Our Swan Hill office has moved from the Mallee Rising office on Campbell St to a temporary tenancy at the Swan Hill Medical Group building, which is located at 54-56 McCrae St.

During this time, we ask that community members please make an appointment to see a staff member, by calling our toll free number, 1300 488 266.

We expect our permanent Swan Hill office – located at 215 Campbell St – will be open to the public in late May (we’ll be providing updates on an opening date on our Facebook page and website).

Thank you for your patience during this time and we apologise for any inconvenience our change of office may have caused.

We’re inviting community members to join with our staff in launching our Intereach Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2018 to 2020.

The launch of the plan is the culmination of 12 months’ work from our Executive and Community Engagement and Capacity Development teams, working in partnership with Reconciliation Australia.

Reconciliation Australia was established in 2001 and is the lead body for reconciliation in the nation.
“We share Reconciliation Australia’s vision of national reconciliation, which is based on five critical dimensions: race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity, unity and historical acceptance,” Intereach CEO Keryn Fox said.

The launch is being held in a children-friendly space at the Intereach Family Centre in Trickett St, Deniliquin on Monday, April 29 from 11.30am-1.30pm and will include a Welcome to Country, keynote speakers, and a free barbecue ‘bush tucker’ lunch and refreshments.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact our Community Engagement and Capacity Development Project Officer Guy Hussey on 1300 488 226, 0418 649 190 or guyh@intereach.com.au. RSVP closing date is April 24.

This is our second Reconciliation Action Plan, following on from the 2015 to 2017 plan which aimed to develop staff capacity in working with Aboriginal communities throughout the local area. The 2018 to 2020 plan continues with strengthening staff development but also focuses on developing existing community strengths about reconciliation in partnership with Aboriginal communities.

Caption: Intereach staff members Keryn Fox (left) and Mikayla Williams with a copy of the Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2018 to 2020.

Our Wagga office at 20 Peter St will be closed for renovations from Monday, April 29.

At this stage it’s expected the office will be closed for four weeks, reopening Monday, May 27 (we will be providing updates on our Facebook page and website if there are changes to this timeline).

During this time we ask that you please call the Intereach phone number 1300 488 226 to make an appointment.
Staff will be available by appointment only, at a temporary office.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Our Intereach Community Hubs in Corowa, Cootamundra, Deniliquin, Finley and Hay have plenty happening in the month of April. Click below for a full schedule of events.

We want to know more about your community and how we can support you to get the help you need, when you need it. Some of our staff members will be in Swan Hill (April 3) and Narrandera (April 7) talking to community members this week. They’ll be asking people to complete our ‘Have Your Say’ survey to help identify what needs there are in your community. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. By completing the survey you can also enter the draw to win an iPad mini!

Swan Hill

Where: Outside of SportsPower, 200 Campbell St

When: Wednesday, April 3, 10am-2pm

Narrandera

Where: Narrandera Farmers’ Market – 8 Hartnett Rd

When: Sunday, April 7, 9am-noon

We want to know more about the Jerilderie community. Intereach Ability Links staff will be outside Jerilderie IGA on Wednesday, April 3 to provide information and answer questions about the services they provide. The staff will also be asking community members to complete the ‘Have Your Say’ survey which takes about 10 minutes. Intereach Community Engagement & Capacity Development and Ability Links senior manager Mardi Chartres encourages all Jerilderie locals to take the time to find out more about the services available.
“Intereach works alongside families, children, older people, carers and people with a disability, so there is a strong chance that you or someone you know could use one of our services at some point in your life. It’s important you know what services and supports we offer. We have an office in Finley, Hay, Echuca, Deniliquin, Albury, Griffith, Wagga and Shepparton to name a few, which is a strong presence in the Riverina Murray and northern Victoria.”
Intereach Ability Links is about building connections in your local community. Ability ‘Linkers’ work with people living with a disability or major barrier, as well as their family members and carers, to enable them to make new connections and find out what services, resources and groups are available to assist them to reach their full potential.See the Intereach staff in Jerilderie between 10.30am and noon on April 3 outside of IGA supermarket. The ‘Have Your Say’ survey is designed to help identify what service gaps may exist within your community. For more information on Intereach and to find a digital version of the survey, visit www.intereach.com.au . You can also visit the Finley Intereach office at 134 Murray St (Newell Hwy) or call 1300 488 226.

You can complete the survey online here: www.intereach.com.au/have-your-say

Supporting someone who is living with mental illness can take a toll on your own health. That is why One Door Mental Health, in collaboration with Intereach, is starting a new Carer Support Group in Deniliquin. The group will meet for the first time this Monday, April 1, at the Intereach Community Hub in Trickett St, Deniliquin. One Door Mental Health carer advocate Michelle Conroy will facilitate the group, which will provide “more practical than clinical” support to people in a caring role.

“This is about getting together with people who are in the same boat as you and sharing information and practical advice that can be used to help each other. There are a lot of people caring for someone living with mental illness; the group’s an opportunity to find recognition and reassurance about your own situation alongside others who may have a greater understanding. Ensuring carers get the support they need and to be able to talk to others who have similar experiences can be just as important to maintain their own health and wellbeing. There will also be information about other support services available that may be able to help, as well as some of my homemade slice for morning tea!”

Mrs Conroy has both professional and lived experience in caring for someone with mental illness and has been attending Deniliquin Mental Health Awareness Group catch-ups in recent times to gain a better understanding of local issues.

