Outback
Volunteer
Chronicle
Volunteers for Isolated Students Education Newsletter Vol 2 2016
Mike Stock
Secretariat
[email protected]
Colleen Stock
Secretary
[email protected]
George Murdoch
Publicity Officer
[email protected]
Supported by :
Baillieu Myer:
Yugilbar Foundation
Tim Fairfax:
Tim Fairfax Family
Foundation
John Calvert-Jones:
John Calvert-Jones Family
Trust
Aussie Farmers’
Foundation
Northern Territory
Government
Editor:
VISE Stickers!
On a recent shopping trip to my local
Aldi store I was just about to exit my
parking space when a small white car
came zooming along and pulled up to a
screaming halt in front of me, blocking
my exit!!
The silver-haired male driver was waving
madly at me and my first thought was 'did
he hit my car while I was in-store
shopping and now he wants to apologise
and arrange payment for repairs?'
(I know, I know, I live in a utopian world!), followed by 'Perhaps I'm the woman of
his dreams and he just can't bear to let me disappear without declaring this ( no, I
hadn't been drinking!!) and finally 'He's a deranged axe-murderer ( Yes, I watch too
many TV crime shows!).
As he jumped out of his car and indicated for me to wind down the window I
decided to comply: after all, he looked quite harmless and let's be honest, there
haven't been too many murders in busy Aldi car Parks!
"I saw your VISE sticker on the window " he said excitedly.
He then went on to tell me he'd only had one VISE placement and it had been a
negative experience. He was pleased to hear that my placements had both been
very, very positive and I was able to convince him to give it another go.
So, look for those VISE stickers and start a conversation. Or get a sticker and
display it....... You never know
who you might connect with!
Christine Sheeran
Kath Breen
Our lives are much richer for the experience!
The National School for Travelling Show Children (NSTSC)
by John and Judy deFigIllree
Last year (2015) we did our second VISE placement; with the NSTSC. Rather than trying to explain it you’ll
get the idea if you watch this 3½min video: http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4191126.ht
There are actually two mobile classroom semi-trailers, each of which has its own regular teacher. Judy and I
were assigned, one to each classroom, as teachers' aides.
Two Semi-Trailer Classrooms
We joined the school in Rockhampton
on 1st June and spent a total of 7
weeks with them as they travelled to
Cairns following the "Show Trail".
We had two weeks in Rockhampton,
one week in Proserpine, a week off, a
week in Townsville and two weeks in
Cairns.
Senior Classroom
John worked in the senior classroom
with the teacher in the video, where
were up to 25 children, ranging from
grade 3 to year 9. However, this
changed from week to week.
Judy worked in the junior
classroom with another teacher
and up to 12 children. These
children were in prep, grades 1
and 2. As the video shows
these mobile classrooms are
huge.
Many of the kids are behind in
their work, need individual
assistance and often a good
sleep. This and the age range
means the teachers have an
amazingly challenging job and
need to be extremely flexible.
At the end of the week David (a heavy vehicle driver and husband of the infant teacher) takes 2 hours to pack
up each classroom. He moves one to the next town. Next day he drives the prime mover back to collect the
other classroom, takes it to the next town and spends another 2 hours each to set them up ready for school on
Monday morning.
Teachers at Work
We were advised to stay in caravan parks rather than in the Show Grounds so that we wouldn’t be bothered
by the kids after hours. It was certainly a very different experience compared with our time on the cattle
station in 2013. Would we do it again? Yes, we would now that we know the system, but it’s pretty hard
work.
Our lives are much richer for the experience!
Students
Explaining
Weekly Challenge Entry
their
John with Some Grades 5 & 6 Students
It took us about 3 weeks to get home
from Cairns via Daintree Rainforest,
Atherton Tablelands, Karumba on
the Gulf of Carpentaria, Mount Isa
and exotic Western Queensland
towns like Windorah (population 85)
and Thargomindah (population 240).
What links London, Paris and Thargomindah?
