19 Mar 2025

On FOCAL POINT:

• Carlie Towns shared some memories of her Dad, the Late and Great Ched Towns - Paralympian, Adventurer, trail blazer.  Carlie spoke openly about the challenges of being diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa as an adult.
• Rachel, from Marketing at Beyond Blindness, with news of another group starting - this time at Riverton. Rachel is also encouraging members to share their stories in the newsletter. 
• Lia Curtis, Peer Support Program Lead,  and Charlotte Germaine shared news about the just launched new Peer Support Program by See Differently with the Royal Society for the Blind.  This is done in partnership with Beyond Blindness and is a Program to support South Australians experiencing sudden or deteriorating vision loss. 
• Ava Adams, Mayor of Moonee Valley,  invited all to an inclusive Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) workshop

Resources: 

Beyond Blindness: http://www.beyondblindness.org.au

Riverton Group: Contact Jen: 0403 451 817

Peer Support Program: Call 8417 5599 or email: [e-mail]

P-CEP Workshop Details: Moonee Valley City Council, Monday 24th March 9.30am - 1pm - Djerring Flemington Hub (Flemington Community Centre), 25 Mount Alexander Road, Flemington, VIC   Call: 03  9243 8888 Web: https://mvcc.vic.gov.au/events/person-centred-emergency-preparedness-p-cep-workshop/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

S1 (00:15):
Good evening and welcome to Focal Point here on Vision
Australia Radio 1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide, online at VA
radio.org via Radio Digital in Adelaide and Darwin through your
favourite podcast or streaming service. Peter Greco on behalf of
Phillip Napier and a big cheerio to Wendy McDougall listening
in saying thank you so much for your company, this

(00:36):
program coming to you from Garner Land, coming to you very,
very shortly. We'll catch up with Carly Towns. You may
have remembered Chad Towns who was a wonderful Paralympian adventurer trailblazer. Well,
Carly is Ted's daughter. We'll find out a bit about
what influence Ted had on Carly and a bit about
Carly herself. A very interesting story to tell, as always.

(00:59):
We'll then catch up with Raku from Beyond Blindness. Always.
Lots happening there, particularly in the northern areas, very topical
in Ireland at the moment, with the Greater Adelaide Plan
also coming to fruition. Then catch up with Leah Curtis
and Charlotte Germaine about the peer support program. This is
See Differently RSP and Beyond Blindness. Getting together with this program,

(01:22):
Leah and Charlotte will share their story about that. Then
we'll catch up with Mayor Ava Adams from Moonee Valley.
They've got an interesting day coming up on Monday. Your
invitation to attend is not very far away. It's looking
at person centred emergency preparedness, such an important topic and

(01:43):
a mayor Ava will share that information with us. And
also a chance for you to maybe check out what's
happening in your local area. So that's coming up. If
you're listening through 1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide at 8:00.
For your listening pleasure, Lizzie and Sam are here with
Studio One reminding you that the SA branch of BCA
have got their next catch up lunch happening on Saturday

(02:07):
Saturday the 29th of March. If you'd like more details
one 800 0360 1800033 660 SA branch of branches Australia. Their
next lunch catch up is coming up on Saturday the
29th of March. Let's find out what's on Studio Apex.

S2 (02:28):
Tonight we talk to Holly Andrew, the director of Abundance Productions,
about how her company looks to support artists with disabilities.

S3 (02:38):
So join us at eight for Studio One.

S1 (02:42):
Ted powers was an adventurer, a trailblazer, a Paralympian, an advocate.
I had the pleasure to speak and he had a
number of times whilst he was on this earth. Savage
had passed away in January 2000. We're very pleased to
welcome his daughter Carly to the program. Carly, lovely to
meet you. Thanks so much for your time.

S4 (03:00):
Thanks, Peter. Lovely to meet you, too.

S1 (03:02):
Now, uh, what sort of an impact did that have
on your on your life?

S4 (03:06):
Oh, wow. Life was, um, never boring. He was always
up to something. Yeah. Just always laughing. He was larger
than life. And, you know, I look back and just
think I had him as a father for 22 years,
and how blessed I was. You know, some people don't
get that for a year or five minutes. Even so,

(03:28):
you know, as upsetting as it is that he's no
longer with us, he left, um, such a, I guess,
an impact and a positive outlook. Um, you know, as,
as I move forward in my journey as well.

S1 (03:43):
Did you realize at the time, I guess, when you're
only 22 and that Ted was achieving so much, it's
probably hard to get your head around. It's one of
those things that maybe, on reflection, it kind of impacts more.
Do you think?

S4 (03:53):
Oh, definitely. I we just, you know, there's so many stories,
but I just remember one of the last ones, he
was standing in the kitchen, you know, at our house
in Penrith and, um, I don't know what come up,
but something come up about, um, the plane going in.
It was 1999, and he was hearing, you know, the

(04:18):
first plane's going to go up into outer space. And
he goes, I'm going to be the first blind man
to go out of space. And we just shook our
head and went, you know what? If there's a seat
on that plane, he'll do it. Because, yeah, when we
lost him, he was trying to be the first blind man,
as far as we knew in the world to climb
Mount Everest. So pretty big achievement.

S1 (04:39):
I remember speaking to him after he crossed the Torres
Strait and did the Kokoda Trail.

S4 (04:44):
Yeah, just a little kayak across. Yeah.

S1 (04:47):
That's incredible, wasn't it? When you think about it, I mean, yeah,
it's just it's mind boggling in a sense.

S4 (04:52):
Uh, just looking back as well the years, you know,
the 1990s. And dad was such a pioneer of, um,
you know, even the Ironman triathlons and, and jumping out
of the aeroplane by himself and just all these things,
he was just into everything. And I guess he I

(05:13):
didn't know any different. So to me, it was just dad. Oh, yeah.
What's he doing this time? You know? It was it
was just, uh. It's now looking back as a parent
of how special and how lucky we were growing up.

S1 (05:26):
Because he was diagnosed with retinitis retinitis pigmentosa, which is
a degenerative eye condition. So I guess as he got older,
he thought it got worse.

S4 (05:34):
Yeah. Hitting pretty young, actually. I think he never got
his driver's license. Mhm. And he started losing his night
vision very early on. And I think about early teens.
His story would be he was he was because he
was a big man. He was like six foot two
I don't know what happened. I'm five foot one. But anyway. Yeah,

(05:58):
he was training reserve grade with Panthers footy. And yeah, like,
his story is just mind blowing when you go back
and the night lights at the field at the time
he he would laugh and go I'd always do the Falcon.
You know when someone would pass the ball and hit
him in the head. But they were just the early, uh,

(06:21):
I guess, stages of RP.

S1 (06:24):
So you were diagnosed at a later age than your dad,
weren't you?

