THE Stonehenge Wellness Forum is a great example of the old saying “from a small seed a mighty trunk may grow”.
The April 26 and 27 forum is the brainchild of the local fortnightly craft group and shows that no matter how small the community, great things can be achieved.
“Our craft days are held in conjunction with the RFDS clinic days and we saw how successful the inaugural Channel Country Ladies Day had been and we thought ‘why can’t we do something similar?’” said one of the organisers, Leonie Nunn.
“We had hosted workshops before – patchwork, mosaics, picture framing, even yoga and meditation, but we wanted something different and something in our town that would be of benefit to the wider community.”
And so with the support of the Stonehenge Action Group Incorporated, member Jenny Lindsay was both prolific and successful in her submissions to attract sponsorship and funding for the event.
Funding has flowed from the Barcoo Shire Council, RESQ, FRRR, Connellan Airways Trust, NAB, Suncorp Bank, RADF and the Longreach Regional Council.
“We would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our sponsors, who have been most generous.”
The forum offers a one-stop shop of beauty, health, massage, nutrition and fitness advice and presentations.
The aim of the weekend is to showcase local and regional health and support services, and to host a variety of interactive and beneficial wellbeing workshops for people in rural communities.
There will be an array of presenters who have offered their services from near and far and sessions will cover topics such as mental health, fitness, business and life success, motivation and fitness.
There is also a ceramic art class and Zumba session for those who are interested.
A variety of trade displays will be on hand during the weekend to showcase beauty, health, massage, nutrition and fitness products.
Men and women from all areas are encouraged to attend, with the registration cost being $75 for the entire weekend, which includes all meals and participation in all workshops.
In keeping with the local theme, Stonehenge Hotel’s Bridgette Cutler and Ash Beaton will cater a sumptuous sit-down dinner on the Saturday night of the forum.
The dinner is complimentary for those attending the forum and a partner or friend is also invited to the dinner at no cost. It’s an opportunity to dress up, catch up with friends and generally relax and enjoy the entertainment provided by Gold Coast comedienne Anne Ferguson-Howe.
As accommodation is at a premium, most people will be camping around the hall and the community centre.
- For more information contact Leonie Nunn on (07) 4658 9155.
Impressive presenter line-up
Jane Averill, senior pastor, Nexus Church, Everton Park:
“Living Extravagantly: Living Life to its Fullest”
Jane and her husband are the pastors of a thriving church in Brisbane called Nexus. Although she is now a city girl, her country upbringing on a property near Muttabaurra forms so much of the foundation of who she is. Her life is shaped by her faith in God and she takes great delight in her two adult girls, Emily and Alice, and the many women she shares her life with. She has always endeavoured to live life to its fullest capacity and her goals for 2014 are to remain optimistic despite the “tough stuff”.
Joy McClymont, personal trainer, Off the Track Training:
“Cracking the Whip to be Healthy and Fit”
Joy believes creating a lifelong relationship with exercise is achievable, regardless of who you are or where you live. It’s been the driving force behind the creation of Off the Track Training for people needing to “Go somewhere in the middle of nowhere”. Joy believes people in isolated and remote locations should and can have the opportunity to connect as a training group, learn about exercise, achieve their fitness goals and maintain motivation.
Dr Lisa Patterson-Kane, clinical psychologist, Central West Psychology:
“Recipe for Wellness”
Lisa is a clinical psychologist who operates her own private practice based in the New England region of New South Wales. Lisa and her husband have recently moved back to the New England region from Longreach to join the family grazing business. Lisa has combined her rural background and professional training in psychology to specialise in rural and remote mental health.
“Recipe to Resilience” will be an interactive workshop where participants will look at personal values to create a stronger and more resilient version of self by identifying what is important and living aligned with what is valued as important.
Kate Rose, dietitian, Central West Health:
“Smart Choices for Healthy Eating”
Kate Rose is an accredited practising dietitian and Central West Hospital and Health Service healthy lifestyles coordinator. Kate has worked over many nutrition disciplines since 2005, working as a quality control food officer for a large food company, research assistant at the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, nutrition assistant at Caloundra Hospital and has practised privately for many years. Kate moved to Longreach from the Sunshine Coast in 2012 to work as the Central West Hospital and Health Services healthy lifestyles coordinator. She has a keen interest in rural health, food insecurity, weight loss, diabetes and food allergies.
Robyn Pulman, organisational and personal coach:
“Creating Winning Habits”
Robyn’s core focus is leadership, communication and personal mastery.
After a short-lived teaching career and 12 years in senior corporate positions, Robyn has for more than 15 years been developing leaders, teams and individuals under the banner head of Creating Winning Habits/speaking, coaching, mentoring and consulting. Today, her offering is enriched by the earthy ideas and wisdom she has gleaned from living on her partner’s cattle and sheep station near Thargomindah in far western Queensland, studying the principles of effective animal handling for application in the human zoo.
Tania Buckley, personal trainer:
“Zumba”
Tania operates her own personal training business in Longreach.
Zumba is one of the most popular group fitness classes in the world. It combines dance moves inspired by samba, salsa, mambo and hip hop with classic moves from aerobics and martial arts, leaving you with a unique workout guaranteed to break a sweat and raise a smile. You don’t need to have a dance background or a lot of rhythm to enjoy this class – just bring your smile, joggers, water bottle and comfy exercise clothes!
Fiona Hamilton, artist
“Gentle Genres Ceramic Painting Art Class”
Gentle Genres has been chosen as the theme as we all have an ability to appreciate a favourite plant, flower, item and corner in, or view from our homes, despite trying times. We need to nurture this ability to recognise beauty in the everyday. Our “canvas” is a simple white china plate. We use special Pebeo ceramic paints, which need to be fired in a domestic oven and retain their glossy sheen even after washing in a dishwasher. Bring sketches or photos of your chosen genre motif to this session.