July 2023 Bulletin

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Neighbourhood Watch Annual Awards

Other good reasons to come to the AGM on 28 October 23 are to acknowledge and support our volunteers who have been nominated for outstanding service. Thanks to those people who took the time to put forward their nominations. A theme of Neighbourhood Watch is we are they because if we don’t act, it is unlikely that anyone else will. The names of Awards recipients for 2023 will be published before 30 September 23.

Get Online Week

Get Online Week runs from 16 to 22 October 2023. This is an opportunity for your Watch to provide a simple event for older Tasmanians to improve their confidence about being online. We may not like the fact that more and more services can only be accessed online – but it is becoming harder to beat the system.

Last year 10 Tasmanian Watches accepted the Neighbourhood Watch Australasia (NHWA) offer to receive a $700 grant for hosting a session with a flash morning tea and prizes. This simple exercise ticked many of the NHW boxes, particularly about community, engagement and doing something worthwhile for older members of your neighbourhood. If you want to do something – but don’t have a lot of time – this is for you.

What can the grant be used for?

New equipment
Marketing/promoting your event
Catering
Staff costs
Venue hire
Internet and devices
Raffles or prizes, and more!

GOLW applications are open now and close Friday 21 July 2023. So please be quick!!

Contact Lizzie at: admin@nhwa.com.au NHWA will submit the grant application, assist with the event if needed, and complete the grant acquittal.

And if you would really like to show some leadership – why not enrol for an online digital mentor course? It only takes a few hours, its free – and you might realise that you know more than you thought. Find it here at https://www.nhwa.com.au/resources/digital-mentor-training/ and send me an email when you have done it – it closes soon.

National Secure Your Home Day

Our Peak Body, Neighbourhood Watch Australasia (NHWA), is promoting National Secure Your Home Day on 23 & 24 September 23 (yes, that is two days – but that gives you twice the chance to do something about your home security). It is part of our Safe Australia for Everyone (SAFE) program.

There is one simple thing you can do to harden your security and reduce the risk of being a crime target by registering to receive your free National Secure Your Home Day Kit at: https://secureyourhomeday.com.au/. Do this and you will receive the following:

Home security checklist
Evidence-based and proactive security measures
Property target hardening techniques and tips
National Secure Your Home Day updates, including community events and activities in your local area.

Calendar Drawing Competition

Entries in our 2024 Calendar Drawing Competition for Primary School Students closed on 30 June 23. Thanks to everyone for promoting this competition. The difficult part starts now by working through all the entries and deciding on the winners. The final product that will be available at our AGM in the Country Club on 28 October 23. Put this date in your diary now as the Awards Ceremony will be our best one yet and even if you only come for the morning tea – you won’t be disappointed!

ACCCE Television Commercials

In collaboration with the Australian Centre for Countering Child Exploitation (ACCCE), Neighbourhood Watch Australasia (NHWA) is helping to keep children safe online with a series televised Community Service Announcements (CSAs). The message is about having open and honest conversations about online safety to protect young people from potential online sexual exploitation. It is a fact that children continue to be targeted by online predators. You can view these commercials by opening this link: https://www.nhwa.com.au/resources/tvc-messages/.

Police Transfers

The Police Service has often been referred to as One Career – One Hundred Jobs to describe the many opportunities that exist within modern policing. To provide variety and share knowledge and skills, senior officers are regularly transferred to new positions and locations. Future Bulletins will provide a snapshot of Inspectors who manage the state which is divided into 13 geographical divisions. This is timely as a number of those Inspectors have recently taken up their new position. In this Bulletin we start with Andrew Keane, in his own words.

Clarence is already a very safe city. However, like every other major city, it is facing a few challenges caused by a minority. The issues of hooning drivers, youth crime, shop-lifting and anti-social behaviour are some of the more significant concerns I hope to mitigate. I believe a back-to basics style of policing that spends time out amongst the community, combined with the adoption of emerging technologies will put us in good stead to make a difference.

It has been my experience that these challenges are more readily addressed when different levels of government and the public, all work together to solve them. Neighbourhood Watch is one of those key partners that can assist us to make Clarence safer. I encourage everyone to report crime and anti-social behaviour to the police every time it occurs. From that data, we can better shape our patrols and responses to ensure those who wish to cause trouble are held to account. I am confident that by working together we can continue to ensure Clarence remains a great place to live.”

Streetsmart Handbook

The latest edition of the Streetsmart Handbook, is now available online at: https://issuu.com/countrywideaustral/docs/tas_streetsmart_handbook_february_2023. This publication is designed as a practical resource to support young people as they transition to adulthood. Even if you are not a young person, check it out because there is a wealth of information in the latest edition about the benefits of a healthy mind and body. It is easy to read, and everyone will find something of interest for themselves or people they love.

And now for something completely different

For those readers who took up the challenge in the last edition. I am now informed:

12.6% of Australians aged 25-34 live with parents; 25% of Australian men sit down to pee; 5.8M people in Australia speak a language other than English, and 3.4% do not speak English well, or at all!

Key Dates for 2023

19 July CWAC at Meadow Mews, Kings Meadows at 11 am (SLCD)
29 July CWAC at Primrose Sands Community Hall
16 August CWAC at Prospect Vale Market Place at 11 am – (Blackstone Heights)
23 August CWAC at Glenorchy Central at 11 am
14 September RUOK Day
4 October International Coffee with a Cop Day
4 October CWAC at New Town Plaza at 11 am
4 October CWAC at Shadows Cafe, Gilbert Street, Latrobe (TBC)
11 October CWAC at Liv Eat, Glebe Hill Village (TBC)
16 – 22 October Get Online Week
28 October AGM and Awards Ceremony
6-12 November Neighbourhood Watch/Bunnings Crime Prevention Week.

And in conclusion.

Join NHWT online – it’s free!

“Don’t take the bull by the horns, take him by the tail; then you can let go when you want to! ” (Josh Billings).

Yours in Neighbourhood Watch
Peter Edwards, President
Good Neighbours Create Safer Communities

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