S4 (06:27):
Well, I had tests done because in our family, it's X-linked,
and it's mainly, as far as I know, it's the
the males get it and the females carry it. So
my grandmother out of four children passed it on to three.
So my aunty got it, didn't get it but carried

(06:49):
it on to one of her sons. My dad got
it and my dad's brother got it. So really coming
from a definite male with it, I was the first female.
So I just remember when being younger and getting a
few blood tests so they could be sent over to Manchester.
That's where, um. And Professor Ann Turner in the city,

(07:11):
she was the geneticist that was looking into our family.
And I just remember we got told that the chances
of me, I could not get it. That was what
I remember hearing. But I was a definite carrier, so
I was more worried about having a son and him
getting it. My first child was a girl and, um,

(07:33):
we just went, yeah, she's now 19. She just actually
got on a plane yesterday and is in the air
now moving to England. So yeah, there you go. But, um, yeah,
she didn't get it. And yeah, it was just it's
it's one of those things that I guess when I
had my son. Eight years later, that was my concern. Mhm. Um,

(07:56):
that he could have got it. But by this time
both of my children got genetically tested and they didn't
have the gene. So that was win win.

S1 (08:03):
Through a lottery. Isn't it either lucky or unlucky.

S4 (08:06):
Uh, exactly. It is. It's like playing roulette. Yeah. Just
what you get is what you get. My brother couldn't
get it because, like I said, it's X-linked, so he
he did not get it, could not even pass it
or anything. And then nine years ago I've always worn glasses.
Astigmatism since I was three I think so always not
had 2020. And um, nine years ago I was just

(08:29):
driving around. I was working, um, in aged care in
people's homes, palliative care and high care dementia and just
going from a client to client. Overcast. They had a
big white four wheel drive and just out of the
eye right at the last minute, looked to my left
and I saw a person and she screamed. I screamed

(08:51):
and I just didn't see her and it shook me pretty,
pretty hard. I drove straight to mum's and said, mum.
I nearly just hit someone. I don't know what's going on.
And we booked into Professor Coronio down in Sydney and he, um,
he's the one that kind of looks after our family
with RP and he fast tracked. They got me in
sooner than later. Usually it's a couple of months wait,

(09:11):
but I think two weeks later they got me in
and did all the tests. And on that day he said,
you can't drive anymore. I still, I just got my, um,
roster for the next two weeks as well, and I
just yeah, I didn't hit me that hard there. And
then it was just like I knew something wasn't right.
It was like, yeah, okay. And I lost my job

(09:33):
that day too. So yeah, it's been it's been a
huge journey the last nine years of acceptance.

S1 (09:41):
That presents a different problems, didn't it, Carly, for you,
I mean, if you don't mind sharing it, you know,
you went to a pretty dark place after those that
sort of things happening.

S4 (09:49):
Oh, definitely very dark. Just I was going through a
divorce at the time as well. So, you know, I
had two. Two children in my care. And the good
thing I kept looking on the flip side and going, okay, well,
they haven't got it, but I've got to, um, and
I think a lot come up from dad as well.
Like that anger of. Why aren't you here? Um, and

(10:09):
that grieving, I guess that I didn't do being so
young when I lost dad and, um. Yeah. So it
was heavy. It was really heavy for a couple of years.
And I think in 2020, a little bit into Covid
and I got my first, um, guide dog, Tyson. And, um,
I just, I got to a point where I was

(10:29):
questioning just it was really heavy and dark and, um,
it was like the old man come down and grab
me by the scruff of the neck. I might get
on with it. It's time to just, you know, you've
got two kids, you've got two beautiful kids that need you. And, um,
I think when I come out of that and. I
went and got, um, professional help and went back and

(10:50):
studied counselling and, um, a few, few other courses. I
find it better when I study. I understand what's going
on and that's when I can deal with situations. So yeah,
I would have to say for me it was getting
that professional help as well, just that more, you know,
mourning the loss of my dad, but also the loss

(11:11):
of my sight.

S1 (11:12):
That's the courageous thing to do, to seek help, because
we all kind of think we're either bulletproof or stubborn
or whatever term you want to use. I don't need help.
I don't want help. I can get through this myself.
That's a very courageous thing, to seek help and then,
you know, kind of accept it and do something with it.

S4 (11:29):
Yeah, definitely. And I believe everything happens for a reason.
You know, I had to go through the dark to
really see the light, if that makes sense. You know,
I'm living a better life I am now than I
was when I could see more opportunities. I appreciate every moment.
I just I can I get dad went through a dark, um,

(11:50):
phase as well when he first found out, um, when
he was a teenager, mum said it wasn't, wasn't good. But, um,
I think sometimes you have to go through something like
that to see the other side, and. And it is
a choice. I had a choice. I had a choice
to just be a grumpy person and be in that

(12:11):
stuck in that victim mentality, you know, poor me. But yeah,
you could say the stars aligned for me and like,
life's manageable now I've got a great job. Um, my
kids are happy. Like I said, I just put my
daughter on a plane one way ticket, mind you. So
I'm like, oh, two year visa. I did the same

(12:31):
thing at. I left at 23 after dad passed away.
I went overseas for a few years, but I was
fully sighted then. So, you know, it's just that's her journey.
I'm in a good place now. I can go. You
know what? He just go and enjoy. Go and live life.
You only get one chance at it. And you know,
on a daily basis, I wake up and and I,
you know, I just wish for a good day.

S1 (12:55):
And a few times before doing this interview and you
talked about what he did, you know, when you were
diagnosed with the sight loss and, and what you're doing now.
You're very much a people person, aren't you?

S4 (13:04):
I definitely it seems to be if I reflect back,
even when I could say I've always been in that, um,
community sector, and dad was as well. He, he used
to work in the, um, physio pool and, and help
with the geriatric clients over at, uh, a retirement hospital.
He did say if you put the stories together, it's
quite ironic. We're both people. People? Um, but, yeah, I

(13:28):
had to rethink when I got diagnosed that I could
not do that job anymore. And, yeah, I've had the
opportunity while studying to do placement in a local women's
centre And work with women in DV, domestic violence and addiction.
And just I just believe everything happens for a reasons. Um,

(13:52):
I'm working in the disability sector at the moment, helping people, um,
employment focused.

S1 (13:58):
Yeah.

S4 (13:59):
Mentoring and coaching. So it's. Yeah, when I show up,
opportunities show up, if that makes sense.

S1 (14:06):
There are two very tropical areas, aren't they, Carly? Domestic violence,
particularly against women, big rallies over the weekend. And then
of course, people with disabilities not being able to get employment.
So gee, you're making a difference in really crucial areas.

