HERALD NEWS

Nurses in school bid

By JACQUI JONES Health Reporter
HUNTER parent and health groups have backed interstate calls for school-based nurses to combat a rise in student health problems such as obesity and mental illness. It follows a West Australian Council of State School Organisations bid to its government to employ a full-time community health nurse at every public school. Most Hunter schools that the Newcastle Herald contacted do not have school nurses. However, administration

Combat obesity and mental illness

staff are trained in first aid. Newcastle and Lake Macquarie P&C District Council spokeswoman Clarice Hamling said if not at every school, having one or two nurses allocated to a school district would be a good initiative. Nurses could assist with immediate health needs, and also education. They could go around promoting health information, Mrs Hamling said. It would just be beneficial to the kids if it was brought in. NSW School Nurses Association president Sue Peterie said a nurse was employed at The Hunter Orthopaedic School. Throughout the state, nurses tended to be employed mostly in independent, Catholic and special-needs schools. In Victoria, nurses were also employed in public schools, Ms Peterie said. Mrs Peterie said schoolbased nurses did health assessments, were involved with community nurses in immunisation programs, and conducted health education. Adolescent needs often centred around mental health, she said. I think it can help in the early identification of such issues, Mrs Peterie said. Childhood obesity was another matter for attention. A NSW Education Department spokesman said government schools in the Hunter

Region did not directly employ nurses. NSW government schools provided guidance about healthy lifestyles and diet through their curriculum, canteen policy and work with parents. Student welfare programs and counselling was available to support mental well-being. Schools also worked closely with several agencies to cater for students with high healthcare needs. A variety of healthcare professionals provide that additional support as appropriate, the spokesman said.

DANIEL MORCOMBE

Parents tell of search agony

BRUCE and Denise Morcombe have revealed more about the anguish surrounding their eightyear mission to find out what happened to their son, Daniel. The 13-year-old vanished on the Sunshine Coast in 2003, sparking one of Australias highestprofile missing person cases. Bones belonging to Daniel were recently discovered by police in bush at Beerwah. Former Sunshine Coast resident Brett Peter Cowan, 42, has been charged with his abduction and murder. The last few weeks have been extremely difficult, especially with the arrest and then some bones were found, Denise Morcombe has told the Nine Network. Its like a knife goes in your chest, every single phone call. And then . . . weve just got to wait for the next lot of bones to be found. Everyones talking about bones . . . thats our son. He belonged to us, he was a little human being. Daniel had been waiting to catch a bus to get his hair cut and buy Christmas presents for his family when he disappeared. Bruce Morcombe said he felt helpless as the initial search for his boy got under way. That evening was absolutely horrendous, he said. It was worse than a nightmare, the hours just were absolute agony. We felt Daniel was in danger somewhere and were helpless. As the days ticked by, Mr Morcombe said he followed up every single lead in the case, even meeting with criminal identities in the search for a breakthrough. Mr and Mrs Morcombe now run the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, an organisation committed to promoting AAP child safety.

EDUCATION: A very early photograph of townsfolk standing in front of Minmi Public School.

SENIORS:

Minmi Public School classes 5 and 6 in 1933.

Former pupil recalls fond memories of school years

IT was a time when dancing the Charleston at lunch time could land pupils in trouble and the only sport girls were allowed to play was a cricket hybrid called vigoro. The year was 1927 and it was the year Loris Harmes, 91, started at Minmi Public School. Mrs Harmes is one of the schools oldest surviving former students and will be among those making a pilgrimage to its grounds for its 150th anniversary on Saturday. Sesquicentenary celebrations include a street parade, open day, garden dedication, opening of a time capsule and dinner dance. Mrs Harmes, who grew up across the road, said she vividly remembers her time at the school. In those days the nation was feeling the impact of the Depression and it was common for children to go to school without lunch or shoes. Girls such as Loris left school at age 14 and many of her classmates went on to fight, and some die, in World War II. We had boys and girls mixed together but if you were punished you had to sit with the boys, she said. I loved poetry but I hated maths. It was lovely, everyone liked one another.
Alison Branley
GENERATIONS TOGETHER: Loris Harmes, left, with Minmi Public Schools youngest student Emily Staub. Picture by Ryan Osland

Lost girl, family friend survive freezing night

A FOUR-year-old girl spent a freezing night huddled with a family friend in the West Australian outback, after she wandered off from a campsite. Wearing a pink jumper, Catarina Stronich went missing about noon (WST) on Saturday, soon after she and her family set up camp at Eagle Rock, near Mukinbudin in WA Wheatbelt region. s Family friend Anna Kelly, who was also on the trip, found Catarina several kilometres away from the campsite after she set off alone to look for the girl. But before Ms Kelly could find a way back to the camp, it began to get dark and the pair had to spend the night huddled together in freezing conditions. [There were] several choppers and planes going over and nobody spotted us and then it got dark and I just thought, S - - -, this is it, Ms Kelly told Network Ten. WA Police and State Emergency Service teams stepped up their search for the girl early yesterday morning, bringing in the police plane and chartering a helicopter. Police divers, mounted police and a sniffer dog were also used. The girl and the woman were found about 9.30am and taken to Mukinbudin for a medical check-up. A tearful Claudia Stronich hugged her daughter as the two were reunited and was assured by Ms Kelly she is AAP absolutely fine.

CALLED FOR HELP:

Catarina Stronich, 4, talks to the media after her ordeal in the West Australian outback yesterday. Picture courtesy Ten News

8 NEWCASTLE HERALD Monday, September 12, 2011