Thanks Healthwise
As ' the year we wish away " ends, it timely to acknowledge with enormous gratitude the many contributions of our local Healthwise team.Fiona Robertson, Chris Connor, Letecia Kearney and Jillyan Jopson have delivered a range of innovative health services to a wide demographic of our region. From RUOK coffees, free health checks in many country halls,webinars ,women's men's and families special events and functions our communities have been supported splendidly to help build resilience and positive health outcomes.
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This team of remarkable, dedicated,knowledgeable professionals have been tireless with their community support. Many many of us from Bonshaw, to Ebor, Inverell to Tamworth, Glen Innes to Tenterfield have personally experienced some of their amazing initiatives and incredible dedication in delivering these opportunities. We thank each one of you from the bottom of our very grateful hearts.
Our region is truly blessed to have the Healthwise team in action, in our communities and in our lives.
Mrs Mary Hollingworth, Guyra CWA & The CWA State Land Committee
The essence of freedom
Our "conservative", "christian" prime minister has spoken much of our sovereignty as a nation this year and rightly so. His actions though do not match his words; his policies in fact are trampling our personal and national sovereignty in the dirt.
He is about to implement measures that will violate personal integrity by forcing us to be injected with a vaccine that he has indemnified the makers against prosecution for any harm, when thousands of us have experienced serious adverse health effects from vaccines. No other manufacturer enjoys such indemnity for their product. Does that sound like bodily sovereignty? What is national sovereignty if we do not have personal bodily sovereignty? What has happened to our doctors dictum, first do no harm?
When addressing the growing "pandemic" earlier in the year he mouthed the prayer, "deliver us from evil", whilst delivering us the people of Australia into the greatest evil ever perpetrated on mankind by increasing the debt load over our nation by billions of dollars. Deliver us from evil politicians I would pray. Sir Robert Menzies, acknowledged as one of our greatest Prime Ministers, said that "there can be no independence, (sovereignty) without financial independence". We had it once from 1912 to 1923. Think about it and research the facts.
Successive Governments have allowed foreign purchase of Australian property and or industry, the latest example being that Island reported this week purchased by China who is now seeking to remove our Australian residents from their homes. Does that sound like national sovereignty?
The essence of freedom is freedom of choice, the alternative is Soviet Russian or Chinese style freedom. Freedom to do what the state dictates.
David Smith, Inverell
More green time less screen time this summer
Giving children less time on devices and more outdoor time this summer, plus more frequent breaks from screens, is an area that we now have the opportunity to improve.
An increasingly digital world
Screen time has unavoidably become a big part of everyday learning and interaction. It has had huge benefits in helping us to communicate and stay in touch. However parents are often not aware of the association with low levels of outdoor activity[1] and associated factors including low levels of light exposure[2] and prolonged near tasks such as reading and screen time[3] which may influence the development of myopia.
What is myopia?
Myopia, also commonly referred to as 'short-sightedness' is a common eye condition that causes blurred distance vision which usually starts during childhood and typically progresses until a child stops growing.
Myopia is rapidly becoming a serious public health concern in Australia, yet research[1] shows that 65% of Australian parents (with children up to 17 years old) do not know what myopia is, and only 12% of parents recognise the eye health conditions that their children might develop later in life from child myopia. The eyes grow from birth through to adulthood. If parents can start to instill good visual habits, like they do dental habits, it may help in the long term to reduce the growing rate of myopia globally.
The importance of outdoor play
Lifestyle factors including low levels of outdoor activity[4] may influence the development of myopia.
More research is needed to determine if it is to do with the intensity or brightness of the light or the distances that children focus on, but what is proven is that there is a link between outdoor time and its benefit to a child's myopia development.
Given that outdoor play is free, "more green time less screen time" is a timely reminder for moderation in an increasingly digital world.
What can parents do to help reduce the likelihood of their child developing myopia?
There are two main factors which can mean your child is more at risk of developing myopia: lifestyle and family history.
You can't influence genetics but parents can feel empowered when it comes to lifestyle factors.
Top Three Myopia Busting Tips:
- More green time less screen time!
- Build in regular breaks from devices - every twenty minutes remind your child to have a break for at least twenty seconds and look out a window to something at least 6 metres away[7]
- Talk to your local optometrist about all of the options to stop your child from having to change glasses prescriptions as frequently.
By 2050, it is estimated that more than 50 per cent of the world's population will have myopia and 10 per cent or almost 1 billion will have high myopia[8]. If we all encourage daily play time outdoors we have an opportunity to halve that. However action can be taken to manage myopia. Starting a conversation with your local optometrist is a positive first step.
Jagrut Lallu, Optometrist and founding member of the Australia and New Zealand Child Myopia Working Group.
Declare a climate emergency!!
Our mates across the ditch have just declared a climate emergency, along with thirty-two other countries representing over 800 million people (New Zealand declares a climate emergency, December 3rd). Meanwhile, here in good old Oz we continue to drag the chain. We are living through an unprecedented heatwave in central Australia, still reeling from the shock of the Black Summer bushfires and witnessing the severe effects of global warming on the Great Barrier Reef. Yet our own Federal Parliament is apparently unable to acknowledge we are in a climate emergency. It beggars belief!
Anne O'Hara, Wanniassa
Passing the pub test
I was not appalled but thrilled and proud to learn of the AFP, State Police and ASIO raids on the child care company which had (allegedly) padded its books with non-existent children and ripped off the Australian taxpayer for millions. It's ever so good to hear that Scott Morrison's government will do whatever it can to recover this (allegedly) rorted money.
Next on the list of fraudsters, of course, are the politicians who in undeniable fact rip off millions in parliamentary salaries, super and perks, even though they should not be in Parliament at all.
Section 44(i) of the Constitution says: Any person who is entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or citizen of a foreign power shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of Representatives.
This applies first of all to those who have British patriality -- they may do everything which a UK citizen may do.
The biggest fish to be caught here is, of course, Tony Abbott. He loudly gave up his UK citizenship but he can't give up his patriality. Like the (allegedly) rorting child care company, he has to pay back millions and millions. Sussan Ley, John Alexander and Josh Frydenberg have to pay back money too, and also leave Parliament this instant. Too bad about Morrison's majority -- the Constitution is what it is.
Yes, there are some on the Labor side, and no doubt some in other parties, who also must leave Parliament and pay back heaps of money. But Scott Morrison knows that he can't do anything about them until he's fixed up everything on his own side. That's all he can do to get out of this in a way which passes the pub test.
G.T.W. Agnew, Coopers Plains Qld