Attention Crestmead

“Over the past months there has been a rise in the number of instances of stealing of property from motor vehicles in the suburbs of Crestmead and Marsden. A majority of these stealing offences have occurred from vehicles parked in or at the front of private residences between the hours 4am and 12md.

Crestmead Police are conducting patrols and investigations in an attempt to reduce and solve these offences but we request vehicle owners to make sure that valuables are not left inside vehicle and make sure that your vehicle is locked whenever you leave it unattended.

You can also assist in the prevention of number plate thefts by replacing your number plate screws with SafePlate Screws which are available to be fitted to your vehicle at Crestmead Police Station each Friday between 9am and 12md. The Crestmead Volunteers in Policing are also conducting a SafePlate stall at the Marsden Park Shopping Centre on Thursday 27 November 2014 between 9am and 11am”

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NOVEMBER MEETING 2014

Crestmead Community Centre Café

(area right side of building)
NEXT NHW MEETING

MONDAY NOVEMBER

24th 6.30pm
AGM and End of Year Social

CRESTMEAD COMMUNITY CAROLS

Saturday December 6th 5pm - 8.30pm

PCYC BLUE LIGHT DISCO 12TH DECEMBER 6pm—8pm theme—CHRISTMAS

DEAF LIGHT DISCO 28th NOVEMBER
Final disco for the year for hearing impaired and their families/carers

2014 November NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
End of the year upon us & the festive sea-son & all that entails. Please make sure that when you are heading out for festive events you arrange for a designated driver who will not be drinking or arrange for a taxi the results of having that one drink too many or being involved in an incident caused by another driver’s reckless actions is just too horrendous to think of so make sure that transport is sorted out before you head off for parties etc. Then going away? Are you sure that your house will not advertise the fact? Do you have someone to pick up your free newspapers, mail & perhaps arrange to park their car in the driveway whilst you are away to give the impression that someone is at home? When it comes to disposing of the boxes that all those Christ-mas goodies come in, it is worthwhile re-flecting on not advertising that you now have that U Beaut flat screen tv, sound sys-tem or latest technological invention when you throw out the cardboard packages another sign for the criminal element to drop by your home and help themselves to an unearned gift. If you are having a party remember to consider your neighbours who may not like the choice of music, jokes and loud noise that your friends and family do just a kind word to let them know that there will be extra vehicles in the street and a warning of some noise would be appreci-ated & with that a lot of compromise can be achieved. Remember to register with the police through Party Safe let them know ahead of the event & that can save a lot of problems, & PLEASE do not advertise on facebook or other social media sites that can spell disaster. Perhaps take time too just to consider that neighbour that you occasionally say hello to when walking the dog or on your “power walks” - they may well be lonely over the Christmas/New Year season so just a few minutes to check that they are ok and whether they need any help for shopping etc could be the best Christmas present that you can give makes you feel good too!
Our final couple of events for the year are up-coming the AGM & end of year social at the Community Centre on Monday Nov 24th come & make some new friends & become part of your community. The Crestmead Community Carols take place on Saturday 6th Dec in Pinnington Park with lots of ac-tivities have a safe & peaceful summer & we look forward to lots of events in 2015. Take care Geoff

THANKS TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS DURING THE PAST YEAR INCLUDING:
Crimestoppers, Donna Lowe Photography, SES, PCYC - Braking the Cycle & Community Centre, Logan City Council - Logan City Safe & other De-partments plus councillors & mayor, Department of Transport & Main Roads, MP’s Jim Chalmers, Desley Scott & Michael Pucci, Logan Village RFB, St John Ambulance, RSPCA, Toll Group, Tough Toys, AA Amusements, Bendigo Bank, Cycling Qld, Harvey’s Towing, Yellow Cabs, Motorama, Logan & Greenbank Rotary, KENNARDS HIRE, Kingston Park Raceway, Homestead Fruit Market, STORAGE KING Kingston, Bunnings, Albert and Logan News amongst many others thanks to all.

IMPORTANT UPGRADE TO POLICELINK SERVICES
Reporting crime & contacting police online has been made easier in Qld following improvements to the Policelink App & online reporting services. An up-grade to the Policelink App for smartphones has been released with new features & a more user-friendly interface, making it simpler for the community to report non-urgent matters. It allows users to directly report non-urgent crimes such as stealing offences, as well as locate the nearest police station & also the lati-tude & longitude of their location, should it be needed when reporting incidents. A photo & video upload feature to include in reports, crime mapping, a rolling news screen & other features are also avail-able. There are now 20 reporting options from the QPS website which include noisy party reporting, ‘track-my-crime’, stolen property updates, hooning, wilful damage, taxi fare evasion, graffiti & withdrawal of complaint forms. Policelink is the QPS contact point for all non-urgent matters & it is important that all members of the public have access, not only for the benefit of QPS operations but for the safety & security of the community. At the touch of a button, users can conveniently & anonymously report non-urgent mat-ters & provide police with potentially vital evidence. Having it all packed into the one application and web-page, makes it much simpler for people to access the information & functions. The technology comple-ments the Policelink hotline which has processed more than 2.5 million calls since it was established in 2010 & provides further options for the hearing im-paired & non-speaking communities when seeking non urgent contact with Police. It is estimated the Policelink service saves more than 260,000 opera-tional hours each year which is redeployed to front line roles. The new Policelink App is available for free to download from the App Store for Apple de-vices& Google Play for Android devices. To report a crime or incident online or to track the progress of an investigation visit: www.police.qld.gov.au/online

LOGAN ROAD SAFETY EXPO 2014

 A BIG THANK YOU to

Michael Pucci and Desley Scott MLA

Mayor Pam Parker

 Councillors Phil Pidgeon and Cherie Dalley

for their generous donations towards

the road safety expo. 

