January 2017 - edition 1

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9473 0133.

Welcome to 2017

Richard Amon pointing something out to the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau AM at the DSR Festival.

Welcome to the first edition of Vortex for 2017. I hope everyone was able to rest, recuperate and enjoy some time with family and friends.

We finished last year on a high with our Victorian Disability Sport & Recreation Festival. I was so inspired by the fantastic work on show and the passion of everyone there to create opportunities for sport, exercise and play for our community.

It was a pleasure to host a visit from the Honourable Linda Dessau AM, Governor of Victoria to the festival and explain the work that DSR does to improve the health of Victorians with disability.

The festival opened her eyes to the richness and diversity of accessible and inclusive sport and recreation in the state, and I know she was impressed by everyone she met.

Fedback from the festival has been incredible. Over 97% of visitors surveyed enjoyed the day, while 89% of exhibitors felt their involvement in the event was worthwhile. Importantly, 55% of people with a disability found a new program to join.

With a new year comes new year's resolutions... and mine is to do some form of physical activity every day. It doesn't have to be much, but I want to keep moving. Resolutions need to be realistic if you are going to achieve them, and if yours is to become more active, we are here to help. Our online directory, Score!, is a great place to start looking, while for our younger members, tracking your exercise goals and progress using our new tool, Passport 2 Play, is a fun way to get active and you get to save the world at the same time!

Happy New Year!
Richard Amon

Need gear? We have a whole library!

Grid of seven different wheelchair sports: basketball, rugby, tennis, hand cycling, bowls, track, beach chair.

We have a library of adaptive equipment for our members to hire. If you want to try something new this year, visit our website to see what equipment is available.

Give us a call to make a time to get fitted, and you could be spending your summer playing wheelchair tennis, going for rides in a hand cycle, or tearing up the courts playing wheelchair basketball or wheelchair rugby.

Visit our equipment library

 

2017 wheechair tennis open - finals!

Poster advertising 2017 wheelchair tennis finals at Hume

Watch the world's best wheelchair tennis players battle for the title of the 2017 wheelchair tennis champion at the Hume Tennis Centre.

When: Saturday 21 January, 10am-12noon
Where: Hume Tennis & Community Centre, 225 Marathon Blvd, Craigieburn
Cost: Free

You can even meet the players, and have a hit of wheelchair tennis.

For more information, call 1300 HUME (846 382)

FitSkills - work out, get fit and have fun

Montage of three Fitskills participants and their trainers.

Are you a young person with a disability aged 13 to 30 years and want to be more physically active? If so, then you might be interested in FitSkills!

What is FitSkills?
FitSkills is a physical activity program for young people with disability. You will be matched with a buddy who will go with you to a gym in your local community. At the gym, you will work out together and have fun.

What do you get when you join FitSkills?

  • One-on-one mentoring with a student mentor (Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology or Exercise Science). 
  • 12-week program
  • 2 x 1-hour sessions per week
  • access to your local gym

How much does FitSkills cost?
$24.95 per session

Contact
For more information or to sign-up, contact:
Professor Nora Shields
Telephone: 03 9479 5852 or email: n.shields@latrobe.edu.au

DSR Kids summer camp - registrations open

Photo montage showing three kids with disability having fun on summer camp

Registrations for this fun-filled, action-packed camp for kids with physical disability are closing soon!
This camp gives kids with physical disabilities the opportunity to test their sense of adventure and explore their independence.
The weekend camp includes all-inclusive, fully accessible, award-winning activities such as the giant swing and treetop adventure course, as well as some sport and recreation favourites such as...
archery, tennis, cycling, gardening and many more!

Who: children with a physical disability aged between 7 and 17 years.
When: Friday 17 – Sunday 19 February 2017
Where: Camp Manyung, Mt Eliza
Cost: Thanks to the support of our generous donors, the camp is subsidised, so you only pay a maximum of $300 for each child which provides access to:

  • Accommodation
  • Transport
  • All meals
  • Medical and personal care, and support
  • Trained staff running all the awesome activities

Registrations close 13 January, so don't delay!

Fill in the online expression of interest

Off-road vehicles in our parks - have your say

Off-road utility vehicles, including dirt bikes, quad bikes, Polaris vehicles, Zoom chairs and other similar small all-terrain motorised vehicles are currently not allowed in Victoria’s parks, as VicRoads will not issue recreation registration for them.

Parks Victoria has received complaints from a few visitors with physical disabilities who, because they are not able to ride dirt bikes, cannot access park roads and vehicle tracks and have been liaising with DSR to determine a way forward.

Following a review of the regulations, Parks Victoria is working with VicRoads to explore whether a special provision should be made for people with disability to use Off-Road Utility Vehicles (ORUVs) on park roads and vehicle tracks.

To assist in the review, they need you to answer this important question: 
What types of Off Road Utility Vehicles would you like Parks Victoria to consider for legal use on park roads and vehicle tracks by visitors with disabilities?

Contact Richard Amon at DSR with your answer or call him on 9473 0133 to discuss this issue. You can also contact John Kenwright, Access & Inclusion Coordinator at Parks Victoria on 8427 2422.

Hand cycles on our beaches and walking paths - have your say

Man riding an off-road handcycle up a steep, rocky path.

In Victorian parks, conventional bicycles, hand cycles, off-road hand cycles, trikes and other modified bikes are only allowed on bike trails and shared walking trails. They are not allowed on beaches or normal walking trails unless the rider has a permit from Parks Victoria.

Some visitors with disabilities want to use their hand cycle to enjoy the beaches and more rugged walking trails in some of our parks that they can’t access in their wheelchair.

