Polio SA Winter Newsletter 2022

Polio SA Winter Newsletter 2022

Polio SA Winter Newsletter 2021

Polio SA Winter Newsletter 2021

In this edition message from Vice President, Assistive Tech for All, Disability Rights Advocacy, Remembering Brett Howard.

Summer 2019 - Newsletter

From the President

Merry Christmas to All the Members of Polio SA. On behalf of the Committee I extend the Compliments of the Season to you and your Families. I must apologise for the lateness of this newsletter. This is not a reflection on the magnificent Editorial Staff, but rather a roadblock from the President. As you may be aware, I am undergoing a course of Chemotherapy and this has really affected my ability to concentrate or put thoughts together to produce a “front page”. Peter, Helen and I went to Sydney on October 16th and 17th for the AGM of the Board of Polio Australia. There were a lot of busy hours put in by the Board to get through the business at hand. Gillian Thomas has been re-elected as President. Gary Newton from Victoria is the Secretary, Alan Cameron from NSW is the Treasurer and I have been reinstalled as Vice President. One of the highlights was the awarding of “Life Fellow of Polio Australia” in recognition of outstanding service for the life of Polio Australia. The recipients were then awarded Fellow pins to wear as a badge of honour.

The awards went to Gillian Thomas, Maryann Liethof, Jill Pickering and The Hon. John Tierney AM. At the end of this year Maryann will resign from her position as National Program Manager, all polio survivors in Australia owe Maryann a huge thanks for all of her work. Polio SA has been really helped with the appointment of Helen Leach as our Community and Membership Officer. Helen has followed up on some lapsed Members, sadly some have passed or are in care, but many “old” Members have re-joined. Helen has also reached out to Culturally Diverse members of the Community, and some positive results from that work. Thank you, Helen.

To finish this letter, I must implore Members to consider volunteering some time to Polio SA. The reason for this is as I have indicated I am having Chemo and cannot commit to being President into the New Year, so a replacement will be needed as I am NOT going to continue, I would however like to be a Committee Member. Also our long serving, long suffering Secretary Trevor Jessop is also resigning and he is NOT continuing, so there are two very important vacancies in the Executive of Polio SA and if these are not filled Polio SA will NOT be able to continue.

Please consider the future of Polio SA.

Thank you.

Brett Howard, President Polio SA bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814

Spring 2019 Newsletter

From the President

A successful AGM

I will be really glad to feel the warmth of the sun again, after another chilly winter, my least favorite season of the year. We had 30 Members attend this year’s AGM on a very wintery Sunday in August. I am pleased to tell you that your existing Committee will continue to support you for the 2019-2020 year. The Committee would also like to thank the attending Members for their positive contributions to the Meeting. I thank the Committee for their continued support and look forward to some more successful advances in the support of polio survivors in South Australia. The Committee consists of Trevor Jessop, Secretary; Peter Wierenga, Treasurer; Ron Blackwell, Jo Gordon, Charles and Julia Greeneklee and Maureen Kowalick. The great work being done by Helen by reaching out to existing Members and new members has increased our Membership and the information being disseminated to Members. This work has taken a lot of duties from the President and Secretary and is much appreciated. 

Sarcopenia with Polio Survivors

After the Business of Polio SA was completed once again, Dr Nigel Quadros and Dr Sivam reported on the progress of their Project on Sarcopenia with Polio Survivors in South Australia. Dr Nigel has presented his papers to Rehabilitation Conferences in Auckland and Kobe and will present in Krakow and in Adelaide in September and October. Dr Nigel also told us of the In-patient Clinics at the Griffith Hospital available to Polio Survivors and several of our Members have already had the benefit of attendance at these sessions. Dr Nigel also has some plans to increase availability of Post-Polio Services to a wider section of survivors as well as reaching out to CALD people.