S4 (14:20):
Yeah. Without even planning it. I just ended up in
those two places. And I'm thankful for the, you know,
the people I've met. And just like I said, five
years ago, when I wasn't sure where or what my
life was going to look like, and I, you know,
I was running out of the energy to even try
to push forward, I guess, um, somebody just gave me

(14:42):
the space to just talk, not tell me what to do.
Not not no judgment. Just hold space for me and say,
you know, everything's going to be okay. And, um, that
was the game changer for me. So I've got the
opportunity now to help people and just do the exact
same thing you said.

S1 (14:59):
Things happen for a reason. And you also said about
maybe that big man upstairs coming down and grabbing you
and shaking you and telling you to get your act together.
I mean, you know, as you say, things happen for
a reason. I'm not sure if you believe in spirituality
or whatever, but as you say, sometimes things are just
meant to be, and you have to go through the
tough times to appreciate the good times.

S4 (15:17):
I definitely, you know the saying you've got to you've
to to see the light, you've got to go through
the dark. And I think it's pulling out that lived
experience as well. When I sit with someone and, you know,
they I actually walked through a disability job agency to
get a job and now I'm helping out working there.
So when someone goes, you don't get it. I'm like,

(15:37):
come and take a seat. Let's have a chat. I've
had a bit of a colourful past, so you know.
But that's just what makes me, me and makes me
appreciate everybody's journey. Everybody's. Everyone's got a story. No one's
story is better or worse or anything. I guess it's just, um,
where you fit in with that person's story. And yes,

(15:58):
I'm very spiritual. I actually love the Reiki side of things.
And and I just on a daily basis, I never
stop learning. I'm, you know, always online just going, where's
a free course or where's something I can sign up
to because I that fills my cup up and I
always take what I need and leave the rest. Um,

(16:18):
so yeah, this journey for me is just beginning and
I'm excited. I'm I'm just excited.

S1 (16:24):
Carly, thanks for filling our cup up with this interview.
It's been a joy.

S4 (16:28):
Yeah. No thank you Peter. Anytime.

S1 (16:30):
Carly Townsley, what an inspirational chat. And certainly a few
genes from Chad head, handed down to Cali.

S5 (16:37):
One step beyond.

S1 (16:44):
Let's get all the latest news from Beyond Blindness and
from their marketing area. Rachel joins us. Rachel, always good
to hear from you. How are you going?

S6 (16:52):
I'm doing really well. Yeah. Always good to talk to
you too.

S1 (16:56):
Now you've got another new little venture or another new
little group starting up or not. So little group maybe
starting up.

S6 (17:03):
Yeah we do. Yeah, that was a surprise to me
as well. But yeah. Jen, our northern member engagement officer,
has been, um, yeah, working on this little group that's
upcoming and it's going to be based in Riverton in
the Mid North. So it's for anyone who's blind or

(17:23):
visually impaired, um, adults can come along to this lunch
at this stage, it's going to be on Monday the
31st of March at 12:00 at the Riverton Hotel, and
that's at 27 Torrance Road in Riverton.

S1 (17:41):
For people who might be aware, I'm not sure if
you have got the exact details, but what's kind of
Riverton near? What are some of the other sort of
towns or areas that people might be coming from?

S6 (17:51):
I suppose it's one way of putting it is it's
like halfway between Clare and Galway. So one of the
reasons why we wanted to make this group is to
reach people living in a bit further north, where our group,
that might be a little bit too far for them
to get to. So by creating this group will open

(18:15):
up this possibility of people coming down, even from Clare
to Riverton or Eudunda, Tarlee or Kapunda. So it will
just make it hopefully a bit more accessible to. Yeah.
Access these sort of, um, social activities. We do so
for people that, you know, can't come down all the

(18:36):
way from Clare to Galway, then maybe it's more achievable
to come from, you know, Clare to Riverton, for example.

S1 (18:43):
You did a good job nabbing some of those towns.

S6 (18:46):
Oh yeah. Yeah. Well I got them in front of me,
so that sort of helps.

S1 (18:50):
All right. Well, that's really important because I know Jen's
done a lot of work in that area. But as
you say, people are a bit further away. I mean,
it's quite a distance from Galway to to Clare or
Clare to Galway. So if people maybe don't want to
quite travel that far, but to Riverton, if it's halfway,
then that's a bit of a almost like a compromise.

S6 (19:09):
Yeah, definitely. Yeah. That's um, yeah, that was the whole
reason of making that group. And, um, yeah, to make it,
maybe it's a bit more reasonable to come, you know,
this way. So we're hoping that, um, this will be
the first of many Mid-North groups and, um. Yeah, we're
not sure of how many members we've got coming so far. But, um,

(19:33):
you know, even if it's a small group or 1
or 2 people, you know, it doesn't matter because, uh,
these sort of groups tend to grow over time. So. Yeah.
And it's always good to have a chat with even
just one friend. So, um, yeah, we're hoping that, of course,
as time goes on, word will get out. And, you know,

(19:53):
people start to know about it. So but you've got
to start somewhere. So yeah, this is a good sort
of opportunity. And um, yeah, as you said, Jen's been
working really hard to grow the group in the North,
and now she has her sights set on, you know,
a place a bit further north, so. Yeah. And, uh, yeah,

(20:15):
she's a lot of fun to be around, so, um. Yeah,
she'll she'll make it a lot of fun. And, um. Yeah.
So we'll see how this one goes and hopefully get some. Yeah.
The first of many.

S1 (20:25):
All right. So that'll be, uh, say Monday the 31st
of March at noon at the hotel. We'll give the
details before we wrap up, but if people do want
to find out more, give Jen a call perhaps.

S6 (20:37):
Or they can call, um, Jen, our northern member engagement officer.
So she's taking on the the RSVP or the inquiries.
Even if you want to volunteer, she would love to
hear from you as well. She's always on the lookout
for volunteer drivers and site guides because we need the members,
but to also support the members, we do need the volunteers,

(21:01):
so we would love to be able to get a good,
reliable group going there of volunteers to, you know, to
have on our roster to support the membership that will
hopefully grow in the Mid North. So even if you
just have like a few hours to spare each month,
that would be excellent. And um, yeah, I'm sure Jen

(21:23):
would love to hear from you.

S1 (21:25):
Well, I'm sure drivers would be very important, Rachel, because
I don't imagine there'd be too much public transport available
in that area, and getting a taxi would be just
a little bit out of most people's reach.

S6 (21:35):
Yes, yes. Um, particularly difficult transport is, you know, a
very common sort of, um, barrier to coming to activities.
But yeah, you're right in that the more sort of
regional towns you go, it can become even more of
an issue to travel independently. So, um, yeah, we'd love

(21:56):
to have some drivers for sure. Definitely. And you can.
So you can contact Jen on 81663330 or her mobile
number is 0403 451 817. So she operates out of our caller
office and you can contact her on Monday, Tuesdays and

(22:19):
Fridays from 830 to 430.

