By Alistair Gray
If you are someone with a disability or know of someone with a disability who needs social interaction and the support of like-minded peers, this is sure to be of interest to you.
A new disability support group has been established on Bribie to service residents and those from the surrounding areas of Ningi, Sandstone Point, Beachmere and Caboolture.
The group currently has about 10 members and is looking to connect with others with a disability to join the group and make new friends. The group wishes to provide a social outlet for those with a disability, their families and carers while providing an avenue to discuss issues like access and inclusion, Centrelink, NDIS and MYAGED Care problems. They will also provide disability advice and views to the City of Moreton Bay. There is no cost and the Bribie Hotel, where the group meets, kindly provides the tea and coffee, though everyone is encouraged to have lunch together at the hotel after the meeting.
There is currently no disability group on the Island. However, some members are past members of the Spinal Life Peer Support Group, which operated for several years but was disbanded over Covid and with the passing of some of the group's key members, including Bill Peacock, Tom Dutton and John Morris. The new group is being established thanks to the work of locals Wayne and Ravy-Leang Slattery of the Mekong Disability Employment & Mobility Trust. They will help establish the group and arrange meetings and group communications.
Both Wayne and Ravy are polio survivors and a fantastic couple who, through lived experiences, understand the issues of disability only too well. Their inspirational story, of which I have only included a tiny snapshot, includes acquiring, shipping and donating 30 wheelchairs and walkers to assist people with disabilities in Cambodia and the establishment of an NGO, the Dreams Come True Education Centre in 2014, which after the impact of Covid in 2023, has two teachers and 240 students.
Ravy had Polio at the age of six months and first went to school aged 11. Then with Veterans International's help, she completed a bachelor’s degree in 2013 and taught at the school while it was being established—an incredible achievement with many challenges along the way, including finding adequate funding to support the ongoing needs of the school. Ravy and Wayne will be superb support for the group.
The new group will meet monthly on the third Thursday at 10.30am in the function room of the Bribie Island Hotel, Sylvan Beach Esplanade, Bellara. The hotel is wheelchair friendly.
If you are interested in attending, please contact Wayne Slattery on 0449 923 887 or email Wayneslattery1@gmail.com