We would also like to acknowledge

 the financial assistance given by

Toll Group and Bendigo Bank

as very much appreciated.

Many thanks to all those behind the scenes who are making the event possible - committee members and the stall holders who are giving up their precious time on a Sunday to make the expo an interesting and enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

Come along and be informed and entertained plenty for the children to take part in and lots for adults to see and do. 

Food and drink available and entry is FREE!!!!

2014 October NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
A look over your shoulder and it seems like the beginning of 2014 & this year we have had a very packed year of events. Our Road Safety Expo will be held on October 19th 10am - 4pm at Waller Park Browns Plains & is set to entertain & inform with a range of organisations to help us with safety on our roads. No matter how long you have been driving you can still gain valuable information to remain safe on our roads & our younger population will be quite surprised with the range of guidance available. Even our youngest are catered for with face painting, jumping castle, Little Squirt supervised rides & the Safety Truck from the Australian Truck Association has a cart track, activity tables and colouring books to occupy them. Look out for the posters & banners which are appearing in the Logan district and for those who need to have Safe PL8 screws affixed to their vehicles there will be Volunteers in Policing providing this service. Even those who use 2 wheels will be helped with Cycling Qld & their Jayco Trailer plus the Australian Skateboarding Community Initiative will be supported by Drawing Boards who will give plenty of info to up & coming skateboarders & scooter riders.
The best news of all is the event is free so I hope you will be able to come along to enjoy the day with food & drink available.
Don’t forget the last Grey Light disco of the year with a rock & roll theme October 24th 6pm to 9pm, cost $10 which includes BBQ dinner with tea/coffee & lucky door prize. Also a prize for best dressed rock & roller.
The sold out fundraising for cancer charities High Tea is being held the following day so a big month ahead - the Halloween theme Blue Light Disco is on October 10th 6pm-8pm prep to grade 7 - cost $5 non members $4 members. More info for all - 3805 4100.
Our last meeting of the year will be in November and combines the end of year social with our AGM so please come along to our new venue - the café area of the Community Centre which will soon be getting a facelift. Also we congratulate the PCYC in their recent successful grant application to get more equipment
to provide facilities for our ever growing suburb. Our annual state NHW conference is being held at Caloundra this year & I have been fortunate to be nominated for the district award - it will be an informative time with the future direction of NHW being foremost but we need to hear from our local residents as to what they would like from the group.
Please email me or comment on the facebook page if you would like to make a suggestion & we hope to have plenty of events next year to inform you of safety measures we can all take to feel more secure in our lives.
The continuing theft of motor vehicles from homes is a big worry but one that can be curtailed if only people make sure they lock their vehicles BUT IMPORTANTLY do not leave keys in plain sight for thieves to steal if they break into your home - we must all do our bit to put the criminal out of business. Two engine immobilisers will be given away at the expo thanks to the Logan City Council.
Take care Geoff

ROAD SAFETY EXPO - A BIG THANK YOU!
Toll Group for their huge donation to bring the Safety Truck to the expo. Bendigo Bank for a successful grant & local state members of parliament Michael Pucci & Desley Scott.
Logan City Mayor Pam Parker, Councillors Phil Pidgeon & Cherie Dalley for their kind donations and to Logan City Council.
Also to all the stakeholders who will be attending the event & for the support they have given this very important subject - do not only think of fatalities when crashes occur - there are always the ruined lives afterwards who never recover & for the families & friends who will have to spend their lives looking after those with preventable injuries.
Also all the emergency services who have the task of rescuing, attending to & clearing up after any of these incidents - they have to go home to their families and act as if it were just another day - except for some it isn’t.
Finally a very big pat on the back to all those who have worked hard to get the expo to this stage - the committee members, the QPS & others who are giving up valuable time to help our community - YOU ARE SO VERY MUCH APPRECIATED - thank you!

OCTOBER IS:

• Buy Nothing New Month

• Walktober

• Dogtober (assistance dogs month)

• Mental health week –5th—12th

• Anti Poverty week 12th—18th

• Carer’s week 12th –18th

• Eat Local—feed Global 12th –20th

• World Food Day 16th

SEPTEMBER MEETING 2014

Crestmead Community Centre
Café area right side of building
NEXT NHW MEETING

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH 6.30pm

PCYC—CRESTMEAD ANNUAL OUTDOOR SPECTACULAR (CAOS)
Crestmead Park 13th Sept 10am - 2pm

HANDMADE MARKETS

September 20th 9am to 1pm

PCYC BLUE LIGHT DISCO

12TH SEPT 6pm - 8pm

2014 September NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
Busy month just gone and lots more for the rest of the year. We had a great day at Bunnings Browns Plains for our fundrais-ing sausage sizzle and thanks to all who helped and bought on the day. The week of action was busy and we have a lot more people wishing to receive the newsletter by email - it is sent bcc so that you don’t get lots of junk mail from other people’s address lists. The police, VIP’s, Logan City Council and the Alcohol and Mental Health team (who were kept very busy with their alcohol and drugs advisory service) all gave a lot of assistance to our community and we were happy to give out free key rings, fridge magnets and lots of information ranging from how to keep safe on the internet, to being safe during the upcoming storm season. Talking of which NOW IS THE TIME to get the gutters & yard tidy & also plan your evacuation de-tails for all the family (including pets) in case we have a bad time during the next few months. If you want any information please contact Emergency Management Qld for assistance or check the Get Ready website - www.getready.qld.gov.au
PCYC have their annual CAOS event on 13th September so we may see you there, then the next event will be the Road Safety Expo on 19th October. Also helping to prepare the Crestmead Community Carols which will take place on Saturday December 6th at Pinnington Park. Hope to see you at an event coming up, take care Geoff