For the answer see:
http://www.outbacknow.com.au/index.php/towns/detail/queensland/south_west/thargominda
We had planned to travel home via Windorah anyway. On the way we saw a VISE email asking for urgent
help for a family there. We were able to stay for 5 nights, camping beside the iconic Cooper’s Creek, while
helping them with their Distance Education set up. We were sad to leave the vibrant Windorah community,
the last stop before Birdsville, but we left laden with fruit and vegies from the family's garden.
Our lives are much richer for the experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
As always we appreciate the dedication of our volunteers. Here are some of the more
Frequently Asked Questions which may guide you in your placement.
Coordinator will enter these in your record.
NSW. When you r eceive your WWC number email
Yes. Tutors, angels and partners must satisfy the this to [email protected] together with your date of birth.
following legal requirements:
Can I pick the time I take a placement?

Queensland r equir es a Wor king with
Yes. You fit your VISE placement around your
Children Blue Card (Email Lyn French
commitments. You select your own placement we do
[email protected])
requesting
application
not place you to where we want you.
papers, do not download your own from the
How long is a placement:
Internet;

NT r equir es a Wor king with Childr en Ochr e Six weeks. Although many tutors going to distant
Card (Email Ruth Woerle [email protected]) areas where travel is expensive go for eight or twelve
weeks, spending four or six weeks each with two
requesting application forms;

NSW r equir es a check but does not issue a families. This cuts the travel cost to 50% for each
card. Google NSW Working with Children, family.
click Volunteers. Follow the directions. You How do I know about placements?
have to
present your ID at a NSW Motor Once you are active you will receive emails describing
Registry. This can be done on your way to your placements available and you bid for the ones that you
placement as NSW recognizes the Queensland feel you can cope with by responding to the email.
Blue Card for 30 days which gives time for the
check. You will then receive a WWC number. Can I let Co-ordinators know that I am looking for
Email this to [email protected] and we will add a placement?
Yes, go to your record www.vise.org.au/ov and enter
you to the NSW database.

Volunteers only need cards for the states your Log In and Password.
Click on “Keep in Touch”. This gives the email
where they intend to take placements.
addresses of all Co-ordinators. You can email those
Does my partner need a Working With Children areas that interest you to say you are available. Tell the
check?
Co-ordinator a bit about yourself, in particular your
Yes. Most definitely. .
area of teaching if you are a tutor.
Does my partner need
There is a placement offered that is a bit out of my
their own VISE record
area of teaching. But I think I will offer to take it as
even though they are
I’ll do anything to get a chance to take a placement.
not tutoring or acting
Should I take it?
as an angel?
DON’T take a placement for which you are not
Yes. Your Working with
qualified. It is not fair to the parent or to you and can
Children Card details can only be entered in your own end up causing ill feeling.
record.
Do I have to write the curriculum for my student
How does my partner create their own record?
while I am on the placement?
Go to www.vise.org.a
NO. The Distance Education schools send out
Click “Volunteers”
assignments and your job is to supervise these. There
Click “Applications”
is plenty of work set for the student. In some cases
Fill in application form and “Submit”.
parents will be Home Schooling again materials will
Sometimes we have trouble entering birthdates at this be supplied.
stage, for assistance [email protected]
What happens if my placement “goes wrong”?
How do my card details get into my record?
This only happens occasionally. Because we are all
Blue Card. When the Commission issues a Blue Card individuals there is the odd clash. You should contact
a letter is sent to the Working with Children Officer your coordinator who will remove you from the
who will insert the details and verify your record.
placement if necessary.
Ochre Card. When you r eceive your Ochr e Car d
email the full details to [email protected] and the NT
Can I take a placement?
Our lives are much richer for the experience!
I think everything is wrong with the teaching set
up at my placement so may I change everything
and put it right?