Poetry and Irish wit

We were then entertained by some very quirky poetry with a bit of Irish wit giving a slant to Aussie yarns which was great to hear. Thank you very much to Jill Wherry, a pleasant interlude. Polio Survivor from Sudan, author Esther Simbi,  gave us a short precis of her life which is detailed in her book, “Beyond Calamity”. I am assured it is a very interesting read which I will catch up on it soon.

The afternoon concluded with a pleasant cuppa and chinwag with those present The ninth and last Polio Australia Health and Wellness Retreat will be held at the venue of the very first Retreat, St Joseph’s at Baulkam Hills suburb of Sydney. The Retreat will run from 17th-20th October 2019 and positions are filling fast so please think about attending and contact Polio Australia

https://www.polioaustralia.org.au/retreat-2019/

Brett Howard President Polio SA bihoward@bigpond.com.au    0403 339 814

Brett Howard, President Polio SA
bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814

Winter 2019 Newsletter

From the President

I don’t need to remind you that the cool season is starting. As a Post Polio, I for one, do not appreciate being cold!

On the front page of our last Newsletter I told you that Mary-ann Liethof would come to South Australia to conduct a Meeting to “Future Proof” Polio SA. This Meeting was a time for all of us on the Committee to assess where Polio SA was going.

The major outcome was to use some of our accumulated investment funds to employ a part-time “Community and Membership Officer”. With help from Tom from CBB and a video link to Mary-ann we interviewed the six “best” applicants and I am very pleased to be able to introduce you all to Helen Leach.

Helen is employed to perform 15 hours of work per week for Polio SA. Helen has spent time at CBB learning how our funding “works” and other administrative tasks to enable smooth operation. Helen also went to Melbourne and spent time with Mary-ann and Stephanie Cantrill to learn how Polio Australia is managed. As you can see Helen has already done a lot to learn how to improve services to Members of Polio SA. There will be more to come. Thank you for your enthusiasm Helen. (Helen introduces herself on Page 6 of this newsletter.)

From what I have heard, the Hydrotherapy sessions at the Repat Pool are very popular and I believe most sessions are now fully attended which is very pleasing.

The Annual General Meeting of Polio SA will be on Sunday 18th August 2019 in the Meeting Room at 302 South Road at 1:00pm (see the official AGM details on Page 9 of this newsletter). We are very fortunate to have Dr. Quadros as our guest speaker to address the group after the “Business” part is over.

Unfortunately, after more than 15 years at the subscription fee of $15 per annum we have had to increase the annual fee to $20 for a single and $25 for Member and Partner and $25 for Professionals. I am sorry to have to do this, but increased printing fees and other miscellaneous costs have meant we need a bit more cash to maintain our services. I know it is trite, but that increase is less than the cost of some cups of coffee!

Brett Howard, President Polio SA bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814

Autumn 2019 Newsletter

From the President

10 wonderful years

In this our first newsletter for 2019 I would like to wish all the Members of Polio SA a very Happy and Prosperous New Year and hope to meet some of you that I have missed over the past 10 years. Yes, I have been on the Committee of Polio SA for 10 years, the past nine as President.

Rural information sessions

Polio Survivors in our rural areas will be privileged to have Polio Austral-ia’s Community Officer, Stephanie Cantrill present an Information Ses-sion. These sessions will be on Saturday 23rd February at the Nara-coorte at Naracoorte Public Library, and Sunday 24th February in Mount Gambier at the North Gambier Football and Netball Club. There are more of these sessions planned, mid-April in Berri and mid-June in the Iron Triangle. For more information about these Sessions visit www.poliosa.org.au, or phone me on 0403 339 814.

Free hydrotherapy — please participate

Last Thursday Polio SA conducted the first Hydrotherapy Session in the Pool at the Repatriation Hospital. Only three Members were able to at-tend which was a little disappointing after the planning and commitment to make this activity available to Members in the Southern area. It is NOT too late to participate, if you would like to attend PLEASE e-mail me at bihoward@bigpond.com so I can send forms to you that need to be filled out and sent to Unley Physio. At the present the session is on Thursdays at 1:00pm, in the Repat Pool. If you do not have internet/printing facilities, PLEASE send a note to the Office 302 South Road Hilton 5033 and I will send the forms to you.

