JODIE Hinton is a mentor for young people. But it wasn’t always this way. Growing up, she struggled with her mother’s behaviour. “I had no idea my mum had a mental illness,” she said. “I used to be embarrassed of my mum and the way she acted, and I always knew she was a bit different but I never understood why.” Things are clearer now, thanks to the Satellite Champs program, designed for those aged 8-12 years with parents affected by mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, personality disorders and bipolar affective disorder. The program provides information about mental…
Author: Bayside News
AUSTRALIA’S world record for losing the greatest number of its mammals was the subject of the keynote address at Western Port Biosphere’s second annual biodiversity forum. “We have lost the ability to connect with the environment; with expanding development changing the landscape, the face of the environment as we knew it has changed, and the streetscape of urban development is seen as the norm,” Professor John Woinarski told 80 delegates to the Friday 6 May forum at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne. The deputy director of the Threatened Species Recovery Hub in the National Environmental Science program at Charles Darwin…
By LIZ BELL WHEN Michelle Sheridan glanced in the rear-view mirror of her stationary car to see a vehicle hurtling towards hers, it just didn’t occur to her that the driver might not stop. But what happened next on that day in December changed her life and left the 33-year-old Langwarrin mother-of-three with lasting injuries, chronic pain and a terrifying vision that haunts her every day. Ms Sheridan’s car was struck from behind by another vehicle on the Cranbourne-Frankston Rd, Langwarrin, as she was on the way to pick up her child from primary school. The impact instantly crushed her…
FORMER police officer Donna Bradley-Robinson was forced to quit the force when her multiple sclerosis symptoms increasingly made her job impossible. Ms Bradley-Robinson, a Frankston resident, was diagnosed with MS in 1994 at the age of 29 after experiencing symptoms since she was 16. Since retiring as a police officer in 2010 she has dedicated herself to raising the profile of the often invisible disease. With an average age of diagnosis of 30, MS is largely a young woman’s disease – that randomly attacks nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord – for which there is currently no cure.…
The Aspendale Gardens Community Service (AGCS) will be running several events and activities to celebrate National Families Week next week. Building on the theme ‘Stronger Families, Stronger Communities’, the AGCS will present two talks about preventing child injury and practical parenting tips and facilitate a community collection for charity Mummies Supporting Families in Need. “All families are different but ultimately we all at one time or another face the same challenges and experience the same joys during our parenting journey,” AGCS community development coordinator Angela Costigan said. “National Families Week offers a great opportunity for families to connect with each…