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Welcome to April, the month of chocolates, Easter eggs and public holidays!
The team enjoyed the retreat in March. We would like to thank the team at the Sandstone Point Holiday Resort who were so wonderful in welcoming us and ensuring everybody had a relaxing time.
As usual we have shared with you our upcoming events for April and we encourage you to peruse them and register for any that take your fancy.
We're keen to ensure this newsletter is informative and useful for carers. If you have any suggestions or articles that you think other carers would like to know about, please email them to marketing@arafmi.com.au.
Have a great month everybody and I'll see you all in May's newsletter.
Frie Robinson
Carer Support Manager
Arafmi and Carers Queensland Join Forces For Carers
In January this year the teams at Carers Queensland and Arafmi met to join forces and commit to provide supports that will meet the unique and changing needs of unpaid carers.
Improving the lives of carers and delivering responsive, respectful and effective supports and services is a shared focus for both organisations and will drive the planning for 2023.
Whilst we have collaborated with Carers Queensland in the past, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed, formalising the commitment. This commitment strengthens the collective capacity to reach more families and unpaid carers. Watch this space for more collaborations to come!
Carer's Queensland at the Carer Retreat
It was so lovely to have the team from Carers Queensland at the retreat in March. Carers were treated with a kokedama workshop and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive! To stay up to date with Carer's Queensland events, you can do so by clicking the button below.
Volunteer Thank-You
After a collective 43 years of volunteering with Arafmi, two of our valued phone volunteers are calling it a day.
Gloria (left) had been volunteering on the phone line for over 25 years and Robyn (right) for over 18 years. They both said that it was a good feeling to know that you could help in some way to support other carers. They also said that it has been a pleasure to work with other volunteers.
If you'd like to volunteer to help on the telephone lines, please contact Julie on julie@arafmi.com.au.
Creating an intervention for parents supporting an adolescent in suicidal crisis
Given the essential role of parents in supporting adolescents in suicidal crisis, there is a critical need to ensure that parents are supported by evidence-based approaches to ongoing care.
If you have accompanied your adolescent child to an emergency department for a suicide-related crisis, you can help us understand the needs of parents like yourself, which will contribute to the development of an evidence-based intervention to better meet their needs in providing support to their kids.
Carer Affirmation
A lovely affirmation for carers, kindly sent in to us by Robyn.
If you have anything you'd like to share, please email to us at marketing@arafmi.com.au.
Last month we hosted another Arafmi carer retreat and by all accounts it was an enjoyable and relaxing few days. Attendees were treated to two nights and three days of activities, food and opportunities to unwind and relax. A photo album of pics from the retreat has been created on our Facebook page. To view the album, head to our Facebook page by clicking here, or the button below.
Opportunities like the retreat get advertised in our newsletters, so if you know anybody who would like to know about our upcoming events or retreats, please encourage them to sign up to our newsletter. The link can be found by clicking on the button below.
Our choice for April Book Club is Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.
It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.
Our choice for May Book Club is The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester.
The making of the Oxford English Dictionary was a monumental 50 year task requiring thousands of volunteers.
One of the keenest volunteers was a W C Minor who astonished everyone by refusing to come to Oxford to receive his congratulations. In the end, James Murray, the OED's editor, went to Crowthorne in Berkshire to meet him. What he found was incredible - Minor was a millionaire American civil war surgeon turned lunatic, imprisoned in Broadmoor Asylum for murder and yet who dedicated his entire cell-bound life to work on the English language.
If you or your loved one are looking for activity ideas, we've got a few here that you may want to try. If you know of any others, please send them through and can share them in our next newsletter!
Walkabout Creek
This bushland oasis in Brisbane’s backyard is perfect for families, friends and visitors to Brisbane. There’s something for everyone at Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre!
At the Wildlife Centre, discover some of Queensland national parks’ weird and wonderful creatures, like our playful platypuses, wandering wombat and curious crocodiles.
Don’t miss the daily platypus feeding sessions and wildlife talks by our expert Park Rangers. The weekend Wildlife Discovery Show is a must see!
Glass Painting
Kmart sells packs of glass paint that can be used to make your own bespoke glassware! Design glasses, vases or even glass travel cups. A pack of 12 costs $5.50.
Day Trip & High Tea at Glengallan Homestead
Join Carers Queensland for a scenic roadtrip to beautiful Warwick, where we will visit the iconic Glengallan Homestead which is a restored sandstone mansion originally built in 1867. Glengallan has a very rich and colourful history, which we will learn about through a self-guided tour of the homestead and surrounding gardens.
After having time to explore the homestead, we will be treated to the Glengallan High Tea experience, which will include a delicious selection of sweet and savoury treats enjoyed with a view of the stunning Glengallan farmlands.
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