The Crestmead week of action was a great success with over 100 vehicles being fitted with SAFE PL8 screws to stop rego plates being stolen for drive offs or used in the com-mission of a crime. This service is continued at the police station by the wonderful VIP’s (Volunteers in Policing) & can be done Wednesdays and Fridays - ring the station to make arrangements if you are unable to attend on the above dates. This of course means that you are not inconvenienced which would happen if the plates were stolen never mind the added expense. We are happy to be able to provide these screws to the VIP’s through our fundraising efforts. Many thanks to all those who supported us by purchasing a raffle ticket & this was drawn after the family fun day at Pinnington Park on Saturday 30th August. We were blessed with great weather & plenty of people attended to take part in the activities. Many thanks to Logan City Council for arranging the event & for all the hard work undertaken by the Logan City Safe team - lots of children were happy with their craft projects & the kites they made were fly-ing well. The races were fun & there was even time for a couple of tug of war sessions.
The Aikido display given by Craig & the team showed how to use moves as self defence & you can get more information from the com-munity centre - 3805 4100 for classes. A great initiative for people of all ages. We were very pleased to see so many of our local coun-cil, state & federal representatives at the fun day & we look forward to their continued sup-port at our events.

STORAGE KING - A VERY BIG THANK YOU!
We have been extremely fortunate to have received the generosity of a donated storage unit at Storage King at Kingston for a year. This is most welcome since we have such a large supply of equipment and leaflets etc that storage was becoming a problem, but now our wishes have been granted.
Storage King has grown to be the largest self storage organisation in Australasia. Storage King’s primary objective is to maintain its position as the number one self storage brand in Australia.
Therefore we would recommend using this company should you need some space for those items that just don’t fit around the place & are stored outside (a great invitation to a passing thief!) or whilst you are renovating/decorating your homes. We are truly grateful for their generosity & again a big thank you!
Despite the recent comments in the media re the crime rate in Crestmead, please note that they were only taken from the source of one insur-ance company & in fact the CRIME RATE HAS GONE DOWN. So although some people may have other comments on the matter we were pleased that the Albert and Logan News gave coverage to this matter and the editor Andrew Dawson also made mention of it (and our group) in his weekly session on the Spencer Howson program on Friday 29th August just before 6am. It is good when both sides of a story are shown, however that does not mean that everything is rosy. We all need to do our bit to reduce the rate of crime and if you see something suspicious let the police know - 131 444 through Police Link or Crimestoppers 1800 333 000
We all need to help our community grow and it would be great to welcome you to our group if you can attend an upcoming meeting.

AUGUST MEETING 2014

Crestmead Community Centre
NEXT NHW MEETING

MONDAY
AUGUST 25TH 6.30pm

CRESTMEAD WEEK OF ACTION
See below for details of locations
 

BUNNINGS BBQ FUNDRAISER
SUNDAY AUGUST 24TH 9am - 4pm
 

COMMUNITY PICNIC AND FUN DAY
Saturday August 30th
Pinnington Park 11am - 2pm
 

CRESTMEAD 40+ CLUB (all welcome)

GAMES DAY FRIDAY 29TH AUGUST 10am - 1pm

2014 August NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
A very busy month ahead for August and we hope to see some of you at our upcom-ing events. Please note that we are run-ning a raffle at the week of action stalls - prizes include a family pass to Kingston Park Raceway (value over $400), a gift voucher kindly donated by Logan City Council & an Entertainment Book which has over $20000 worth of savings - so please support our group - tickets $1 each or 3 for $2.
A big thanks to Councillor Phil Pidgeon for his very kind donation to enable us to purchase a Tablet computer which we can use at outdoor events. Also for funds to-wards our printing costs which bring the monthly newsletter to you. Thanks too for Browns Plains Good Guys for giving us such a good deal & supporting Crestmead NHW - please in turn support them when thinking of purchasing electrical goods.
Following on from our speaker from the Office of Fair Trading in June, please be advised that the ACCC will be sending out 400 letters per fortnight to consumers warning them that they may be the target of a relationship scammer. This is in a bid to protect the thousands of people who are affected & lose over $25 million a year. There is also the problem that some scammers are sending out advice that they can get your money back for you in these relationship scams - DO NOT BE FOOLED THIS IS ALSO A SCAM!! For up to date information see www.scamwatch.gov.au
Take care Geoff



CRESTMEAD WEEK OF ACTION
August 25th - 30th
Crestmead NHW is pleased to be joining with Queensland Police Service & Logan City Council in a new initiative to be held at the end of the month. There will be a range of free & exciting activities for residents with something to interest everyone.
During the week there will be stalls at the Crestmead Central (Waratah Drive) & Julie Street shops manned by representatives from various organisations including Crimestop-pers, PCYC, QPS & Logan City Council to en-able you to make yourself & your property safe and secure.

Volunteers in Policing will be available to fit Safe PL8 screws to your cars & give out very handy hints regarding security at home. We hope also to have some door guards to fix to security screens which will make your homes safer.

On Saturday 30th August there will be a free picnic in Pinnington Park which will be an opportunity for families to come together & enjoy a range of free entertainment & activities.

Our next Bunnings BBQ is on Sunday August 24th - hope to see you there!

Our next NHW meeting will have Logan City Safe representative to give updates on safety initiatives for our area and a few giveaways.
Come and say g’day and meet Councillor Phil Pidgeon & QPS at Kensington Fair Bakery Julie St 10am to 2pm Friday 29th August.


