21 JANUARY, 2025
Hitting sixes for cancer Players from the St Albans Cricket Club will hit the pitch in pink next month as part of the McGrath Foundation’s national fundraising initiative. Sporting rosy gear – with the support of similarly dressed community members in the stands – opponents from the Keilor Cricket Club will join players from St Albans on February 1 to mark their annual Pink Stumps Day. The friendly cricket match is being organised to raise awareness and funds for those impacted by cancer. Through donations collected each year, the McGrath Foundation provides free clinical, psychosocial and emotional support to patients. According to St Albans Cricket Club junior co-ordinator Stacey Pittaway, the charitable event has become synonymous with the sport. “In cricket circles, Pink Stump Day is quite significant,” she said. “Every year everyone comes together with one single goal – to purely raise money for a great cause. “Last year we were able to raise $5000 and this time our goal is $7000 — so come along and be part of a warm, beautiful event.” The match will begin at 1pm at the St Albans Cricket Club. Tammy Chamberlain, Laura Kretiuk, Tyler Hubery, Stacey Pittaway, Mitchell Pittaway, Ian McKenzie, and Sophie Hubery are excited to play in pink. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 453730_02
Cry for more holiday help By Prealene Khera When Sydenham mum Sarah Caruana ( not her real name) scans the calendar in January, the row listing the dates at the end of the holiday-filled month always catches her eye – when that final week comes around, so will respite. Although the summer break often corresponds to relaxation and unrelenting fun, for Ms Caruana and other Brimbank families with special needs children, the lack of inclusive activities can exacerbate stress and social isolation. “People look forward to the school holidays to do things together as a family, but we don’t
have that luxury because there isn’t much we can do,” Ms Caruana said. While there’s no shortage of holiday programs in Brimbank, there are only a handful of initiatives that Ms Caruana’s seven-year old daughter with a severe intellectual disability can participate in. As soon as it comes to kids with special needs, Ms Caruana said it’s like being “blocked off”. “I feel like the group activities aren’t suitable for children with higher needs,” she said. “Kids like my daughter are very restricted from doing any programs within the community. “We keep her occupied in our backyard
but holidays are supposed to be her chance to interact with other children, but we don’t get to do that because there’s just not a safe place for her in Brimbank.” This involuntary seclusion is taking its toll on the pair. “School holidays are mentally draining for us,” Ms Caruana said. “It’s not the best time of the season, everyone else looks forward to it but we dread it. “My daughter gets quite agitated too because she wants to do things, when that doesn’t happen she gets overwhelmed and can self harm – it’s really difficult.” With the summer holidays coming to an
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end soon, Ms Caruana is calling on Brimbank council to ensure the needs of all residents are met before the bell goes sounds for the next break. “We need to get some support just from the council to put inclusive activities in place,” she said. “I mean we talk about activities for the elderly or activities for young parents – what about activities for families with special needs kids?” Brimbank council community wellbeing director Lynley Dumble said the organisation tried to ensure all programs had a “broad appeal” and were “accessible for a range of ages and abilities”. Continued page 3
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