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VCAL Students pay respect on Remembrance Day

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VCAL Students - 2016 Remembrance DayOn Remembrance Day this year students and staff from Cire Community School, Yarra Junction campus, attended the 11am service at the Yarra Junction Cenotaph.

At the ceremony, held by the Upper Yarra RSL, students Rebecca Behr and Lachlan McKenzie laid wreaths on behalf of Hon Tony Smith MP Member for Casey and Victoria & State Liberal Member for Eildon Cindy McLeish MP.

“It was a beautiful ceremony to remember our fallen soldiers.” Rebecca Behr, student

It is important for the students to understand and acknowledge the sacrifice of their ancestors and the history of Australia and the world. Attending the Remembrance Day ceremony not only provided this opportunity, it also allowed the students to get involved and feel a part of it.

“I was proud to attend the service today.” Corey O’Brien, student

The following is from the RSL website:

Remembrance Day, originally known as Armistice Day, commemorates the men and women of World War One, both in the armed forces and civilians. Remembrance Day is held on the 11th November every year as this was the day in 1918 when hostilities ceased.

Nearly one hundred years has passed since the truce that ended World War One, yet conflicts continue to ignite throughout the world. This said, citizens and leaders of the world continue to hold the belief that peace is possible, and continue to work towards that goal.

In Remembrance Day ceremonies across Australia one minute of silence is observed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month to mark the anniversary of end of four years of horrifying war.

“I was happy to pay my respects to all who have died in war.” Charlotte Stritch, student

The students were moved by the occasion and went away with a greater understanding of the importance of Remembrance Day.

“The speeches were very interesting. It gave me emotion and awareness of what happened, thank you.” Zabian Jones, student

If you would like to learn more about Cire Community School VCAL programs and educational services click here or call 1300 835 235.

Look what Simone found on her way to work

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One little duck went out one day, over the road and far away, Mother Duck said quack, quack, quack, quack, but the poor little duck never did come back. Instead our Customer Service Officer, Simone, found this fluffy little duckling in the middle of the road on her way to work on a cold September morning. Unfortunately, Mama Duck was nowhere to be found and Quacky had no family to run to.

Being found in the middle of the road and in danger of being hit by a car or attacked by a dog, Simone opted to scoop him up and bring Quacky with her to work at Cire Services in Yarra Junction. A box and a blanket were found and this little duckling, an Australian Wood Duck, was placed in a quiet space. The Upper Yarra Wildlife Rescue Network (UYWRN) was contacted and the situation explained. The rescue network, run by a bunch of dedicated volunteers, quickly organised that someone would meet Simone at our Cire head office and organise for the duckling to be taken to a carer in Healesville, who specialises in the care of birds.

Whilst waiting for the UYWRN volunteer to arrive, Quacky got a bit distressed in his box. Simone was able to comfort Quacky by wrapping him in her scarf and keeping him warm against her chest. Simone and Quacky assisted customers and staff members and even answered a few phone calls together.

Members of the UYWRN can quite often be found at the Warburton Bakery around 9am on a Saturday morning. If you’d like to find out more, or become a supporter of the network, pop in to see them or visit their Facebook page to find out more

And please remember to be especially careful on the roads in spring time, when there are lots of Mama Ducklings trying to navigate our roads with their ducklings!

“I was lucky enough to cuddle up with this little quacky at work this morning. Rescued from the middle of the road, mama duck was nowhere to be found. Luckily, we have a fantastic local wildlife rescue network that I could call on. They happily came to my work and picked up Quacky. Now that is a great group!” Simone

Off to a new home
Off to a new home
Little duckling with Simone
Little duckling with Simone
Simone and the little duckling
Simone and the little duckling

Getting Work Ready tips – writing a resumé

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Resumé writing can be hard so Cire training have put together some tips to help you make that important first impression.

Contact details
Make sure your name and contact details are included and most importantly your phone number and email address. Please remember to use a professional email address. If you don’t have one it only takes a few minutes to create a new one, jsmith88@hotmail.com is far more appealing than fordlover88@hotmail.com.

Lay out
Keep it simple and streamlined. Refrain from using colour, and if you decide to use dot points keep the same theme throughout your resume, using a bold text for headings is also a good idea. It is also a good idea to Google resume examples so you can get some ideas before you start. Remember to keep it simplistic, don’t get carried away with trends and busy designs, these resume types distract and look unprofessional.

Key strengths
A number of specific short statements listed as dot points outlining your key strengths. For example;

  • High-level computer skills including Microsoft Office, MYOB, Outlook

Employment history
List your professional working history starting from the most current position you hold or have held. We recommend listing them as follows; Job title, employer, and dates. Dot points are a good way to include a short list of position responsibilities and any achievements you accomplished whilst in that role.

