Edition Number 122 June / July 2015 INNISFAIL & DISTRICT Community Information Newsletter Produced by the COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTRE WEB PAGE 13-17 Donald Street, P O Box 886, Innisfail 4860 www.csci.org.au Phone: 40438400 Fax: 4061 7312 Freecall: 1800 616 001

The Community Support Centre is funded primarily by the Department of Communities

This edition kindly sponsored by Inner Wheel Club of Innisfail Inc

DISCLAIMER Page 2 Editorial, June & July Recreation Mornings, Salvos ALL ARTICLES IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE Page 3 Inner Wheel Australia PRINTED IN GOOD FAITH FOR THE Page 4 & 5 Connie Riera’s Story COMMUNITY AND DO NOT Page 6 & 7 Jeff’s Anzac Pilgrimage , Show puzzle NECESSARILY REPRESENT Page 8 Overcoming adversity THE VIEWS OF THE INNISFAIL Page 9 Introducing Norman, Coping with Stress COMMUNITY Page 10 Recipes SUPPORT CENTRE INC Talkabout June / July 2

Editorial

We certainly live in a vibrant, interesting community full of diverse and extraordinary people with remarkable stories to tell.

We are privileged in this edition of Talkabout to be able to share a number of those stories.

Thank you to all our contributors.

Happy reading!

JUNE RECREATION MORNING

Tai Chi With Brooke and Lynn We invite you to join us for a taste of TAI CHI. Tai Chi is wonderful for health and wellbeing. It is a gentle form of movement , which is suitable for all ages.

Where : Community Support Centre Innisfail Inc 13-17 Donald St Innisfail When: Monday 15th June 2015 Time : 9.30AM to 12.00 PM Cost: FREE RSVP Contact Reception on 40438400 by Wednesday 10th June Wear comfortable loose clothing We invite you to July Recreation Morning Crochet for Beginners With Maria and Lyn

Crochet is fun, relaxing and easy to learn

Come along and get hooked on crocheting During the morning we will cover the basics of crochet . We will cover how to hold the hook and yarn, make a slip knot, learn chain stitch and other basic stitches to get you going on your own project. Where: Innisfail Community Support Centre Inc 13-17 Donald St Innisfail When: Monday 20th July 2015 Time: 9.30 AM to 12.00PM Cost : FREE Hook and Yarn Supplied RSVP : Reception on 40438400 by Wednesday 15th July Toilet paper and tissues – Salvos supplying the basic necessities

In April, Gwen Hammerton and 5 other members of the Salvation Army delivered some much needed “pamper packs” to the embattled farming communities in the drought stricken region around Longreach. The packs had been put together thanks to the generosity of the people of the Cassowary Coast.

Some of the Salvation Army officers will be going south in July and will meet up with the Rural Chaplains from Longreach so it has been decided to support the farmers again with a Toilet Roll and Tissue drive. Anyone able to contribute to this very worthy cause is asked to please drop the goods off, with Gwen’s name on them, to the Salvo Store in Rankin St, Innisfail. Talkabout June / July 3

Inner Wheel began in 1924 in Manchester, England with the emblem being a small wheel contained within the Rotary Wheel. Members were the wives of Rotarians.

Now members can be:  Women related to Rotarians/former Rotarians.  Women related to Inner Wheel members/former Inner Wheel members.  Women who have been invited to join – provided that a majority of the club members agree.

The first club to be chartered outside the United Kingdom was formed in Ballarat, Victoria in 1931. National membership is now almost 4000 with 14 districts and 2 non-districted clubs throughout Australia. The first International President from the Southern Hemisphere was Gwen Davis from Parramatta, NSW, in 1975-76 followed by Gwen Belmont, NSW, in 1992-93, Louise Richardson from Sutherland, NSW, 1998-99 and Carole Buchanan from Berwick, Victoria, in 2001-02. International Inner Wheel is the largest women’s voluntary organisation in the world.

Two International Conventions have been held in Australia - the first in 1976 in Willoughby, NSW, and the second in 1993 in Darling Harbour, NSW. The next 17th Triennial International Convention will be held in Melbourne in 2018.

