Post on 11-Aug-2020
I am pleased to be wri�ng my first edi�on of the STEPS Program Newsle�er. Life at
The STEPS Program has been very busy since taking over from Are� in the role as
Program Manager. We are con�nuing the work of suppor�ng people and their
families/carers who have experienced a brain injury across Queensland. Thanks to
everyone I have met, spoken with over recent months for your warm welcome to
this fabulous STEPS Program community. (See more details in the Staff
news sec�on)
From the ManagerFrom the ManagerFrom the ManagerFrom the Manager
I am very pleased to announce that The
STEPS Program Peer Leaders were
awarded the Metro South Health District
Board Chair Award in the Empower
People category on the 26th July. We had
four of our fabulous Peer Leaders – Tegan
Eiby (Rockhampton), Jos Harrington and
Marty Westgard (Gold Coast) and Nick
Johnson (Brisbane North) a�end this
ceremony, at the Princess Alexandra
Hospital, to accept this award on behalf of
ALL our Peer Leaders. We celebrated this
occasion with lunch a8erwards –
see photos.
September 2016September 2016September 2016September 2016
Issue 43Issue 43Issue 43Issue 43
NewsletterNewsletterNewsletterNewsletter Special points of interest:
• Board Chair Awards
• Regional Visits
• Acquired Brain Injury
Transi�onal
Rehabilita�on Service
Inside this issue:
Staff News 2
Volunteer Week 2
STEPS Skills Program
Reports
∗ Mackay
∗ Beaudesert
∗ Chermside
∗ Bundaberg
3
Network Group
Reports
∗ Emerald
∗ Ipswich
∗ Young ABI Brisbane
South
∗ Toowoomba
4
Spotlight On..
Beaudesert
6
How to Join the
STEPS Program
Facebook page
8
Leader Training 8
STEPS Program
Network Groups in
Queensland
8
Regional Visits
∗ Yeppoon and
Rockhampton
6
Christmas Party date 7
Acquired Brain Injury
Transi�onal Rehabili-
ta�on Service
7
Princess Alexandra Hospital
Board Chair AwardsBoard Chair AwardsBoard Chair AwardsBoard Chair Awards Richard Ashby (Chief Execu�ve of Metro
South Health Service) wrote : “I would
like to recognise each of you for your
dedica�on and contribu�on to improving
community integra�on for people with
acquired brain injury. As volunteer Peer
Leaders, you play a cri�cal role in
facilita�ng engagement with par�cipants
of the STEPS Program, ensuring the
ongoing success of this valuable
program”.
I couldn’t agree more! Congratula�ons
to all our Peer Leaders.
Sue
There have been a few changes over
recent months at The STEPS
Program. Are� has finished her role
with the STEPS Program and has
moved to the new Transi�onal
Rehabilita�on Service which is a
specialist service to improve the
pathway of care for adults with brain
injury as part of the Brain Injury
Rehabilita�on Unit at the Princess
Alexandra Hospital (see ar�cle on
page 7 for more details). Are�’s
commitment and passion to
establishing and sustaining The
STEPS Program over the last 10+
years has been unwavering and I
want to thank her for her support
and wish her all the best in her new
role.
Ben Turner has been an integral part
of The STEPS Program over many
years. Ben and Are� worked
together to grow The STEPS Program
to what is it today. Ben has now
completed his project with the
Division of Rehabilita�on at the PA
Hospital and has been appointed as
Rehabilita�on Coordinator/
Occupa�onal Therapist at ABIOS. I
want to thank Ben for his dedica�on
to The STEPS Program and I’m sure
his compassion for people with brain
injury and his hard-working quali�es
will be an asset to ABIOS. I wish Ben
every success in his new role at
ABIOS.
As some of you may know I have
worked as a Rehabilita�on Co-
ordinator with ABIOS for the last 15
years. I was involved in the project
stage of The STEPS Program and I
worked with Are� in the very early
phases of STEPS and assisted in
developing the STEPS Skills Program
workbook . I was very grateful to be
involved in running the very first
STEPS Skills Program run at the
ABIOS office at Buranda and I have
been so pleased to see The STEPS
Program grow to what it is today. I
am very excited to return to working
in The STEPS Program as Ac�ng
STEPS Program Manager for 12
months. I hope to par�cipate in
some STEPS Program ac�vi�es over
the coming months either face-to-
face or via telephone and
teleconference to meet as many of
you – the STEPS Program
community.
