For family reasons Rebecca has decided not to return to work and to remain as a full-time mum at this time. Kevin too has decided to move on into a new role in the public sector. We wish them both all the very best for the future and thank them for their commitment over their years of service with the Council. A new General Manager, Andrew Burry, has now been appointed and will be commencing duty on Tuesday 14th August. Andrew is relocating from Melbourne where he has been working for the Victorian AIDS Council. He brings with him a background in financial and project management and made a deliberate decision to move into the area of HIV/AIDS when he joined VICAIDS. Welcome Andrew!
| In this issue: |
|---|
Community Support Services Unit |
Candlelight Memorial
The Candlelight Memorial Service was held at the National Museum of Australia on Sunday 20th May. This very important event saw the display of three blocks of the Quilt for the last time in Canberra. The Australian Quilt has now been handed to the Power House Museum in Sydney for preservation. Thank you to the staff and volunteers involved. Events such as this do take a lot of behind the scenes work and your efforts are greatly appreciated as we remember those who we have lost.
As many of you are aware, we now have a new Volunteer Co-ordinator, Gabrielle Hindley who has written a brief report in this newsletter. Gabrielle will be on duty at Westlund House on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you are an existing volunteer, please feel free to drop in or call Gabrielle for a chat or, if you would like to become a volunteer you can contact her on gabrielle.hindley@aidsaction.org.au . Monthly volunteer meetings continue and Gabrielle will be sending out notice prior to each one.
A spring picnic will be held for the Positive Women’s Group on 6th October at the Botanic Gardens. New women are particularly welcome as well as any children. Bring along a plate if you like but this is not essential. For further details contact Stephanie or Nada at the Council on 6257-2855 or by email on stephanie.buckle@aidsaction.org.au.
The Annual General Meeting is coming up and will be held on Wednesday 26th September, once again at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Vanilla Bean Café. I am sure that all those who attended last year will agree that this is an excellent venue so we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. Hence, it is also time for all to renew their AAC membership so as to be eligible to vote. Further details regarding the AGM are enclosed.
Lastly, I would like to sincerely thank all the staff and volunteers who have worked diligently together to keep the wheels turning during this time of transition.
Nada Ratcliffe
Acting General Manager
Community Support Services Unit
The AIDS Action Council (AAC) recently undertook the recruitment of a new Volunteer Co-ordinator, Gabrielle Hindley. Gabrielle works on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 3.30pm and was warmly welcomed to the AAC at the People Living with HIV/AIDS ACT (PLWHA ACT) Christmas in July function on Tuesday the 10th July and at the Volunteer Meeting on Wednesday the 11th July. As you can all imagine starting a new position and learning the policies and procedures involved can take a little while so please be patient and supportive. If you would like to catch up with Gabrielle, who is keen to meet all our volunteers, her contact details are by email at Gabrielle.Hindley@aidsaction.org.au or by phone on (02) 6257-2855. Please feel free to make an appointment.
One of the first tasks Gabrielle will be undertaking in the coming months will be core training for new volunteers so if you know of anyone who is thinking about doing the core training that have not been in contact then please have them get in touch with Gabrielle so they don’t miss out.
With the resignation of our Health Maintenance Treatments Officer (HMTO) who is having a ‘seachange’, Mick Doring will be assisting Marcus Bogie in the PLWHA office. Marcus will also be undertaking some of the duties of the HMTO until a decision is made to how best fill the position. With the resignation of Rebecca Davey, Nada Ratcliffe is currently Acting General Manger of the AAC. Marcus will also be handling the day to day running of the Community Support Services Unit (CSSU). Stephanie Buckle who has been on extended leave was back on deck on Monday the 9th July; we welcome her back to the counselling role after her sojourn in Europe!
Please remember that Stephanie is available for counselling appointments Monday to Wednesday and bookings can be made through the reception staff of the AAC.
PLWHA ACT continued with its bi-annual coastal retreat this year. Even though numbers were down slightly on the previous retreat, due to health concerns of some would be participants, the feel and overall coming together of the people who attended was one of relaxation and connecting with peers. They continued the less formal approach to client participation and apart from the requirement of attending lunch and dinner very little structure was in place before the event. This approach allowed for truly peer driven conversations ranging form shopping and cooking on a budget to the latest in current antiretroviral therapy.