The National Conference is held every year in October, in different areas hosted by the local clubs or district.

The OBJECTS of Inner Wheel are:  To promote true friendship  To encourage the ideals of personal service  To foster international understanding

The Inner Wheel organisation supports projects within the local, national and global communities.

On January 10 every year members worldwide perform acts of service and friendship in memory of the founder of Inner Wheel, Margaret Golding, of the Manchester Club, in 1924.

Australia’s national project since 2001 is to support Cord Blood Research and since then Research Grants have been presented with progress made over the years to improve the health of many patients. Total funds raised nationally to 31st March, 2015 are $2,134,716.70.

Clubs meet once a month for Friendship, fun, guest speakers, outings, service and fundraising activities. INNISFAIL INNER WHEEL

Meets 1st Tuesday each month

The Hub Meeting Room – Donald Street Innisfail

Friendship Fellowship Fun

For more information please phone 07 4061 2219 Talkabout June / July 4

CONNIE RIERA

Connie Riera was awarded the Australia Day Lifetime Contribution Award in 2015. We have asked her to tell her story in her own words.

My grandfather, Sam Cardillo, came out from Italy in 1898. He bought 50 acres of rainforest on the banks of the Moresby River, felled the trees and planted sugar cane between the tree stumps. My grandmother, who remained in Italy with their three children, never came to Australia.

In the early 1900’s their daughter Maria, my mother, was 14 years old and attending college in Italy. But my grandfather needed help on the farm and my mother reluctantly came out on her own to help him. He met her off a boat at Mourilyan Harbour and they travelled by horse and sulky for 10 miles through dense scrub to the farm.

Within two years my grandfather had an arranged marriage for my mother to Giovanni Sorbello, a man 26 years her senior. They bought land in Sandy Pocket and began farming there.

I was born when my mother was only 16. They were hard times. We relied on creek water carried home in kerosene tins for cooking and bathing. I began school in Moresby in 1929. I walked four miles to school along a horse track through the scrub and later I rode a horse. Sugar cane grew well in the virgin soil but our farm was surrounded by wattle trees which attracted beetles. They would drop in the soil, turn into grubs and would eat the roots of the cane. The cane would topple over and that would be the end of the crop. It got so bad we had to walk off the farm.

This happened just at the beginning of World War 2. Men were being called for war duties and women were needed to take their place. I applied to work in the Post Office, took exams, got top marks and was accepted as Postmistress at Moresby. I was 17 years old. Working hours were from six am to six pm. Post Offices were very busy, with lots of duties that had to be dealt with, 24 hours a day if necessary. Besides this I packed parcels with families for their sons and husbands. I would receive phone calls in the middle of the night for telegrams I had to write out to families of men wounded and missing. When I think of it now it still gives me goose bumps. I had to deliver the telegrams and of course people hated to see me coming. It was very distressing. On my free nights I’d have dinner, then study. I had enrolled for a two-year drafting and dressmaking correspondence course and won a scholarship. I then studied another two years to become a tailoress.

After the war we opened a grocery store at Wangan and we lived there. I taught drafting and dressmaking and, doing what I loved most, making bridal and debutante gowns. In 1948 I married Martin, the love of my life. He bought a farm on Henderson Drive when we got engaged Talkabout June / July 5

and I have lived there since. We had two beautiful daughters, Vivien and Robyn, and felt we had complete happiness. But I came to realise that perfect happiness does not last forever. Martin was killed on 14/9/1958 when a tractor tyre fell on him. We had been married for 10½ years.

When I became a widow Vivien was four years old and Robyn four months. How can anyone pick up the pieces and start life again when the whole world has collapsed in front of you? But I had to, with two young children to raise, farms to manage and farm hands to employ. A female stepping into a man’s world did not happen in those days.

Attending male dominated farm meetings was a challenge. I remember chairmen asking farmers to curb their language and comments such as “her place is in the kitchen, not here”. Martin used to discuss all aspects of the farm with me so I was able to carry on and farmed successfully for thirty-four years. I had seen contour planting in Europe and did it myself for three years before it was suggested by other farmers here. I think I paved the way in the community for recognition of women’s abilities on farms. I was determined to succeed and hope I inspired other women. And I still live cane farming!