NO!! Once you leave, the par ent is on their own
again. Give advice where it is asked for, but don’t
change the teaching regime of the home unless
asked. Also, even though you may not like the way
an assignment is set, still do what the instructions
say. The mothers have no other guidelines and it will
do a lot of damage if you are seen to undermine the
DE school. (The schools do not write the curriculum,
by the way. This is done elsewhere and the teachers
are as bound by the assignments as you are.) These
mothers are very busy. If you have to tidy the
schoolroom to your satisfaction, don’t make a song
and dance about it to the mother.
What do I need to do about insurance cover?
VISE holds personal accident and Public Liability
insurance for tutors, and angels performing normal
domestic work. Our insurance does not cover work
on the property, so if a partner does this they should
ensure the property holds adequate insurance cover
for this type of activity.
Personal accident does not cover illness or death
(unless death through an accident.) Nor will it cover
operations that come under Medicare or Private
Health. Personal Accident does not cover the gap
between the scheduled fee and what the specialist
charges. You should make sure you are adequately
covered for such an eventuality.
Make sure your ambulance cover is a national cover
and is not restricted purely to your state. There is
What should I do before I leave for my national ambulance cover available so check with
your health fund or ambulance service.
placement?
a) Talk to the parent and have a list of questions Ambulance is very expensive if you do not hold
national cover.
ready.
b) Seek parental permission then ring the students' I have finished my placement. Who do I tell about
teachers at the Distance Education School they it?
attend. The teachers will ring you back if requested. You will receive an email asking you to fill in a
Find out about the children. Are there any learning questionnaire. You will continue to receive this
difficulties?
email until you have completed the form.
c) Most importantly clarify travel arrangements and These reports are very important.
reimbursement methods with the Local Area
When I have finished my placement, what then?
Coordinator.
Throughout February and March of years ending in
I am a VISE Angel.
an even number VISE holds tutor meeting at several
What is expected of me?
different venues from Ballarat to Brisbane. Most are
Our Angels are an
in private homes but a number are in clubs.
important part of our
Unfortunately we cannot get to areas where there are
scheme. They are there to
very few people and we apologize for this.
keep the home ticking
You will receive regular emails detailing these
over
during
an
meetings and the person to contact to say you will be
emergency. They are
attending.
NOT there to wash walls
You are asked to bring a plate to meetings held in
etc. They will prepare
private homes. These are enjoyable and rewarding
meals, do family washing and just keep the house meetings at which you share experiences, with
tidy. They are certainly not there to cook for the newcomers learning from “old timers”, and “old
shearing team. Ask the family what they are timers” acting as mentors to new comers
expecting of you and do this before you agree to the
placement. The demand for Angels is much less than In the years ending in odd numbers we hold a VISE
for tutors.
Conference at a suitable rural venue. This enables all
VISE insurance does not cover partners working on of us to gather and enjoy our joint interests.
the property outside the homestead area. So working
You are highly valued as a
on the homestead garden, carrying out small
member of our team. Thank
maintenance jobs or building a cubby house for the
you for your dedication.
children are all covered.
If the partner wants to help on the property in such
areas as mustering or engine maintenance, welding
etc. the property must hold suitable Public Liability
cover and the partner must negotiate this with the
property owner or manager.
Our lives are much richer for the experience!
TRAVEL GUIDELINES
(1) You are responsible for accommodation en-route to a
placement.
(2) A volunteer travelling by public transport on their
own, and using economy fares, will receive full travel
costs.
All is well in the world
when there are
youngsters like this.
(3) Where a spouse accompanies the volunteer on public
transport he/she can either pay their own travel costs; or
the couple can take two placements to split the costs. (If
they cannot go for twelve weeks they might offer to take
two placements each of four weeks.)
(4) If a placement specifically requires two tutors, or an
angel and a tutor, and they are travelling by public
transport, the refund will be negotiated between all
parties including the CEO.
(5) Where a volunteer elects to use their own vehicle
they will be reimbursed as follows:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/
ZWpLfncliwU?rel=0
$180/1000km by the most direct route.
(Volunteers must calculate the shortest route for the
round trip and send this to their Coordinator for
agreement.
