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Dear Readers,

It’s being coined the ‘Drought of the Century’ but here on the Eastern coastline we can be quite oblivious to the true effect the drought is having on those who live even just a few hundred kilometres West of us. Growing up down the road from my grandparents dairy farm on the rich farmlands of the Lockyer Valley, I was more than aware of the effects the drought had in my Community.

The Lockyer Valley is considered one of the most fertile areas in the world, rated in the top ten. Referred to as the ‘Salad bowl of Australia’, the Lockyer Valley was drought declared in May this year, making it the twenty-third Council to be declared in drought by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. At the time of writing, 58.1% of Queensland is drought declared.

So why you should you care? Other than considering that the Agricultural Industry is people’s livelihoods, Australia has the highest standards when it comes to food quality. We truly are the lucky country. Consider doing what you can to ensure we’re not left with an inferior product produced overseas. Things are not looking good for the medium-term future of the industry, as written about by experts from the Bureau of Meteorology here.

To add on to that, a horrific tampering incident and consequent copycat incidents has brought the strawberry industry to it’s knees. The Moreton Bay region is responsible for 40% of Australian grown strawberries. I implore you that you do what you can to assist, in whatever way you can. Whether it be heading directly to one of our local strawberry farms to purchase fresh produce or by donating to a dedicated drought relief charity, such as the Drought Angels or Buy a Bale.

The 4C’s of 21st century education – Critical thinking, Collaboration, Communication and Creativity are the foundational skills needed in the 21st century workplace.

Prep students at The Lakes College are already on the way to being successful future entrepreneurs.

When we think of young children, ensuring Creativity is alive and well seems to be a fairly easy task, yet it is just the opposite. Children have astonishing capability and talents and yet the modern schooling system which we see in most schools, while engaging and fast paced, often tends to inadvertently crush the creative juices of its youngest students as teachers strive to meet year level benchmarks set out by the Australian Curriculum. The challenge is to still meet these educational expectations, while at the same time encouraging high level creativity that should come naturally to all children. The Lakes College has found that balance and continues to carry out extensive research in the area of creativity to ensure we are equipping our students with the skills they need for future success.

The Lakes College has an extensive Arts program, which commences in Prep and comprises music (including the learning of an instrument), dance, drama and visual arts certainly engages and encourages our young students and their creative expression. Creativity at The Lakes College is further enhanced by their STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) which encourages all Primary students to create original, valuable ideas to solve problems, either working collaboratively with classmates or alone.

Children aren’t frightened of making mistakes at The Lakes College, in fact they all recognise the importance of getting it wrong as part of the creative process, all part of providing a holistic education which promotes the development of every part of every child.

Befriend a Child in Detention is hosting a Brisbane collection day!

The organisation will be collecting new books, toys and craft materials to send to the refugee and asylum seeker children held on Nauru. Gifts for babies, infants and toddlers are particularly needed at this time.

“Around 100 refugee and asylum seeker children are still in detention on Nauru. These gifts are intended to alleviate a little of the bleakness and misery they are experiencing. We also want to let them know that people in Australia do care about them,”, says Dr June Factor, Founder and Convenor of Befriend a Child in Detention.

Befriend a Child in Detention have organised the collection day with the kind help of Brisbane Befriender Beau Jones and Father Steven Ogden and Nicole Riordan of the Holy Trinity parish. Father Steven says, “This is a great project; a practical way of expressing real compassion.”.

Founded in 2013, Befriend a Child in Detention is a community project committed to seeing an end to the detention of child asylum seekers. The organisation regularly sends gifts of books, toys and art materials to the children on Nauru. Befriend a Child in Detention also sends thousands of letters of love and support to the children in detention, almost all of which are written by Australian school children.

Location: Holy Trinity Church, 20 Church Street, Fortitude Valley
Date: Saturday, September 29
Time: 9am-5pm

The Lions Club of North Lakes will be supporting and assisting a family in our Community with fundraising for a Smart Pup, to benefit a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

James is a bubbly and caring seven year old boy. He and his family have been approved for a Smart Pup and require substantial financial assistance and support to achieve the Smart Pup fundraising requirement. The family are required to fundraise $20,000-$25,000 towards the cost of training of a SmartPup for James.