The introduction of cane harvesters and improved methods of cultivation gave me more time. I took a big step and, with nerves on edge, I learnt how to lecture at Weight Watchers, which I did for 20 years. Because of this I joined Toastmasters, which was then only for men, but I was gradually able to work my way in, and learnt how to speak publicly. Then a few weeks helping out a family member became 12 years in real estate. I took my daughters on a five-month world trip – a desire fulfilled.

From 1960 to 1995 I helped the community by raising money for needy organisations and schools by hosting garden parties in my garden. The money raised went to many recipients including Blue Nurses, Girl Guides & Scouts, schools, ambulance, hospital, Red Cross and many more. We had fashion parades, bridal parades, a concert under the stars, and a fashion extravaganza on a cavalcade of cars.

In 1995 the movie “All Men Are Liars” was filmed in South Johnstone and, when the director and film stars returned for the premier of the film, they were hosted to a brunch in my garden, the proceeds going to schools, hospital and ambulance in the district where the movie was filmed.

My voluntary community service includes:  30 years with the Soroptimists International Club raising money to improve the status of women and help the underprivileged. ( I was President three times)  Fourteen years of service with the Inner Wheel Club whose main project was raising money for Cord Blood; (President three times)  Thirty-eight years with Toastmasters (Judge for the Secondary Schools Speech Contest and the Q.C.W.A. Speech Contest, Mentor to new Toastmasters, President six times)  Six years in the Garden & Horticultural Club. I have recently been elected President for another year.

My utmost desire is to see organisations work for the good of the community and while I can I will continue to strive to engage others to join. Through these clubs much needed funds are raised for our community and abroad, and we can maintain and continue to build a cohesive community spirit for the benefit of all residents.

Thought for the day

‘Spending time complaining about yesterday isn’t going to make tomorrow any better.’