S1 (22:22):
And I guess if she's not there, if you leave
a message, then, uh, next time Jenny's in, she'll probably
give you a call back.

S6 (22:27):
Oh, yeah? Yeah. For sure. Yeah, I'm sure she'll get
back to you.

S1 (22:32):
Let's see. The four members or maybe possible members of
people who might be blind or have low vision. Or
maybe if you know someone that's blind or low vision
and lives in the area you kind of talked about, uh,
perhaps suggest it to them because, well, they've got a
or just under two weeks notice to get along. So
a little bit of notice and it could be a
lot of fun. And to have that peer support, you know,

(22:52):
meeting other people who might be going through similar things
would be a very worthwhile thing to be doing.

S6 (22:57):
Yes. For sure. Yeah. It's um, from the feedback we've
had from members that have been going to the northern groups,
they've found it really supportive and beneficial. And yeah, it's
really made a big difference in their lives. So, um, yeah.
If you yeah, like you said, if you yourself are
blind or visually impaired or you know someone and that's

(23:17):
over 18 that, uh, you know, would benefit from this. Yeah.
Please do let them know.

S1 (23:23):
All right. You might become a member of Beyond Blindness,
which also includes a few very nice little add ons
as well, which we might talk about in future episodes,
but certainly a very good thing to do. Rachel. You're
very much involved with the newsletter at Beyond Blindness. You
put out a great newsletter out on a very regular basis.
There's a new feature or a feature that you've introduced

(23:43):
that has been very popular as well.

S6 (23:45):
Yes, we did used to have a sort of longer
member sort of interview in the newsletter, which was like
pages and pages long, but and then we sort of
like put that to rest for a while. But, um,
I thought maybe it would be a good idea to
bring that back and in sort of a short form version,

(24:05):
in more of a casual sort of way. Um, so, uh,
it's going to be a member interview, but more of like, um,
how did you come to be at Beyond Blindness? How
did you join? What? What activities do you do? What
do you like about the organization as well as, um,
what do you like doing in your spare time? Do

(24:28):
you have any pets? Sort of. Just just very light
hearted and just a very short, sort of like Q
and a sort of thing. So, um, we have gotten
a bit of responses already because I did send out
an email to people and we have gotten a few
good responses. But, um, you know, just in case anyone
else is listening that would like to be included in

(24:50):
interviewed for a future newsletter, just let me know and
you can email me at marketing at Beyond Blindness Qorvo.
And yeah, we'd love to sort of hear from you and, um,
keep you in mind if you.

S1 (25:03):
Are kind of putting a bit of a human face
to a member, kind of this is, uh, what, uh,
why the person joined what they've got out of it.
And people might think, oh, I can identify a bit
with that. So therefore that could, uh, sort of have
that sort of connection.

S6 (25:18):
Yeah, definitely. And I mean, the young plan is it's
about supporting members. So I think that, um, you know,
we should know who these members are. If you, you know,
if you want to share that and, um, you know,
express why, you know, what you like about the membership and, um, yeah,

(25:39):
just let us know who you are because it is,
you know, a member based organization. So it's really important
to let, um, you know, let them have their space in,
in the newsletter, too.

S1 (25:50):
Great point. So how does it work? A member who thinks, oh, yes,
I'd maybe like to share my story, that they contact you,
and then you have a bit of a chat to
them and kind of formulate some questions, and they give
you some answers, and you work from there.

S6 (26:02):
Yeah. It's just, uh, just sort of like the questions
that I am outlined before, um, just sort of general
questions like that. And, um, yeah. And a lot of
times those sort of short questions, a lot that people
have a lot to, say about their lives and anything
and everything, so it's always interesting seeing the variety of

(26:25):
members we have and where they've come from and their
life story. So we sort of want to keep it
short and sweet. But, uh, you know, it's always good
to sort of have a, you know, short Q&A in
the newsletter just to sort of, yeah, highlight the different
members that we have.

S1 (26:43):
Well, it's also a good idea or a good way
for members to find out a bit more about other members.
I mean, either they might know of them or I've
never heard of them, or maybe, as I say, have
a sort of a connecting point, a touchstone that they
can think, oh yeah, this could be something that could
interest me, or maybe some of the groups that they're
involved with that they might not know about until they
read something like this.

S6 (27:02):
Yeah, those are very good points as well. Yeah.

S1 (27:05):
Because, you know, there's a lot of stuff that happens
at Beyond Blindness. And obviously there's a lot of things
that make it very appealing for people to go along
and keep going along on a very regular basis.

S6 (27:14):
Yeah. That's true. Yeah. And it's sort of, um, like
you said, let's, uh, you know, they might say, oh, well,
I would like to join that group as well. And, um, yeah.
So it's a good way of learning and each, um, members,
because if you're from one region, you might not realize
they've got this sort of activity in that region.

S1 (27:33):
So one of the things we've learned from you over
the last couple of years, or however long it is,
has been speaking to you, is that man of areas
or the different regions that you've now got groups meeting in?
So as you say, what happens is that while it
might be a little bit different to what happens at
Mount Gambier or the experiences etc., so that can be
kind of shared and almost like cross-referenced as well in

(27:55):
a way.

S6 (27:56):
Yeah for sure.

S1 (27:57):
All right. So if you're a member and would like
to be part of that, we'll give you contact details
about what we'll do. We'll wrap things up now. So, uh,
first of all, for the Riverton Group, just give us
those details again and how people can get in touch
with Jen.

S6 (28:10):
They are. The Riverton lunch is on Monday, the 31st
of March, and that's at 12 p.m.. That's going to
be at the Riverton Hotel, which is at 27 Torrens
Road in Riverton. And you can contact Jen, who's organizing
that one. You can call her an 81663330. Or you

(28:32):
can call her on 0403 451 817.

S1 (28:38):
All right. If you're a member or maybe we'd like
to feature in the member interview that appears in the newsletter.
How can we get in touch with you?

S6 (28:46):
Um, you can email marketing at Beyond Blindness. Org or
you can give us a call at the Campbelltown office
on 83676088.

S1 (28:58):
All right. Always lots happening. So I'm sure when we
catch up next there'll be even more to talk about.
I know that, uh, there's people going each and each
and every direction as far as activities go. So we
like to keep across all those. And people can always
either subscribe to your our newsletter or your website, or
your Facebook post to find out more about what's going on.

S6 (29:18):
Yes. Please do. Yeah. Please follow us if you want.

S1 (29:20):
Rachel. Good to catch up. We'll speak again very soon.

S6 (29:23):
Yeah. Thanks, Peter. See you.

S1 (29:24):
That's Rachel from Beyond Bright. Get in touch. Eight. Three.
Six seven. Six zero, double eight. And on our side often.
But if you miss any of those details, if you
go to our show notes, all those contacts will be there.
And again, if you missed those, you can always give
us a call at the radio station. We've got them
at our fingertips too. You're listening to Focal.

