Thank you to all the wonderful people who turned out to support the 'St Giles Walk With Me' on Saturday 13 September on the lawns of Parliament House. It was a great pleasure to be involved for the second year in a row as a guest of St Giles. While it might have seemed just a short walk for many of us, the event highlighted the challenges that many families face on a day to day basis to provide the best possible opportunities for children with a disability.
There were so many highlights but I'd like to especially thank the 'Brightstars' for their fabulous dance routine.
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I had a great time today, presenting at the Tasmanian Country Women's Association state conference. Just prior to my presentation I was able to sit in and listen to the issues being discussed as part of the AGM - including the hemp industry and ways to reduce quad bike accidents. A very interesting day!
![]() It was bitterly cold outside (possible even snowing!)but the company and welcome was very warm at the combined Probus Club in Evandale, just a short drive from Launceston. I had a great time, recounting the history of the Paralympic Games, and some of my experiences from the Atlanta and Sydney Paralympic Games. We also covered the upcoming Commonwealth Games and what to expect from the para athletes competing in the Australian team. On Saturday 7 September 2013 I was pleased to join the St Giles "walk with me" in Hobart as a special guest. After a bit of a rainy and windy start to the day, the sun came out and the weather was perfect for a bit of a stroll, walk or push around Salamanca. The Navy band leading the way was just terrific and added to the fun atmoshphere. It was great to see so many bright cheerful smiles and one of the highlights would have to have been the dance performance proudly presented by the 'Brightstars'!
Well done to the event organisers who had just the week before, run a similar successful event in Launceston. A big thank you to friends and family who sponsored my or joined in the walk . The Hobart event raised more than $6,000! St Giles is an organisation that I am particularly please to support. Their ethos of 'whatever it takes to make a positive difference' is inspirational and appreciated by the many families and individuals who are supported by St Giles each year. If you'd like to know more about St Giles visit their website: stgiles.org.au or check out their page on facebook Every year the Tasmanian Olympic Council conducts the Pierre de Coubertin Awards program to recognise outstanding young Tasmanians who excel in their chosen sporting endeavour and embrace the spirit of Olympism (and paralympism).
The Pierre de Coubertin Awards are named after the founder of the modern Olympic Games. The Awards take place on an annual basis and recognise senior secondary students who demonstrate values which are consistent with the Olympic Movement through participation in sporting activities. All secondary government and non government schools are invited to nominate one recipient for the Pierre de Coubertin Award each year (only) from year 10, 11 or 12. Presenting at the Pierre de Cobertin Awards is always a highlight in the year - have has the pleasure for several years now. It's always inspiring to meet the nominees each year and to participate in the sessions. It's agreat opportunity to share with the nominees some of the paralympic spirit and stories. Great job as always Tasmanian Olympic Council. For a number of years now I have been a presenter at the annual Tasmanian Olympic Council's Pierre De Coubertin Academy. My role is to provide an overview of the Paralympics and what better way than to proivde the students with the opportunity to try first hand 3 of my favourite Paralympic Sports:
- Goal Ball - Seated Volleyball - Boccia It's always great to see the students and parents getting into involved with the activities and this year was no exception (despite the very wet and sloshy synthetic turf!) While we did have a lot of fun I hope that the students took away a bit of new knowledge about the Paralympics and some ideas for running inclusive activities in their schools and communities) Since 2006 I have had the opportunity to be a guest presenter at Rotary's annual RYPEN seminar. This year the seminar was held on Tasmania's East Coast and co-ordinated for the first time by the Rotary Club of Spring Bay.
The theme this year was "Your Future Your Choice" and included guest speakers Stuart Clues and Chris Edwards as well as mentors such as Julie Kent. Over the course ofthe weekend RYPEN aimed to deliver the following outcomes for the participants: - Increase motivation and improve life skills - Improve self esteem and self confidence - Provide an understanding and awareness ofthe importance of setting goals - Improve confidence in overcoming fear of failure and take control of their future My presentation focused on the importance of goal setting and how "stretch' goal setting helped me to stay focused, committed and motivated - especially when things weren't going to plan! During the presentation I asked participants to identify their own goal statement for this year and to choose how they were going to celebrate their milestones once achieved. To help create a committment to their goal, the participants were asked to write down their goal statement and hand them to the Rotary Club to look after until the end of the year. At the end of the school year, the Rotary Club will send the statements to the participants to check how they went. This year the Rotary Club will be conducting follow ups and provide support and mentoring for the participants with the aim of helping the students put into practice what they have learn over the weekend. Well done to Spring Bay Rotary for another successful RYPEN seminar! Tonight I visited Scottsdale as a guest of the Scottsdale Business and Professional Women's Club. It was quite a special occasion in the Club's calendar where a candle is lit for each countries involved in the association and I feel quite privileged to have been invited to attend.
BPW is quite a large international organisation with clubs in most States and Territories. The vision of the organisation is "To be a globally recognised organisation promoting development, education, training and mentoring for all women". The Scottsdale Club is Tasmania's only BPW club and is very active. Times are pretty tough in Scottsdale and it's great to see the Club playing such a strong support role in the community. Thank you to the members, especially Rae, for the Club's hospitality and for an enjoyable evening. Scottsdale is really starting to feel like my second home! Had a lovely morning attending the Craft Corner meeting as their guest speaker today. This is the 15th year that the group has been together and has grown to now boast more than 100 members (94 of whom attended today's meeting). I believe that the group has had to move to a bigger venue to cater for the numbers at each meeting! Not only is the number of members impressive, so to is the interesting range of crafts represented. I just think it's great idea and I can see why it's so popular. It was a great group to talk to and it's certainly inspired me to get out the knitting needles!
Today I had the great pleasure and honour to officially open the first ever Swimming Carnival at Newstead Heights College. The carnival was held at the School pool (which is a lovely pool!) and included a a range of fun events and races and some fantastic half time entertainment.
The opportunity to participate in school sports programs is important for students with benefits such as improved self esteem and self worth and better health. It was fantastic to the students having an opportunity to participate in their very own school swimming carnival for the first time. There were some close races and everyone who had a go should be very proud of their efforts. The most impressive part of the day was the fact that the carnival was planned by Dana, one of the students. Dana put a lot of work into the carnival and it all went really well. Thank you also to the supporters in the water, the teachers and family members and friends who came along and cheered the students on. |
Melissa Carlton OAMI'm privileged to be invited to participate and support a range of community groups, clubs and events. These are just some of the stories from these occasions! Categories
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