I am also pleased to let you know
that Tanya Ashton has also been
appointed to the Ac�ng posi�on of
STEPS Program Coordinator for the
next 12 months. Tanya will con�nue
to work with the Network Groups
and STEPS Program sites that she
currently supervises.
Tanya and I are both looking forward
to working with you and con�nuing
the fantas�c work of The STEPS
Program community.
Sue WrightSue WrightSue WrightSue Wright
Na�onal Volunteer Week was held
between the 9th and 15
th May. It is
an annual celebra�on to
acknowledge the generous
contribu�on of our volunteers. In
Australia in 2016, 6 million people
volunteered their �me, WOW!
But we did things a li�le differently
in the STEPS Program Community
this year and we celebrated and
acknowledged Volunteer Week and
our volunteers a li�le later.
To acknowledge the valued and
important contribu�ons of our Peer
and Community
Volunteers we
set about
designing and
having made the first STEPS
Program badge. A special men�on
and thanks to Kelsey, Admin Officer
who made it happen. As you can
imagine making a badge is not a
quick process, actually longer than I
thought! But we got there in the end
and during August we sent out to
our Peer and Community Volunteers
a le�er and badge thanking them for
their contribu�ons, the meaningful
connec�ons they establish with
people with brain injury and their
families and the important role they
play in enhancing people’s
community par�cipa�on. The STEPS
Program would not be what it is
today without leaders assis�ng with
STEPS Skills Programs and STEPS
Network Groups. Some examples of
feedback from par�cipants of STEPS
Skills Programs demonstrates how
your efforts make a difference. So
from all of us in the STEPS Program
Community a BIG THANK YOU to all
of our volunteers.
Learnt
a lot
Topics –
informa�ve/
Useful
Improved
Knowledge of Self
-Management
Helped Develop
Connec�ons with
the Community
Venue –
Comfortable,
Good for Learning
2009 88% 92% 82% 73% 96%
2010 86% 89% 85% 77% 96%
2011 92% 95% 89% 84% 97%
2012 91% 94% 86% 74% 96%
2013 91% 94% 89% 81% 92%
2014 89% 89% 87% 81% 100%
2015 94% 95% 91% 83% 97% Page 2
Chermside Chermside Chermside Chermside by Nick Johnson and Jacquie Izzardby Nick Johnson and Jacquie Izzardby Nick Johnson and Jacquie Izzardby Nick Johnson and Jacquie Izzard In week three, the leaders changed
it up and decided to do the
mindfulness ac�vity their own way.
Rather than the mindful breathing
ac�vity, we did ‘mindful ea�ng of
chocolate’. It was an instant success
because let’s face it, who doesn’t
like chocolate?!
For the breakup ac�vity, the group
decided to go to Sandgate for a
social gathering, followed by fish and
chips. Aside from the gale-forced
winds, it was a beau�ful day out by
the ocean. We all sat around, shared
Page 3
Another fantas�c bunch of people
have just completed a STEPS Skills
Program in Chermside, led by
Jacquie Izzard and Nick Johnson.
The group had a diverse range of
people, but it was immediately clear
that they would all get along well.
MackayMackayMackayMackay
BeaudesertBeaudesertBeaudesertBeaudesert A lot has been happening in
Beaudesert this year. We were
excited to be able to run a 2 day
Leader Training Program a�ended
by 5 par�cipants back in May. This
allowed us to go forward and
organised the first Beaudesert STEPS
Skills Program since 2010. The Skills
Program started on 1st August and
on Monday, 12th September they
held their break up ac�vity. The
Beaudesert STEPS Network Group
and catch up monthly from October,
if the morning tea from their break
up ac�vity- sandwiches, sushi, fruit,
biscuits and tarts, is anything to go
by they will have yummy food!
On 16th May the STEPS Skills Program
commenced in Mackay. The
program was led by our very
experienced leaders Peyawadee
Pe�s (STEPS Peer Leader) and Sue
Jorgensen (Trained STEPS Leader/
Social Worker). It was great to see
such a posi�ve response to the
adver�sement for the program with
11 par�cipants commencing the
program. The program was run
from the Commonwealth Respite
and Care Link Centre, a venue the
Mackay STEPS Network Group use
for their monthly catch ups. Many
of the par�cipants had met each
other during either their hospital
stay or rehab, so it didn’t take too
much �me for the group to feel
comfortable to share and
connect. As you can see in the
photo the group enjoyed a beau�ful
high tea for their 6 week break up
group was led by Peer Leader, Lizz
Hills and Service Provider Leader,
Rebecca Shorter from FSG and
would not have been possible
without their support and involve-
ment. John Ca�ell a peer leader in
training also a�ended and provided
support . 7 Par�cipants joined the
program and met each Monday at
the local Beaudesert Library. The
group are hoping to form a
stories, jokes and had a few laughs.