At all times staff from PLWHA ACT, the Division of General Practice and the AIDS Action Council were available for one to one conversations or to act as moderators.
PLWHA ACT has also being running a series of pottery workshops with the ACT Potters Society in Watson. Many a family heirloom has been produced and will be on display later in the year at the AAC. Following on from pottery we hope to arrange further art workshops.
Finally as we enter into the second half the year, traditionally the busiest half, I would like to thank all volunteers and clients for their patience and understanding during this period. If you have any concerns or questions then please don’t hesitate to contact me on (02) 6257-2855.
Cheers
Marcus Bogie
A/g Manager
Community Support Services Unit
Community Education and Health Promotion Unit
Stop the Drama Downunder!
The Community Education and Health Promotion Unit has launched its latest campaign to promote sexual health testing.
It’s quick, easy, no dramas! Visit
www.thedramadownunder.info for more information.
The Drama Downunder is a national campaign in conjunction with AFAO.
STRIP—The Sexual-health Testing Referral and Information Project
STRIP is on in August offering free sexual health testing after hours. Visit
www.aidsaction.org.au/testing for more information.
Upcoming free workshop
Out There (For guys under 26) A discussion group about coming-out, sexuality, sex, relationships and more. Next workshop is in September.
Visit www.aidsaction.org.au, or contact us for more information.
Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP)
SWOP recently undertook a survey of parlour owners and managers within the ACT. This has enabled us to inform potential and current workers both here and interstate about working conditions that they may encounter.
SWOP has also undertaken a survey of workers to find out what they want from the services SWOP provide. The out comes have been very impressive and we have started to incorporate the findings into how we deliver services. One of the first things that we will be doing is to start producing the SWOP newsletter on a regular basis. This will enable us to reach workers and incorporate their ideas if we don’t catch up with during outreach.
Looking into the future, we are currently putting together a New Workers Kit to inform people new to the industry about SWOP and provide a “sample goodie bag” of the safe sex products the AIDS Action Council has in stock. The kit will also include a new resource currently in production called “So you are a new worker” and will contain important information and handy hints about starting out in the industry. We are also looking into volunteers assisting the SWOP workers in the office and will be working with the Volunteer Co-ordinator to ensure appropriate training.
Cheers Lexxie
SWOP Worker
Finance and administration
The end of the financial year is always a busy time for the finance area, preparing the reports for the annual audit, and analysing our income and expenses in order to draw up the budget for the next year. On the other hand it is good to use this opportunity to consider the financial standing of our organisation. The breadth of activities of community organisations, such as ours, is always dependent on available funds. End of financial year donations are wonderful to receive and we are most grateful. That little bit of extra money that was unexpected can be put to good use.
We welcome the help that our volunteers can give us by helping at the reception desk. This helps our staff to work without interruption on other tasks. Volunteers who wish to assist by answering the phone and welcoming visitors can contact Gabrielle, our Volunteer Co-ordinator.
Lynn Parry
Finance and Administration Assistant
Volunteers
Since I began working for the AIDS Action Council of the ACT on the 27th June, I believe that I have now managed to catch up and have pretty well familiarized myself with the duties of Volunteer Coordinator.
One Monthly Volunteer Meeting has been held (11/7/07) and the minutes emailed to all our volunteers. After an introduction from Nada and general update on current issues, I facilitated the meeting through the agenda. Our next Meeting is scheduled for the 8 August and hopefully a bigger turnout now that the weather is warming up. We continue to receive interest in becoming a volunteer and after completion of the administration process, we should be bringing a few more volunteers on board. Our core volunteers are continuing to contribute their time to the tasks that are ongoing, such as ‘red ribbons’ and condom packing.
Along with other Canberrans, I’m looking forward to the advent of spring and in particular, my official involvement in WORLD AIDS DAY. I’m also looking forward to the other events that the AIDS Action Council of the ACT promote to raise awareness and to remind our community to keep a focus on the HIV/AIDS ongoing challenges and progress.
Regards,
Gabrielle Hindley.