Future proofing Polio SA

On Tuesday 19th February the Committee of Polio SA will be having a meeting with Maryann Liethof from Polio Australia with the intention of planning the “future proofing” of Polio SA. There will be a report on this in future newsletters.

Brett Howard, President Polio SA bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814

Summer 2018 Newsletter

From the President

Polio Australia Information Session

Polio Australia, hosted an information session at “The Hub” on Saturday 6th October. Experts discussed exercise guidelines and how occupational therapists, rehabilitation physician and physiotherapist can help us all. How the NDIS and My Aged Care systems work and we received an update on the Sarcopenia Project. The 56 who attended all took something away to help them in the future. If you missed the session, visit www.poliosa.org.au/resources to hear the recordings.

Health and Wellness Retreat

Polio Australia held the Health and Wellness Retreat in Glenelg from the 11th- 14th October, and I was lucky enough to attend my first Retreat. The first official event was held on Thursday afternoon when those who were able to, took part in the 10th Annual Polio Australia ‘Walk With Me’. Around 40 “walkers” wearing the official orange neckerchief walked along the Glenelg esplanade from Jetty Road to Pier Street, a great experience. Thursday night saw Parliamentary Friend of Polio Australia and Member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas officially opening the Retreat. A big thank you to him.

The next three days were filled with a range of activities, surv ivors sharing their story and professionals sharing helpful advice. We had wonderful dinners with people from across Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan. The best fun of all was the sing/dance along after the Saturday night dinner. The whole entourage joined in as well as they could, Lyn Lillecrapp could certainly swing that wheelchair! Thank you to the “Celtic Music Club of South Australia” for the enjoyable music, their soloist could really sing.

Hydrotherapy Sessions

Polio SA is planning a second hydrotherapy session at the Repat pool, giving our Southern Members the opportunity to benefit from hydrotherapy. This is something the Committee has been working on since we lost the use of the Balyana Pool 5 years ago. To allow everyone to benefit, members will have a maximum of four (4) massage vouchers per year. Each voucher is worth $40, delivering members $120 value for your subscription of $15.

Volunteers wanted

If you, a family member or friend have some spare time and energy, please contact me. The more hands on deck, the more we can do to inform and support our community.

Member services: After many years of friendly efficient service Maureen, who’s been distributing treatment vouchers and answering the phone, needs to retire, through age and ill health. This role involves talking to members and making sure they get their vouchers.

Website and newsletter: Secondly we are looking for two people to compile/edit this newsletter and our website news section. Our new website is easy to use, and only requires basic computer skills - if you can make a Facebook post, you can do it! The people at Community Business Bureau will also provide training.

Brett Howard, President, Polio SA

bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814

Spring 2018 Newsletter

From the President

I am pleased that Spring is just around the corner the cold of winter has been bone chilling for me this year.

The AGM for Polio SA was attended by over 25 members and friends who saw the Committee reappointed with one change. Mr. Nik Surikov did not nominate for another year, but Jo Gordon has nominated and will join the Committee. Thank you very much Jo. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nik for his enthusiasm in promoting Polio SA; in particular increasing awareness of post-polio syndrome with politicians.

At the AGM we were fortunate enough for Dr. Nigel Quadros to update on his and Dr. Sivam’s Sarcopenia Study. Nigel was then kind enough to draw the names of the two members who won tickets to Polio Australia’s Health and Wellness Retreat. Congratulations to both Margaret Leonello and Kim Duong, a new member. I look forward to seeing you both as well as other members at the Stamford Grand, Glenelg in October. We then retired for “afternoon tea”, after which everyone enjoyed for the screening of “Breathe”. All in all a good day for our members who attended.