S7 (29:43):
Point on Vision Australia Radio, on VA radio, digital and
online at VA radio.org. Hope you're enjoying the program.

S1 (29:52):
Well, really fantastic sounding program has just got underway. It's
a bit of a combination of work between See Differently,
Rssb and also Beyond Blindness. Let's chat about it with
Leah Curtis, who's the peer support lead at See Differently. Leah,
lovely to meet you and thank you for your time.

S8 (30:08):
Hi, Peter. Good afternoon. How are you?

S1 (30:11):
I'm going very well. And also, uh, Germain is with us.
Part of the program as well. Charlotte. Lovely to meet
you over there on the York Peninsula.

S8 (30:20):
Nice to meet you, too.

S1 (30:21):
Peter left us a bit about the program. Tell us
a bit about what it is and how it works,
and a bit about your role in it.

S8 (30:29):
It's a new program for Peter. It's, um, in collaboration
between See Differently and Beyond Blindness. The aim of the
program is to assist people that have lost their vision
or a significant loss in vision. It could be suddenly

(30:51):
or they were going along okay with a stable, low vision,
but all of a sudden it's taking a dramatic drop
in vision, and that really affects every part of your life.
So the grant that we've got It comes from the

(31:12):
federal government, the Italian government Department of Social Services. So
together with Beyond Blindness, we were given the grant, which
goes to three years to trial, this peer support program.
And we are so lucky that this has come along
for us and for the people that we are trying

(31:36):
to help at the moment. The program started in February,
so just last month, and the aim of it is
to link people who find themselves in the situation where
their vision has dropped significantly. So they might be getting
this news for the first time, or it's happened in

(32:00):
their journey of vision loss. So it affects everything. It
affects your work life, your home life, your interests all
over the place, and sometimes you just don't know where
to head to to get help. The vision loss is
not something that, um, people can actually see what's going

(32:22):
on with you. So it's very difficult to know where
to get the help. And people may feel very overwhelmed.
So part of the program is that we have a
team of peer support workers. So I'm the lead for
the program and the people in my team, the peer

(32:44):
support workers, including myself, we all have a lived experience
of vision loss. So that's why it's being called peer
to peer. So the people that need the support will
be able to speak to someone one on one, who
also has a lived experience of vision loss. So they

(33:07):
will walk and talk alongside each other. So the person
that has hit, you know, this overwhelming wall of vision
loss and not knowing where to turn, where to access services,
where to navigate through so that they come out, you know,
down the track where they're feeling more confident and more

(33:30):
resilient and able to advocate for themselves. So, you know,
they have choice and control. And this is what we
want to support. And we don't want people to feel
that they're alone and not have anyone that they can
talk to. So this is an amazing program, and we're
so excited that we can help people in those situations.

S1 (33:54):
Well, it sounds like they've got a very good person
leading it. So well done on that. Charlotte, how did
you get involved and why did you get involved?

S9 (34:01):
I was involved in a couple of the.

S6 (34:03):
Co-design workshops to.

S9 (34:05):
Create the programme with a group of other clients from
See Differently and Beyond Blindness and See Differently shared about
the programme on social media. Where I saw it and
I thought, well, I might as well put my hand
up to see if I'm successful to support someone else
in need of just any type of general support with

(34:26):
their vision loss, because, I mean, I've been in the
situation where I had no one to reach out to
and I suddenly lost my sight back in 2013. So
if I can just help one person along their journey
with their vision loss, you know the program is completely
worth it.

S1 (34:41):
What about your vision loss? We're having a quick chat
before coming to air and your stories are fairly unique.
I guess everyone's story is unique anyway, but yours is
quite unique as well.

S8 (34:51):
Yeah, so.

S9 (34:52):
I was diagnosed in well, I've had the toxoplasmosis since birth,
and I had a flare up of the condition in
April 2013. So over Easter. And the optometrist, we believe
it was from my mum when she was pregnant with
me through a cat scratch. So unfortunately, you know, that

(35:12):
got transmitted through to me. But my two older brothers,
they were fine. And Easter year 2013 living in the country.
There's not much open during the 4 or 5 day break,
so I had to wait about a week to see
the optometrist. And it was a quick trip to Adelaide where,
you know, we tried a heap of different medication, steroids

(35:33):
and whatnot over a couple of week period, and unfortunately
the steroids didn't work. So I was left with about 5%
vision and complete night blindness. But there's someone always that's
worse off than me. I figure.

S1 (35:44):
That's a good.

S9 (35:45):
Thing to dwell over.

S1 (35:46):
You had no vision impairment before then or some some
vision impairment before.

S9 (35:50):
I had worn glasses from a young age. I've got astigmatism. And, um,
my parents noticed that my head was always close to
things reading, but, you know, it If it was a
it was a massive adjustment, not just for me but
for my family. And like even in the town, you know,
someone losing their sight that much like I had my
learner's permit, I had to give them up.

S1 (36:11):
Oh, wow.

S9 (36:12):
You know, I think I was 16, 17 or something
at the time, so that wasn't fun at that age.
But it is what it is.

S1 (36:18):
Yeah, that must be really hard. I've spoken to people
over the years, or both Leah and Charlotte, and, you know,
it doesn't matter what age you are, but having to
give up your license is a big thing. And because
when you got your learner's, you kind of think your
whole life ahead of you, you know? Cool thing of
being able to drive and then all of a sudden
that is taken away. That must be a hard thing to, to,
to learn to live with.

S9 (36:37):
Oh it is. And I mean, especially being in the
country where we don't have the public transport to rely on.
So thankfully mum and Dad's taxis are what they were,
where when I don't get charged a significant fee and
I don't get discriminated with my guide dogs. So it's
a win win.

S1 (36:52):
Really a lovely shout out to a nice couple little
shots there, which is very impressive. Leah so how does
the program work? You're talking about peer to peer. And, uh,
obviously people like Charlotte and yourself are both got vision impairment.
How does the program kind of work logistically?

S8 (37:08):
So what happens? People can choose to participate in the program.
There is no wrong door of where the people come
from to participate. So there is no cost in participation.
So you can Self-refer family may do referral, optometrists might

(37:30):
do referral ophthalmologists. Anyone in the community can do the
referral to our service to the peer support program. So
what happens is I see all the people that have
been referred and I'm the first point of contact. So

(37:50):
what I do is when a referral comes in, I
contact the person concerned. we have a chat. I give
them information about the peer support program, and they may
share with me some information of what they're struggling with,
what their situation is. And so I've got a pretty

(38:11):
good understanding of where they're at. And if they say
to me, I really want to participate in the program,
what you're saying really meets my needs. So then what
I do is I ask the person, what sort of
peer support worker would they see themselves communicating with what

(38:32):
they're looking for? So then I matched that participant to
a peer support worker the closest that I can to,
you know, if they say to me, well, I'd like
to speak to someone within this age group, I prefer
a male or a female, someone who's got this kind

(38:52):
of work background or this kind of eye condition? It depends.
So every person is different of what they're looking for
in support. So I try and match as close as
possible to the needs of the peer support program participants.
So that's what I'm matching to. So I'm matching to

(39:15):
the person's needs who needs the support. And then what
I do is I connect those two people by filing
the date and the time that suits both parties. The
peer support program is a phone based service, so you
don't have to go anywhere you can be at home.

