Brand News is named in recognition of the former Premier of Western Australia (1959-1971), Sir David Brand. Our Coolbinia office, The Sir David Brand Centre, officially opened on 29 February 1980 and is also named in his honour.
Sir David was Patron of the Spastic Welfare Association of Western Australia (SWAWA) showing great empathy and care for children with disabilities. Sir David died in April 1979, and his qualities of strength, endurance, fortitude and patience are remembered by all those who came in contact with him. His wife, Lady Doris went on to become the Association’s Patron for many years
Ability Centre customer Marissa with her family. Keep an eye out for them in our latest brand awareness campaign.
From our
Chairman
Firstly, may I say how inspired I feel with the personal stories and achievements of our customers and people that feature in this addition of Brand News.
These personal journeys are so important to share as they inspire and remind us of what we can achieve together to enable our customers and people to realise their abilities. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Since our last edition, our Chief Executive Officer Suzi Cowcher has resigned from Ability Centre and the Board has appointed Chief Financial Officer Darren Cutri as Acting CEO.
Suzi began the major transformation process in preparing our organisation for the many changes that are occurring within our sector. This included developing a new Strategic Plan for the next five years that builds on the strong history of Ability Centre and positions us for a successful future under changed funding and market conditions. We wish Suzi all the best in her future endeavours.
The Board is confident that Darren’s experience and organisational knowledge, combined with our strong Executive and Management team, will ensure all operations continue smoothly and the incoming Chief Executive Officer is set up for success.
The Board has begun the recruitment process for a new Chief Executive Officer which involves both a local and national search and we anticipate the process to take several months.
During my regular visits to Ability Centre I am always aware of the diversity of our customers and the breadth of skills of our staff.
We are a dynamic community and I thank you for your ongoing support, passion and commitment.
Warm regards, Justin
Darren Cutrie Acting CEO
Justin Scanlan Chairman
Vital early intervention program continues thanks to Telethon
We are delighted to continue our In Home Baby Intervention Service (IBIS) thanks to generous funding support from Telethon. This specialist support program is now funded until July 2019. We have also received additional funding to set up an equipment loan library for families and we will be expanding our service into the South Metropolitan region accepting referrals for this region from June 2018 onwards.
IBIS is available to babies considered at risk of neurodevelopmental conditions up to the age of 24 months. This innovative family centred program monitors the baby’s developmental progress and offers advice and strategies to support their development, well-being and participation within everyday routines.
Here are some comments from parents who currently access IBIS:
“Everyone has been so caring and kind and love that they communicate with each other so well so I don’t feel like I’m repeating myself.”
“We found the service provided to be top class. All the personnel providing the service were very professional and dealt with our daughter very well. Both myself and my wife appreciated the time they gave to us explaining what they were doing and answering our questions.”
“IBIS has been fantastic for our son - wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this service! Having sessions at home is also really good as treatment is undertaken with your own toys so you know exactly what to use to help and support your child once the therapist finishes the session.”
The simple pleasure of riding
Receiving your first bike as a child is a huge milestone, we all remember the first time we felt the freedom of going fast with the wind on our face. For a child with disability the freedom gained from hopping on a bike or trike cannot be underestimated.
So far this year, Toybox International has provided funding for the purchase and modification of specialised trikes and bikes for 10 of our customers, fulfilling their mission to light up the faces of Australia’s sick and disadvantaged children.
Purchasing vital equipment helps conquer the challenges life has brought these children. It gives them the freedom be out with friends and family and be more active in their community. One of those customers was Lisa Van Houten’s son, Lindsey.
Lindsey was diagnosed with autism before his second birthday. Lindsey is now 15 years old and with the support of therapy staff from Ability Centre he is able to ride his new trike he received through Toybox International funding.
Ms Van Houten said, ‘It’s just amazing to think that there are corporations out there that are interested in helping children like my son. We’re very appreciative of the people that have been able to give this wonderful thing to our son, it’s made his life another wonderful adventure.’
Toybox International General Manager, Sophia Barbagallo said, “We love partnering with Ability Centre and have been thrilled to fill numerous grants for the children they support.
Seeing the difference the Toybox funded equipment makes for these children and their families is incredible. We love being able to share these moments, the improvements and developments they result in and the clear joy achieved, with our donors who make it all possible.”
Thank you Toybox International for providing this very special and needed funding.
Toybox International has been putting smiles on children’s faces at Ability Centre for more than a decade.