CRESTMEAD FACTS
How well do you know your suburb? The area was first settled in 1885 by a group of Swedish settlers. In December 1885 the area which is now Crestmead Industrial Estate was first used growing potatoes, turnips, oats & maize, also used for grazing cattle horses. Mans Trulson had a slab house with a shingle roof in the area now used by St Francis College. John and George Hubner started agricultural farm selections around 1893, so you can see where a couple of the road names come from! Crestmead School was opened in 1984 (happy birthday) and Crestmead was gazetted in 1987 although part of the suburb was under the area of Marsden until a few years later.
It is populated by one of the most varied ethnic mixes & over 30% of the population was born overseas. There are almost 12000 residents (sorry we cannot get this newsletter to all homes!) out of a population of over 300,000 in Logan City. With 60% of residents aged 34 & under it is also one of the “youngest” suburbs - hence a lot of schools & activities aimed at younger people - PCYC is a good place to start if you are looking for things to do.
A very interesting fact is that almost 12% of the population volunteers for a group or organisation & another 11% undertake unpaid care, help or assistance to family members or others. With a further almost 37% caring for children (their own or others) in an unpaid capacity. Just goes to show what a caring suburb we are and a little help goes a long way.
This information was provided on the Logan City Council website and ABS website.

2014 Crestmead Action Week

Games Day on Friday 29^th August. 

9am to 12pm.

The cost is $5.00 pp and includes morning tea.

 This event is planned as a fun day with games and activities for people of all levels of fitness, including some that can be played in a seated position. 

We welcome participation by members of your group and also the wider community.

Please RSVP interest and numbers by the 22^nd.

For more information please contact Robin Gallen. 3388 4442

JULY MEETING 2014

Crestmead Community Centre
NEXT NHW MEETING

MONDAY JULY 28TH

2014 July NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
What an excellent & informative talk by Bob Walker from the Office of Fair Trading regarding scams at our June meeting. There are some hints printed on this newsletter to try and steer you away from getting taken in-sad tale is that so many people are but as usual if it seems too good to be true it usually is. Don’t fall for greed, sob stories or contact from the criminal element out there - many of them are in far away places so beware!
In addition to the Crime stats shown over-leaf there seems a worrying trend relating to other theft offences at the Julie Street area of shops with a higher amount of shoplifting - if you see this happening please alert the shopkeepers - it is their livelihoods & you will only end up paying higher charges for goods to cover the losses. Stealing is stealing. There were also additional offences of Handling Stolen Goods which normally do not appear on our list - again a worrying trend so if you are offered something for a lot less than it would cost retail, just think - is it worth the risk??
Our next Bunnings BBQ is on Sunday 24th August & we will also be at the BBQ in Pinnington Park on Saturday 30th.
Please be advised that the JP service at Crestmead Police station will not be avail-able on Monday but is still there on Wednesday & Friday.
I hope you find the insert from the PCYC interesting & that you will be able to sup-port some of the events. Take care Geoff

CRESTMEAD WEEK OF ACTION
August 25th - 30th
Crestmead NHW is pleased to be joining with Queensland Police Service & Logan City Council in a new initiative to be held at the end of August. There will be a range of free & exciting activities for residents with something to interest everyone.
During the week there will be stalls at the Waratah Drive & Julie Street shops manned by representatives from various organisations including Crimestoppers, PCYC, QPS & Logan City Council to enable you to make yourself & your property safe and secure.
Volunteers in Policing will be available to fit Safe PL8 screws to your cars & give out very handy hints regarding security at home.
On Saturday 30th August there will be a free picnic in Pinnington Park which will be an opportunity for families to come together & enjoy a range of free entertainment & activities.

MUSIC AND YOUR NEIGHBOURS
It is worth remembering that your taste in music may not be the same as that of your neighbours so there is no need to play it so loudly that they can hear it. At any time of the day if your neighbour thinks it is too loud they can report it to police & you could be given a direction to turn it down. Police can direct you to not play music for 4 days & should you ignore that the police can seize your stereo & send you to court. We should all try to show courtesy to our fellow residents

SCAMS—FACTS AND HINTS

• 1 in 20 people will fall victim

• Almost 52% of scams are by phone

• Most scams will involve funds between $100—$499

• Ensure that websites have the locked pad-lock logo and if site is prefixed by https:// that shows it is a secure site

• Charity scams will not provide much if any money to the charity itself and many scam-mers will sell lists to other scammers so if you are sending a message on to other peo-ple ensure that you bcc the email rather than just forward it—everyone who is al-ready included in the address part of the message has the possibility of infecting YOUR computer or you doing that to THOSE people

• In 2013 losses were reported to the ACCC of over $89 million—the true figure would be at least twice that amount

• Upfront fee scam—normally for a share in money or a fake inheritance

• Lottery, sweepstakes & competition scams—if you have not entered how could you possibly win?

• Dating & romance scams—don’t let love byte you online

• Computer hacking—get the best firewall & anti spy software that you can buy

• Online shopping, classifieds & auction scams—you may not get what you have paid for so check if reputable

• Banking, credit card & online account scams—keep all your financial details secure & your money safe

• Small business scams—false bills, office supply, directories or fax back scams

• Job & employment scams—if big income is guaranteed then beware—do your research

• Golden opportunity & gambling scams—is it really risk free investment? Why would a stranger share it with you & others?

• Charity & medical scams—check with the charity first & there are no miracle cures

JUNE MEETING 2014

Crestmead Community Centre
MONDAY June 30th
Speaker Bob Walker from Office of
Fair Trading talking about scams
and how to protect your identity
online and in everyday situations
 

PCYC BLUE LIGHT DISCO’s
July 11th 6pm - 8pm

HANDMADE MARKETS
Crestmead Community Centre July 26th

2014 June NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
Firstly a big thanks to all those who supported our sausage sizzle day at Bunnings Browns Plains on June 8th and thanks too for the donation from Michael Pucci much appreciated. These fundraising events all go towards our programs during the year which for example allow for safe plate screws to be supplied to the VIP’s at their various promotions at car parks and the police station. Don’t forget that you can get yours fitted for free on Mondays between 3pm and 5pm, Wednesday and Fridays between 8.30am and 12.30pm. JP’s are also available at the police station at those times should you need their services.
Our other programs are the Road Safety Expo coming up in October, Neighbour Day and the Crestmead Community Carols so please note that our next Bunnings BBQ will be at the Browns Plains store on Sunday August 24th. Thanks also to our volunteers who spent a very busy day at the store.
Our speaker this month is from the Office of Fair Trading and I would urge you to come along and find out how to avoid being targeted with scams etc which still seem to be hitting many people despite all the warnings. The perpetrators are just as much criminals as those who rob and maim so let us all get together and try to defeat this type of crime and spread the word to our friends and families. Hope to see you at the next meeting.
Take care Geoff

