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Volunteer Newsletter Spring Issue September 2011

Message from Phil – Hello everyone.

It’s such beautiful spring weather here, I hope you have all had a chance to get some of the sun’s rays and top up your vitamin D. It’s Training and Development time for all of us, with whole of workforce training being rolled out across the regions. Tim Boyd from PhysioPlus will be providing Workcover Manual Handling and Backcare training. I will present TBBCT centered professional boundary training. Please bring any problems you may have faced or ideas you would like to discuss in our sessions. We can’t fix what we don’t know about, so if you have a niggling issue, please don’t be too shy to air it. I’m sure together we can find a solution. Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea will be provided. See the program in this issue. Our fleet vehicles are working flat out, especially in Tweed, where the population of frail elderly is increasing exponentially as far as we can tell. Our individual trip numbers were up 20% in the last financial year in the Tweed shire alone. Some figures for 2010/2011 financial year: Total number of trips 58,813 Volunteer car trips 14,684 Community car trips 5,435 Bus passenger trips 37,136 Early next week, we take delivery of a new wheelchair accessible vehicle, a VW Caddy, specially modified to our specifications. This small van will be located in the Ballina LGA and serve Ballina and Byron, enabling access for those unable to transfer from their wheelchair. This will be a fantastic new resource for the disability community in this area. Our plan is to have a trained team of volunteers willing to drive this vehicle, so if you are interested, please let Jenny or Faizel know so we can organise an orientation to the vehicle. Enjoy the Spring Newsletter! Phil

Banora Point Community Centre – TBBCT office is located in the Melaleuca room

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Message from The Manager

Volunteer Update

Project Cars

Christmas in July

OH&S Update

Judy’s NZ Adventure

Staff Profile

Volunteer Profile

For photos, publications, and information

about the services we provide check out

our website:

www.community-transport.org.au

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Volunteer Update Welcome to new volunteer drivers: Byron Shire: Nick Munro, Rick Paton, Sheilagh Pepper & Linda Wiggins. Ballina Shire: Terri Mazzer, Paul O’Reilly. Tweed Shire: Lynette Brooks, Norma Dwyer, Bronwyn Heggarty, Greg Hubbard, Al Karabel, Diane Martin, John Matthews, Peter Millar, Edith Sisaric & Janette Sleba.

Project Cars As Phil mentioned, the new WAV Caddy will be located in Ballina while another one is on order for Tweed. It will join our Vito vehicle which has been busy daily assisting people in wheelchairs, driven by our team of trained volunteers. Please remember before driving a project car to fill out the vehicle check log book which you will find in the vehicle. Please put fuel in the car if the tank is less than half full. The GPS must remain in the bottom right hand corner of the windscreen in all vehicles.

In General When you are cleaning your car, remember to put safety first and don’t stand on make-shift stools like milk crates. Please report any accidents or incidents that occur whilst volunteering for us to the office as soon as possible. Have you updated your email details with us? Please let us know if you need an ID badge, a T-shirt or a volunteer driver display card for your car. Please remember that the privacy and confidentiality of our clients is of utmost importance. We ask that you do not give out your phone number to clients (TBBCT office staff can connect you when necessary) Please also take care not to make comments about clients or co-workers personal situations.

DDrriivveewwaayy PPoolliiccyy TBBCT is looking at implementing a “no driveway” policy that will prohibit TBBCT vehicles (including volunteers cars) entering driveways at client’s homes unless there are extenuating circumstances. This is to ensure the safety of clients, their pets and volunteers. We recommend that drivers park on the street and go to the door to collect the client. A comprehensive policy will be drafted and distributed for comment in the near future.

Message from the OH&S Team “Occupational Health & Safety”; Many times I see people shudder when they hear these words, “ Oh no!! Not more paperwork?!” It’s a common cry, but OH&S is the most important item in the workplace; it saves injuries, it saves lives and it keeps you and our passengers safe. We are all a part of day to day safety checks and do it without thinking. If you see a shovel on the path, you don’t step on it; you either remove it or step over it. But do you take the same care when lifting, turning and carrying?

Reports are tedious to write and when an incident has occurred it is forgotten by the time you have arrived home, put your feet up and enjoyed a well deserved ‘cuppa’. But when a passenger calls the office some months later we don’t know anything about the incident and more than likely neither will you. It’s the small incidents that mostly go unreported but they’re as important to us as the larger ones.

Please remember, no matter how large or how small an incident or accident is; please phone it in and follow it up with a written report on the form that we all have filed away in a safe place. Brenda

OH&S Committee Members: Jenny Young, Chris Coorey,

Grahame Rodgers and Brenda.

Phil Barron (Manager) and Faizel Hassan (Fleet Manager)

also attend the meetings.

