BUSHkids Annual Report 2018-2019

Friends of BUSHkids Emerald

CASE STUDY: EMERALD BUSHkids teleHealth home kit gets a ‘high-5’ 5-year old Liam* and his mum Jane* live on a cattle property outside a small remote town. Liam is a School of the Air pupil but had speech difficulties. Living on a remote property makes it difficult to access face-to-face services, so when BUSHkids asked School of the Air parents with kids needing Allied Health support to take part in the trial of BUSHkids teleHealth ‘Home Kit’, Jane saw it as a great opportunity for Liam to receive Speech Pathology in their own home. As part of the trial, our ‘speechie’ Maddy has been working with young Liam to produce his ‘sh’ sound correctly and focus on his ‘s’ clusters (such as “school”, “skate” and “skip”). Jane thinks one of the best things about BUSHkids teleHealth is its convenience. It’s like having “a portable therapist,” she said. “It’s very flexible to work in with our schedules.” When the family had to travel up to Mount Isa, Liam was still able to receive his therapy. “We can do it anywhere. We were able to connect from our motel room while we were on the road; we would have had to cancel that appointment it if it had been a face-to-face session.” “Liam loves Miss Maddy. He gets along really well with Maddy and enjoys therapy. He even asks for speech with Miss Maddy, to which I have to say ‘no, not today mate’ and he’s disappointed.” Liam is an outgoing and chatty little boy, and one of his favourite things to do is give people ‘high-5s’ so, when Maddy learned about this, she was able to use it as a way to encourage and praise his good work. “A high-5 to the camera has the same motivating impact as doing it in person,” says Maddy. “It has been a great strategy to use with Liam.” Jane believes telehealth is a great way for kids living in remote locations to receive therapy they need; Maddy has enjoyed working with Jane and Liam, saying that it was a “really easy and wonderful experience with the family.” BUSHkids is continuing to work closely with the School of the Air to provide invaluable support for kids living in very remote locations.

The FoBk group here has had a good year. Our annual Golf Day was its usual success with more than 80 playing in a ‘shotgun team of three’ format. We had visitors from the Sunshine Coast and Roma and they have all threatened to come back next year. It was a great day with lots of laughs and a few invigorating libations. The course was in excellent condition and thanks to Emerald Golf Club’s professional Matt Victorson for his efforts. Once again, our usual team stepped up to help. A big thanks to Doug Gray and Justin Benjamin as well as Clinton and Ali Adams, Laura Benjamin, Amanda Noone, Peggy Pearl, Selwyn Nuttley, Kaye Wilson and of course BUSHkids Office Manager Rachel and all the ‘Bushies’ Emerald team. The Emerald community’s support is always a heartwarming feature and this year — through donations, raffles, and the Golf Day itself — we raised almost $27,000 on the day. Last year, we decided to support the BUSHkids teleHealth program but, as the equipment required had not yet been finalised, the funds we raised last year have been carried over, bringing our current total to $66,000 in the bank. It was decided at the last meeting that Emerald and the surrounding areas needed more services, for either one-on-one or group therapy, to assist children to achieve their full potential. We have decided to fund a part-time po- sition at BUSHkids, with the help of volunteers, to conduct courses in the community focusing on resilience in children and youth, parenting and social and emotional strategies. Emerald has a serious problem with suicide, and by working on early intervention and helping with family issues we hope to make a difference. Thank you to all our supporters and donors, to Rachel, Nadia and the BUSHkids team both in Emerald and in Brisbane. We are only a small group but with community support we are making a real positive difference!

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