THINKUKNOW.org.au
The vision of the QPS is for members of the community to work with Qld Police to stop crime & make Queensland safer. In support of this vision, the QPS through the NHW program are encouraging the community to work together to promote a safer digital environment for all.
Think U Know is an internet safety program delivering interactive programs to parents, carers, teachers, & young people through schools and organisations across Australia using a network of accredited trainers.
Created by the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP Centre) thinkUknow has been developed by the AFP, Microsoft Australia & Datacom, supported by the Northern Territory Police, Queensland Police Service, South Australia Police, Western Australia Police, Neighbourhood Watch Australasia & ninemsn. For more in-formation on thinkUknow initiative visit:
http://www.afp.gov.au.policing/cybercrime/crime-prevention.aspx
Just mentioning a very touching award made by Desley Scott MLA at her final Qld Week awards on June 7th, to Wendy & Geoff Smith for their work with Crestmead NHW group it was accepted on behalf of all the volunteers who make up the group since we can’t run the group without support. Thank you Desley & a big thanks for all the support that you have given our group over the years, & wishing you a very enjoyable & relaxing retirement when you leave parliament.

NHW BLOG
Do you want immediate statistics and infor-mation regarding crime in your area? Do you want to improve communication between yourself, police and your community? Do you want to help build a safer environment? Are you willing to help police to fight crime?
NHW has gone online and you can be involved. It’s as easy as subscribing to your local blog on the link below:
http://logan.nhwq.org
To register for updates, enter your email address in the top right section. Choose Logan in the drop down menu for local updates.
Then choose whether you want to receive information immediately, daily or weekly.

POLICE EXPO
There will be a celebration to mark the 150 years of Queensland Police Service to the Qld community at Brisbane Convention and Exhi-bition Centre on 22 - 23 August this year. Individuals who attend will be asked to make a gold coin donation but school group entry will be free. It will run from 9am-7pm on Friday 22nd August & from 9am-4pm on Sat-urday 23rd August so there will be a lot to see & plenty of information for those who are thinking of becoming a Police Officer or who want information on the types of sections that make up the QPS. More information next month & on the NHW Blog (see above)

MAY MEETING 2014

Next Meeting at
Crestmead Community Centre
MONDAY May 26th 6.30pm
Following meeting June 30th
Speaker Bob Walker from Office of
Fair Trading talking about scams
and how to protect your identity
online and in everyday situations
 

PCYC BLUE LIGHT DISCO’s
June 13th 6pm—8pm

DEAF LIGHT DISCO 23rd May 6pm—
8.30pm

GREY LIGHT DISCO 30th May 6—9pm

2014 May NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
I would like to thank our speaker for April Ross Thompson from the Qld Homicide Victims Support Group who gave a very inspiring talk regarding One Punch Can Kill and the ramifications of taking that one silly step that could lead to life long changes. Not only are people killed from a bad choice of action but the victim could end up needing life long medical support and the costs that ensue, and also the offender could be affected by a criminal record which could prevent them from many things such as not being able to obtain a passport, employment and insurance restrictions too. So the way to
avoid the terrible results would be to walk away - be a Hero and live for another day.
Also remember that the impact affects so many people - the “ripple effect” - and this spreads out to your family, friends and colleagues. Currently the group supports about 4000 people and they receive no funding from government - so if you are interested in helping out financially or perhaps to volunteer the web site is www.qhvsg.org.au or look up on www.facebook.com/DaisyChainFoundation There is a 24 hour helpline also - free call 1800 774 744
We have no speaker for this month but in June we have Bob Walker from the Office of Fair Trading. Lots of information regarding scams, how to avoid being “had” and what your rights are - come along and join us for a cuppa and we will welcome you to our group.
Domestic and Family Violence Awareness month is held in May. If you are (or know someone who is) affected by this dreadful abuse, you can obtain help from several different sources. Of course there are many forms of abuse - domestic violence can be physical abuse, emotional abuse, elder abuse,
verbal abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse, social abuse, stalking, spiritual abuse and cultural abuse.
Don’t let concern become regret - phone 1800 811 811 for confidential domestic violence support and advice or go to www.qld.gov.au/makethecall Freecall DVConnect Mensline - 1800 600 636 Uniting Care Community Elder’s Abuse Helpline - 1300 651 192 between 9am and 5pm M-F or the Seniors One Stop info line - 1300 135 500 (same hours) Womens Info Link—1800 177 577 8am to 5pm (M-F) or visit www.women.qld.gov.au or email info@women.qld.gov.au
For youngsters there are the Kids Help Line 1800 551 800, Brisbane Youth Services 3252 3750, Bravehearts 1800 114 474 or WAVSS 3808 5566.
For those from non English speaking backgrounds the interpreting service is available on 13 14 50, Immigrant Womens Support Service 3846 3490, ACCES Services Inc 3412 8222 and Multilink 3808 4463.
DO NOT LET DV OF ANY SORT CARRY ON—YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO HELP
We are currently organising a HIGH TEA to be held on Saturday October 25th at Crestmead Community Centre. Plans are progressing well and we hope to serve 100 people with a variety of sweet & savoury goodies, teas & coffees of course in proper china cups & saucers!! Raffles, giveaways & a fun time is assured. Please note your diary for this event as the proceeds are for Cancer Research particularly breast and gynaecological cancers. More information in later newsletters and we hope to have a good support from you all. If any of you wish to donate prizes for our raffle please contact by mail or email addresses overleaf and in advance many thanks to you for your generosity.
We hope to have a speaker later in the year regarding prostate cancer, and we may be able to arrange a daytime meeting if that suits people better for those who are not at work during the day or do not like to come out to evening meetings.
Finally don’t forget WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY ON May 23rd and FATALITY FREE FRIDAY, on May 30th. Ideally we should all aim for every day to be Fatality Free but please take care when out and about. You not only have to drive to the conditions but also to anticipate those other road users who are not as competent in road skills.
Just a note from our VIP friends at the police station, a JP is available at the following times: Monday 3pm –5pm, Wednesday and Friday 8.30am –12.30pm and Safe PL8 screws are available at those times also –may fit in better with commute times. Thanks VIP’s! Thanks also to all the volunteers out there—Volunteer week in May salutes you all
Take care Geoff

