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Sunday, May 18, 2014

Shifting our Communications

We have decided to discontinue this Blog Site. Instead, we have developped a website. Please, click this link to visit us: http://www.bellarineregister.org.au

Also, we are now on Facebook and would love to hear from you: http://www.facebook.com/bpcsrinc

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

March 2013 Newsletter


March 2013                                                                                                           Issue No. 25

Hello to all our Registrants

Your friends at the Register hope this message finds you fit and well following the festive season and that you had an enjoyable time with your family and friends.

The weather over the past month has been a little challenging for some with extended periods of warm to hot days and increased humidity.  Keeping cool during these periods is important.  Remember to drink plenty of fluids, use an air-conditioner or fan and try to avoid heading out in the hottest part of the day.

THANK YOU for your prompt response to the Personal Update Form in the last Newsletter. By forwarding your updated information, this has enabled us to update our database so that we are providing accurate information for the Police to act on in an emergency, thus giving you and your family peace of mind.

One last reminder – with daylight saving about to end, it brings to mind the slogan: Change your clocks; Change your smoke alarm battery.  It is so important to have a working smoke alarm in our home.  Please take extra care when reaching for the smoke alarm unit and changing its battery.  If you are not confident to undertake this task, ask a family member or consider contacting your local fire station to seek their assistance.

Until our next newsletter, take care.

Kind regards
Rhonda Rotherham
Chairperson
Bellarine Police Community Support Register Inc.


PhoneLink )



Our PhoneLink initiative is designed to enable like-minded people to get-together on the ‘phone as regularly as they wish. Tell us what your interests are, such as your garden; your favourite TV shows; sports interests; chatting about recent outings; your children or grandchildren, or anything else that you like to chat about. Our PhoneLink Co-ordinator, Elaine, will then try to put you in touch with someone of similar interests so that you can have a telephone friend to talk to and have interesting chats. Call our co-ordinator on 5258 2214 so that we can send you an ‘Application To Join’ and get the ball rolling.  

 Dates for the Diary 

31 March 2013   Neighbour Day
20 April 2013     Portarlington Community Group Expo, in and around Parks Hall
19 May 2013 Victoria Police Showband and Pipe Band Concert, Portarlington

VICTORIA POLICE SHOWBAND AND PIPE BAND CONCERT

The Police Band will be performing at Parks Hall in Portarlington on Sunday 19 May 2013 from 1.30pm. This ever-popular event is $15.00 admission and there will also be a raffle on the day to help raise funds for BPCSR. You can buy your tickets at Bellarine Community Health Centres in Point Lonsdale, Ocean Grove, Drysdale and Portarlington. Tea, coffee and biscuits are included in the admission price.
  
Hoarding

Do you know someone with a cluttered house or yard that is affecting the way they live?

What is hoarding?
Hoarding is when a person fills their house and/or yard with an unreasonable amount of possessions. The person may be unable to discard possessions that appear to be useless or of little value. In Australia an estimated 400,000 to 1 million people experience hoarding condition. This is 5 times the rate of panic disorder and schizophrenia. Hoarding is increasingly recognised as a psychological condition. With a coordinated effort many people can manage and minimise this behaviour.

The risks
A house that is cluttered with items reduces liveability and can lead to serious personal and public health risks from:

  • Blocked doorways
  • Smoke alarms that don’t work
  • Overloaded or crowded power points
  • Unusable kitchens and bathrooms
  • No direct access from front door to exit, or
  • Limited sleeping space
  • There may be piles of newspapers and other material that can increase the risk of fire, attract rats and mice and limit ventilation.

How do I know if it’s a problem?
A clutter image rating scale has been developed and is being used by health and community support agencies to measure the degree of hoarding behaviour. This may help you assess whether it is time to get help.

Where to get help
Your GP – Discuss what support options are available.
Geelong Hoarding Network – for information about service providers who may be able to help. Email hwaterson@geelongcity.vic.gov.au or phone (03) 5272 5026.

We would like to say an extremely big and appreciative thank you to all those wonderful people who make donations to our funds. If it were not for you kind and generous people we would not be able to continue our free service.


Please support our supporters …

Our founding sponsor is 

Bellarine Memories

We are also supported by –

Portarlington Community Bank Branch Bendigo Bank
All Saints Anglican Church Op Shop Barwon Heads
Rotary Club of Queenscliff

                                                               
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Friday, February 15, 2013


Newsletter
December 2012                                                                                            Issue No. 24

 

Well, here we are at the end of another year. And what a busy year it has been. Our Register continues to grow. We are pleased to say we currently have 1,783 registrants.  We trust that your decision to register will bring you peace of mind and greater confidence in knowing there is a structure in place to assist you in the event of an emergency.

From a Police perspective the Register offers contemporary, after hours and emergency contact details which will significantly enhance responses from police and other emergency services.