Talkabout June / July 6 Jeff’s Pilgrimage Anzac Day 2012 A special story in this centenary year of ANZAC 01:59 hrs Ho Chi Mihn City Time Anzac Day 2012 the alarm sounds and it is time for Emmalyn, my eldest daughter, and I to get ready. The guides and bus will be here at 02:30. Right on time the phone rings to tell us that our guide, Chien ‘Dingo’ Tanihn, is waiting for us in the foyer. We enter the bus and meet the driver, an ex- Buddhist monk who gave it away for the pursuit of a woman. He doesn’t speak much English but his driving skills in the city led me to believe that some supreme being was still looking after him and us as well. The usual thousands of scooters are not on the road at this hour because ancient semi-trailers are allowed on the roads only between midnight and 06:00 and for these few hours they rule the roads. Mr Dingo, as he calls himself, is a wealth of information and regales us with many stories of his life and the times of change after the ‘American War’- his father was an officer in the South Vietnamese police and life after the war was hard for his family. He is soon back to more stories of life as a tour guide and it is time to drop some names—he has guided an Australian Ambassador, Allaster Cox, the Australian Consul, General Sir Graeme Swift, and, his claim to fame, Little Pattie. After a two hour drive which was mostly uneventful (just one truck roll over and only several near misses) and a travelling breakfast of Vietnamese pastries, a skill learned from the French I believe, served with very strong coffee sweetened with condensed milk, we arrived near the site of the Battle of Long Tan. As we got closer out of the darkness appeared what seemed like an endless line of tour buses and vehicles of every size and type. I estimate we parked about a kilometre away and had to walk in from there. Walking through the track in- between the rubber trees in the early morning darkness was very eerie, we all realized we were walking over the ground of one of the most significant Anzac battles of the Vietnam War; everyone spoke in whispers and hushed tones. As we arrived at the site of the memorial I was amazed by the sight of at least 3000 to 4000 people awaiting the dawn: service members past and present, their families and friends; staff from both the Australian and New Zealand Embassies; Vietnamese officials and the ever-present tour guides collected in groups around the periphery chatting quietly in small groups, having a smoke and keeping an eye on their charges. Talkabout June / July 7 Then the official ceremony started in the early dawn light and an Australian Army officer and the Commander of a New Zealand Naval ship both gave very good addresses to the crowd. As the sun broke the horizon and shone through the rubber trees a bugler played the last post - this is a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my days. It was very emotional and I do not believe there was a dry eye amongst all the onlookers. After the ode and a minute’s silence thousands of voices rose in singing ‘Advance Australia Fair’ then the Kiwis followed with ‘God Defend New Zealand’ and what a rendition it was with a Maori choir leading the way. The entire memorial resonated with national pride and respect, the feeling was amazing. The laying of wreaths and roses, the latter supplied by the Vietnamese community, was next. Emmalyn and I laid a wreath for my father, Sargeant George ‘Chicka’ Baines 1 Sqn Australian Special Air Service, who was killed whilst on active service on the 13th February 1968 at Nui Dat. This Anzac Day ceremony had been very special to me as it had been in the making for 44 years. I got to share it with my daughter and after the ceremony had ended we met many veterans of the conflict, some of whom had even known my father. After returning to the bus Mr Dingo took us for a tour of the old site of the base at Nui Dat, the sentry posts and gates are still there to be seen and he had an old map from the base we could use for reference. The Luscombe Bowl can still be seen, where Col Joye and Little Pattie (Mr Dingo could not stop talking about her) performed the day of the battle. Luscombe Airfield is now the main street of the village of Nui Dat and we visited a preschool established by Australian Veterans, a great effort on their part and really appreciated by the local community. After a stop at a shop owned by an expat Aussie where we could get a cold beer at 8 in the morning, I only had one by the way, we drove over to the site of SAS Hill. After driving past Kangaroo Pad, a helipad site, we started the climb to the top of SAS Hill. Emmalyn, myself and Mr Dingo made it to the top without too much trouble and it was well worth the climb. First the view was spectacular — 360 degrees and miles and miles. We took some great photos and could see all the other visitors walking around the old base. Then one man from one of the tour buses climbed up to the top with us, a great bloke from South Australia somewhere and we struck up a conversation. Turns out he was with the 104 Signal Squadron in 1967-68 who operated their equipment from the very top of the hill and, even though he didn’t personally know my father, he took me down to the site of the SAS camp and showed me where their tents were set up. I couldn’t believe I was standing where my father and his squadron had lived for the 12 months of their tour. It was a great way to finish a great day, with great people, where great men and women had fought for the rights and privileges we all hold dear in this great country of ours.

N E L T T A C F B S K E V G M

H O R N R C A K K P D Q W G G It’s Show Time Again!

Q F I P N M E R U I H F A S F Find the words and anticipate the fun L R J T I E O S H H Z W R L K CATTLE U A I L I W D Y W C K H U A S CHIPS S I Y Q E T G A M E S G D U H CHOOKS COMPETITION S N J R W F E C O R N D O G S CORNDOGS O H I S U Z U P A S F W R H J FAIRYFLOSS FAMILY L F O N K E U A M Y U D F T Y FIREWORKS F R I W Z O Y T U O P Z M E C FUN GAMES Y Q I I B N O D Q R C O Y R T LAUGHTER R S R D O A R H K P Q N W H L PRIZE RAIN I P T P E I G V C C E T L Z T RIDES A W U F P S T S G W X P T L W SHOWBAG F O J F B V G Z Z S U R W J H Talkabout June / July 8

Overcoming adversity to gain employment and support others

Several years ago, Tim Towner was working in a bed making factory when his left arm and hand were pulled into a machine and badly crushed. To that point of his life he had worked successfully across a variety of industries from construction and furniture making to the timber and fishing industries. “I’ve always liked to work,” he says. “I often had more than one job at a time, with a day job, a night job and even a third job on weekends.”

But Tim’s horrific injury suddenly changed all that. Tim was living in Brisbane at the time, and after his injury he struggled to get by for a few years. The pace of life, however, combined with some other health issues, made him decide to escape the city life and head up the coast to Innisfail, where he had some family connections. In Innisfail Tim visited Ostara Australia, a national not-for- profit organisation that specialises in matching job vacancies with job seekers who are disadvantaged through health, age, disability or cultural background. It is the largest mental health specialist within the disability employment services sector, and has matched over 1700 job seekers with employers during the past year.

