Student Placements ROCK!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by aunty4u| Leave a comment

We love having University students on placement!! LOVE IT!!

We have just had a wonderful student - Sharon, who is with us from the Australian College of Applied Psychology based in Sydney.

Sharon has really created a room for herself in the heart of the Centre Team and we will miss her terribly. Sharon has brought some great ideas around team work - amongst them - Boomerang Gifts and chocolates at meetings.

She has generously shared creative ideas amongst the team, and she has brought some insightful and thoughtful processes of motivational interviewing techniques that people have found really inspiring.

The deal we make with all students is: We will give you the best possible opportunity to get to know how things work in rural farming based communities; and you will give us the benefit of your insights into what we do and how we could do them better!

Sharon will be leaving us today  - and she leaves us enriched by her enthusiasm and her ideas. Thanks from all of us.

Brenda-Anne

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Posted in Academic Research, News from Service Delivery

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Holidays - they are so tiring!!

Posted on May 14, 2012 by aunty4u| 1 Comment

What can you do on a cruise - but sit back and take what comes to you!

We were taught how to do quilling and made pretty cards, watched the latest release movies, enjoyed the theatre, went to art appreciation lessons and then off to buy some paintings at the art auction, learned to draw still life pictures, learn to sing, play scrabble in the games room, and read books you have been meaning to read all year!

And you eat....and eat...and sleep ...and then get up and eat some more!! If the morning stretches and meditation class was held later in the day - I might have been able to get up in time!

But it is lovely to be home!

Next holiday blog will be on our trip to the USA!!

Chat soon!

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Posted in Holidays, News from Service Delivery

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Sitting in the morning sun......

Posted on May 10, 2012 by aunty4u| Leave a comment

I am sitting in a little wifi coffee shop in Port Vila, listing to a combination of Reggae music, French conversations, and giggles of children while I have a cup of tea! The ocean is to my left and the shopping a block ahead!

Yesterday we learned to play a mysterious game called Euchre.... how to appreciate art (which was interesting) and making martinis (our $16 bought four cocktails) and we got better and better at making them as we progressed ;-/ It was cowboy night on deck last night with lots of great pictures taken of the best costumes.

It is Tropical night tonight - and we are all ready with our leis and flower headwear. It is lovely that all the ship staff dress up too, which is great fun.

The sea has been wonderfully smooth, and the days around 25C which is perfect. I think I will finish my tea, I can hear the call of the wild..... Coming from Jimmy's Tax Free.. Enjoy your world, too.

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Posted in Holidays

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Deep blue oceans and Noumea ahead!

Posted on May 8, 2012 by aunty4u| 1 Comment

This really is the most wonderful way to travel! We are on the Pacific Sun - a really beautiful old ship heading for an afternoon and evening in Noumea.

P&O have sold this ship which will leave service with the last trip being in July. It is quite my favourite ship - I can imagine Agatha Christie typing at the back of the leather filled library - and Hercule Poirot mincing down towards the Churchill Resturant!

Embarkation was as smooth as we could have hoped for! We have a lovely cabin with two beds towards the front of the ship and we are very comfortable!

Yesterday - having been rocked gently to sleep we struggled up at 9.30 am - switched our watches forward an hour - and went up for breakfast. The days are beautiful - sunny and warm - not hot at all! We went our seperate ways - I learnt to do some quilling and then to voice training - what a HOOT! I sound like a bullfrog at the best of times!

We joined Hercule Poirot in the Churchills Resturant for dinner - and oh! the luxury of it all - teak lined walls - leather chairs, silver service, white table wear and napkins and wonderful FOOD!!!

Today, We are off to learn how to Salsa (that will be interesting!!) and the I am going to try my hand at learning to draw. This evening I am heading out on the Chou Chou Train Night tour of Noumea - should be really wonderful!!!

If only I could wake up in time to the morning Stretch and Meditation session......

Enjoy your world - I am enjoying mine!

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Posted in Holidays, Uncategorized

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What working at Flexi is like!!