Christmas in July

Volunteers enjoyed the Xmas luncheon in July with a visit from Mrs Claus and her helper. See more pics on our website www.community-transport.org.au

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Essential Training for TBBCT

Volunteers and Staff 9:30 till 3pm

Friday 30th September 2011 Salvation Army Sports & Recreation Centre, Cnr Leisure Dr & Woodlands Dr, Banora Point Friday 21 October 2011 Ballina Community Centre, Bangalow Rd, Ballina This training is designed to assist us all to keep safe while supporting our clients. Meet other TBBCT volunteers and staff to share experiences, raise issues and workshop possible solutions to issues you are confronted with. 9:30: Registration & morning tea Maintaining Professional Boundaries workshop Developed specifically for TBBCT volunteers & staff & presented by Phil Barron.

Communication

Privacy and confidentiality

Knowing our clients

Incident and Accident reporting

Strategies to manage emergency or

unexpected incidents.

Information sharing – parking! and

other issues

12:00pm Lunch Worksafe Manual handling Presented by Tim Boyd of Physio Plus.

Back Care

Assisting people in and out of

vehicles safely

Loading wheelchairs, wheelie

walkers into conventional vehicles

The correct way to offer your arm to

someone to support their

mobilisation

Strategies to cope with emergency

situations

All volunteers and staff of TBBCT are required to attend one of these training

sessions. Please ensure to RSVP

Staff Profile Our new Fleet Manager

Faizel Hassan comes to TBBCT with 30 years experience in the motor trade as a motor mechanic and a spray painter. He has also worked as a counsellor in the area of drug & alcohol intervention with the Salvation Army, and more recently worked as a counsellor in his native country of Africa. Since returning to Australia in 2008, Faizel was working for Budget in the area of fleet maintenance and management, until securing a position with TBBCT in October 2010. Faizel loves sports and he is passionate about problem solving and empowering people he meets in positive ways.

Judy’s NZ Adventures In May, my partner and I had a whirlwind holiday on the north island of New Zealand. In 8 days we drove 1900 kms and saw a lot of glorious countryside. The first thing we noticed about NZ roads was the absence of pot holes. We are so used to navigating around them on the north coast that this was a pleasant surprise. We saw some great road signs, my favourites were “Merge like a zip” and “This is a roadway not a racetrack”. The most disconcerting thing for Ozzie drivers is the line marking on their roads as many roads are only marked with a broken line down the middle. We soon realised it does not mean “it is safe to overtake”. Another thing that took a while to get used to was, when turning left you give way to anyone turning right at the same intersection. After a few blaring horns we got the point! Coffee lovers may be interested to know that in NZ you get a choice of cinnamon or chocolate on your cappuccino. NZ is a fabulous country to holiday in; the people are very friendly and helpful, the sights are breath-taking and the tourist services are excellent. Judy

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Volunteer Profile

PARKING BLUES!!!! Bluey was driving down the street in a sweat because he had to get to an important appointment and couldn't find a parking place. Looking up to heaven he said, 'Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of my life and give up my Malt Whiskey!’ Miraculously, a parking place appeared. Bluey looked up again and said, 'Never mind, I found one.'

We welcome your contributions of photos,

stories, jokes. Please email:

kathryn@community-transport.org.au

Tweed office: Banora Point Community Centre Melaleuca Room Cnr Woodlands & Leisure Drive, Banora Point. Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Murwillumbah office: Office is now in Jessie McMillan Hall, Wollumbin St, (next to Presbyterian Church opposite KFC). First & last Tues of month 8.30am to 4.30pm. Byron Bay office Central booking office across the three shires. Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm. Ballina office: Community Centre Cnr Moon St & Bangalow Rd, Ballina, (adjacent to Ballina Central shopping centre). Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm.

Phone 1300 875 895

8:30 – 4:30 Mon - Fri If you urgently need to contact the office,

call the emergency number:

0432 515 992

Amanda Lucantonio (Service Co-ordinator Assistant for

TBBCT) graduated from Southern Cross University,

Lismore on 17th

September with Bachelor of Indigenous

Studies (Trauma & Healing).

Pictured here with Dave Kapeen from TBBCT.

Amanda was a fulltime student with SCU commencing her

studies in early 2008. TBBCT are proud to have supported

Amanda during her studies. She continues to work with

TBBCT in the Byron office each Monday organising

transport for the Byron Shire and other shires when needed.

Name: Rick Godwin Area: Byron Shire When did you first start with TBBCT? First came to CT in June 1998 then later had some time away before returning in 2004 What are your interests? Cars, Darts as well as other spectator sports What are your favourite drinks/foods? Enjoys Italian food & a good light ale Favourite Music: Loves a variety of music including metal & rock’n’roll Favourite waiting time activity: Reading & shopping