Alpha Terrace News

February 2008

New Beginnings

Rob Miller who was manager for many years at Alpha Terrace has now been promoted to Operations Manager of Day Programs and is now located at Head Office. We thank Rob for his years of service and dedication to our clients.

We also wish to congratulate Emmy Simpson, who is now the new manager.

Emmy Says "With 5 years experience I am enjoying the new position and its challenges. I intend to work with an open and flexible approach, the goal being our clients' best interests. I believe we offer a great service, with skilled professional staff that have passion and a sense of humor."

Our programs for this semester are as follows: please refer to timetable.

We also have 2 camps per year that are very successful and fun. It is fantastic to see the guys socializing and relaxing with their friends. They usually run for 3 nights!!

Our social outing on Thursday has a new venue - The Railway Hotel. We discovered this new venue, when trying different places to dance and have a drink with the staff. The hotel welcomed everyone and offered the use of the place every week, with the facility of music and the dance room that is free of charge... The guys really like it and the staff that work there contribute to a great community spirit.

The ladies group was formed last year and has been well received. Secret women's business occasionally takes them to beauty therapists for some wonderful treatments and pampering. The program also covers different aspects of women issues...hygiene grooming, women's health.

Mosaic is a new program, and the clients have really show their talents.

There is a group that travels to Alpha Heatherton once a week for an accredited course in Horticulture. Both centres work together and the clients are building great rapport with one another as they all engage in tasks such as mowing lawns, hazards and how to recognize them and planting seedlings or plants. Staff are well motivated to support the clients to develop the requirements needed to achieve this certificate.

Amy Forcier and Jorge Leiva, our two senior staff members have just picked up our new basketball T-Shirts for the guys. Donations were used for the purchase and we are thankful to those everyone who organized the shirts and had them numbered. Basketball is played at the kings' club home of the tigers. It's a friendly but competitive game and brings all other clients and services together for support and fun.

Terrace Camp 2008

First a big thank you ‘to all that attended the camp which was held at Portarlington , the first camp for 2008.

11 clients joined the four staff members in the big 4 caravan park, everyone had their own  confortable chalet type home.

The difference with this trip was that public transport was used to get there. After discussing with the clients the possibility of catching the vline and a bus as part of the trip, 5 guys put their hand up and were excited, there were no signs of stress there!! So after careful planning we were able to fulfill that trip, everyone loved it and so did the staff, the guys were so independent, it was so rewarding to see the interaction and appropriate behaviour they all displayed towards each other, as well as displaying maturity in the community. Everyone enojoyed the view and the luxury of the train . We got off at Geelong station and having a spare hour before our connecting bus, we walked across the park to have our lunch, before too long we climbed aboard the bus to portarlington.

We arrived soon after the other guys and proceeded to settle into the four days of relaxation socialization and fun for all.

We had a bbq. For dinner with everyone taking part in a task then ate till no one could move the food was wonderful.

It was fantastic to see the interaction between the guys and the friendship that these camps bring.

As we have a few older clients, we split the group so everyone could enjoy themselves at their own pace, the outings were held at different times, a few decided to go to the lighthouse and to watch the boats come into the bay in the morning, the ladies enjoyed the afternoon at Geelong  clothes and jewellery shopping , one again a communal bbq for dinner was voted by all and everyone took part in preparing, the girls helped with salads potatoes and dips with biscuits while the guys helped with the cooking, once that was out of the way everyone helped with cleaning and preparing to shower and gather at cabin of choice for assorted shows,

It was great to see how relaxed the guys were, they have grown more comfortable and trusting and it really shows, especially from the first camp. The following day the younger crowd went onto something fun and fast for the day, waterworld adventure park !! they all enjoyed the 80 metre aqua racer the tunnel of terror, the rapid rider, the adult jumping castle flying fox, and moon bikes One of the clients comment was" ( I have had some brilliant moments in my life, but today has been the best day of my life) all this can be seen by the photos taken, everyone was so happy and tired when the day was over.

staff organized a matinee for the older crowd, lunch and a walk on the beach to the pier, one of the ladies is doing a tapestry which she enjoyed doing, others read the paper and chatted, everyone was happy.

The evening came and we all got dressed up and attended the portarlington hotel for dinner a ritual at every camp.

The staff there were kind and the food was great, everyone enjoyed it, although tired from the day's full adventure.

As that was our last nite we all got stuck into the packing so we could make the dead line of 10am departure, everyone had an early nite, and once again another brilliant and successful trip.

Thanking Jorge for organizing the trip from scratch and to all other staff for the time given for it to happen.