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NOMINATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA DAY AWARDS NOW OPEN

The Australia Day Awards program shines the light on those who have shown particular dedication to community, their workplace, arts, culture or sport, with winners honoured at a special ceremony on Australia Day, Monday, 26 January, 2015. As it provides recognition to those who have made a significant contribution to Horsham Rural City, Mayor Mark Radford encourages residents to nominate people from all walks of life and those who may be quiet achievers.

Award categories include Citizen, Young Citizen, and Community Event of the Year. Do you know someone who you think is worthy of an Australia Day nomination? Or is there a community event that stands out for you as being worthy of a nomination?

You are invited to nominate a friend, family member, community leader, colleague or even someone you don't know - anyone in our municipality who you believe makes our community a better place to live. Those who donate their time selflessly to help others or commit themselves to any one of the many organisations formed to help those who can't always help themselves.

If you want to make sure another year doesn't go by without letting these people know how valuable their contribution is, now is the time to take action. Let’s give recognition to those people in the community who deserve some applause and acknowledgement for their hard work.

Nominations close on Friday, 5 December, 2014. For more details click here.

HISTORIC PHOTOS COLLECTION FOR THE LIBRARY

The Wimmera Regional Library has started a project “The Wimmera In Photos” to collect copies of local historic photos to create an online photo album of our region. The project aims to visually record and document the history and culture of this region using photographs from family collections.

The criteria for selecting images is that they contain images of significant buildings, streetscapes or representative scenes. Family portraits lie outside the scope of the project.

Library staff will borrow each image to copy it. The originals will be returned to the owner, or may be donated to the library. All images will be digitised and become available on the library’s website.

Collection days will be held across the region to enable interested people to bring in their photos, slides or negatives and to tell the story behind each image. The first day has just been held at Warracknabeal and a fascinating range of photos were brought into the Library. The images are now being digitized, and our first historic image placed online has been this photo of the opening of the Warracknabeal Library in 1968.

The next collection day will be on the 18th of December at Birchip Library from 10.00 - 1.00pm and then at Watchem Hall from 2.30- 4.30pm. Contact the Library to make an appointment.

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COMING SOON TO WIMMERA HUB

Apply First Aid – Responsible Service of Alcohol – Perform CPR – Use Hygienic Practices For Food Safety, Food Handling – Certificate IV in Training and Assessment – Certificate III in Aged Care – Excel Training – MYOB Program

For more information on dates and content please contact Wimmera HUB on 5381 6701 or email info@hub.edu.au or visit www.hub.edu.au

MUSICAL STORYTIMES

The Library is holding special Storytime sessions featuring Warracknabeal group Musical Tots at the following branches. Musical Tots provides a fun music based session for babies and toddlers featuring music, movement, rhymes, singing and dancing.

Sessions are suitable for ages 0-5 and light refreshments will be provided. • Beulah - Wednesday 26 November at 10.30am • Warracknabeal - Monday 8 December at 10.30am • Nhill - Thursday 11 December at 9.30am • Kaniva - Thursday 11 December at 11.30am • Horsham - Monday 15 December at 10.30am

ROSALIE HAM APPEARING AT HORSHAM LIBRARY

Wimmera Regional Library is really pleased to announce that Rosalie Ham, author of “The Dressmaker” (which is currently being filmed in locations around the Wimmera) will be visiting Horsham on Monday 8 December at 7.30 pm.

The Dressmaker is currently filming with producer Sue Maslin (Film Art Media), screenwriter, and director Jocelyn Moorhouse, and featuring actors Kate Winslet, Judy Davis and Liam Hemsworth. The Dressmaker was short listed for the 2001 Christina Stead prize for fiction in the NSW Premier’s Literary awards, nominated for Vision Australia’s Braille Book of the year as well as the Booksellers Association book of the year award.

Where and When: Horsham Library, Monday 8 December at 7.30 pm Book sales: Courtesy of Redrock Books & Gallery - Supper Tickets: Are essential - Book at Horsham Library 5382 5707 - Or online here.

