Thursday, 14 November 2024 16:58
APPRENTICES RECOGNISED FOR DEDICATION, RESILIENCE
APPRENTICES from across NSW have been recognised for their dedication and resilience, receiving the Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarship, which offers life-changing support to those facing hardship.
This $15,000 scholarship, spread over three years, was awarded to 150 apprentices who have shown exceptional skill and commitment to vocational education and training, despite overcoming significant challenges.
The 2024 cohort of scholarship recipients includes 44 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander apprentices, 83 learners with disabilities, 57 women excelling in non-traditional trades, and 74 mature-aged apprentices.
Importantly, 113 of the recipients come from regional NSW, highlighting the program's broad reach and inclusivity.
The apprentices were awarded the scholarship for their exceptional commitment to ttrades. This scholarship will provide crucial financial support to help them succeed in their training.
The Bert Evans Apprentice Scholarships are open to all registered apprentices across NSW, including school-based apprentices, whether in metropolitan or regional areas.
Since its inception in 2014, this program has continued to be a beacon of opportunity, enabling apprentices to overcome financial barriers and achieve their goals.
Named in honour of the late Bert Evans AO, a lifelong advocate for vocational education, the scholarship continues his legacy of supporting apprentices and promoting vocational pathways as a foundation for success.
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Thursday, 14 November 2024 16:50
NEW COMMISSIONER TO LEAD THE SES
MINISTER for Emergency Services Jihad Dib has appointed a new Commissioner, Michael Wassing, to lead the NSW State Emergency Service (SES).
The SES is the lead emergency service agency in NSW for floods, storms and tsunami, providing support for communities through more than 11,000 volunteers operating from a network of over 260 sites across NSW. The SES works closely with other emergency service agencies and also provides road accident, search and rescue support when needed.
Mike Wassing has extensive experience in senior leadership roles in the emergency services in Queensland and Victoria. He joins the NSW SES from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority where he served as Deputy Commissioner.
Prior to this, Mr Wassing was Deputy Commissioner at Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) where he led the Readiness and Response Service and Fire Rescue Service from May 2022 to November 2023, and the State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service from September 2015 to May 2022.
At QFES, Mr Wassing played a pivotal role in the response to severe weather events including Tropical Cyclone Debbie (2017) and the 2022 East Coast floods which severely impacted South-East Queensland and NSW, as well as the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires as acting Commissioner.
The appointment follows a competitive recruitment process undertaken by the Department of Communities and Justice. Mr Wassing will take up his role from December 2, 2024.
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Saturday, 09 November 2024 15:02
PERMANENT BREASTSCREEN SERVICE AT BLACKTOWN
NEW permanent BreastScreen NSW clinic will soon be available in Blacktown, providing women in the community with access to free breast screening services all year round.
Minister for Health Ryan Park announced the new location, which will better support the almost 60 per cent of eligible women in the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) who are overdue for their two-yearly breast screen.
The new clinic at Warrick Lane, Blacktown, will be open in of the middle of 2025, seven days a week and will deliver vital breast screening services to more than 80,000 women who live and work in the Blacktown area.
A mobile screening van is currently active at various locations across the Blacktown Local Government Area, including the Blacktown Workers Sports Club and Blacktown City Council to service the Blacktown community.
Other western Sydney screening sites can also be found at Mount Druitt Hospital, Castle Towers Shopping Centre and Parramatta Westfield. There is capacity available at all of these clinics and mobile sites, with no delays for screening appointments.
You can find details of these locations as well as more screening centres near you at www.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au/your-mammogram-appointment/screening-centres or by calling 13 20 50.
For women aged 50-74 years, a breast screen every two years is the best way to detect breast cancer early, before it can be seen or felt. Breast screening is available from the age of 40.
BreastScreen NSW recommends Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have a mammogram every two years from age 40.
Anyone with breast symptoms should contact their GP or health worker without delay.
Any woman with a family history of breast cancer should discuss their needs with their GP. To book a mammogram with BreastScreen NSW, call 13 20 50 or visit BreastScreen NSW – Online booking.
Member for Blacktown, Stephen Bali said: “Having a permanent clinic at Blacktown will enable more western Sydney women to have this life-saving screening in a convenient location.
“This new clinic with comfortable surroundings will treat women with dignity and increase screening participation, which is lower for many multicultural communities, often due to barriers like language, health literacy and trauma.”
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