Maggi Barnard

QUE Club members learned about how a baby’s brain grows in utero, and then continues to grow rapidly during the first three to four years of life.

In her presentation to our club’s monthly meeting the Executive Director of Paint the Town REaD (PTTR) Barbie Bates OAM said the first 1,000 days of a child’s life shaped their development and wellbeing. The biggest growth of a baby’s brain is from birth to 12 months/2yrs old.

Barbie said that was why reading, talking, singing, drawing, playing with children every day from birth supported their early brain development and prepared them for reading and writing at school.

Barbie reminded us that the birthplace of Paint the Town REaD was in Parkes, and that there were amazing developments and initiatives which continued to spread the word, for example: This year it is expected that 100 towns in all six states will participate in Paint the Town REaD; ‘Books for Bubs in Preemie Wards’ – so parents, who can’t hold their preemie, can read to their baby and establish a bond; Chief Inspector of Blacktown Police station places pre-loved books in the waiting room and in every patrol car because he noticed this helped children’s stress levels drop; a study at Western Sydney University had second trimester mums read a book to their babies for a week, they then placed a foetal heart monitor on while the mums read a different book, and they found the heart rate increased. In utero, babies react!

Our QUE Club continues to provide new books to every newborn baby in Parkes. We also contribute annually to early childhood development by supporting hearing and speech assessments. Several local schools have better learning environments because of the Soundfield systems we have donated to school classrooms.

By Lynn Rogers

The Parkes Rotary Club will be sponsoring free Mental Health First Aid Courses at Parkes, Forbes and Tullamore over the next two months.

The courses teach people simple, practical first aid skills for helping someone who is experiencing mental health problems, and will be presented by Phil Worrad, Rural Mental Health Coordinator for the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program.

Participants will learn the signs and symptoms of common and disabling mental health issues in adults, how to provide initial help, where and how to get professional help, and how to provide first aid in a crisis situation. It will cover topics such as depression, anxiety, suicidality, psychosis and the misuse of drugs and alcohol.

“Drought, floods, mice plagues, bushfires and now the rising cost of living are having a severe impact on the mental health of rural communities,” said Robert Shore, President of Parkes Rotary. “There is a need for courses like these so people can continue helping each other.

“I have spoken to people who have done this course previously and they all say it is excellent,” he said. “One teacher said it was the best, most useful professional development she has ever done.”

According to Robert the course is educational in learning how to assist others as a first responder, and not a therapeutic or support group.

Each course is run over two days, from 9am to 4 pm and is open to community members over 18 years of age.

The Rotary Club was successful in gaining a grant from the Rotary Drought Relief scheme to run the courses in Parkes on 2nd and 3rd April, Forbes on 7th and 8th May, and in Tullamore on 21st and 22nd May.

To register ring Robert on 0427 627244 or see Charlie at the Parkes Coffee Pot.