Smart Pups is a not for profit organisation based on the Sunshine Coast that specially trains dogs to assist children living with Autism.  They improve the quality of life for young people and their families through custom training Assistance Dogs to master “task specific” support skills. The Smart Pup becomes an integral part of the family unit, safeguarding the child’s health and well-being. Providing early intervention assistance, friendship and companionship, the Assistance Dog can ease anxiety over daily challenges, provide opportunity for a greater level of independence and boost confidence for improved social inclusion and developmental achievement.

The Lions Club of North Lakes has also had a Grant Application for this project approved by the Australian Lions Foundation (ALF). The ALF Grant will match the funds raised by the Lions Club of North Lakes, up to $5000, for this worthy project. This will provide a significant contribution for James and his family towards the fundraising required to get James his much needed Smart Pup!

$10,000, in total, will go a long way in assisting James and his family. In order to raise the $5000 and have the funds matched, the Lions Club of North Lakes have organised community fundraiser events, including a FREE movie night! Come on down to Aurora Boulevard Park from 5.30pm on Saturday 6^th October to enjoy a FREE “Movie Under the Stars” screening of Peter Rabbit. There will be popcorn, candyfloss, sausage sizzle, face painting, raffles for sale and heaps of fun. All funds raised will be going towards the Lions Club “A Dog for James” project.

You asked for it, now you got it – both the Dakabin and Caboolture Treasure Markets will extend their operating hours as part of a three month trial.

Spokesperson for Asset Construction & Maintenance Cr Adam Hain said the announcement was in response to overwhelming community demand.

“The Treasure markets have been incredibly popular and we keep hearing that people want to be able to shop here more than just the current Friday and Saturday openings,’” he said.

“So from next week, we’re going to start trading six days a week from 10am to 2pm Tuesday through Sunday, meaning the Dakabin and Caboolture Treasure Markets will only be closed on Mondays.”

The trial period starts Tuesday 18 September and ends Saturday 15 December, but will be continued if the demand is there.

Division 7 Councillor Denise Sims said the changes would make visiting the tip more convenient for local residents and businesses.

“We want people reusing and recycling as much as they can and this message is being embraced more and more in our community,” she said.

“With more options now to visit the Dakabin and Caboolture Treasure Markets, we hope to see more people coming along and seeing what trinkets they can pick up at a bargain.

“If you haven’t been to the Treasure Markets they are well worth checking out, you’ll be surprised by the range and quality and blown away by the prices.”

The treasure markets are a hugely popular council initiative that started 16 years ago.

In that time thousands of tonnes of donated and second-hand goods such as planks of timber, lounge chairs, kitchen sinks and bath tubs have been recycled.

Dakabin and Caboolture Treasure Markets will continue to accept donated items as per normal.

For more information about council waste facilities and recycling initiatives visit www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/waste

You have probably experienced it, or seen it happen to someone else at some stage. The sudden whoosh above your head causing you to duck in fright. Looking up, you see a flash of black and white as the magpie banks around to have another go at you.

Typically it is the male bird that swoops, they have been known to defend their nest within a 100m radius during the breeding season, which runs from July through to December. The season generally peaks from August through to October.

A Brisbane study has shown that only nine per cent of magpies are aggressive towards people.

To find out whether there may be nesting magpies in your vicinity, or along a path you walk/ride, check out magpiealert.com You can add any swooping birds you may come across if they’re not on the list.

Follow these techniques to avoid or reduce the impact of a magpie attack:

– Never deliberately provoke or attack a magpie.
– Avoid areas where magpies are known to swoop.
– Do not attempt to rescue a stranded chick or touch a young bird that is on the ground.
– Find the bird and keep watching it when entering magpie territory. If swooped on, don’t crouch in fear or stop.
– Move on quickly but don’t run. Wear a hat, sunglasses and carry an umbrella.
– Cyclists should dismount and walk through the territory. Cyclists can also attach large cable ties to the back of their helmet.
– Magpies generally attack from behind. Painting or sticking eyes on the backs of hats or helmets may confuse birds and dissuade them from swooping.

