Roxane Manley

 

 

Parkes Que is a highly successful club for many reasons, not least of which is that we always seek to do our community work re­ally well, and coupled with the satisfaction from helping others, we have a lot of fun and enjoyment working and playing together.

In the last month, as well as progressing our 29th September Open Gardens arrangements, several members got together to fill some Domestic Violence kits to give to the police for the women who flee their homes, often with only the clothes on their backs.

These are greatly appreciated by the recipients, but how much better it would be if they were not necessary. We need good men and women to call out this bad behaviour, to educate boys to re­spect and treat girls as equals, not as their property, and to advise girls to leave a marriage immediately if their partner physically or mentally mistreats them. With a woman being killed every four days this year by a present or former partner, we have to change this culture fast.

On a happier note, some of us Que-ties enjoyed a delicious Chi­nese meal together, no work , just a delightful couple of hours on a Saturday to relax, chat and laugh together.

There are so many members of varying talents, skills and inter­ests that together we can achieve so much that we couldn’t do on our own. It is pressure free, but most members do quite a lot as we find that the more we put into Que, the better our lives become.

Want to know more? Find us on Facebook or call us on 0407 894 498. New members are always welcome.

By Pam Nankivell

August is Tradie Health Month, which SafeWork NSW says is the perfect time for tradies to review and speak up about any work health and safety (WHS) concerns to ensure they can have a long and healthy career.

Young tradies need appropriate training, support and supervision. From 2017-2021, approximately 20 percent of incidents re­ported to SafeWork NSW were the result of an injury to a young worker. Just last month, a 19-year-old cabinetry apprentice fell approximately three meters in a stair void, breaking his ribs.

Construction businesses must ensure they are creating environments where workers are protected and where young tradies receive the correct training, super­vision and are empowered to speak up.

For young workers, SafeWork’s message is that if you are not sure about something, stop and check – it’s the safe way, or no way. If you see something that isn’t safe on a worksite and are worried about raising it, you can speak up anonymously using the Speak Up Save Lives app.

SafeWork has also developed a Young Worker eToolkit for employees and workers, containing tips and training materials about work safety rights and responsibilities.