Monthly Archives: November 2012
Deadly Choices
Deadly Choices is an initiative of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) in South East Queensland (SEQ) and is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing.
IUIH was established in 2009 by four (4) Aboriginal Medical Services to coordinate planning, development and delivery of comprehensive primary health care services to over 50,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s that call SEQ home – over a third of the total Indigenous population of Queensland reside in SEQ. These four (4) Community Controlled Health Services constitute the membership of the IUIH and include: the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Brisbane; the Kambu Medical Centre in Ipswich; the Kalwun Health Service on the Gold Coast; and the Yulu-Burri-Ba Health Service on North Stradbroke Island.
Sam Thaiday chatting to Peter and Emma about the anti-smoking ads
‘Deadly Choices’ is a campaign which aims to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make healthy choices for themselves and their families – to stop smoking, to eat good food and exercise daily. ‘Deadly Choices’ also encourages our people to access their local health service and complete a ‘Health Check’ – not just to see the Doctor when they are sick but visit their health service and access support to prevent or better manage their chronic disease and remain healthy.
Focusing on the risk factors for chronic disease – smoking, physical activity and nutrition – is critical if we are going to ‘close the gap’ in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. It is smoking, poor nutrition and not enough physical activity that are the biggest contributors to chronic disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – this is why we see high levels of diabetes, heart disease, lung and kidney disease in our families. Governments have committed to ‘closing the gap’ in Indigenous health but it is only our communities that can make this happen. This is the aim of ‘Deadly Choices’, to support our communities to make a ‘Healthy Choice’ – to make a ‘Deadly Choice’.
Schoolies, for your own sake please stay in Oz
Australian travellers have had a long love affair with Indonesian province of Bali. It’s proximity to the Australian mainland and cheap airfares and accommodation make it an ideal destination for the virgin traveller. Sun, surf, a unique cultural experience and a very favourable exchange rate make it perfect for travellers on any budget.
But as we have long feared at http://www.ForeignPrisoners.com under age schoolies are choosing to head to Bali as opposed to the relative safety of the Gold Coast. While we actively encourage people to travel all corners of the world we advocate a responsible approach to travelling and our experience suggests unaccompanied minors partying it up in Bali is simply a recipe for disaster.
My colleague Kay Danes has this message:-
Dear Schoolies,
We are advocates of the Foreign Prisoner Support Service and given the latest news that schoolies are planning on leaving the Gold Coast for Bali, we’d be grateful if you could spread the word that we really do encourage Aussie youth to party at home (Gold Coast). We have kids on death row who never thought ‘this’ would happen to them.
Advocates request youth stay on the Gold Coast to party….
BALI is a great place to have fun and the people are wonderful BUT it is a foreign country and once you travel overseas you leave behind your Country’s legal support systems, emergency service capabilities and medical facilities. (Unlike the Gold Coast)
If you are determined to party in Bali and for some reason you get busted with party drugs (whether you bought them or not) then expect to get hit with a really harsh sentence, possibly the DEATH PENALTY!!!
Saying “They’re not mine” or “I didn’t know what they were” isn’t going to get you off the hook. And whilst your Government is obliged to provide prisoner support if you end up in jail, there may be limitations to what they can do.
Watch your back and keep a close eye on your friends as you would on the Gold Coast. Be careful and have a great time ….if you do want further advice then feel free to contact us at the Foreign Prisoner Support Service (www.foreignprisoners.com).
We deal every day with people who end up in the most tragic situations… thinking ‘this’ would never happen to them!
Our advice: Part on the Goldie where it is much safer, better facilities, instant medical care, people who will make your safety a priority AND where you won’t run the risk of ending up in front of a firing squad! Seriously!
Change gone come… by #DeadlyBlogger Cee to the Jay!
It seems like only yesterday that I was faced with the biggest challenge of my life; the sudden death of my mother and then the huge decision to raise my little brother by myself…
1 year and 11 months have passed since my mother’s death… People I talk to say ‘Wow, has it been almost 2 years already, that’s gone by fast’, but for me it hasn’t… Time has dragged out a painful process, a painful wait, and a few painful life lessons for me to learn in these past few years… It’s gone fast for those who knew my mum, who know me… They say I’ve done a great job and that they’re proud of me for ‘all I’ve sacrificed’ and done for my brother and myself and year I guess I’m proud of myself and then sometimes I think, ‘HOW THE HELL ARE YOU STILL LIVING??’…
Death’s a funny thing, it makes you see who the most important people are in your life, it makes you review the direction your going in, makes you question what kind of person you are and where your life is going…. See, for my friends and my family, my mum’s death was sad and tragic, it was a huge loss to them and hard for people to swallow… One minute she was here, and the next she was gone… Their grief and sorrow lasted a while but eventually life goes back to normal, people function again, the hurt starts to heal and life goes on…. For me though, my mother’s death has changed every aspect of my life and nothing has changed for me……….
Checkout Cee to the Jay @ http://carlyjwallace.blogspot.com.au/?m=1 She’s one DEADLY sister!!!
1 Deadly Nation 