Magpies are a protected species throughout Australia under The Queensland Nature Conservation Act (1992). It is against the law to kill the birds, collect their eggs, or harm their young.

Moreton Bay Regional Council actively install ‘magpie alert’ signage where nesting is occurring on public land.

If you feel a magpie is a serious menace, you can report it to the Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Please refer concerns about native birds on private property to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection on 1300 130 372

Women’s mental health fundraiser, Liptember, has launched its 2018 campaign, supporting six key beneficiaries by raising funds for research and support programs throughout the month of September.

Now in its eighth year, the national campaign encourages women to ‘kiss away the blues’ by wearing brightly-coloured Liptember lipsticks, sold through exclusive retailer and major charity partner Chemist Warehouse. Liptember Founder, Luke Morris says, “Through the funds raised during last year’s campaign, we were able to bring on additional beneficiaries and assist them to support more Australian women who might be experiencing mental health issues. This year, we hope to raise even more funds to support even more people.”

This year, Liptember will continue to support and donate funds to The Centre for Women’s Mental Health and Lifeline in addition to Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, R U OK?, The Pretty Foundation and Batyr who came on board as beneficiaries in 2017.

It has been found that 1 in 3 women will experience anxiety during their lifetime, and 1 in 5 women in Australia will experience depression. Women are faced with different life challenges to men which can be key drivers in deteriorating mental health which include but are not limited to: adolescence and hormonal changes, pregnancy and early parenting and adaptation to menopause and ageing.

With these statistics and potential challenges in mind, Liptember recognises that the way men and women need to be treated for mental health issues is very different. “More focus needs to be placed on treating men and women separately when it comes to depression and anxiety, with women statistically much more susceptible to these conditions. Throughout a woman’s life, she will go through more changes than your average male and needs to be supported  accordingly”, said Luke.

With the support of major charity partner, Chemist Warehouse, Liptember will continue to support its beneficiaries including:

The Centre for Women’s Mental Health – Providing expert clinical and therapeutic services for women whilst conducting research and providing education and training facilities. Funds received will enable the development of a women’s health centre providing support for women who need emergency assistance. In 2017, Liptember funded the refurbishment of a mental health centre for women to visit and be supported by Liptember’s postnatal and domestic violence programs developed through previous years funding.

Lifeline – Lifeline Australia is a national charity providing all Australians with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. With thousands of volunteers across Australia, individuals are supported in a range of ways to deliver services, raise funds, run events and work in Lifeline shops. Liptember provided continued support for Lifeline’s online crisis chat service around Australia, which provides online crisis counselling from 7pm – 4am every night.

Jean Hailes for Women’s Health – Striving to improve the knowledge of women’s health throughout various stages of their lives. The funds donated by Liptember enabled a world first national research study into the challenges of mental health for older women.

R U OK? – Dedicated to encouraging all Australians to connect and have regular and meaningful conversations with anyone struggling with life. As the principal partner of R U OK? in 2017, Liptember started 9.5 million conversations with women in Australia, providing guidance on how to have a meaningful conversation with someone who is struggling.

The Pretty Foundation – Committed to empowering women and girls with the perspective, skills and support to develop and nurture a positive body image for themselves and others. In 2017, Liptember funded the development of Charlie’s Tales, a children’s book series aimed at educating young girls around self confidence and positive body image.

Batyr – Providing preventative education in the area of youth mental health. Liptember funded the delivery of the batyr@school program into female secondary schools across the country, educating 10,500 of the next generation on the importance of mental health and providing services and resources around mental health. Two facilitator training workshops were also funded in addition to the training of additional female speakers for the batyr@school program.

Getting involved in Liptember is easy! Simply register online at www.liptember.com.au register and seek donations from family, friends and co-workers for wearing official Liptember lipstick during the month of September to help start the conversation and raise much needed funds for women’s mental health.
Official Liptember lipsticks are available at all Chemist Warehouse, My Chemist and My Beauty Spot stores nation-wide for as little as $4.99.

For more information, visit www.liptember.com.au Anyone seeking help should contact Lifeline on 13 11 44 or visit www.lifeline.org.au