Top: Minnie Koleva out for some sunshine
Right: Lindsey Van Houten enjoying the great outdoors
Support us
We’ve got some great reasons to make you run!
If you’re running or walking in this year’s HBF Run for a Reason, why not make Ability Centre your reason and fundraise to support individuals and families living with disability?
HBF Run for a Reason is Perth’s largest community running and walking events and is back on Sunday, 27 May. There are three distances to choose from – 4km, 12km or Half Marathon, there is a course to suit every fitness level.
To register for the event visit the website www.hbfrun.com.au and select Ability Centre Australasia as your charity.
Every dollar raised will contribute to changing the life of someone living with disability.
Going the distance for Bjorn
It’s been ten years since passionate cyclist Bjorn Blasse had a parachuting accident that has prevented him cycling but his cycle club mates have honoured his passion with an annual ride.
The WA Audax Club is a long distance cycling club and Bjorn was a dedicated Committee member for many years.
“It means a lot to me and Bjorn that the club takes the time to include him as much as possible in this annual ride,“ says Bjorn’s wife Mary Blasse. “Bjorn was a passionate cyclist who has participated in many rides in Scotland and Europe before we moved to Australia including the 1200km Paris Brest Paris in 2007.
“We’ve had many challenges since the accident but the friendships Bjorn made through cycling have been a blessing and a source of strength. I am very grateful to Wayne Hickman WA Audax President who organises the ride every year and has been very supportive.”
10 cyclists participated in the 50km and 100km circuits on Saturday 24 February starting and finishing at Ability Centre’s Bradford Views complex in Coolbinia where Bjorn lives.
Right: Bjorn & Mary Blasse
Below: Bjorn Blasse, his wife Mary, and members of the WA Audax Club
Anita is loving life at Bradford
Bradford Views’ customer Anita Jambanis is loving life in her new villa. She is making great progress with her health and wellbeing and developing new life skills thanks to support from therapists Grace Chan and Morag Irvine.
Physiotherapist Grace has been working with Anita to improve her functional mobility, general muscle strength and fitness. Anita was very unwell few years ago and Mum Shirley saw her physical condition deteriorate after a few periods of hospitalisation. Grace has been working with Anita to improve her quality of life and reduce burden of care, by maintaining her ability to mobilise with her walker and to participate in standing transfers.
According to Grace, “Anita is very motivated and puts a lot of effort into the exercises. She has made great improvements and can now ambulate for 30 metres with her walker before needing a rest, compared to 10 metres when we first started. Her house residential care worker and Mum have both noticed it has been easier for Anita to transfer in and out of bed/on and off toilet as well as reposition herself in the wheelchair.”
Anita hasn’t stopped there and after a recent equipment review and a new comfy bed, she is off and racing with Occupational Therapist Morag to become more independent in her new home. “We are now working on increasing Anita’s cooking skills and we will be looking a recipes that use the herbs from the new raised garden beds at Bradford Views,” says Morag. “We are also planning for Anita to increase her independence with light household duties.”
Right: In the laundry with therapist
Morag Irvine
Below: A spot of gardening
Support always at hand
“They continue to help both of us with equipment, occupational and physiotherapy –it keeps us in our own homes.”
Elaine and Matthew are one of the many families we care for through our services.
More than a decade ago Ability Centre started providing services to Matthew for his cerebral palsy.
Elaine said, “One of my earliest memories of the Ability Centre was shortly after we moved from Victoria to Western Australia. The therapists were able to provide Matthew with a gopher, it was amazing and something we weren’t able get before.
Ability Centre has been able to support Matthew throughout his childhood and now they have assisted him to move into his own house. We have been incredibly lucky.
Last year, when I needed some support to remain mobile, I was able to get services from Ability Centre. They continue to help both of us with equipment, occupational and physiotherapy – it keeps us in our own homes.”
Matthew said, “Everyone is always nice to us, there’s not one bad person. They’re helping me get a new gopher at the moment. It’ll help me get to my volunteering as a sound mixer and photographer.”
Matthew is a keen photographer and musician, owning seven guitars, one he made himself.
“I work the sound desk in Armadale for the Music in the Mall program for the council. And I get the chance to mix at some of the pubs around Perth and take photographs of the bands.”
Elaine and Matthew both agreed that Ability Centre had been a wonderful support to help them achieve their goals.