It was great to see everyone smiling
and having a good �me!
The par�cipants have been invited
to a�end the Brisbane North
Network Group.
The Bundaberg STEPS Skills Program
for 2016 commenced on Friday, 22nd
July u�lising an a8ernoon �meslot
from 1- 3pm.The program was
delivered with two facilitators in the
Ozcare training room with a group of
nine par�cipants. A8er week one, it
was obvious that this group was
interested in understanding more
about each other, and how brain
injury had affected their life, either
directly or indirectly. The group was
able to achieve this by concentra�ng
on the workbook content, whilst
also making each other feel
comfortable during group ac�vi�es
and discussions. Each week there
was plenty of stories and laughs
shared in our program which made
it comfortable for all involved.
The way in which the group was able
to engage with each other and
par�cipate con�nued un�l our
comple�on of week six. A credit to
everyone involved. It didn’t take
long for us to realise that given that
some people had to travel each
week, it would be ok for par�cipants
to bring their lunch along so more of
the delicious snacks provided were
consumed.
The decision was made by the group
to meet for a lunch at one of the
more popular licensed venues in
Bundaberg for lunch on week six.
The name of the chosen venue was
The Spo�ed Dog Tavern. A venue
that is renowned for its tapas,
burgers, pizzas and salads.
We finished off by congratula�ng
and, thanking everyone for
par�cipa�ng in a successful 2016
STEPS Skills Program and reminding
everyone that they are encouraged
to and welcome to join the local
Network Group, Bundaberg Brain
Injury Friends.
BundabergBundabergBundabergBundaberg Shane IslesShane IslesShane IslesShane Isles
EmeraldEmeraldEmeraldEmerald The Emerald STEPS Network Group
held a BBQ for the Emerald
community at the beau�ful Emerald
Community Gardens, on Saturday,
17th September to raise awareness
about Brain Injury as part of
Disability Ac�on Week (11th – 17
th
September) . The BBQ was a great
success and was enjoyed by the 30
or more people who a�ended. The
Network Group Leader, Alan Thomas
injury in the Emerald community
and to help support those in their
recovery.
Well done to the Emerald STEPS
Network Group!
and the Emerald Network group
have been mee�ng for several years
and are supported by Disability
Services Local Area Coordinator, Jo
Fanning. The group aims to increase
awareness about brain
Page 4
Toowoomba Toowoomba Toowoomba Toowoomba
Page 5
had a “Guess Who” game. Each member brought along a
baby photo and we all had to guess who belonged to the
photo. There were plenty of laughs and discussions about
which person belonged to which baby photo.
As always there was plenty of food and a great day was had
by all.
From Sue: Thanks to the Toowoomba Network Group for a
fabulous day and the delicious lunch. I was impressed with
your wonderful STEPS Program T-shirts and way you value
each member of your group. It is obvious you embrace the
STEPS Program spirit.
Young ABI Brisbane SouthYoung ABI Brisbane SouthYoung ABI Brisbane SouthYoung ABI Brisbane South
IpswichIpswichIpswichIpswich
On 22nd August Sue Wright kindly a�ended our
Toowoomba Network Group mee�ng for a meet
and greet at St Anthony’s Parish Hall. Our group
The Young ABI Brisbane South
Network Group had a break in the
first half of the year, but has been
mee�ng regularly since June on the
4th Wednesday of the month at 12
noon (usually). The group have
found that mee�ng at South Bank is
a good op�on with its central
loca�on and they enjoy the
opportunity to try a range of
different op�ons for lunch. Since
mee�ng in June, members have
enjoyed Japanese, Mexican, Greek,
experiences, hearing about study,
work, volunteering, and holidays.
We are looking forward to seeing
everyone again in October for pizza
and pasta.
and Indian with a plan for Italian in
October Yumm! The group usually
decide at the end of lunch where
they will go to next. The September
mee�ng (Indian) saw a great turnout
with 10 members enjoying the
company, connec�on and food. Kali,
a past peer leader of the group
returned from overseas for a short
stay and managed to come along, as
well as a number of returning
members. There was lots of
catching up, and sharing of
In June the Ipswich Network Group braved
the cold to enjoy lunch and barefoot bowls
at the United Sports Club. The ac�vity was
well a�ended and gave a few members a
chance to try or play lawn bowls again.