(39:36):
It's a phone based service. The appointment normally goes for
about an hour, and the peer support worker will let
the person know when it's coming up to the hour.
It may go over a little bit depending on people's availability,
but the person has the option of making another appointment
with the care support worker. So if they feel they've

(39:59):
made a connection and they really want to continue the conversation,
they might decide on some goals or things that the
person would like to achieve and they want to continue
that conversation. They can make that appointment straight away, and
the peer support worker will just let me know when

(40:19):
it is so I know what's coming up for that participant.
There are no limits on how many appointments. It's really
driven by the needs of the participant, so they might
get to a point after, I don't know, maybe 4
or 5 appointments. I'm just choosing a number that they

(40:40):
are in a good position where they're feeling more confident
in managing their vision loss in their life. Um, they're
feeling that they are more resilient and able to advocate
for themselves. And they can see, you know, the light
at the end of the tunnel of where they're trying
to go, you know, with the help that they have

(41:02):
been given through the peer support program. So a peer
support worker may link them to maybe Centrelink or Medicare
or NDIS. There could be a whole string of things.
Everyone is different, so there won't be two people the same.

S1 (41:22):
Charlotte, you talked about the fact that you're kind of
involved when the program was getting up and running, as
it kind of turned out, the way you expected what
Lee was saying there is that kind of how you
sort of helped her design it.

S9 (41:34):
Yeah, definitely. I mean, it was good having the involvement
of other variety of people our age, gender and the
different eye conditions all putting in what they feel would
be successful to make the program and like even just
talking back with some, you know, what we have designed,
I think will be a huge game changer for people
in the long run.

S1 (41:55):
It might change as you go along as well. You know,
perhaps a little adding to or subtracting from, you know,
depending on what's working well or maybe other ideas that
might come up. Kind of a it's a progressive document,
if I can call it that.

S9 (42:07):
Yeah, definitely. I mean, it's a brand new, brand new project.
So we're all learning along the way. And I mean,
if we find out later down the track, I guess
if something needs to be implemented, I'm sure we can
bring it up with Leah and like, see what her
thoughts are and her late team leader and whatnot. And hopefully, yeah,
we can just keep progressing to make it even more

(42:28):
successful for many years to come.

S1 (42:29):
Leah, how are you going for numbers at this stage?
Are you looking for more people to get involved and
sort of, um, you know, what sort of role?

S8 (42:36):
Absolutely.

S1 (42:37):
Yeah.

S8 (42:37):
Yes, yes. So we're looking for, well, participants, people that
are looking for support. So it is, you know, reasonably new.
We only started last month. So we're just getting the
word out there. And thank you for having Charlotte and
I on your program. So, you know, as the word
gets out there, we'll have more interest in wanting to

(43:00):
participate in the program. And like Charlotte said, we've got
our peer support workers of different ages backgrounds. The service
is South Australia wide, so we're not limited to metro
or just regional areas where South Australia wide. So people can,
you know, be helped getting help from a peer support

(43:23):
worker no matter where they are based.

S1 (43:25):
You said a couple of very important things, Leah. The
first is obviously the fact that there's no cost and
you don't have to go anywhere. So because, you know,
sometimes travel can be a bit of an impingement and
obviously costs can sometimes put people at a disadvantage, but
nothing to worry about as far as that, those sort
of things go.

S8 (43:42):
No, not at all. And like I said before, you know,
when the person feels that they are in a better
place and able to navigate on their own. It's their choice.
You know, if they want to exit the program or
they may choose to exit, and then in a few
weeks they think, oh no, I need a bit more support.
That's okay. You can come back. It doesn't matter. It

(44:04):
doesn't mean that, you know, you may have thought, okay,
I'm okay now. I can do it by myself. And
then there might be down the track a bit of
a downturn, you think? Oh, I could do with a
bit more support. So, you know, you can come back
into the program. That's not a problem. It's really, really easy.

S1 (44:22):
Well, you have to get you back later in the
year to maybe give a bit of a review of
how the first few months have gone. We've just started,
which is great if people do want to find out more.
Or maybe they think, oh gee, this sounds like the
sort of thing I could be helped with. What's the
best way to get in touch? Leah.

S8 (44:37):
They can call me on the sea differently. General number
which is 417. Double five. Double nine.

S9 (44:50):
Yeah.

S8 (44:51):
So should I not be at my desk? There will
be somebody that will be able to answer that call
and send me a message, an email to say, um,
this person's called about the peer support program. Can you
call them back? So there's a definite record there that
someone has called, and I know that I can call
them back. The other way is can send in an email, uh,

(45:14):
to peer support at C differently all one word.org dot
a U.

S1 (45:23):
All right. We'll put those details up with our show
notes when the program goes online. So Leah Curtis the
lead for the peer support program. Thank you for your time.
And uh, Charlotte Jermaine, thanks for your support as well.
We'll keep in touch and we'll speak to you later
on in the year to see how it's all going.

S8 (45:40):
All right. Thank you so much for your time, Peter.

S9 (45:42):
Thanks again. Peter.

S1 (45:43):
So shout out to your mind all the way from
the Yorke Peninsula. And also Leah Curtis who's the care
support lead for the RSP. It's a C, definitely RSP
and also Beyond Blindness with their peer support program. And
those details again 84175599. Or you can always give us
a call at the radio station or indeed go to
our show notes. All those details will be there.

S10 (46:08):
What a really interesting and important signing event coming up.

S1 (46:10):
March the 24th to chat to us a bit about it,
we've got the Mayor of Moonee Valley, Mayor Ivor Adams.
I remember from my career to thank you for your
time and nice to meet you.

S11 (46:20):
Hi, Peter, thank you for having me.

S1 (46:21):
Now, this is obviously something that is really, really important
in a sense, very timely given some of the stuff
that's been happening over the last few months in Australia.

S11 (46:29):
Yeah, absolutely. Moonee Valley is really committed to ensuring everyone
in our community stays safe in an emergency. So we're
really excited about this workshop that's open for registration right now.

S1 (46:41):
Now there's not a lot of time left. So let's
get the kind of commercial out of the way and
talk about when and where and how people can register.
And then we can perhaps talk about some of the
things that will be taking place during it and who
can come along. So it's coming up on Monday.