APRIL MEETING 2014

Next Meeting at
Crestmead Community Centre
MONDAY April 28th 6.30pm
Speaker Ross Thompson Qld
Homicide Victims Support group
talking about
“ONE PUNCH CAN KILL”

PCYC BLUE LIGHT DISCO’s
May 9th and June 13th 6pm—8pm

DEAF LIGHT DISCO 23rd May

GREY LIGHT DISCO 30th May

2014 April NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
Thanks to all of you who supported the book sale on March 15th and unfortu-nately the Neighbour Day event on March 30th had to be postponed due to the rain. We intend to hold it again on Sun-day April 13th weather permitting!! Thanks go to Geoff and his team at Kensington Fair bakery for donating the bread for our sausage sizzle. Logan City Council for donating food and giveaways for the event and thanks too for Hasina for her colourful face painting work. We hope that all who attend will have had an en-joyable time meeting new neighbours.
As a follow up to the comments in our March newsletter regarding pool inspections we also have the name of another inspector who lives locally - contact Col Myers on 0411 619 223.
Thanks to Donna our speaker from PACT for the informative talk at our last meet-ing. Just to let you know that PACT helps out with child witness support programs, therapy and child advocacy. More infor-mation from PACT - 3290 0111, or email pact@pact.org.au Our next meeting will have Ross Thompson from the “ONE PUNCH CAN KILL” campaign and I urge you to come along and find out how we can all learn from this and help to spread the message.
In addition to our Bunnings sausage sizzle on June 8th we have been invited to have another one on Sunday August 24th so the funds raised will help towards our Road Safety Expo on Sunday 14th
October. We have big plans for this event & a lot of interactive displays will be available for young and old.
A current complaint is regarding the scooters, dirt bikes and other unregistered vehicles that are causing a lot of bother on Crestmead
roads at the moment. Please be advised that Crestmead police in conjunction with Logan City Council are taking action on these bikes and have identified a few of the riders and enforcement action WILL be taken. If you see any of these offenders please note the time & date, type of vehicle, clothing of rider & colour of bike so that they can be identified when po-lice lay charges. If you are able to get a photo/video even better. A lot of the problems seem to be in Coffey & Carinya Parks but wherever they are contact Policelink on 131 444 or the hoon hotline 131 4666.
I hope that you all remembered to replace your smoke alarm batteries on April 1st - if you forgot do it now. A smoke alarm with dead (or even worse missing) batteries is of no use at all so do the right thing. People die from SMOKE inhalation before the FIRE can KILL them.
Anyone who wants to order an Entertainment Guide please contact crestmeadnhw@hotmail.com or go to our secure on line page to order a book or digital membership - yes you can download onto your smartphone and have all the vouchers at hand with no excuse that you have forgotten to take your book with you. They are $65 each and are valid to 1st June 2015. order at:
www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/22s6325
I look forward to seeing you at a future event take care Geoff
As many of you have commented there is a lot of anguish regarding fireworks being let off - of course frightening for animals as well as people. Please note the following from the Department of Natural Resources and Mines website.

Illegal fireworks
It is illegal to possess or use fireworks in Queensland without a licence. Fireworks can only be bought, stored, transported and used by properly trained and licensed professionals who understand the hazards and risks. Information on illegal fireworks activities should be reported to the Explosives Inspectorate, or to the police.
The following people all must be authorised:
fireworks supplier, manufacturer and/or importer
fireworks contractor
fireworks operator
fireworks transporter (if relevant), and
fireworks storer (if relevant).
If the fireworks contractor is an individual, the con-tractor must also be an authorised fireworks operator. If the fireworks contractor is a corporation, the corpo-ration must have a nominated licensed fireworks op-erator who otherwise qualifies as a fireworks contractor.
Far too many injuries are caused by these illegal fire-works so if you like them - go to a proper event don’t take a chance and don’t upset your neighbours and animals who really do get very scared by the noises.

2014 Neighbour Day

Neighbour Day

is on this

Sunday April 13th

between

11am and 2pm

at

 Brabham Park,

on

Brabham Street

Crestmead.

MARCH MEETING 2014

Next Meeting at
Crestmead Community Centre
MONDAY March 31st 6.30pm
Speaker from P.A.C.T.

COMMUNITY BOOKSALE Saturday
15th March 9am—2pm

Logan West Library

Grand Plaza Drive

NEIGHBOUR DAY

30TH March

11am to 2pm 

Brabham Park, Julie St, Crestmead

PCYC BLUE LIGHT DISCO
March 14th 6pm—8pm

2014 March NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
Busy month ahead with the book sale at Logan West (Grand Plaza) library on March 15th and the Neighbour Day event in Brabham Park on Sunday March 30th between 11am and 2pm. Come along and meet some new friends. We hope this will encourage people to look out for one another and put a bit of the community spirit back into our own and others lives.