Tanya, STEPS Program Coordinator took
to the green for the first �me and now
appreciates the skill involved she is s�ll
learning about bias!
Page 6
Yeppoon and RockhamptonYeppoon and RockhamptonYeppoon and RockhamptonYeppoon and Rockhampton Rehabilita�on Unit at Rockhampton
Hospital to provide an informa�on
session. Although many of the staff
were familiar with the STEPS
Program it was helpful to refresh
and to encourage stronger
connec�ons. On Wednesday and
Thursday I facilitated Leader
Training, and we were fortunate to
have 3 staff from Ozcare par�cipate
in the training and enable STEPS
Skills Programs to re-commence in
Rockhampton. A busy week but I
thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity
to meet our amazing volunteers and
service providers – Thank you. Stay
tuned for our next regional visit.
In August Tanya, STEPS Program
Coordinator, was fortunate to travel
north to attend both the Rockhampton
and Yeppoon STEPS Network Groups.
On Monday I had a quick trip out to
Yeppoon, a beau�ful place to those
that haven’t been, and met with the
Yeppoon STEPS Network Group at
the community health centre. The
chance to meet Jo, STEPS Program
Leader, her husband Luke, many of
the Yeppoon members and 2 great
supporters of the group, Marilyn and
Jenne (Community Health Nursing
Staff) was valuable. The group were
geRng ready for a bbq that Jenne
and Marilyn were organising to raise
awareness of brain injury. The
morning tea was, as usual, amazing!!
Following this visit I headed back
into Rockhampton (about a 40
minute drive) and completed an
informa�on session about the STEPS
Program with staff from Disability
Services Queensland, several staff
from Rockhampton were present
and also staff from Emerald and
Gladstone were able to link in. It’s a
small world, as one of the DSQ staff
in Emerald, Jo is also a leader for the
Emerald STEPS Network Group! This
session was an opportunity to
provide informa�on about the STEPS
Program but also to encourage
referrals for STEPS Skills Programs in
the Rockhampton region. On
Tuesday I had the chance to visit the
Rockhampton STEPS Network Group
who were mee�ng at Victoria Park,
another beau�ful spot right on the
river. Leaders, Sharon and Tegan
along with many members were
there for a great catch up and a
sausage sizzle. I had a chance to
provide an update about NDIS. A8er
the Network Group I headed over to
meet with the staff at the
Beaudesert is rurally located in the Gold Coast hinterland. The loca�on
was named Beaudesert by Ned Hawkins in the early 1840s. Ned was
claiming the area as a sheep sta�on on behalf of his employer, William
Su�or, who lived back in England.
The name Beaudesert means ‘beau�ful desert’. The area was first se�led for growing co�on and farming sheep,
however due to the lack of water, the co�on crops were very poor and was soon surpassed by harves�ng hoop
pine, a whi�sh or light-coloured �mber that has a straight grain and very fine texture.
The town was first se�led in 1847, but it took another 30 years before the first town blocks were sold. By the end
of the 1880s Beaudesert was star�ng to look like a proper township with a store, post office, hotel, blacksmith,
school and church.
If you would like to see a bit of history, The Milbanks Pioneer Co�age was relocated from the Milbanks property
and is available to walk through at the Beaudesert Historical Museum. The Milbanks Pioneer Co�age, a ‘Slab Hut’,
was built by Patrick Milbanks on his property in 1875 using local hand hewn �mbers. Patrick’s grandchildren donat-
ed the Co�age to the museum in 1979 where is has been authen�cally restored with the same materials and tech-
niques Patrick used. Inside, the Co�age is furnished with original furniture, including a four-poster bed, large cedar
sideboard, and lots of other ar�cles that portray the life of the early pioneers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaudesert,_Queensland � http://queenslandplaces.com.au/beaudesert
http://beaudesertmuseum.org.au/main/beaudesert-museum/museum-collections.html http://www.australply.com.au/about/about-hooppine
Brisbane Street, Beaudesert
Page 7
Queensland adults living with brain
injury trauma will now access be�er
rehabilita�on support through the
Queensland Government’s
investment in a new brain injury
program - the Acquired Brain Injury
Transi�onal Rehabilita�on Service
(ABI TRS). The Motor Accident
Insurance Commission has provided
funding for the TRS to develop a
specialist statewide service that will
improve the pathway of care for all
Queensland adults who need
inpa�ent rehabilita�on in the
Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Brain
Injury Rehabilita�on Unit.