GRAMPIANS COMMUNITY HEALTH - ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG TREATMENT SERVICES (AODTS)

Grampians Community Health provides private and confidential care and recovery and counselling support for people experiencing problems associated with alcohol and other drug use. We provide support for young people and adults including home based support for people wanting to reduce their use, or to withdraw from alcohol or other substances. We also support people affected by the dual problems of mental health issues, acquired brain injuries and substance dependence.

GCH AODTS specialists work in collaboration with clients to support their goals for change. Available programs include Care and Recovery Coordination to assist clients with complex needs, Counselling Support, Home Based Withdrawal, Better Life Dual Diagnosis, Gambler's Help and Drink/Drug Drive Education Programs.

GCH actively supports the community with educational forums.

GCH provides services across Ararat/Pyrenees, Northern Grampians and Horsham local government areas. Clients, friends and family are welcome to contact GCH to talk with us about their needs on 03 5358 7400.

24 HOURS TO CHANGE A LIFE

MATES MENTORING PROGRAM - ALL WELCOME - Find out how you can make a HUGE impact to a

young person or child in such a small amount of time... To find out more contact Joy Forbes

Partnership Broker, Wimmera Southern Mallee LLEN, 53810122 or email pb@llen.com.au

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ARTHRITIS AND OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS: COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

Arthritis and Osteoporosis Victoria and the Royal Flying Doctor Service are designing a way to improve services for arthritis and osteoporosis (all musculoskeletal diseases) in rural and remote Victoria. The design would be helpful to the general community and those with a condition. Arthritis and Osteoporosis Victoria and the Royal Flying Doctor Service want to discuss their ideas with people in rural and remote Victoria who have experience with the currently available health services in their area. They are seeking advice on what would be most helpful and feasible to do.

Please attend the proposed meeting if you feel you can contribute to this discussion or are just interested to know what is being considered.

When: Wednesday 3rd December from 1pm to 2pm Where: Horsham Sports Community Club, Baillie Street Info: Phone 8531 8000 – 1800 011 041 or visit www.arthritisvic.org.au

OPEN STUDIOS WEEKEND

Open studios are a great way to meet the artist and to chat about their work - it that bit between a market stall and an exhibition. A chance to see the breadth of the work an artist is making and the context that the artist works in. 6 artist have teamed up to present their work at four location in Horsham.

Studios are open 10 - 4 Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November 2014

Marion Matthews & Janetta Wyeth Amabile Dalfarra-Smith & Martin Harris 58 Mardon Drive, Horsham 1 George St, Horsham Textiles, patchwork and pottery Prints, Paintings and Pottery

Andy Lambrogiotas Sue Devlin 10 Robin St, Horsham 37 Doug tuckers rd, Longerenong Mosaics Prints and paintings

VICTORIAN POPULATION HEALTH SURVEY 2011-12

The findings from the Victorian Population Health Survey 2011-12 were publicly released by the Minister on Sunday

16 November.

The Victorian Population Health Survey is conducted each year to collect information about the health, lifestyle and

wellbeing of adult Victorians. The survey is based on a random sample of 7,500 adults aged 18 years and over who

are randomly selected from households from each of the eight Department of Health regions. In 2011-12, the

sample size for the survey was expanded to approximately 34,000 respondents to collect health and wellbeing

information from randomly selected adults residing in the 79 local government areas of Victoria.

The fieldwork for the 2014 Victorian Population Health Survey is currently underway and information is again being

collected at the local government area level.

Information in the latest report is presented on physical activity levels, smoking prevalence, alcohol consumption,

fruit and vegetable intake, consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, selected health and cancer screening checks,

body weight, asthma and diabetes prevalence, psychological distress, oral health and eye health.

The report may be accessed here.

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GOOGLE FOR NONPROFITS

Google began as a free search engine, but in recent years it’s been phasing out its free services to encourage users to take up the paid versions. In good news for not-for-profits, though, the company has just launched Google for Nonprofits in Australia (it’s been available in the US for a while). If you’re registered with Connecting Up – and you ought to be – you can access a whole range of free Google services:

• Google Ad Grants provides charities with the opportunity to raise awareness and target new audiences with $10,000 worth of Google AdWords advertising.