Ostara Australia’s Innisfail office assisted Tim to get a job at a local take away shop, Barrier Reef Fish and Chips. The owners saw immediately that Tim was keen to work and had a solid work history. Now Tim works more than twenty hours a week on the grill there, cooking gourmet hamburgers and fish and chips. In addition to the fish and chip shop, Tim also has been employed by Ostara Australia to support another of their clients, Stephen Proudfoot, who despite having physical and intellectual disabilities has been working in the vegetable and produce section at the local Woolworths for over 12 months.

“Ostara Australia told me they were looking for a male support worker for Stephen, who can do most things but needs just a bit of help with a few aspects of the job,” says Tim. “I said I’d be happy to give it a go.”

“Ostara Australia gives me all the support I need. We can talk about any issues, it gives me a chance to talk about how it’s going and they can keep in touch with how Stephen’s going.” Tim helps Stephen out with occasional physical requirements of the job that he struggles with, like lifting heavy things or pushing trolleys. As for their fellow workers at the supermarket, they have heartily welcomed Stephen and Tim into the team. “They’ve been really supportive,” says Tim. “All the staff there, including the manager Damien, have been really nice to Stephen and myself. They don’t look at him as someone with a disability. They just see him as a fellow worker.”

Manager of Woolworths Innisfail, Damien Tim, Stephen and Damien Wirth, agrees. “Employing Stephen has been fantastic for all of our team and the local community. We get a lot of positive feedback from our customers about how great it is that we are giving someone with a disability a go.”

“Working with Ostara Australia has been really positive. They have organised everything relating to Stephen’s training, his support worker Tim and funding. We haven’t had to do much at all. It is terrific that they have been able to provide the ongoing support that Stephen needs.”

Damien strongly encourages other employers to consider employing a person living with a disability. “It doesn’t hurt to give a person with a disability a go. You can be the one responsible for giving someone the opportunity to get a job and experience a ‘normal life’”.

For more information about Ostara Australia, call 1300 JOB SEEK (1300 562 7335) or visit www.ostara.org.au Talkabout June / July 9

Introducing …….Norman Have you ever seen the man in the photograph and wondered who he is? Perhaps you have seen him walking through town, in his distinctive hat and feathers, dragging his trolley and his worldly goods behind him or singing outside the supermarket. Talkabout was curious so we asked him to pop in for a chat to enlighten us.

This is Norman, also known as the Birdman or the Featherman and he is happy to answer to either name. Hailing originally from country Victoria, Norman was the son of a railwayman and spent most of his childhood moving from one small North Victorian town to another, learning in the process “how to make friends, then lose them”. As an adult he moved to Melbourne where he spent more than 20 years working in large hospitals but he hit the road about 10 years ago after what he believes was a personal revelation from God about his future role in the world—to spread the vision of a sustainable future.

Norman is a deeply spiritual man who has practised yoga and meditation for many years and he feels a strong affinity with the American Indians. He wears feathers to show his kinship with their beliefs, value systems and their relationship with the natural world, environment and their god. Birds, for him, signify freedom, flight and a different world of living according to personal choices not dictated by anyone else. He also recognises that, as a musician, he needs a persona that will make him stand out from the crowd.

Norman has strong personal views and considers himself a street teacher, believing that we learn many of life’s lessons from the mistakes that we make and he is happy to share the wisdom he has acquired in this way. He readily admits to the blemishes in his past - drugs and a brief sojourn in jail - but would like to help young people avoid the mistakes that he has made and he believes he has a mission to spread his vision of a sustainable world by expounding his personal views and busking - he has written 35 original songs and accompanies himself on his well-worn guitar. On the subject of busking, Norman is promoting the idea of a national code of conduct for buskers.