Left: Matthew and his mum Elaine Right: Matthew with therapist Jacinta Gabbedy
A heartfelt thank you to the following community groups who have recently made donations that will be used to purchase equipment and resources for our customers and therapy teams:
COMBINED CHARITIES ASSOCIATION
COTTESLOE GOLF CLUB BRIDGE GROUP
MERCEDES COLLEGE
NEDLANDS GOLF CLUB
OLD RAMS MUSTER
PENINSULA GOLF CLUB INC
POINT WALTER GOLF CLUB ASSOCIATES
PRESBYTERIAN LADIES’ COLLEGE
QUADRANT ENERGY
WA POLICE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES
If you are involved with a group or an activity and you would like to fundraise for Ability Centre, please contact our Philanthropy Manager Georgina Harvey, fundraising@abilitycentre.com.au
All donations are gratefully received. Thank you to our community donors!
Buy your 2018-2019 Entertainment Book through Ability Centre and enjoy thousands of valuable offers across Perth, the South West AND Bali.
Save money and support Ability Centre, with 20% from every sale through us going directly to our fundraising.
With over $20,000 in offers and only $70, the 2018-2019 Entertainment books and digital memberships are great value and a great gift idea.
For more information and to place your order, visit entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/830p03
Hard copy or digital versions available.
A passion for learning and sharing
“We are already one of the top service providers in WA and this scholarship and placement with Easterseals can only lead to us becoming better.”
We are excited to announce that two of our managers have received an Easterseals Professional Scholarship.
Customer Experience Manager, Lucy Pearson will travel to San Francisco and Kim Hocking, Workplace Optimisation Manager, will travel to Hawaii to visit an Easterseals operation. Both will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from others and share their Australian working experiences.
Ms Pearson will be learning how Easterseals Bay Area has used the IT system Salesforce to manage its onboarding for customers and how they link to external organisations. Easterseals also has considerable expertise in supporting people living with autism.
Ms Pearson said “this is an incredible opportunity, I am looking forward to understanding the Easterseals’ customer journey, and sharing Ability Centre’s values and successes with another Disability Service Provider (DSP).
“The prospect of being able to experience the way other similar type organisations maximise their customer experience is exciting and for me this opportunity will open doors on best practice in technology, engagement and customer experience and allow me to bring this experience back to Ability Centre.”
“We are already one of the top service providers in WA and this scholarship and placement with Easterseals can only lead to us becoming better and continually improving our services and I’m so honoured to be part of it!”
Ms Hocking will be spending her time looking at how Easterseals Hawaii runs it workforce planning and rostering models. The Hawaiian operation is very similar in size and breadth of services to Ability Centre and has recently centralised its operations. She also has the added bonus that this will also be her first trip outside of Australia.
The Easterseals Professional Scholarships Program is awarded annually to ten people from the Ability First Australia (AFA) alliance. The AFA is an alliance of leading disability service providers working to ensure that every Australian living with disability and their families have access to services, support and programs that allow them to have increased choice and control over their lives.
AFA became alliance partners with Easterseals, one of America’s largest not for profit disability organisations, over a decade ago to encourage shared learnings, global research and fundraising opportunities and to develop best practice.
Above: Lucy Pearson and Kim Hocking
From the Archives
We are very proud of our longevity as an organisation in the Western Australian community. For over 67 years we have supported thousands of customers and their families, many people have worked or volunteered with us and we have worked with a myriad of organisations. And it all started with four families determined to create a better life for their child …here is one of their stories.
The Michell family were one of four founding families of the Spastic Welfare Association of Western Australia
Joe and Maja Michell’s involvement was a very personal one. Their son Warwick was born in 1940, a time when cerebral palsy was not well known in the community or medical profession. The young parents had no idea how to help their son, so Maja cared for Warwick at home by herself, as Joe was often away in his role as Warrant Officer in the Army.
article graphically described cerebral palsy and an American, Earl Carlson, who had overcome the disability to qualify as a medical practitioner.
The impact of that article was immediate, for the first time Joe understood what Warwick’s condition was and what his future held. He wrote home and said, ‘I have found out what is wrong with Warwick.’
While stationed in New Guinea near the Kokoda Pass in approximately 1943, Joe read an article titled ‘Salvaging the Spastics’ in a 1939 edition of Reader’s Digest magazine. The
Joe was inspired by the article to provide a positive environment for his son. Throughout his life he became a strong advocate for people with cerebral palsy. Without people like Joe and Maja, we wouldn’t have had the strong customer focussed environment we have today at Ability Centre.
Top: Joe Michell (standing right) visiting a cerebral palsy workshop in Wiesbaden, West Germany – 1966
Above: Warwick Michell with mother Maja
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