• YouTube for Nonprofits offers premium features for charities to make the most of their YouTube channel. • Google Earth Outreach provides opportunities for charities to create interactive visual content. • Google Apps provides a range of enterprise tools, from email to Google Docs, that reduce technology costs

and encourage collaboration. This is something of a big deal – jump on it.

Find someone on your staff to spend a few days getting on top of what’s available. Make it work for you.

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OUR COMMUNITY GRANTS

Wimmera Primary Care Partnership are now members of OurCommunity.com.au and by being a member we have access to grants that only members can access. Member agencies of Wimmera PCP will also benefit from this as they too may apply for these Grants using the Wimmera PCP membership details. Listed below is a grant that needs special login details. To obtain these details (Wimmera PCP member agencies) email pcpadmin@grampianscommunityhealth.org.au to find out how. Bupa Foundation Grants Provider: Bupa Health Foundation Purpose: The Bupa Health Foundation funds initiatives that are likely to deliver clear benefits to the health of the Australian community. Overview: The foundation is interested in funding innovative replicable interventions and projects that empower people to prevent or better manage health conditions, and that use health education and engagement to tackle health risk factors and promote healthy lifestyle habits. Initiatives must focus on one or more of the Foundation's key strategic areas: wellbeing, chronic disease, healthy ageing, empowering people about their health, or keeping healthcare affordable.

The foundation has a particular interest in cardiovascular health, diabetes, cancer and dementia. The foundation is unable to support infrastructure funding, fundamental (basic, pure) research, sponsorships or community programs. Grants range from $100,000 to $500,000 for up to three years.

To find out more email pcpadmin@grampianscommunityhealth.org.au

GRANT TIPS:

Use your unique selling points in every grant application you write

What sets your group’s track record apart?

What unique skills do your staff have?

What do you do that no one else is attempting?

Before you submit your application, ring the grantmaker’s office and have a chat. They may be able to go into more detail on what’s wanted, or put you on to one of the previous winners for tips. And whether this helps your application or not, the fact that you’ve made your voice known can add weight. Every relationship has to start somewhere.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR ICE PREVENTION GRANTS

Community organisations and local councils are invited to apply for up to $100,000 in total for a maximum of three

years to support local community partnership activities that take a preventative approach to the use of ice and other

illicit drugs in local communities.

Prevention activities may involve community-level or more targeted approaches. These include education and

awareness initiatives targeting groups within the population at higher risk of using ice or illicit drugs. The initiatives

link these groups to broader campaigns and resources and build individual, family and community resilience to

reduce risk factors and help lower rates of drug use.

Stage 1: Expressions of Interest - Applicants have until 13 February 2015 to submit an Expression of Interest.

Stage 2: Full Proposal - Short listed applicants will be invited to provide a full proposal

At Stage 2: Up to $2,500 (GST exclusive) may be allocated from the program funds to each short listed applicant to

assist them to develop the full proposal.

More information can be sourced from the department's Community Crime Prevention Unit.

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VICHEALTH INNOVATION CHALLENGE: ARTS

VicHealth is inviting arts organisations, entrepreneurs and others from the creative industries to submit pitches that will use technology to bring health benefits to Victorians through active and participatory arts. A pool of $100,000 is available for ideas to improve Victorians’ physical and mental wellbeing through the arts and digital technologies.

Pitches must be submitted to VicHealth by Friday 12 December. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate in workshops to develop their ideas before submitting their business plans.

Successful applicants are expected to be announced in April. To apply and for more information, click here.

HOW CAN POLICY SUPPORT THE PROVISION OF HEALTHY FOOD IN COMMUNITIES? LESSONS LEARNED FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Deakin University seminar When: Thursday 11 December 2014 - 12–1pm (followed by a light lunch) Where: Deakin University Melbourne City Centre RSVP: By Monday 1 December 2014 Cost: Free

This seminar will be of interest to policy makers, health professionals, community workers and others. This event is brought to you by Deakin University C-PAN, Baker IDI and the Obesity Policy Coalition.

For more information click here.

