In 1998, when Parent to Parent was established, Gladstone was one of the first towns that we had a local presence. On the 11th December, 2023 people with a disability and their families and carers gathered to celebrate our 25th Anniversary.
Stand by Me Coordinator, Gaye Collins, reflected that when she first attended meetings, the Parent to Parent office was located at the Neighbourhood Centre on Toolooa Street. In 2010 the office moved to the Community Hub on Buller Street, South Gladstone and is now located at 1 Uniting Place, Telina.
Many parents have played a role in the success of P2P Gladstone, from Judy Young to the current team of Gaye, Anita and Katrina. Along the way staff included Susie, Pearl, Ann, Amanda, Tanya, Billy-Ann, Mary and Shaun. We have also had many wonderful volunteers to whom we owe a huge thank you for their dedication and contribution.
In the last 25 years, the Gladstone office has delivered:
- Parent monthly morning tea gatherings
- A Men’s Group
- Self-Management and Your Life Your Choice
- Essential Lifestyle Planning
- Communication and Supporting Skills workshops
- Individual Planning with Families
- Peer support meetings with guest speakers
- P.A.T.H. planning
- Succession planning
- Assistance with applications for available grants such as the Community Living Initiative
- Person-Centred Planning
- One-page profiles
- Plan Management and Support Coordination
- NDIS Readiness workshops in preparation for the NDIS
Gladstone staff also represented P2P through attending:
- Interagency Network Meetings
- Disability Sector Network meetings
- Gladstone Mental Health Stakeholder meetings
- Early Childhood Sector meetings
- CQ Stem Hub Network
- Youth Interagency meetings
- SpringAbility, and
- Disability Community Network.
It is through this attendance that they access up-to-date information to share with P2P members and the community.
In 2019, we received a Federal Government Grant to establish Stand by Me local peer groups in four regions of Queensland. In Gladstone, Stand by Me employs Gaye, Anita and Katrina to run the peer support group that met every fortnight to discuss topics of interest. Each meeting a guest speaker was invited to discuss topics relevant to members.
Gaye, Anita, and Katrina also delivered the Your Service Your Rights project in Rockhampton, Biloela, Boyne Island, Agnes Waters, Mt Tom, Emerald and in Gladstone. Whilst this project is now finished, we have plans to deliver other projects in the region next year so please look for them.