There may be an opportunity for a second hydrotherapy session to be held at the pool at the Repat Hospital, Daw Park. For this to happen Polio SA needs to have a definite assurance from members that they would attend these sessions. If you wish to attend the hydrotherapy session please email or leave a voicemail on 0466 893 402 before October15th. The committee will then discuss the feasibility at the next meeting and will advise you of the outcome.

Paul Cavendish will be hosting another information session for polio survivors on the 6th October at Glenunga Hub. This is new information, so whether you attended the May information session or not you will find attending invaluable. There are only 60 places available so registration is essential, full details follow on page 2.

The 10-year anniversary “Walk With Me” event will be on Thursday 11th October at 3:00pm. The walk will begin from the front of the Stamford Grand Hotel in Glenelg and the group will walk along with esplanade. Please come along and join in or feel free to sponsor a participant.

Download the newsletter

Brett Howard, President, Polio SA
bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814

Winter Newsletter 2018

Wow, what a great turn-out at the Late Effect of Polio (LEoP) Information
Session at the Tea Tree Gully City Library. There were over 120 members,
friends and most importantly new members in the meeting; listening to Paul
Cavendish tell us all about our life with the LEoP.
Paul was able to cover a very broad range of subjects, at least some of
which affect all of us Post Polios. Discussing how ageing and LEoP can be
a very debilitating combination, but how with help and information from Polio
Australia and Polio SA improvements in lifestyle are possible. All in all, a very
successful afternoon. I must extend my gratitude to all Committee Members
of Polio SA for conducting this information session in a professional way and
apologise for my lack of attendance, thank you all.
While speaking about successful functions I would like to remind you all that
the Polio Australia Wellness Retreat will be held from the 11th-14th October
2018 in the Stamford Grand Hotel in Glenelg. As part of the program a “Walk
With Me” event will be held on Thursday 11th October at 3:00pm and finish at
approximately 5:00pm, we will be walking along the Glenelg Foreshore. We
will be looking for sponsors and walkers to take part in this event, if you are
interested please contact me. Every little bit you can do will help make this
another successful occasion for Polio Survivors in South Australia.

Download the full newsletter

Autumn Newsletter 2018

Last Wednesday I was lucky enough to spend the day with Mary-ann Liethof,
Rachel Ingram and Paul Cavendish from Polio Australia. They were in
Adelaide for a preliminary visit to venues for the proposed Polio Australia
Health and Wellness Retreat. It will be based at the Stamford Grand in
Glenelg from Thursday 11 October until Sunday 14 October 2018. Please
look for the expression of interest form inside this newsletter for all the details.
The completed form should be returned to Polio Australia Office, PO Box
500, Kew East, Vic 3102. Please get in early as there are a limited number of
vacancies.
As you may already know Polio Australia successfully obtained a grant from
the Federal Department of Health to run Clinical Practice Workshops for
Health Professionals on treating and managing the Late Effects of Polio.
South Australia will be the focus in early to mid-May this year. In conjunction
with these workshops; Polio Australia’s Clinical Health Educator, Paul
Cavendish, will be presenting an Information Session for Polio survivors
providing self-management tips, including breaking down the latest research
on managing the Late Effects of Polio. This is pencilled in to take place on
Saturday May 12 2018 in the meeting rooms adjacent to the Tea Tree Gully
City Library, 571 Montague Road, Modbury, SA 5092. More details will follow,
including confirmation of the date.
On the 21 of February I will have the honour of presenting a Polio Australia
plaque to one of our long time Parliamentary Friends the Hon. Steve
Georganas MP. This presentation was supposed to happen at the Polio
Australia’s AGM in November, however the MPs had vacated Canberra at
that time. So as a member of the Board from South Australia, I was asked to
make the presentation on behalf of the Board. I will upload th e photos to the
Polio SA website and Facebook page.

Download the newsletter

Brett Howard, President, Polio SA
bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814