Hi Everyone,
This week I would like to talk about the power of words and reading to create change in our community.
For the past few weeks, my mum has been visiting my son’s school and reading with his class.
She takes each individual student and spends about 10 minutes helping them to read, talking about the books and encouraging them to fall in love the written word.
Of course, like many other retirees, she would rather be sitting in a café, drinking coffee, happily immersed in a good book.
But as is typical with my mum (and the reason I love her so much), she puts the children first and the community first, spending her time patiently waiting for each stilted word to emerge from a six-year-old’s mouth instead.
What a legend!
In this week’s edition of the paper, we cover three stories that also illustrate the power of words and reading.
On page 10 we celebrate the win of a group of local dog-owners who successfully campaigned for an off-leash dog zone at Boathaven Beach.
We covered their plight in the paper a couple of weeks ago and it was very rewarding to think the newspaper played a small part in helping create change for them.
On page 6, we share Dr Melissa McCann’s powerful words as she brings awareness to people suffering from alleged adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines.
It’s amazing to think that a Whitsundays-based doctor is leading the charge on a nationally significant Class Action lawsuit.
Finally, the most controversial ‘word related’ article this week is of course our front page and the shocking revelations about the content of a sex-ed video that has been shown at a local school.
The full story can be read on page 3.
Words can be used to draw attention, raise awareness, and help others – hopefully these stories open your mind and show you how much power you have if you speak up.
Rach
Quote of the Week: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen” (Winston Churchill)