(6) If the volunteer elects to take a caravan which is
NOT required for the placement, travel will be
reimbursed at the rate of $180/1000km
(7) If a caravan is required for the placement and this is
stated in the advertisement, re-imbursement will be
$250/ 1000km using the most direct accessible route if
the volunteer is travelling from home.
(8) If a volunteer is on tour and accepts a placement
within a reasonable distance that requires a van, they
will be reimbursed at $250/1000km from their starting
point back to their starting point. e.g. Rockhampton to
Rockhampton. Or $180/1000km if the van is NOT
required for the placement.
BLUE Card Renewal
Lyn French said this at Forbes:
Six weeks prior to your card expiry date you will get a prompt from our database.
You then contact Lyn [email protected] and let her know.
Lyn sends required papers to you via email
You complete the papers and return them to the Working with Children Office in
Brisbane either via email or snail mail.
DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE REQUIRED PAPERS FROM THE INTERNET
AS YOUR APPLICATION WILL BE REJECTED
ENSURE THAT ALL AREAS OF THE FORM ARE COMPLETED
OTHERWISE APPLICATIONS WILL BE REJECTED
ONLY SEND ONE APPLICATION PER ENVELOPE
Our lives are much richer for the experience!
News from VISE Management
New South Wales Coordinator
Vacancy
NSW Coordinator
Job Description
Norma Colclough our regular NSW Local Area
Coordinator has had to resign her position due to
family circumstances.
We have advertised the vacancy several times and to
date we have had nobody prepared to take on the
task.
The job of doing the placements has fallen onto
people who do not know NSW very well and as such
is very difficult.
We are at the stage of deciding that if we do not have
a volunteer to take on this task we will not be able to
service NSW requests.
If you would like more information please contact
Mike Stock [email protected]
NSW people are asked to consider this job, maybe
you have just retired from VISE and would like to
keep in the loop.
The VISE Local Coordinator handles all requests for
VISE tutors for NSW. This is not a formidable job
and may incur only about 20 placements a year.
The Coordinator handles the placement request from
start to finish using the VISE online management
system (OVMS). Full support is given by the VISE
Management Committee.
This is how it works:
1. The Coordinator contacts the DE schools
and asks them to publicise to parents the
availability of volunteer retired teachers to
help with their DE programmes. The
volunteer will stay for six weeks to give the
supervising parent some respite.
A Point to Ponder
In discussions with Mike Stock recently we went
through the current to date Placement requests.
Several things of interest were noted.
2. The
requesting parent
emails
the
Coordinator and is sent a Request for
Assistance Form which the Coordinator will
use to create a placement ad.
3. The Coordinator places the ad on the OVMS
white board and the message will go to
around 500 volunteers.
4.
2. Of these, ten requests were for Circus positions; thus
the remaining seventy cannot compare with previous
years of upwards of 150 requests at this time of the
year.
Applicants reply to the Coordinator who
in conjunction with the parent will decide
the best person for the placement.
5.
Once a decision is made the Coordinator
books the placement in the OV
3. We assume that many properties are being
foreclosed by the Financiers.
6.
MS.If a family is in financial difficulty the
Coordinator ask VISE for some subsidy
help. This is not usually given if the return
travel cost is $500 or less. But in severe
drought situations there is flexibility for
the Coordinator to recommend a figure.
1. So far this year we have had only eighty requests for
assistance.
4. We assume that the drought has had a most
debilitating impact on rural communities in a myriad of
ways, some of which impinge directly on us.
Therefore placements are drying up at a fast rate so as
we always say you should not put your life on hold for
VISE.
The VISE CEO will give the Coordinator a full
run-down on how to use the system.
VALE
Hal Hickey, our auditor for the last fifteen years, passed
away on Tuesday April 5 in Canberra.
His job of auditing our accounts was always done with the
utmost care and assistance. The VISE family are saddened
by the announcement and our condolences have been
passed on to his family.
Our lives are much richer for the experience!