Parks Victoria need these two important questions answered:

  1. Would you like to be able to ride your hand cycle (or similar) on park trails which are currently out of bounds?
  2. If so, are there any particular walking trails or beaches you would like to access with your hand cycle but currently are not allowed to?

Contact Richard Amon with your answer or call him on 9473 0133 to discuss this issue. You can also contact John Kenwright, Access & Inclusion Coordinator at Parks Victoria on 8427 2422.

Annual member survey

Thanks to everyone who has completed our annual member survey. If you haven't filled in the survey, there is still time to let is know what you think.

This survey is important because it helps us understand what we do well and what we could do better. We also want to learn more about you, how you interact with us and how we can best support sport and recreation for Victorians with disability for better health.

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

By completing the survey you can choose to go into the draw to win one of two prizes 1) a complimentary WheelTalk session or 2) two Gold Class movie tickets.

You can complete the survey by following the link, or typing it into your web browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016_DSR_Members_Survey

If you need the survey in an alternate format please contact Karla on
03 9473 0133 or email karla@dsr.org.au

The survey closes Monday 16 January 2017.

2017 integrated pairs tournament

Poster promoting the integrated pairs bowls tournament.

The 2017 Integrated Pairs Tournament is proudly sponsored by Travelling Jack Bowls Supplies and supported by Berwick BC. The event showcases the inclusive and accessible nature of bowls by providing an opportunity for bowlers with a disability to pair with friends, family or fellow club members in a pairs tournament. All ages and bowling abilities are welcome.

When: Sunday 22 January 2017 from 8.30am
Where: Berwick Bowls Club, Manuka Rd, Berwick
Cost: $40 per team - includes light lunch

For more information, contact Claire Baskett – Tournament Director, cgbaskett@optusnet.com.au, 9772 5860 or 0421 075 928, or Sean O’Kane – Bowls Victoria, seano@bowlsvic.org.au, 9861 7100.

Register your team online

DSR Kids - fishing and boating day

Man climbing into a leisure fishing boat where two young people wait for him.

The Indented Head Boat Club is inviting our junior members for a day of boating and fishing fun. There is even an opportunity to see some seals in their natural habitat!

When: Sunday 5 March 2017
Where: Indented Head Boat Club, 326 The Esplanade, Indented Head
Cost: FREE

Each child must have a parent or carer on the boat with them and All fishing equipment (rods bait etc) and lifejackets will be provided on each boat, and there will be a barbeque lunch once everyone is back on dry land.

If you have a child who would enjoy a day on the water, contact our Health Promotions Officer, Juliet Ryan juliet@dsr.org.au.

This summer, make sure you have your Passport 2 Play

Passport 2 Play logo

Join wheelchair tennis ace and Paralympian Dylan Alcott, as he fights to save the world from the evil Sloth King and Sloth army.

Movement = Energy!

As you record your activity in your Passport, online games are unlocked for you to play.

Visit the Passport 2 Play website to sign up and get moving!

Australian National Para Table Tennis Championships

Poster promoting the Australian National Para Table Tennis Championships.

The Australian National Para Table Tennis Championships are in February, and registrations have opened. You must be a financial member of Table Tennis Victoria to compete.

When: 3 - 7 February 2017
Where: Civic Reserve Recreation Centre, Dunns Road, Mornington
Classification: Classification will take place Friday 3 February 2017 from 1pm.
Contact: Max Coulthard, mptta88@gmail.com, 0414 436 233


Registrations close Friday 20 January 2017.

CyclePower heads to Bali

Montage of a map Bali depicting the CyclePower route, riders, province flag and beach.

We are excited to announce that CyclePower is heading to Bali in June!

CyclePower is an intrepid fundraising initiative, combining the challenge of long-distance cycling with the chance to make a difference.

Join participants from all over Victoria, including riders with disability, for the trip of a lifetime.

To find out more about this adventure on wheels, head along to our information night on Tuesday 24 January at 6pm, at our office (341 George St, Fitzroy).

Hear from CyclePower ambassador, Gary Connor, and Sally Graham from our travel partner, Jetaway Travel, to find out all the exciting details.

CyclePower Bali 2017
What: 11 day trip, 400+kms of cycling
Where: Sanur, Bali \ Indonesia
When: 2 – 12 June 2017
Participants: 20 (max)
Cost: $4995 (all flights, accommodation, meals, guides and bicycles. Incl. a $500 nonrefundable registration fee and a donation to DSR)

Serenity, friendly locals, and the experience of a life time are just a bike ride away....

RSVP karla@dsr.org.au or phone Karla: 03 9473 0133

National Cricket Inclusion Championships

Cricket Australia logo

The inaugural National Cricket Inclusion Championships will be held at Kardinia Park, 17-24 January.

The event will be Australia's first ever national championships for the nation's top deaf and blind cricketers and cricketers with an intellectual disability.

The Cricket Australia tournament will attract more than 200 of Australia's best all-abilities male and female cricketers, all vying for national glory. The week-long Championship will feature both Twenty20 and One-Day clashes.

For more information, visit the cricket.com.au.

Bendigo wheelchair basketball tournament

Poster promoting the Bendigo wheelchair basketball tournament

The 2017 Bedigo wheelchair basktball tournament is on Sunday 29 January.

Head to the home of the Braves for a day of competition and fun.

For more information, contact tournament director Sarah Huxtable on 5440 6201 or email sarah.huxtable@bendigostadium.com.au.

Website: www.bendigobasketball.com.au


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