BECOME A CERVICAL SCREENING PROVIDER - NURSE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

PapScreen Victoria is offering financial assistance for Victorian Registered Nurses (Division 1) to become cervical

screening providers. Deadline for applications is 8 December.

Successful applicants are required to commence an endorsed Pap Test Provider training course in 2015. Visit

Papscreen Victoria for course providers, eligibility requirements and to complete an application online.

Enquiries: Kirsten Hausknecht, Community Health Professionals Coordinator on 03 9514 6425.

THE VALUE THAT COMMUNITY GROUPS BRING TO SOCIETY

A new UK report provides the first national picture of the value that community groups bring to society, and finds that without small amounts of funding, much of this activity would never get off the ground.

Tailor-made: How Community Groups Improve People’s Lives, produced by the UK’s Community Development Foundation, found that community groups are able to develop “tailor-made” support for people in their Communities, complementing statutory services, because they have the flexibility to meet specific needs.

The report characterises the community sector as needs-based, holistic, trusted, connected, expert, committed, and offering value for money. On the down side, some areas are “cold spots”, it says, less well service by community groups. The sector also faces challenges related to a lack of influence and accountability.

Read the full report here.

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THE US PHILANTHROPIC LANDSCAPE AND RURAL AMERICA

Reflections from Alexandra Gartmann, CEO, Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal

In this guest post for the Australian Institute of Grants Management (AIGM) and Grants Management Intelligence

(GMI), the CEO of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, Alexandra Gartmann, shares her learnings from a

recent US tour.

In April this year, I was one of 12 CEOs who received scholarships from Perpetual to attend the Association of

International Fundraisers Conference in San Antonio, Texas. After the conference, I visited another seven cities and

states: New Orleans, Washington DC, North Carolina, New York City, Boulder (Colorado) and California (San

Francisco to Los Angeles). My focus was three-fold: fundraising; rural development and philanthropy; and disaster

recovery.

Perpetual hopes that its investment in scholarship recipients' personal and organisational capacity - allowing us to

experience the issues and gain exposure to different research and knowledge - will help us to make better decisions

and strengthen our organisations. Researchers from Queensland University of Technology, led by Dr Wendy Scaife,

will track our 12 organisations over the next few years. I fully expect that it will have a significant impact - and indeed

it already has made me think differently about several issues.

Having now reflected on the trip, I've identified three themes that resonate with me in the Australian context:

• Urban-rural connections are an asset that need nurturing;

• Investing in capacity is absolutely critical;

• Collaboration brings challenges but greater opportunities.

Would you like to read more – click here.

“THE RISE AND FALL OF DEFAULT MAN”

“When talking about identity groups, the word ‘community’ often crops up. The working class, gay people, black people or Muslims are always represented by a ‘community leader’. We rarely, if ever, hear of the white middle-class community. ‘Communities’ are defined in the eye of Default Man. Community seems to be a euphemism for the vulnerable lower orders. Community is ‘other’.”

– UK artist Grayson Perry coins the term “Default Man” to refer to the white, middle-class, heterosexual men who form a tribe that punches above its weight in government and in boardrooms.

Read his article

TIPS TO BEAT THE CHRISTMAS BULGE (Taken from the Nutrition Australia Website)

Weight gain over the holiday period

Most Australians can relate to increasing the link on their belt buckle

when the New Year rolls around. On average Australians gain 0.8-1.5kg

over the Christmas period. One to two kilograms might not sound like

much but researchers have identified that weight gained over the

holiday period is rarely lost. Why not make this year the year that you

don’t have to ask for a larger belt in your Christmas stocking? Try the

tips following to help you avoid gaining weight over the holiday season.

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Tips to avoid weight gain over the holiday season

Avoid going hungry to parties. Eat something light before the party to reduce your chances of snacking on high

calorie party food. Some healthy snacks include a 200g tub of reduced fat yoghurt, a bowl of cereal or a cheese and

tomato sandwich. Don’t try to lose weight over the Christmas season. Instead, aim to maintain your current weight.