School leavers and people re-entering the workforce after a lengthy absence with limited or no paid employment to list, could consider including work experience positions, volunteer position and any school leadership roles or club activities. If you have been the primary guardian of a child or a carer for a family member you can list the daily weekly tasks that you were responsible for. These tasks can include;

  • Meal planning and preparation
  • Transport
  • Finance administration including managing the the home budget
  • General home administration and management

Education and Training
Start with your highest qualification first. It’s a good idea to list it in the same format as your employment history; qualification, institute/provider, dates. Remember to include education and training that is relevant to the position you are applying for. If you were thinking of applying for an administration position the relevance of including a life guard qualification that you gained ten years previous would be questionable unless of course the administration position was within an aquatic centre. Include in-house training, university, TAFE, RTO and industry courses completed.

Hobbies and interests
The jury is out on whether to include hobbies and interests on your resume or not, we think if brief and thoughtfully completed, it is a way of helping you stand out from the crowd and makes you a real person to the reader. Just be mindful of what you include as some hobbies and interests may be viewed as offensive or inappropriate by the reader and therefore could impact on your chance of gaining the position or being shortlisted.

Referees
References/referees come at the end of your resumé. Include the referee’s name, phone number and whether it is a professional or personal referee. I would include two professional and one personal referee. A new trend of simply adding a sentence: “Referees details available upon request” has become common.

Above all make sure your referees are aware that you have included them in your resume and that you are actively applying for positions, it is a common courtesy that many people forget to do.

Length
Two pages; try and keep your resume to two pages in length.

Important note
Always send a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria of the job advertisement and position description (if one is available). By including a cover letter and writing your resume using the above tips your success rate for being shortlisted will be greater. Stay tuned for our next Getting Work Ready Tips on interview techniques.

Resume writing is just one of the topics covered in Cire’s Getting Work Ready short course. From cover letters to interview techniques this training is highly recommended if your goal is to re-enter the workforce. This course is currently only $25 so now is the perfect time to enrol, click here to learn more.

Moira’s story, turning 100 and growing up in the valley

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Moira Burgi, a valued Cire In Home Care client, celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday 25th July 2016.  Moira is the only grand-child remaining of the original Burgi family, the first settlers in the Wandin district.

Celebrations for Moira’s centenary began with a special mass for her on Saturday 23rd July at her Catholic Church in Lilydale where not only she, but also her mother was Christened. This was followed by a celebration of Moira’s milestone with a gathering of over 150 family and friends at the Gruyere Hall on Sunday 24th July.

“It felt like it was happening to someone else, not me.  It was such a lovely day, I spoke to so many people and it will take me a long, long time to read each of the cards.”  Moira speaking about her celebrations

Johann Burgi, Moira’s grandfather, was a German-speaking Swiss man who came to Victoria in 1854.  He met and married Mary Tyne in 1864, an Irish immigrant from Tipperary, Ireland.  They had 10 children: the second born in 1866, was Edmund, Moira’s father.

In that year Johann had been experimenting growing tobacco on Sam de Pury’s property in Lilydale.  It was at this time that land in the Wandin area was surveyed and made available. Johann selected Lot No.1, a heavily timbered and completely undeveloped area on the corner of what is now known as Burgi Hill Road and Victoria Road.

He set to and cleared enough land to build what he described as “a good comfortable hut” and moved there on May 11th, 1867, bringing his wife and 15 month old son Edmund, Moira’s father with him.

Edmund, in turn, married Mary Lily Kiernan.  They built a house in Victoria Road where Moira was brought up with her two brothers, Bernie and Eddie.  This house is still Moira’s home to this day.

Life was very different when Moira was a child.  She couldn’t recall having any toys – just a paling through the fence for a see-saw and a farm pony to ride.  There were few other children around for herself and her brothers to play with except for their three cousins from Lot 1 John, Mary and Nancy. Church was an hour’s drive away in an open jinker, but Moira’s mother made sure the family never missed a Sunday.

Moira was at school at the convent in Lilydale from the age of 7 years and up until she was 15 in 1931.  Ten years later she trained as a mothercraft nurse and worked with many families in Victoria and interstate.  This was followed by more than a decade in the office at Belloc House in Kew.  In the mid 60’s, she returned home to Wandin to care for her mother full time.

Moira’s father Edmund was the first European child in Wandin.  He and Moira, between them, have seen all of Wandin’s development since.

“Today there are roads, churches, sporting grounds, schools, shopping centres, cars and all sorts of motor vehicles, iPods and mobile phones.  Imagine life in 1866, no running water, no power, no refrigeration or air-conditioning, no phones, no cars, no public facilities, no schools, no glad-wrap and the ‘local’ priest was in Heidelberg! We have certainly come a long way in my 100 years.”

Moira has been a client of Cire In Home Care for a number of years now, and credits her being able to stay in her family home with the expert care and assistance she receives from her carers.

“Thank you so much for all your assistance.  Without your help, I would not have been able to remain in my own home for so long.”

Moira’s long term carers Cassie and Bev very much enjoyed joining in the Sunday afternoon celebrations for Moira’s 100th.

We finish this article with a couple of quotes from Moira.

“Thank you for helping me celebrate my very special birthday”.

“The past is just a memory away…”

If you would like to know more about Cire In Home Care services click here or call 1300 835 235.

Cire In Home Care – Supporting people to live independently