Dear List Well here we go..........one more day until the big one !! Our last but warmest invitation to join us for the Victorian........
STATE MIDWIVES PICNIC AND SUPPORT RALLY SUNDAY OCTOBER 28th - Johnstones Park, Geelong 11am - 3pm. (opposite V-Line - Train departs Spencer St Melbourne at 9.40am ). Directions - Turn left at Gordon Tafe (Gordon Avenue) off the Princess Highway, Geelong (close to city centre) and Johnstones Park is on your right at the first set of lights. Join us for an amazing day with birth stalls (and more), free childrens'entertainment with the Periwinkle Puppet Theatre (organic fruit, puppetryand music), FREE Live bands featuring the Wolfgangs "She's", Eammon Harraghy and a special appearance at 2pm with..... "THE STIFF GINS and Ben from "The Whitlams" on their national tour. Opening Ceremony: Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative (Aunty Betty). Guest Speakers on the day include: Sally Westbury (IPM Geelong) Vanessa Owen (President, ACMI) Dr Peter Lucas (Wattle Park House) Scott Kinnear - Vic Greens Lead Senate Candidate (confirmed). Michael Bjork Billings - ALP Federal Candidate for Corangamite Gavin O'Connor MP - Corio (Responding on behalf of Kim Beazley). BYO Picnic Hamper, kids, friends, family, pollies and all. Join our protest to support our midwives re the recent indemnity insurance crisis and the threat in Victoria from the Nurses Board of Victoria to possibly deregister midwives who practise without insurance. These proposals will affect all midwives, regardless of their workplace. We sincerely appreciate the support from several local, state and national organisations who are supporting the day, including: The Australian College of Midwives (ACMI) The Australian College of Midwives - Barwon Sub-Branch Maternity Coalition Homebirth Australia Apollo Bay Families and Babies Group (AB-FAB) Midwives in Private Practice (MIPP) Colac Otway Homebirth Group Choices for Childbirth Colac Families and Babies (FAB) Midwives from Otway Health & Community Services, Barwon Health and Colac Community Health Services. Geelong Birthing Options Group. Community Midwifery Program WA. The Greens - South West Region (Victoria). Apollo Bay -Otway Homebirth Support Group Creative Birth Options - Airey's Inlet The Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services (AIMS) The Australian Bachelor of Midwifery Student Collective The Australian Society of Independent Midwives (ASIM) The International College of Spiritual Midwifery The picnic is being held in recognition of National Homebirth Day October 29th. And the theme of the midwives picnic is that....... "Every woman has the right to choose a midwife to be her primary caregiver during the childbearing experience" and " Every woman has the right to give birth in the place of her choice, whether it be the hospital or community setting." We anticipate that mothers, midwives and families will be travelling from all over Victoria to attend this day. It is the first time we have ever organised an event of this kind in this part of Victoria. We recognise that this event is politically very important, well timed, and a golden opportunity to explore the option of community midwifery programs for Victoria that currently exist in other places in Australia, including WA, ACT and SA. If you are able to generate some media in your local community today onwards (papers, radio - especially talkback) this would be really helpful now. Thank you to all who have put in so much to enable the day for our midwives, in celebrating them we will also be strengthening for the thousands of women whom midwives care for and support. For details contact: Sally Westbury (IPM) Geelong or Sally-Anne Brown (03) 5268 3038 (03) 5221 6424 from 6pm sat -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