Posted on May 3, 2012 by aunty4u| Leave a comment

This little DVD was created by three of our incredible, wonderful and awesome trainees Kelly, Teneill and Demi.

They made it when they were brand new to our team and I have just asked them to create another story - telling us how things may have changed in the year since they started with us and what they especially like about their world at Flexi!!

I will pop it on line when I get it! In the meantime - this is what they did say!

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Posted in Employment and Training News, News from Service Delivery, Uncategorized

Photography exhibition dates set

Posted on May 2, 2012 by aunty4u| Leave a comment

We have a date for our Photographic Exhibition!!

We will launch the exhibition titled "A week in my Life" in the Burdekin Library on  6th June at 11am. Funded throught the Burdekin Shire Council's RADF grant (Regional Arts Development Fund), we commenced a beginners course in photography for people with disabilities at the beginning of the year.

All our photographers have graduated now and they are in the process of taking the photos that will end up as their record of a week in their life. The trainer, David Cummins, has commented that he has found some really great talent amongst our trainees.

I am off on holiday next week - exploring new ways to have fun on the pacific isles! I will keep up the Flexi Holiday Blog - and catch up with you all when I get back.

Enjoy your world

Brenda-Anne

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Posted in Young Adults with Disabilities

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Farewell Nardine!

Posted on April 24, 2012 by aunty4u| Leave a comment

Nardine has been a really important part of our Centre Team and she is leaving today to pursue a new career in Property Management! 

We said goodbye with tears and reminders of the funny times we have shared. Both parents and service users came to say their goodbye's and that is an indication of how much Nardine has been a part of the lives of everyone here.

Best of Luck for the future Nardine. We will miss you!

Brenda-Anne

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Posted in Change Management

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A Super Bowl Advertisment - Written and directed by deaf workers!

Posted on April 21, 2012 by aunty4u| Leave a comment

The American Super Bowl is "the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), and the highest level of professional American football" and is "now considered by some Americans as a de facto American national holiday"  called "Super Bowl Sunday".

This is a bit like the NRL or AFL grand finals - or if you are a New South Welshman or a Queenslander - the night of the final State of Origin - multiplied by 10 000!

It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most watched American television broadcast of the year with 80 - 90 Million people watching!!

Because of the huge numbers of viewers, the advertising slots are breathtakingly expensive, and  it has become customary for companies to create special and incredibly expensive ads especially for this night.

This is an absolutely fabulous advertisment - written and acted by a group of deaf workers from the Pepsico company In America!

Welcome to Bob's House!!

Information in this blog came from Wikipedia.

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Posted in Disability Services

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Lots of things happening!

Posted on April 16, 2012 by aunty4u| Leave a comment

Flexi Holidays hosted a great meeting at my place on Saturday for all those going on our 7 day Cruise Number in July this year!

We squeezed 15 people into the lounge and we had some good chats about what to expect and what to plan for, and of course how to pack!! We got to know one another and work out who was going to be in whose cabin. It was great to have some parents with us too - it is always great to meet family.

Debbie is working hard on the great North Queensland All abilities Olympic Games which will be held in the Burdekin in mid September with teams from Ingham, Charters Towers, Bowen, Proserpine, Townsville and Bowen attending. There will be some great feasting happening in the Burdekin as our country cousins take over Home Hill!

If you haven't filled in our website survey - please do - it will help me no end to know what I need to change and what I should leave the same!

In the meantime - Enjoy your world!

Brenda-Anne

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Posted in Academic Research, Holidays, Young Adults with Disabilities

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Website survey for everyone!!

Posted on April 12, 2012 by aunty4u| Leave a comment

We are in the process of tweaking our blogsite and I want to get a bit of an idea of what your experience of our site is.

Please take a couple of minutes to do the survey - it is so helpful to get a variety thoughts about what how smooth and interesting the site is to lots of different folk.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

If you have ideas about what would and would not be usefull as well - so feel free to email me those suggestions : Brenda-Anne

Thanks for your help!

Brenda-Anne

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Posted in Uncategorized