Are� Kennedy, Manager of the
Acquired Brain Injury Transi�onal
Rehabilita�on Service said the aim
was to maximise the independence
of people in their home and
community environments so they
could experience meaningful life
roles. “The Transi�onal
Rehabilita�on Service will assist
individuals’ in the early transi�on
from hospital to home by providing
an intensive coordinated
rehabilita�on program for eight to
12 weeks with a mix of home and
community based therapy. There will
be both individual and group
programs with contemporary, goal-
directed com-
munity reha-
bilita�on ser-
vices during
the transi�on
from hospital
to home.”
Ms Kennedy said the project will
include a formal research evalua�on
of the service model that integrates
ABI TRS into the current
rehabilita�on con�nuum of the
Brain Injury Rehabilita�on Service.
“Our four-person start-up team is
busy developing policies and
procedures and an evalua�on
framework, with direct client
services expected to commence
from January 2017.”
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
10am-12 noon
Remember this date! Enter it into your phone or write
it in your diary. This is the date for the STEPS Program
Greater Brisbane Christmas Party 2014!
But I don’t live in/ near Brisbane.. What about me?
We value you! Lock in the date, wherever you are! If you
want to travel to Brisbane for the party you are most
welcome to a�end (unfortunately we can’t fund any of
your travel costs).
Otherwise, it would be wonderful if STEPS Program
Network Groups around Queensland could all be
celebra�ng the end of the year in their local communi�es
at the same �me. You might meet in a park or a café, or
have some fun at your usual mee�ng place with some
Christmas ac�vi�es… it is up to you!
If you let us know before the day, we can share your event
news with everyone at the party in Brisbane– we’ll be
connected through the power of communica�on and
shared par�cipa�on.
STEPS Program Greater Brisbane
Christmas Party
When: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Time: 10:00am– 12noon for morning tea
Where: Frangipani Court, Roma St Parkland, Brisbane
Ge?ng There: Train or car are the best op�ons. It is a
flat, 200m walk from Roma St train sta�on.
Parking: Free for disability parking permit holders;
regular parking is $4.20 per hour
Catering: Sausage sizzle, morning tea and cold
drinks will be provided by STEPS Program
Wet Weather Plans: If we have to relocate the event
due to rain, it will be held at an indoor venue close to
ABIOS office at Buranda. Exact details TBA closer to
the date.
STEPS Program Acquired Brain Injury Outreach Service
(ABIOS)
PO Box 6053, Buranda 4102 Ph: (07) 3406 2311 or 1300 727 403 (outside
Brisbane– local call costs from a fixed phone line)
Fax: (07) 3406 2399
Email: STEPS@health.qld.gov.au
18/19 October– Mt Isa. Contact Sue for details. If you are interested in STEPS Program leader training for
your local community, please contact us.
We have ac�ve Network Groups in the communi�es
below:
Atherton, Biloela, Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Fraser
Coast Hinterland, Gladstone, Gold Coast, Mackay ,
Maroochydore, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Towns-
ville, Yarraman, Yeppoon.
Greater Brisbane: Bayside, Brisbane Central, Brisbane
North, Browns Plains, Caboolture, Centenary, Ips-
wich, Logan North, Mt Grava�, Redcliffe/North Lakes,
Taringa Young ABI Brisbane South, Young ABI Bris-
bane North.
Check out our website for full details for any group
h�p://www.health.qld.gov.au/abios/steps/asp/
steps_networkgroups.asp
1. You will need your own
Facebook page. If you need help
to set this up, ask at your local
library OR ask any young person
you know and trust. Be sure to
work out your preferred privacy
seRngs too.
2. Log in to your own Facebook
page
3. On the Search Bar at the top
le8 of the screen type in Skills To
Enable People and Communi�es
4. Click on the green join group
bu�on, as shown below
5. The ‘STEPS Coordinator’ will
then need to approve the request
as Skills To Enable People and
Click on join group
Communi�es is a closed group.
The ‘STEPS Coordinator’ also
needs to approve all posts to the
page.
Join us to keep up to date with
what’s happening with the STEPS
Program.
Of course you can s�ll find STEPS
Program informa�on on our
website www.health.qld.gov.au/
abios/stepsdefault.asp