a fundraising initiative that encourages people 1. Register as an ‘Ocsoberite’ to give up alcohol for the month of October and aims to raise $700,000 2. Decide on a name for your fundraising to empower 700,000 Aussie kids.