S11 (46:55):
Yes. The CEP workshop is on March 24th. It's going
to be located at the Flemington Hub in Flemington. You
can go to the events page on our website or
Google Pcep. That's PC e p moonee Valley. And if
you want to learn more how to support community using PCP,

(47:17):
you can get in touch with them. Many Valley City Council.

S1 (47:20):
All right. We'll put those details up with our show notes.
And we'll also repeat them before we wrap up. Now
for the uninitiated, Ava, what does that stand for?

S9 (47:29):
Yeah.

S11 (47:29):
Good question. Peter. Um, PCP stands for person centered emergency preparedness,
and it's a framework that's been developed through the University
of Sydney and collaborating for inclusion. It's been developed with
and for people with a disability that can also be
really useful. Useful for anybody really.

S1 (47:51):
And of course, everyone is welcome on Monday in terms
of kind of from all walks of life, you know,
regardless of what kind of, uh, connection you've got with
disability as well.

S11 (48:01):
Yeah, definitely. So it's for people from potentially vulnerable communities
and also those who support these communities as well. So
but you do need to register.

S1 (48:11):
Now what about in terms of the kind of topics
or areas that will be covered.

S11 (48:15):
Yeah. So we will be covering things like learning more
about the potential risks of natural disasters and other emergencies,
how to get started on your own preparedness plan, helping
people to sort of start to think about how to
complete and activate that plan, and also put in place

(48:36):
early steps for emergency preparedness.

S1 (48:39):
Often we hear about, you know, people should be prepared
and maybe to say kind of prepared before the, you know,
well before the event hits, kind of always have in
the back of your mind and, you know, be ready
in case a situation like this arises. I guess this
is the sort of thing that is so important rather
than the last minute, which can be some of us,
you know, last minute people.

S9 (49:00):
Yeah.

S11 (49:01):
That's right. And look, we know there is a disproportionate
risk of harm to vulnerable communities during disasters and emergencies.
Often they've been left out of planning. And so as
a result, less prepared for these serious events. So that's
where the set comes comes in.

S1 (49:18):
And person centred was obviously very, very important. So it's
not kind of a global approach but very much an
individual approach, which is, you know, obviously very relevant to,
you know, people's individual circumstances.

S11 (49:29):
Yeah, definitely. It gets people to really identify how their
daily lives might be impacted by a disaster. It helps
them to understand their strengths and the power they have
to get prepared, and also to take practical, incremental steps
to get prepared for an emergency.

S1 (49:47):
What about some of the emergencies that we're kind of
potentially preparing for? I guess it kind of doesn't matter. Like, uh,
there's a lot of commonalities, if you like, uh, as
far as emergencies go.

S9 (49:58):
Yeah.

S11 (49:58):
Look, Peter, in Moonee Valley, our community has experienced disaster.
And we and need support to prepare for future emergencies.
So in our area, we experienced a natural disaster in
2022 when the Maribyrnong River flooded.

S1 (50:15):
Yeah.

S11 (50:15):
Um, that event caused significant damage to property and disruption
to lives. And our community still feel really deeply the
impact of that flood. And so that's why council is
taking an active role in the emergency preparedness space so
that residents feel equipped to respond if another disaster or
emergency happens.

S1 (50:36):
That is such a great point. Is it over? I mean,
I guess the news being the way the news is,
something happens and okay, it gets that sort of rolling
coverage for a day or two. And then, you know,
what is it the old saying that the dogs bark
and the caravan moves on and we kind of move
on to the next thing, and those people are impacted
by that flood or that bushfire or whatever it was

(50:56):
that happened. I mean, that lives with them. Well, probably
for the rest of their lives, but certainly in the
time after that.

S11 (51:03):
Yeah, absolutely. And council recognises that we have a role
to play, supporting the lives of our residents who live
with disabilities or who need some extra support to go
about their lives. And we're really lucky we secured funding
from the Victorian and federal government's disaster recovery to roll
out a range of supports and responses to the to

(51:24):
the flood. Among those is the Pcsp training, so it's great.

S1 (51:29):
Yeah, it's one of those things where, you know, sometimes
it's a 1 in 100 year event or one in
a 50 year event. And I mean, that's all well
and good, but if it's happening this year, then that's
not much consolation or you don't really care about the odds.
It's happening now, so you've got to do something about it.

S11 (51:44):
Yeah, absolutely. We're really, really committed to ensuring that everyone
in our community stays safe in an emergency. And like
you said, just because, you know, it's only happened once
in the last 100 years, who's to say what's going
to happen next year or the year after? And it
is really important for us to be prepared.

S1 (52:01):
With the event on Monday, in particular if people do
need to register. But is it is it a free event?

S11 (52:07):
Yes it is. Yes. Yes, it's a free event which
is really, really exciting. So we hope to offer training
to more members of the community as well and empower
them to share that knowledge with others.

S1 (52:20):
I guess one of the other things that people need
to think about is, for example, if you're a person
on the NDIS or receiving at home aged care, you
know what happens in a situation like that. If your
support is not available, those sort of things that maybe
aren't necessarily front of mind all the time, but, you know,
you kind of take a bit for granted that these

(52:41):
things are going to happen as in the service is
going to happen, and then there's something out of the
ordinary happens, then what's kind of plan B?

S11 (52:48):
Yeah. That's right. And that's why this it's really important
to be prepared and to, you know, have a think
about the things that you can do now so that
when you know, something does, you know, happen, you're prepared
and you know what to do. So for example, if you're,
you know, someone with a seeing or hearing impairment, knowing

(53:08):
where you can get emergency information is really important. And
also making sure that medications and prescriptions are stored in
an easy to access location and that you know, all
your documents are in one place in a really easy
place to sort of get when when you are faced
in an emergency.

S1 (53:26):
That's a great point because a lot of medication people
need to take daily Otherwise it's, you know, a huge
impact on their quality of life and indeed can be
life threatening if they don't take it. And just the
sort of emotional upheaval of not knowing where it is or,
you know, can I find it? Or if I haven't
got it, how can I get access to it? Those
sort of things you can certainly do without when you've

(53:47):
got other stuff happening going on, not just in the
background but in the foreground as well.

S11 (53:52):
Yeah. That's right. And it's look, as you said before,
with people that are on the NDIS, there needs to
be a big focus on engaging with those support networks
as well. So if you're someone with a carer or
you know who access aged care or NDIS support, it's
really important. Those services know how to best, how best
to support you and that you know what, what it

(54:15):
is that they do offer in those situations.

S1 (54:18):
And of course, he talked about many valleys approach to this.
I guess, you know, often we hear about sort of
the overview from, say, a federal government or indeed a
state government, It's things like this that can make a
real difference to the individual. It's a bit more, well,
literally person to person centred by virtue of the fact that,
you know, it's literally your, your local government that that

(54:39):
is offering something like this.