“I believe there is a strong need for this group in Deni and the surrounding area and I encourage everyone who is caring for someone with mental health issues to attend. It can help improve welfare, coping mechanisms, resilience, knowledge, relationships and management skills at home, and you can expect to find a caring environment at each group catch-up.”

One Door Mental Health is a not-for-profit organisation offering support, information, education and advocacy for people living with mental illness, their families and carers. People can self-refer to the Carer Support Group, which is provided free of charge, and the person they’re caring for does not have to have a formal diagnosis. For more information, please call Michelle Conroy on 0481 010 728. The first Carer Support Group meeting will be held at Intereach between 10.30am-12pm.

Our Deniliquin office has a special tree on display following our ‘Harmony in the Gardens’ event on Saturday.

The ‘craft tree’ is flowering with decorated cardboard ‘hand prints’ and ‘little people’ which were created by community members who were in Deniliquin’s Waring Gardens on Saturday morning celebrating Harmony Week.

Intereach staff joined with local people and members of the Deniliquin Multicultural Group as well as Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre for a relaxed morning together, enjoying art and craft activities.

The ‘craft tree’ is now on public display in the Deniliquin office foyer in Trickett St.

Harmony Week is celebrated nation-wide and recognises multiculturalism and inclusiveness.

Our Bendigo office staff members recognised Harmony Day on Thursday, marking the occasion with a selection of tasty treats to share with one another.
Some of the staff members were even happy to offer an insight into their chosen dish and what it means to them (see below).
Harmony Day recognises and celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity.

Staff member: Elly.
Dish: Snags on the BBQ.
What culture your food represents: Australian.
What this food means to you: To me ‘snags on the barbie’ means family. Growing up, every family Christmas, birthday or get together, we had snags. Even now as we’re older, a BBQ is still the staple of any summertime event with friends and family.

Staff member: Natalie.
Dish: Greek salad with almond feta.
What culture your food represents: Greek.
What this food means to you: I was brought up in a Greek and Italian family. Salad was served with most meals and sometimes eaten as a main meal with fresh bread (the bread was used to dip/soak up excess dressing). When I became vegan, there was a challenging amount of food that was no longer suitable for me to eat, so I started to make meat/dairy/egg-free versions of some of my childhood favourites – this being one of them!

Staff member: Loretta.
Dish: Lamingtons with jam and cream.
What culture your food represents: Australian
What this food means to you: A history of lamingtons…. This Australian culinary icon, which consists of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and liberally sprinkled with fine desiccated coconut, is believed to have been created through an accident at work by a maid-servant to Lord Lamington, the thoroughly-British eighth Governor of Queensland.

Staff member: Erin.
Dish: Potato bake.
What culture your food represents: Ireland.
What this food means to you: My Dad’s side came from Ireland, and during the Potato Famine had to migrate to England to survive due to potatoes being a staple item, as well as a source of income for many families. It is believed our surname should actually be O’Goude, as some history shows that our family changed our names to Smith on arrival to England to fit in better. Potatoes have continued to be a staple item all my life, from family BBQs, roast dinners and to get us through the hard times of drought when my family had to cut back to get through.

Staff member: Gemma.
Dish: Mexican salad.
What culture your food represents: Mexican
What this food means to you: This salad is one I’ve taken to family BBQs my whole life, the recipe has been passed down from family members of mine.

Staff member: Amy.
Dish: Scallop potato bake.
What culture your food represents: Irish.
What this food means to you: Irish heritage in my family.

Staff member: Josh.
Dish: Apricot, apple and custard Danish.
What culture your food represents: Denmark.
What this food means to you: Danish heritage in my family.

People often recognise Intereach by the iconic tree that adorns our logo and building, and on Saturday locals will be asked to ‘look for the tree’ in Deniliquin’s beautiful Waring Gardens.
This specific craft tree will be the centrepiece of our ‘Harmony in the Gardens’ event that will complement the fanfare of the monthly community market.
Locals will be invited to celebrate Deniliquin and district’s cultural diversity by decorating a cardboard ‘hand print’ or ‘little person’ and then attach it to the tree. The craft tree will be placed on display in the Intereach foyer in Trickett St, Deniliquin.
Intereach staff member and co-organiser of the event Wendy Johnston encourages everyone to join in the day.

“This is an opportunity for local people from all cultural backgrounds to come together and reflect on and celebrate our local diversity. It will be a very relaxed event, with our tree as the focus for people to leave their message or build a timeline or picture of their family’s history or origin. We’ll be engaging with people and offering them the warmth of the community and making them feel part of the community. It’s about celebrating and embracing multiculturalism, and there’ll be members of the Deniliquin Multicultural Group on hand to also welcome those who are new to our community.”
Harmony Day is celebrated nation-wide and this year has been re-named Harmony Week, recognising multiculturalism and inclusiveness. ‘Harmony in the Gardens’ will run from 9am to noon on the Napier St side of the gardens. The craft tree will be on display and locals will be able to pin their message to it.

“We’re inviting people to sit and spend time together in a beautiful setting,” Mrs Johnston said.
Intereach staff will also have copies of the ‘Have Your Say’ survey available tomorrow, which is designed to help the organisation identify service gaps that may exist in the local area. Fill in the survey and go in the draw to win an iPad Mini. You can also find the survey online at www.intereach.com.au/have-your-say/

Caption: Intereach staff members Kama Jennings, Mikayla Williams and Lara Roach getting ready
for the event.