A word from the Chairperson Hello members of BRMC. I hope you are keeping well with our Ballarat cold season. My best wishes to you, your family and close ones. I want to apologise to you for the lapse with the newsletter. We hope to continue our Newsletter on a regular basis from now on. The General Meetings at BRMC still have good attendances, and the sharing of information at these meetings has been very valuable for members. Currently we are updating our membership list, which is growing quite rapidly. Please ensure your contact details are up-to-date. BRMC also values all partnership organisations for their support and collegiality. We are pleased to announce that the present official opening hours of GPlace are 9am to 5pm on Tuesday to Thursday with excellent reception service. We look forward to your continuing support. Sundram Sivamalai It’s time to get creative as our newsletter is in need of a name. Help us out and you could win a prize! Best name wins! Send your suggestion before 18/08 to [email protected]. NAME OUR NEWSLETTER!
Aug, 2-4pm Where: GPlace Hall Library is coming to GPlace on the 3
rd Tuesday of each month.
100th
World Day of Migrants and Refugees Dinner
When: Sun, 31st Aug, from
Where: GPlace hall Cost: to be confirmed Fundraiser for Ballarat Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Network.
Interfaith Public Forum: Compassion as an essential ingredient
for a better community
Special speakers from different faith traditions, group session, Q&A and
supper to follow When: Fri, 22
nd Aug, from 6pm
Where: M.A.D.E. (102 Stawell St Sth) Cost: $5 donation to cover costs
Multicultural Senior Sports and Fun Day
When: Tue, 19th
Aug, 10am-1.30pm Where: to be confirmed Includes morning tea, lunch and fun activities. Cost:: $5.00 p/p, pay on the day
Bookings essential - 53325941
Hepburn Moorabool Lunch
When: Wed, 27th
Aug, 11.30-1.30pm Where: Newlyn Hotel
Bookings essential - 53325941 * participation restricted to locals from
the Hepburn Moorabool Shire.
Life’s Journey
Bishop Garry Wetherill and Bishop Paul Bird will share their thoughts and experiences throughout life.
When: Thu, 4th
Sep, from 7pm Where: Mr. Rede Rest.(203 Dana St) Cost: $25 p/p, supper included - nibbles and drinks on arrival. RSVP by 25/08 - Georgina 0408 109 471
Save the date! Black Tie and Ladies to Impress Gala Ball - 4th
of October from 7pm at Craig’s Hotel
A very special Refugee Week 2014
We have had a very special Refugee Week this year in Ballarat. Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) joined us for the state-wide launch at the Ballarat Town Hall on the 17
th of June, with a flag raising
ceremony followed by brilliant and moving speeches. City of Ballarat Councillor Belinda Coates also formally launched Ballarat as a Refugee Welcome Zone. “It may
be very cold in Ballarat, but we’ve got warm hearts,” she said.
Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to inform the public about refugees
and asylum seekers while also celebrating the positive contributions made by
refugees. This year’s theme was Restoring Hope.
Community events were held during the week and were a huge success. We had a great attendance in all events, from movies to luncheons, religious services to
performances, activities at the library and special guest speakers around the city.
“The depth of commitment to Refugee Week in the Ballarat area is illustrated by the involvement of eighteen diverse community groups, schools and organisations who
have worked together to create a wonderful week of events” said our EO, Ann Foley.
We acknowledge the contribution of so many people that made possible the huge success of this Refugee Week, volunteers and staff members of each one of these
organisations.
GPLACE Community Garden
A green space to stay active, exchange knowledge and share fresh produce
In two years the GPLACE Community Garden has come a long way. Built with funding secured by Mt. Clear SVCAL
in 2012, the garden has become a community space of intercultural and intergenerational exchange. The garden first gained broader attention from the community at our GPLACE Open Day in October 2013. Organisations based at GPLACE quickly recognised its potential as a space were we all could come together to mingle, exchange
gardening skills and grow fresh produce to be shared.
One month after the Open Day, we held our first joint working bee including seniors from U3A, Mt. Clear students and BRMC members of all ages and diverse cultural backgrounds. People brought plant donations from their own backyards
as well as from nurseries to kick off the garden. Since then, our groups regularly get together
for joint activities in the garden.
Mt. Clear students have dedicated themselves to building projects including a sun shade for the sitting area, a water tank, a bricklaying course to raise the beds, and unique art works throughout the garden. The next major project to tackle is a compost. U3A have started a monthly gardening class following our first working bee from the big interest of members in gardening activities. BRMC has linked the garden with our Multicultural Tucker program, providing fresh herbs for the monthly lunch. We have started a regular gardening group with seniors from diverse backgrounds who enjoy sharing their knowledge on plants and
experience in gardening.
Throughout summer and autumn we had fantastic harvests of fresh vegetables, salads and
herbs which we enjoyed together in BBQs and our harvest lunch in June. Now that winter has slowed our gardening down a bit, we can’t wait for spring with many ideas on future activities and planting endeavours. We would like this garden to be used by the broader community for market days, BBQS, meetings or just mingling in this healthy, lively and
inspiring environment.