He sees himself as a bohemian and an activist and travels around the country by train and bus, “the ultimate commuter” as he puts it. He normally spends 3 or so days in one place before travelling on for another 4 or 5. He chooses to sleep in the open, because of allergies to scabies, in his tent or under the ceiling of stars. He is currently spending most of his time in Queensland because he likes the people here. He told me that Queenslanders are very generous - he finds them charitable and kind wherever he goes.

Now you have met Norman too so, next time he crosses your path you can smile and say “g’day”.

AN INVITATION TO COME AND LEARN ABOUT …

COPING WITH STRESS at the Community Support Centre Innisfail, 13 - 17 Donald St., Innisfail Tuesday, 14 July, 9.30am—1.30pm Call to register on 4043 8400

A Free workshop — Community Support Centre Innisfail Inc., primarily funded by Department of Communities Talkabout June / July 10

From Will Macgillivray Marma Rasmussen’s Crunchy Date Sour Cream Seafood Dish or Apricot Slice

250g prawn tails, 100g 500g chopped dates or dried apricots scallops, 2 fillets smoked cod 250g butter (you can change this to any 1 pkt plain Marie biscuits seafood you like) ½ cup sugar Carrots, cauliflower and 1 beaten egg beans. Coconut 2 tbsp each of garlic and Vanilla lemongrass paste, 500ml sour cream. Melt butter and add to sugar and dates and cook Remove skin from cod and dice, peel prawns until dates are very soft. Add vanilla and egg and stir and remove scallops from shells. Fry the well. seafood and boil the vegetables separately. Add Break each biscuit into about 6 pieces into a large garlic and lemongrass paste to seafood with the bowl and stir in hot date mixture and mix well. cooked vegetables and stir in sour cream. Serve hot with rice or noodles. Line a slice tray and cover with coconut. Press mixture into tray and flatten.

Tartare sauce Sprinkle coconut on top, cut into fingers and 880g whole egg mayonnaise refrigerate. 3 dill cucumbers, 50mg capers, 8 mint leaves, 8 parsley leaves, 2 spring onions, 1 tbsp horseradish sauce. Boiled fruit/chocolate cake from Bob G. Burton Blend all ingredients in blender, add to mayonnaise and mix together. Leave in fridge 2 cups milk, 2 cups mixed fruit, 1 tbsp. coconut, 1 for 8 hours before use. tsp bicarb of soda, 1 tsp mixed spice, 800g raw sugar, 125g salted butter, 2 ½ cups plain flour, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 4 heaped tbsp. cocoa.

Boil together milk, sugar, fruit, coconut and cocoa for 5 minutes then allow to cool. Add flour, soda, spice and essence—mixing well. Bake in 2 loaf tins or a 9” square baking tin for 1 hour at 180°C or until top of cake is springy.

Laurie’s Olive Recipe Additive: Mix up 2 cups of mixed fruit with 1 500g mince steak, 1 onion (cut into 8),1 red & 1 banana sliced into coin sized slices and add to green capsicum (thinly sliced), 2-3 stalks celery mixture before baking. Put bananas into mixture (sliced on angle), 3 chopped spring onions, 1 prior to putting into oven cup sliced green beans, 1-2 carrots in julienne strips, 1 or 2 cloves garlic, 1 x 450g tin tomato soup, ½ tin water, 6-20 chopped olives (according to taste), 1 tbsp. olive oil, paprika to taste (1 dssp to 1 tblsp)

Heat oil, add garlic and onion and brown lightly. Add mince and paprika and brown meat. Add tomato soup and water and bring to boil Carol’s Banana Crunch Slice then add remaining ingredients. 250g margarine or butter, 1½ cup Simmer for 30 mins then add some thickening rolled oats, 180g sugar, ½ tsp bicarb, (oats or 2 min noodles). Cook for further 10 250g plain flour (can use half minutes. Serve with rice (always nice but even wholemeal), 2 large eggs, 2 bananas better the next day). sliced small (sprinkle with a little lemon juice).

Melt butter, stir in oats, sifted flour, sugar and bi- carb. Mix in beaten eggs. Spread half mixture over base, layer banana over and cover with remainder of mixture. Bake at 375°C for 25 minutes.