Watch your portion sizes. If your will power is weak and you know you will want to finish everything in front of you,

use an entrée plate instead of a dinner plate. That way you are sure to eat less. Fill up with foods from the BOTTOM

layer of the Healthy Living Pyramid. These foods include vegetables, fruit, breads, rice, pasta and cereals.

Party Foods to Enjoy or Limit

Foods to Enjoy

Vegetable sticks, pretzels, rice crackers, Hummus, beetroot, tzatziki, avocado dip, Sushi, Sandwiches, quiches, Fruit

salad with yoghurt

Foods to Limit

Creamy dips, Pies, sausage rolls, spinach triangles, Chips, corn chips, Lollies, candy canes, chocolates, Cakes and

slices with cream

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol (1 or 2 standard drinks a day) may add to the enjoyment of your festive events, but over-consuming

alcohol can lead to weight gain. According to the Department of Health and Ageing:

For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks in any day reduces your risk of harm

from alcohol-related disease or injury over a lifetime. Drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single

occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.

If you choose to drink:

Watch your serving size. Restaurants often serve wine in glasses that are three times the standard serve. Be careful

with top-ups. Topping up your glass can lead to you losing count of the amount you have been drinking. Finish one

glass before accepting a top-up. Alternate your drinks. Alternate one alcoholic drink with one non-alcoholic drink

such as water.

Exercise

Try some of the following ideas to help you stay fit over the holidays:

Ask for a gym membership as a Christmas present. That way you can stay fit all year round.

Set yourself an exercise challenge for the New Year. Fun runs are great events to get involved in. Your local

council website should provide details of sporting events held annually in your area.

Play with your children. They enjoy when you watch their games, but they LOVE when you play with them.

Try outdoor cricket, throwing a Frisbee, bike riding or swimming.

If you’re on a vacation, walking is the best way to become familiar with your holiday location. It’s amazing

what you can discover when you are on foot.

Use the facilities at camping grounds, motels or resorts. For example, hiring a tennis court is an inexpensive

way to stay entertained for hours

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DO YOU WANT TO BE MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE? Have you been putting it off because you don’t know how to get started? Over the next few newsletters we’ll tell you how to get started and be more physically active. Exerts taken from the Active Australia Brochure.

Regular physical activity is important for everyone. Some benefits are:

Feeling better...with more energy, improved sleep and added fun in your day.

Enjoying better health...through controlled weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, and lower risk of problems like heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis (bone loss).

Having a healthier state of mind... with lower stress, better concentration and more self-confidence. Being more active is great. Add healthy eating to the equation and you’ll feel even better.

How much physical activity should you be doing? Medical experts recommend that you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week. Moderate activities include walking, swimming, gardening and playing golf. These are activities that increase your heart rate but don’t necessarily make you puff. Even periods of activity as brief as 10 minutes can be beneficial when they add up to 30 minutes on most days of the week. This makes it much easier for you to make physical activity a regular part of your lifestyle.

The National Physical Activities Guidelines for Australians can be found on the Internet at www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/strateg/active/links.htm Find an activity that suits you Being more active can be simply a matter of spending more time on things you already do — like gardening, or taking the dog for a walk. Try different things. Remember the emphasis is on moderate activity so there are many options to choose from. Some activities you could try are:

join a local sport, recreation or fitness club

take a walk in your lunch break

meet a friend for a bike ride in the park

go for a walk to explore a new area

play golf at a local club

park the car and walk the rest of the way to work

join a bushwalking club

take the stairs instead of a lift or the escalator

walk with a friend for half an hour before going for a coffee

use an exercise bike

get back to a sport or activity you used to enjoy years ago – check out the local clubs

choose active leisure activities – like bushwalks, walking on thebeach, or throwing a frisbee in the local park

work in your garden

meet a friend for a swim

take an exercise class

go ballroom or line dancing

take the kids or grandkids to play ball in the park.

Many people find it easier to be active when they exercise with friends. This may be organising to join a neighbour for a regular walk. Or joining a local sporting club. Many clubs have social events or times when new players can come and see what the club can offer. Remember, find an activity you enjoy — that way you are more likely to keep it up.

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