If you would like to be involved in the garden, please contact Katja on 5332 5941.
HOMEWORK CLUB
BRMC, Ballarat Library and CMY are offering a Homework Club for students from a culturally or linguistically diverse background. Students receive assistance with their school/course work by a trained tutor in an inclusive and
comfortable environment.
Homework Club runs every Wednesday from 4
to 5.30pm at the Ballarat Library Meeting Room.
Contact Meire de Mello on 0457 321 979 or come to the Library on Wednesdays 4pm and
talk to us.
A reminder to join us for our General Meeting on the 5
th of August from 7pm at GPlace. More info 5332 5941
Library comes to GPlace every third Tuesday
In July we had the first visit of the Central Highlands Ballarat Library Outreach, on Tuesday (15/7). The librarians were at GPlace with all sorts of resources, including books, magazines, DVD’s, e-Audio and e
-Books.
The idea of the Library Outreach is to be closer to the community, and being at GPlace and working collaboratively with BRMC, it will offer publications in other languages, to also attend our culturally
diverse community.
Library members will be able to browse, read and borrow resources as well as place books on hold and collect them. If you are not a
member, it will also be possible to get your membership sorted out.
On this first visit, we had a great Afternoon Tea Dance.
Visit the Library Outreach at GPlace on the third Tuesday of each month from 2pm to 4pm. Let us know if there are any specific library
publications or services that you would like to have access to
through the outreach services!
English language classes and home tutoring for adult migrants
BRMC offers English assistance to adult migrants in Ballarat in the form of small classes, or may provide one-to-one tutors who can assist with individual language needs. BRMC conducts General Conversation classes every Friday from 1pm to 3pm at City of Ballarat Library. There is a small
charge for attendance at our class and for those placed with an individual tutor. Please discuss with the Coordinator. When tutors are provided they usually meet with the student for 1-2 hours per week in the client’s home (or a mutually agreed venue). Tutors help to develop English skills according to the needs of the migrant, e.g. help with everyday social and family needs, general English, study skills, job-seeking. Clients eligible for the AMEP (Department of Immigration English program) will be referred to SMB (Ballarat’s Federation University TAFE Campus). For more information please contact the Coordinator, Judy Brumby , Telephone: 5332 5941 or 5332 5942, Email: [email protected]
Community Gardening Interested in gardening? Come along and plant, water or weed
at the Community Garden. Contact 5332 5941
General English Conversation Class
1-3pm, every Friday at City of Ballarat Library
Community Shed Meets fortnightly for 3 hours.
A great way to contribute with the community, learning or sharing skills, with the added bonus of making friends and
having a good time.
Homework Club Every Wednesday from 4-5.30pm at Ballarat Library
Yoga classes Every Monday from 5.30-
6.30pm at GPlace $8 per session, please bring
your own Yoga Mat
Multicultural Tucker 2
nd Wednesday of each month
Multicultural Women’s Dance Group
Every Friday from 5-6pm at Eastwood Leisure Centre
Free classes More information BRMC 5332 5941
Count us in Shaping Inclusive Communities - Community Expo
Alzheimer’s Australia Vic, in partnership with Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council Inc. (BRMC), will be hosting a Community Expo in Ballarat this September
to celebrate Dementia Awareness Month.
This community expo will be an informative and fun social event for seniors. It aims to promote a healthy and active lifestyle within Culturally Inclusive
Information on organ donation now available in 18 different languages
DonateLife has produced a new suite of resources in 18 languages to help culturally and linguistically diverse communities with family discussion and decision-making about organ and tissue donation.
The new translated resources include the standard DonateLife brochure, which provides information on facts, myths and help with making donation decisions as well as the registration form for the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).
In addition materials to support donor families after a loved one has d o n a t e d h a v e a l s o b e e n translated. The ‘Understanding Death and Donation’ booklet assists with understanding the donation process and support their decision-making and the ‘In Reflection’ booklet provides information for donor families in dealing with the grieving process.
The resources are now available in 18 l a n g u a g e s : A r a b ic , C h i n e s e (traditional), Greek, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese (simplified), Korean, Dinka, Somali, Dari, Punjabi, Indonesian (Bahasa), Macedonian, Serbian and Croatian.
These resources are the latest initiative of the ‘DonateLife…the greatest gift’ community education campaign. This campaign, conducted in consultation with religious and community leaders, is a national strategic priority to ensure access to culturally appropriate and in-language resources for diverse faith and cultural communities in Australia.
All in-language resources are available for download at
www.donatel i fe.gov.au/for - the-community/multicultural-resources.
Dwali the Festival of Lights coming up in October
Expression of Interest open
The Ballarat Indian Association Inc. has now open expression of interest for opportunities
to take part in their “Dwali” the Festival of Lights. Contact the Association before 29th
of
August to express your interest in participating as:
Performer,
Food stall holder;
Volunteer;
Kid’s activities facilitator;
others
The Festival will happen the 11th
of October at the Ballarat Lodge & Convention Centre.
Keep an eye on this space for more information on the Festival.
