At our last meeting we had the pleasure of hearing from one of our organisations that we support through the Cruising Butterflies activity. Families with children with special needs from the Kalparrin community enjoy a day out on a boat run by the Cruising section of the South Perth Yacht Club.  Our club provides financial support for the day as well as some of our members make their boats available.

 

Kalparrin's CEO Carrie Clark thanked the club for our ongoing support of the Cruising Butterflies activity and informed the meeting about Kalparrin.

 

Kalparrin is Western Australia's oldest and largest member organisation, supporting 16500-plus members, who collectively represent 4,515 families raising 5925 children with disability, developmental delay, genetic, chronic medical and/or health conditions.

 

Membership is FREE and provides parents with access to a vast array of practical and emotional support, information, resources, opportunities and events as well as connection to a community of thousands of other parents raising children with disability and additional needs.

 

Carrie introduced their Super Power Kids project which has produced a beautiful book that celebrates the lives and abilities of children with a range of disabilities and conditions. 

 

The author of the book is Rachel Callander whose late daughter Evie who was born with a very rare chromosomal condition. In the two and a half years of Evie's life, Rachel learnt a lot about the use of language in the health system, and has spent the subsequent years continuing to explore the impact and implications on how it is used - to positive and negative effect.

 

Rachel believes our language shapes our landscape. The words we speak influence the behaviour, attitudes, and beliefs of ourselves and others. Within high-stakes contexts, such as the sharing of difficult information, our words carry an enormous emotional weight. They can alienate and add trauma, or they can honour and empower.

 

'These are the kids that Kalparrin supports and the best way to help them is to make sure their parents stay strong'.

 

Part of the tour was a visit to both the Dockers and Eagles player’s facilities which incorporated their Coaches briefing room, change rooms, recovery area, ice and heated baths concluding with the large warm up and exercise area used before the game. This room is what we see after the game on T.V. where the winning team’s song is sung.

Interesting to see a small prayer room is also made available to all players to accommodate for different religious beliefs.

 

To finish off the players side of the tour we then went through the gates into the interchange bench, overlooking the magnificent playing area.

6 curators are employed and responsible for the upkeep of this playing surface. Optus oval is one of the very few grounds built in modern times to have a totally flat surface.

After thanking Bob for his 1 and 1/4 hour tour we then dined at the River Room Restaurant which overlooks our beautiful city and Matagarup Bridge, which means in the Aboriginal Noongar language leg deep or shallow water.

A special thanks to Liz Palmer for organising  such a special day.