The Register’s Annual General Meeting was held on 19 September and the 2012/2013 Committee elected.   We welcomed some new faces to the Committee and retained some volunteer members who have served on the Committee for several years. With Jenny, Pam, Faye, Gail, Helen, Gail, Jill, Rhonda, Carole, Phil and John on board, our Committee has a variety of skills and expertise that will serve the Register well over the next twelve months. Already our Promotions team has been hard at work seeking new avenues to promote our Register and its service in the community.

As Registrants, you too can assist in promoting our Register.  Perhaps you have a relative, friend or neighbour who may benefit from joining the Register.  Have a chat with them and encourage them to collect a brochure and registration form from their local Pharmacy on the Bellarine Peninsula.

Planning has already begun for our annual Victoria Police Band Concert.  Next year’s event will be held on Sunday, 19th May, at Portarlington Parks Hall.  Lock this date into your calendar and bring your friends along for a very pleasant afternoon of music.

On November 8, Register representatives accepted a generous grant from the Drysdale and Portarlington Community Grants Program.  This grant will fund a new laminator for the Office and a shade structure for use at outdoor Register promotions.

During the life of our Register, we have been generously supported by the Community Grants Program and we are most appreciative of their support.

Two of our Committee members attended the Community Registers Workshop at Darebin on 29 October, 2012, where Community Register representatives from across the State came together to network, discuss issues and share ideas.  Four workshops were conducted throughout the day that focused on Networking, Recruiting and Training Volunteers, Marketing and Promotion and Digital Networking.

A volunteer reference group has been set up consisting of representatives from Victoria Police, Neighbourhood Watch, several Local Government areas and volunteers and tasked to continue to build the network and bring to fruition many of the ideas put forward at the Workshop.

On behalf of the volunteers of the Bellarine Police Community Support Register Inc. I take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas with family and friends and a New Year filled with good health and good times.  We look forward to assisting you in 2013.

Kind regards
Rhonda Rotherham
Chairperson
Bellarine Police Community Support Register Inc.

WE ARE CLOSED from 12 midday on Friday 21 December until 9.30am on Monday 14th January 2013 so you won’t be receiving your phone calls from us during that period.

PET CARE
We all know that our pets can be an extremely important part of our family, and therefore we must give some extra thought to their health and welfare during periods of severe weather conditions
·      Have a ‘pet survival plan’ including transport requirements if needed
·      All animals should have an adequate supply of cool, clean water. During the summer animals drink much more than in winter
·      Old animals, and the very young, are very susceptible to heat and cold
·      Animals suffering from heat exhaustion will pant, lie on their side, and be listless and disoriented. In severe cases they may become unconscious and die.

BE SECURE FOR SUMMER
With a huge influx of tourists and holiday makers about to descend on the Bellarine, now and throughout the summer holiday season, it would be prudent to take extra care with home and vehicle security.

PARK SMART
LOCK IT, REMOVE IT OR LOSE IT!

It is NOT smart to leave your vehicle unlocked with valuables inside.  Your items will be more likely to be stolen.

Much valuable police time will be taken up recording such thefts – thefts that could be so easily prevented if vehicle owners took responsibility.

REMOVE ALL VALUABLES FROM YOUR CAR AND LOCK IT AT ALL TIMES WHEN UNATTENDED!

·      DO NOT leave valuables on view in your vehicle.  Remove GPS units, mobile phones, I Pods, laptops, CDs, money, bags, tools, sunglasses, sporting gear, et cetera.
·      LOCK your vehicle.  Always remember to lock it, even if it’s in your driveway!
·      DO NOT place items in your boot, console or under your front seat. If you are driving and need to park in a public place and you realise that you have valuable items in view, you should stop BEFORE you reach your destination and place them out of sight in the boot. If you do it when you reach your destination you will just be telling anyone who is watching that you have just placed valuable items in your boot.
·      REPORT any suspicious incidents to Police on 000.
·      REMOVE all valuables from vehicles when parked.
·      LOCK your home when you leave – even if you are just around the corner!
·      LOCK your front door if out in the back garden, and vice versa.
·      Lock your sheds and garages.
·      DO NOT leave ladders or tools out for others to possibly use against you to gain unauthorised entry to your home..
·      DO NOT leave property such as wetsuits, surf boards, bicycles et cetera in front yards, or on verandahs and decks, or any other places that are easily accessible to passers-by.
·      Photograph your valuable property such as jewellery, generators et cetera so that our Police can have some hope of identifying items that they may recover.
RECEIPTS FOR DONATIONS
Due to the costs and time involved in providing receipts for donations it has become necessary to only issue receipts for cash donations, or when a receipt is specifically requested. This will greatly assist us in providing the best service for you.

From all the volunteers of the BPCSR we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year

Please support our supporters …

Our founding sponsor is -

We are also supported by –

All Saints Anglican Church Op Shop Barwon Heads
Rotary Club of Queenscliff

                                         Rotary Logo                               Lions logo