S11 (54:41):
Yeah, it's really great. And that's why we're so excited
about the funding that we secured, um, through the Victorian, um,
government and the federal government.

S1 (54:50):
Is this the first time you've heard something like this either.

S11 (54:52):
Uh, I think so. Um, we we've got a, um,
disability advisory committee group that meets, and I know that
they've been, you know, really focused on this area in
terms of what we can do to sort of help
our community in emergency situations.

S1 (55:11):
It was the sort of thing, as we touched on, that,
if you don't think about it, you know, and it happens,
then you think, well, why didn't someone think of this
at the time, which is that wonderful 2020 hindsight?

S11 (55:20):
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we're really committed to ensuring that
everyone in our community stays safe in an emergency.

S1 (55:26):
All right, so it's coming up this Monday. Just give
us the details again. And I guess from a sort
of more bigger picture point of view, if you're not
living in this particular area, but maybe the sort of
thing that you can contact your local government about, you know,
have you thought of something like this or heard about
this on the radio? This would be something that would
perhaps be worth thinking about as far as our local

(55:47):
community goes. Not that I want you to be telling
other communities how to think either, but you know what
I mean.

S11 (55:52):
Yeah. Look, absolutely. I mean, I don't know what other
councils are doing in this space, but I do know that,
you know, following the flood disasters, you know, we became
really committed to ensuring that everyone is armed with this
information and, and knows how to stay safe in an emergency. Um,

(56:13):
so I can give you those details for the workshop
on Monday. So the 24th of March, it's going to
be held at the Flemington hub in Flemington. So that's
our new facility that's there. It's a beautiful facility, so
you'll enjoy being in a nice space.

S1 (56:33):
I have a question with that notice it's fully, fully accessible.

S11 (56:37):
Yes it is.

S1 (56:38):
Okay. Just checking.

S11 (56:40):
Of course it is. It's an amazing space. And so
the way that you can find some information is to
go to our events page on our websites at Moonee
Valley City Council, um, or Google. So that's PC e
p moonee Valley. And then just follow the links.

S1 (56:58):
Right. And as I said, we'll put those up with
our show notes. So if people have missed it they
can go there and and get all the information. Well
I'm sure it'll be a very, very successful day, very,
very important day. And, you know, hopefully the sort of
thing that people can kind of have a take home
message because obviously great on the day for people to
take in the information, but also, uh, you know, sort
of keep it in the, well, in the forefront of

(57:20):
their mind just in case there's something else happening. Again.
Good on you for kind of reacting to the floods
of 2022, because you could have said, well, that'll probably
never happen again. Let's sort of worry about it next
time it does happen. But you're you're being very proactive
and preemptive, which is got to be a good thing
to be.

S11 (57:37):
Yeah, absolutely.

S1 (57:38):
Either. Good luck. It's always good to have initiatives brought
to the forefront when it comes to issues like this,
particularly as far as people with disabilities go. As you
touched on, often that can be a bit overlooked or
perhaps not as oppressed as we thought. And you touched
on a good point earlier. You know, depending on when
people have a vision impairment or a hearing impairment or
mobility impairment, I mean, you know, disabilities in all sorts

(58:01):
of different ways. So I guess that's one of the
things about an event like Monday, all different kind of
disability categories, if I can put it that way. We'll
be catered for.

S11 (58:10):
Yeah, they will be. And also it's also open to
those who support these communities, which is really important. And
so and we also hope to offer the training to
more members of the community and empower them to share
that knowledge with other people as well.

S1 (58:26):
I've got to talk to you. Congratulations on the initiative
and we wish you well.

S11 (58:29):
Thank you so much. Peter, thank you for having me.

S1 (58:32):
Ivor Adam said the mayor of Moonee Valley. Talk about
coming up on this Monday the 24th. All those details
up with our show notes. If you have any difficulty
accessing them. As always, you can always call us here
at the radio station. 1300 847 406. Just before we give you

(58:53):
our audio described show of the week, let's shout out
big cheerio to Graham Pearce. Caught up with Graham and
Linda over the weekend. You may recall Graham has been
working for Wikipedia for about 20 years. We spoke to
Graham a couple of times about his work using jaws
and making Wikipedia accessible. So good to caught up with
you Graham of visiting Adelaide for the Adelaide Festival and

(59:15):
other activities all the way from Western Australia. So Sir
Graham and Linda, great to have caught up happy and
very safe travels back. Look forward to catching up with
you another time. Certainly a very macho music guru is Graham.
I reckon if he and Adrian got together at a
quiz night for the music round, you could bring out

(59:36):
the popcorn, curl the moustache and just have a very
easy round. I think they'd they'd clean up very, very
smart as far as music knowledge goes. I already described
show of the week. It's coming up this Saturday evening.
SBS Viceland. It is called Engineering Tomorrow. This is visionaries

(59:57):
who are developing technologies like subsea kites and floating platforms
to harness the power of tidal power. And that is
coming up this Saturday evening on SBS Viceland. 635. Engineering tomorrow.
Rather appropriate that I think it's Earth hour day coming

(01:00:18):
up this Saturday, say 6:35 p.m., a kind of nice
lead in Into Earth Hour. Some birthdays. Before we go,
here's an interesting group of people having birthdays. Lisa Pierce
having a birthday. Fabulous advocate in South Australia in particular, but, uh,
advocate all around. What's an advocate? Always an advocate. So

(01:00:39):
happy birthday to you, Lisa. Garth Humphries having a birthday
a great technologist. Happy birthday to you, Garth. And some
great podcasts regarding things like iOS and voice over, etc.. Also,
happy birthday to Scott Erickson. Sing me a song. You're
the piano man. Certainly a very talented musician is Scott.

(01:00:59):
Having been to some pro music camps and also involved
in technology for a long, long time. So happy birthday
to you, Scott. And Michael Scott's having a birthday. That
champion blind cricketer from uh well from still today played
I think, the most capped player for Australia as far

(01:01:19):
as blind cricket goes. So happy birthday to you, Michael.
For a cricketer, he's very, very good at Braille. That's
it for the program. Sam Richard, thanks so much for
your help. Pam Green, thanks so much for yours. Reminding
you that Focus Point is available on your favorite podcast platform.
Whether you like the program or not, we'd love for

(01:01:40):
you to tell the world about it so more people
can listen in. Always room for one more listener. On
behalf of Philip Napier and a big cheer to Wendy
McDougall listening in. This is Peter Greco saying, be kind
to yourselves, be thoughtful and look out for others all
being well. Focal point back at the same time next

(01:02:00):
week on Vision Australia Radio. This is focus.

S12 (01:02:04):
On.