BUSHkids Annual Report 2022-23

13

Annual Report 2022–23

including the Lions Club , the Friendly Society , Rotary Club of Warwick Sunrise and the Building Vibrant Communities Group . And we have to say a big thankyou to all the local businesses who have supported the project including the Spano’s IGA Group who raised over $40k for us with their Charity Raceday last July, Bunnings Warwick who helped us out with plants and gardening material, and ACCIONA Energía who provided a grant through their Macintyre Wind Farm Sponsorship Program.

Warwick – new Nature Play Area opened With the help of the Southern Downs community, we have transformed land adjacent to the Service Centre into a very welcoming Nature Play Area. This will be used primarily for outdoor therapy intervention, playgroups and family support groups, and provides children and families visiting the centre with an outdoor setting where they can engage in unstructured play activities involving nature. The new area was officially opened by the Mayor, Councillor Vic Pennisi, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ross Bartley. “Nature serves as a canvas for children to initiate their imagination, inspiring them to create games, tell stories, and make discoveries. This type of unstructured playtime is crucial for the development of executive functions, which are essential for success in school and life,” said BUSHkids Educational and Developmental Psychologist Aisling McCann. “Use of the Nature Play Area promotes community connection with our BUSHkids playgroups. Our Bootheram story circle will provide a culturally safe and appropriate environment to invite conversations,” added BUSHkids Occupational Therapist Lexi Morgan.

The new area includes vegetable and herb gardens, mud pits, a dry creek bed, meandering deco pathways, and a yarning circle with seating for informal conversations, where families can sit and relax while the kids engage in outdoor play. We are particularly excited to be able to incorporate First Nations stories into the Nature Play Area. We wanted a welcoming space for everyone, and we engaged a local Githabul man, artist Nathan Charles to incorporate Dreamtime stories from the Southern Downs throughout the area. What we have is a relaxing setting that everyone can enjoy while growing their knowledge of the local rich First Nations culture. The Nature Play Area is a true community collaboration, coming together thanks to the hard work of our Friends of BUSHkids volunteers in Warwick and we’ve had unbelievable |support from the local community to build this invaluable space. Southern Downs Regional Council supported us with an Arts Grant, we’ve had fantastic help from community groups

Liam and Jordan enjoying a more energetic take on the new facilities! R: CEO Carlton, SDRC Mayor Vic Pennisi and Deputy Mayor Ross Bartley with the unveiled official plaque.

Emerald BUSHkids has a strong commitment to having a footprint in local communities and we supplement this with technology and travel into communities as needed. In Emerald, we have four staff members located permanently in the community – Social Worker, Allied Health Assistant, Early Intervention Facilitator and Administration Officer. The local team is supported by clinicians (Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist and Psychologist) based in other locations across Queensland through telePractice and scheduled regional visits. Our regional visits are valued and prioritised by families in and around Emerald, and we have a very high attendance rate. In our last three-day visit, 34 sessions were held with children and families accessing our team for assessments, multi-disciplinary consultation and specialist review. These sessions supplement the valuable telepractice supports offered. It also provides an opportunity for our clinicians to work directly with our Allied Health Assistant and support her development to support the local community. Our Emerald Allied Health Assistant is funded by our dynamic local Friends of BUSHkids volunteer team.

WATCH bit.ly/3MOcxok

L: Lexi and Aisling at the opening day event.

R: Ariah, Aleeah and Dakota (sifting sand) take a break under the sunshade awning.