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WA INTERPRETER CLIMBS EVEREST BASE CAMP

Perth interpreter Kieta Philp swapped her job books for hiking boots when she climbed Everest Base Camp during a 14-day adventure.

Kieta, along with 13 other women from the ‘Adventurous Women’ club, travelled to South Asia in April to take on the world’s highest mountain.

After flying to Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal) Kieta and her team set off with their guide, named Tek.

“The tracks were busy with trekkers and their porters, but even more so with local porters, donkeys and yaks carting everything from food to building materials,” Kieta says.

While Everest itself is 8,848 metres high, Base Camp sits at an impressive 5,364 metres.

Kieta says that after a “relatively easy” first day hiking through the valley, she quickly learnt that the biggest challenges remained ahead.

Some days the group walked for up to eight hours along steep and stony rocky steps.

They had to have lots of water, garlic soup and hot lemon drinks to keep their energy levels up and avoid getting sick.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

The view across the mountains (the Himalayas) was like a winter wonderland, according to Kieta.

She says they walked through the snow and slush, with snowflakes landing on all the trees and buildings.

The group also visited a Buddhist monastery, crossed suspension bridges and passed through cobblestone villages.

After an early dinner of garlic soup, dhal, noodles, rice, and, for the very brave, yak stew, they would sleep in tents before doing it all again the next day.

Despite the below-freezing temperatures, Kieta says it was all worthwhile when the team finally reached the rocky foothills leading to the base of Everest.

“We had succeeded in accomplishing our goal as a team and…we embraced and congratulated ourselves,” she says.

“We had pushed through our physical, mental and emotional barriers and conquered Base Camp!”

Although it was both physically and emotionally tiring, Kieta says she learnt one major lesson on the trek.

“We do not have problems in life, we have challenges…and challenges can be overcome.”

On the 8th of May, the Asthma Foundation Queensland provided a free community presentation specially targeted for the Deaf Community. NABS were happy to provide an Auslan interpreter to ensure every member in the audience understood the important information and were able to ask questions.

The presentation was highly successful. The presenter, Alicia from the Asthma Foundation provided a highly in depth discussion on the signs to watch for Asthma, medication used by Asthma sufferers, how to take them properly and what to do if someone is having asthma attack.

She gave demonstrations and brought along many props and visual aids to make the presentation as comprehensive as possible.

Those who attended found all of the information very useful and were able to take home more information to learn more about Asthma.

This was the first presentation if it’s kind and NABS hopes to be able to partner with other Health Care groups and organisations in future. If you have any suggestions about what kind of information you would like to know, let the communications team at NABS know.

The Gillard Government and Queensland Government have reached an historic agreement today that will see DisabilityCare Australia, the national disability insurance scheme, rolled out across Queensland by July 2019.

The agreement will provide around 97,000 Queenslanders with significant or profound disability choice and control over the care and support they receive.

DisabilityCare Australia will also give all Queenslanders peace of mind that if they have or acquire a disability, or have a child with disability, that leaves them needing daily care and support, they will get the support they need when they need it.

The agreements reached to date mean almost 90 per cent of Australians will be covered by DisabilityCare Australia in the event they are born with or acquire a disability.

Over the next couple of years, the Queensland Government will lay the groundwork for the introduction of DisabilityCare in Queensland, implementing reforms to disability services consistent with NDIS design principles including introducing greater consumer choice and control.

Eligible people with disability in Queensland will start entering DisabilityCare in July 2016. We will progressively roll out DisabilityCare Australia in Queensland so that by July 2019, all eligible Queensland residents will be covered.

Under the agreement reached today:

• By 2019-20, the Queensland Government will provide an estimated $2.03 billion to cover all Queenslanders. This contribution was determined using the benchmark set by New South Wales in the agreement reached with the Commonwealth in December 2012. The Queensland Government’s contribution will go to the cost of care and support for people with disability.

• By 2019-20, the Australian Government will contribute around $2.14 billion to the scheme for Queensland residents. This will be around 51 per cent of scheme costs. In addition, the Commonwealth will cover the full cost of people who turn 65 and choose to remain in the scheme.

• The full scheme costs will be reviewed by the Productivity Commission before to the commencement of full scheme to inform COAG agreement on final scheme funding arrangements.

Following the announcement last week by the Prime Minister, the Gillard Government has confirmed that, in 2019-20, an amount of $197 million will be allocated to Queensland from the increase in the Medicare Levy, to assist with the cost of the scheme in Queensland.

Today’s agreement builds on those with the governments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory and the agreement to launch the scheme in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory.

The NDIS is the reform of a generation and has the potential to transform the lives of Queenslanders with a disability, their families and carers.

The Gillard Government will continue to work towards the national roll out of DisabilityCare Australia, so that all Australians can know that if they have, or acquire, a disability they will have their needs met in a way that enables them to live with choice and dignity.DisabilityCare Australia to be rolled out in Queensland

For original article, go to The Hon Jenny Macklin MP website.

Congratulations to the National Auslan Booking and Payment Service (NABS) for continuing to achieve excellent outcomes for the Australian Deaf Community. 

Wesley Mission Brisbane (WMB) are delighted to announce they have been awarded the NABS contract for another 3 years. 

WMB Director of Community Services, Michelle Skinner congratulated the NABS team.

“We are delighted to provide this service and thank the Deaf community for their support of NABS,” she said.

“Congratulations to the NABS team of staff and interpreters who continue to achieve excellent outcomes for the Australian Deaf Community.”

NABS is funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to provide FREE Sign Language Interpreters for Private Medical and Health Care appointments. 

For more information on this media release email communications@nabs.org.au

Asthma affects a large percentage of the Deaf Community. The Deaf Community can’t always access the relevant information they need to be educated about important health issues. With the help of a NABS Auslan Interpreter, the Deaf Community will now have the opportunity to access this information.

The free presentation will cover signs to watch for Asthma, medication used by Asthma sufferers, how to take them properly and what to do if someone is having asthma attack. These are important topics for the Deaf Community who may not necessarily have been educated in the past on these focus areas.

Keri hopes to stress the importance of Health Care Education to the Deaf Community. She says “Information of this kind can be life saving so it is vital that Deaf people have the same easy access to information as do hearing families.”

NABS also provides interpreters free to all private medical appointments for Deaf people. Their service has been running for over seven years enabling the Deaf Community all over Australia to access Health Care with the aid of an Auslan Interpreter.

“We look forward to working with other peak health organisations in a similar way to make information accessible and ease the demand made on GP appointments for the purpose of gaining information that should be otherwise available,” says Keri.

The free presentation is a great opportunity for the Deaf Community to ask questions and truly understand the basic facts about Asthma.

Please note:
NABS does not claim that access to Health Prevention information takes the place of a Doctor’s consultation. Anyone with concerns should see their Doctor immediately