Responsibility for Australia’s annual cele-bration of community, Neighbour Day, was assumed by Relationships Australia from 1/1/2014. It brings together the people next door or across the street for a beer, a barbie or just a cuppa.

Held on the last Sunday in March every year, it’s the perfect day to say thanks for being a great neighbour and for being there when I needed you most. Our event will have a prize draw where you can nominate someone you regard as the per-fect neighbour—a great prize is there for the winner. There will be a sausage sizzle, face painting and drinks available plus some exhibits to help us all enjoy our local community.

REMEMBER THE COMMUNITY YOU WANT STARTS AT YOUR FRONT DOOR

If you have any particular concerns you would like covered at future meetings please email crestmeadnhw@hotmail.com

What a wonderful meeting we held last month with Andrew Plint from Hannah’s Foundation speaking about his journey following the death of his daughter & how he has progressed to helping others. We were also joined by Michael Pucci MLA who gave infor-mation & resuscitation charts for those with pools & these will be available at both the Neighbour Day event & next meeting. All new swimming pools require a building approval - a state based pool safe register operates in Qld. Failing to register your pool can result in an on the spot fine of $220 or a maximum penalty of $2200. All inflatable pools & spas capable of being filled with 300 mls or more of water, have a volume of more than 2000 litres or has a filtration system are affected by the new laws. They must have a pool fence, be registered and obtain a certifi-cate from a licensed building certifier that the pool complies with the pool safety standard. If a swimming pool is included as part of a rental property the maintenance should be covered in the special terms of the tenancy agreement. The tenant is generally responsi-ble for everyday maintenance such as clean-ing leaves from the pool etc. The lessor must have a pool safety compliance certificate from a licensed pool inspector prior to renting the property & should include a copy with the ten-ancy agreement.
Pool owners have until 30/11/2015 to comply with the pool safety laws or earlier if they sell or lease their property before this time. Andrew is a qualified pool inspector and can help with advice.
For more information contact Andrew 07 5465 2000 or www.hannasfoundation.org.au
There is of course much more to be considered for a pool safety checklist such as the type of gate, what is around the fence, whether a CPR sign is on display, whether there are climbable items which need to be removed from near the fence etc. You can contact mypoolinspection.com.au or ph 1300 86 64 63

Our next meeting will have a spokesperson from PACT—Protecting All Children Today and we hope you will find this useful for yourself or others you know may need assistance. PACT’s mission is to enhance child protection by reducing trauma experienced by children (aged 3—17) and young people who are required to give evidence in the criminal justice system as victims or witnesses.

We thank Michael Pucci who has agreed to come along to another meeting in a couple of months time to answer specific questions you may have about our current laws etc. He is always willing to speak to residents at his offices at Hillcrest but if you would like to nominate any particular question to be raised with him please contact NHW either by mail—PO Box 1121 Browns Plains 4118 or email crestmeadnhw@hotmail.com and we will raise the matter with Michael. Do you have a specific query with law and order or the motorcycle gang laws? Do you think the laws regarding late night drinking need to be reconsidered? Anything you wish to raise (keeping your language reasonable please) will be put to him at a future meeting, and he will bring along information for our use.

I look forward to seeing you at a future event take care Geoff

FEBURARY MEETING 2014

Next Meeting at
Crestmead Community Centre
MONDAY February 24th 6.30pm
Andrew Plint from
Hannah’s Foundation to speak
about how to
prevent swimming accidents
MARCH 24th 6.30pm

PCYC BLUE LIGHT DISCO
March 14th 6pm—8pm

2014 February NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
Our next meeting will be held at the Community Centre with Andrew Plint from Hannah’s  Foundation speaking about how to prevent accidents in pools, at the beach and dams. This is vital  information for all and I encourage you to come along and you never know you may be able to save a  life with this knowledge. Andrew and his associates gave much support to those affected by the  floods during our last two disasters and we will also have Michael Pucci in attendance with  resuscitation charts for you. Please let us know if there are any particular speakers you would like to  attend future meetings—we are willing to try and provide people who can help us all in our day to  day lives.

We are holding a Neighbour Day event in Brabham Park off Julie Street on Sunday March 30th. There will be sausage sizzle, drinks and face painting available and this is the ideal opportunity to get together and meet new friends in your area. Don’t forget that many people feel isolated even though we live in a very busy suburb and it does not take a lot of effort to say hello to your neighbours and see if there is anything you can do to help them - the deed may be returned to you one day!
Our annual book sale will be held at the Logan West library on Grand Plaza Drive on March 15th so advance notice to come along and pick up books, cd’s, audio books, magazines for a great price - nothing over $2. There will be books to suit all ages.

You will see by the statistics this month that there have been several assault offences. Bear in mind the recent tragic deaths which have occurred by people who have been assaulted - please remember it is easier to walk away than be placed on life support or spend years recovering from a moment’s madness. Many assaults take place under the influence of alcohol or drugs so if you are out with friends - look after one another and make sure that you are able to get home to your families.
You will also note multiple offences in the same area and on the same day - please look out in your neighbourhood. We all see and hear things that just don’t seem right but too many people these days “don’t want to get involved” or think that someone else will report suspicions. We need to look out for each other and get back to community spirit. A recent trip through country NSW and ACT showed how towns and villages were quite proud of having their NHW signs on display. If you see something suspicious get in touch with police link 131 444. The high number of offences which are being solved is down to the extra police we have patrolling the area and you may see the police out on bikes - this is another initiative which allows for the police to get to places that perhaps would be difficult for squad cars to reach.
Harmony Day will be held on March 21st and the Harmony Float Parade will leave Logan Plaza and Harmony In The Gardens will take place at Logan Gardens in Civic Parade between 11am and 3.30pm. This celebrates the One City One People project and is an ideal way to celebrate our  wonderful mix of cultures in the city to enhance positive perceptions of cultural diversity and social cohesion. Remember EVERYONE BELONGS!

Finally good luck to Sandie &Tony from the Coffee Club in Browns Plains & Jimboomba who are doing a motorbike trip to Tasmania to raise funds for Prostate Cancer. We wish them a successful and safe trip.
I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events. Take care Geoff


Far too many vehicle thefts these days are the result of keys taken from homes - put them in less obvious places and make sure that cars are locked even when parked in your driveway or garage. Remove Sat Nav devices from cars when parked - a thief only needs to type home and the address will be plain for criminals to plunder your homes - don’t make life so easy for them!!

JANUARRY MEETING 2014

Next Meeting at Crestmead PCYC
MONDAY January 27th 6.30pm

The following meeting will have a speaker to discuss POOL SAFETY and about how to prevent swimming and water related accidents

FEBRUARY 24th 6.30pm
 

PCYC BLUE LIGHT DISCO
February 14th 6pm - 8pm

2014 Januarry NEWSLETTER

Message from The Area Coordinator
What a start to the new year with the extreme weather. It is hoped that you will have taken some notice of the advertising in the media but if not please see the information needed to GET READY for adverse conditions. First big storm of the new year the SES were called out many times to situations which could have been avoided if people had cleaned out their gutters as advised. This will save the possibility of a leaking roof or much worse damage.
Thanks to all of you who attended Crestmead Community Carols at the beginning of December and to those who supported our group by purchasing raffle tickets. We hope that you enjoyed the evening and plans will be in place for another event this year hopefully with the renovations of Pinnington Park to be completed by then. Councillor Phil Pidgeon is to acknowledged for getting the event off the ground and thanks to all who helped get the event going.
That includes PCYC, Bendigo Bank, Logan Village Fire Brigade and Crestmead Police for escorting Santa to the event and the Kingsridge Church and Good News Theatre - the animals were a great hit!

Our events this year will hopefully involve some day time meetings for those who are unable to attend in the evening. Also Neighbour Day in March, and combined events with the Crestmead PCYC such as movies in the park amongst others. Following the Road Safety Expo last year we will be holding another in October which is primed to be bigger and better. I hope that you will support our fundraising and social events and if there is any particular subject you would like addressed at our monthly meetings please let me know by email (address overleaf) and we will try and arrange for it to be covered.
With the current weather conditions as they are the threat of bushfires is still possible and therefore we must all be on our guard. Just because we live in suburbia does not mean that a bushfire along Bumstead Road, Browns Plains Road, Chambers Flat Rd or Clarke Road would not affect the houses on opposite sides of the roads - fires can jump great distances and the embers can be carried in the wind to light the leaves in your gutters, the pile of rubbish in your yard you have been meaning to take to the tip or even setting alight power lines which can then fall and start fires in different areas.
Good news from the Qld Police that another POLAIR is to be used in south east Qld - it is a great resource for helping our police and keeping us safe. We know POLAIR 1 has been in use many times over Logan but should feel reassured by it’s presence rather than annoyed with any noise that may accompany it.
Finally a note about the statistics- these have been taken from the map which can be accessed online through the NHWQ website. I have included a few other offences which we have not covered before and you will note that it covers a much longer period than usual. However the GOOD news is that many of the offences have been solved therefore it is reassuring that the increase in police numbers that are now available to our local stations are having a big difference. Take care Geoff

GET READY QUEENSLAND
Step 1 PREPARE YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN
Are you in a flood prone area, surrounded by bush or were you affected by the Australia Day event last year with the tail end of Cyclone Oswald? If you are separated when a disaster happens (at school or work etc) how will you stay in touch and where will you meet up? Where would you go if you need to evacuate your household? Compile a list of emergency contact phone numbers. If anyone in the family has specific medical conditions or special needs and will need assistance are you prepared? What plans do you need to make for your pets?
Step 2 PREPARE YOUR EMERGENCY KIT include
Items you would need for at least 3 days in case of disruption to essential services such as power and water supplies. Keep your kit in a waterproof storage container and store in an easy to access location. Check the kit every few months to stock up and rotate supplies (including medication) to ensure that provisions are fresh and safe to use.
Also include the equipment you need to prepare meals with no power.
Step 3 PREPARE YOUR HOME
Keep your roof in good condition and check it regularly.
Keep gutters and downpipes clear so that water can drain away quickly. Trim trees and overhanging branches but BE AWARE OF ANY OVERHEAD POWERLINES Check and fix any corrosion, rotten timber, termite infestations and loose fittings. Ensure that your home, contents and car insurance is current and adequate. Check if your policy includes debris clean up and removal. Identify your strongest room to shelter in during a severe storm or cyclone. Identify where and how to turn off the main supply for water, power and gas. Have items on hand such as water storage containers, spare fuel for your vehicle, camp stove & fuel for cooking without power etc.
Step 4 TUNE INTO WARNINGS
Tune in to your local radio and TV station to listen for warnings and weather updates and local community safety announcements. Log on to the Bureau of Meteorology (www.bom.gov.au) for weather warnings. Qld Disaster Management website (www.disaster.qld.gov.au) for information on disaster events. Your local council for local information on the emergency, evacuation centres and routes and assistance after a disaster event.
www.logan.qld.gov.au
DO YOUR BIT TO HELP REDUCE THE IMPACT OF A DISASTER IN OUR AREA - NOT IF IT WILL HAPPEN BUT WHEN!

REMEMBER NOT TO LEAVE ANIMALS OR
CHILDREN UNATTENDED IN HOT VEHICLES.
The temperature can rise dramatically and within minutes your loved one could be unconscious and suffer brain damage or worse still die from the effects.
Whether you are just “popping in” for a minute to a shop or wherever it is not worth taking the chance.