On the 17th and 18th of March, Paul Nunnari's backyard was renovated by none other than Channel 9's Backyard Blitz crew. Nunnari, Paralympic medalist and board member of MDS, previously could not get around his own backyard. Thanks to Backyard Blitz, Paul finally has a fully accessible backyard, and a stylish one at that.
Paul unknowingly grabbed Channel 9's attention as a result of being nominated for Australia's Local Hero award.

"Paul reminds all of us how important it is to follow your dreams and aim high," says Anne Thorn who nominated Paul. "Paul gives a lot of time and commitment to the community."

Keeping Paul away from home during the two days of renovation was far from easy. Anne Thorn and Sherie Avalos from MDS were responsible for this daunting task and gained many a grey hair over the ordeal. "Paul is so

spontaneous, he never does what he plans to do," says Anne Thorn.

"You'd think that keeping tabs on someone for just a few hours would be easy, but no, not Paul," says Sherie Avalos. "The amount of people we had to involve was phenomenal."

Anne and Sherie had to go to great lengths to ensure that the night was not foiled, including the assignment of a driver to track Paul's every move. "I froze when I received a phone call from the driver, he said 'I'm aborting the mission, it's too dangerous!'" This of course does not refer to an alleged incident where Paul performed an unorthodox u-turn and lost the pursuing driver.

"It's pretty funny hearing all the stories," Paul reflects in great amusement. "I was a bit suspicious that day, Anne and Sherie were acting a bit weird. But I suppose that's normal for MDS," Paul laughs.
All jokes aside, Paul was highly appreciative of the efforts of all who were involved. "It was fantastic, I'm very appreciative of my friends and family who made this such a memorable night - thank you all so much." Without a doubt it was an experience everyone is not likely to forget. "When the yard is dead in fifty years time, I'll still remember it".

Nunnari wishes to thank all who participated, including Anne Thorn, Sherie Avalos, Cliff Barry, Scott Wakeling, Andrew & Kristy Dawes, everyone at C91.3 - Dee, Amelia, Phil, Greg, Hendo, Dory, Tash, Jessica, Steve - Paul Ashton, Neil Thorn, Clare Thorn, Arthur Papadam, his family, and of course everyone from Backyard Blitz. This episode of Backyard Blitz will be airing on Channel 9 some time in August.

Check out Paul's web site, www.paulnunnari.com, for further updates.

All members of the MDS Wednesday Swimming Group enjoyed celebrating Seniors Week on 17th March 2004. Staff from other programs were able to visit and join the Gentle Aqua-Exercise Group and then everyone shared a delicious morning tea.

Lisa and Karen from the MDS Information and Referral Service had a chat with everyone and came back to the office with a list of questions to follow up - thanks ladies for some much needed support and information. Amanda (Quality Assurance Coordinator) and her beautiful daughter Olivia joined the group in the water as did Katherine (Recreation) and Angela (BISS). Guess who were the two most uncoordinated coordinators! We even had a visit from a couple of leprechauns during morning tea.

The Swimming Program aims to increase / maintain mobility for younger people with a disability and people who are ageing. The program operates every Wednesday and Thursday at Campbelltown Swimming Centre, Bradbury. For further information please contact Katherine Firth on 4621 8400.

A big thanks to everyone who responded to the MDS survey recently. It was great to see that everyone was so enthusiastic about MDS Day and the Black Tie Ball, so it has been decided to do it again. More news on this later.

People also feel that MDS provide a safe environment for programs, actively seek input from service users and promote a positive image for people with a disability.

We need to make sure that everyone understands and can use our complaints procedure. It is important to let us know when you are not happy with MDS - by fixing your problem MDS can keep getting better for everyone.

In a music therapy session, I will encourage the clients to actively engage in making music together. This could involve beating a drum, playing guitar, piano or the accordion, singing or shaking bells, maracas or tambourines. I will provide as much support as needed for the client to be able to play independently.

We use music therapy because it gives clients an opportunity to express themselves (with or without words); to have fun, interacting positively with others; to be independently involved in an activity which they can be successful at; to learn skills that can be used outside the music room - making clear choices, taking turns, stopping when directed.

Since being involved in music therapy many clients have made considerable progress. These include being actively involved in making music for an extended period of time; learning to stop when asked; independently choosing and playing instruments; making up songs, singing clearly and using more words.

A new site was opened in January for the Access Program. This will allow for 'in-house' activities to be combined with community outings, providing an improved exciting program. Current activities include living skills, music therapy, massage, protective behaviours, art therapy and relaxation techniques. A barbecue has been recently purchased, and an Open Day is coming up very soon.

The Trendy Dudes Programs also use this site for their in-house activities. The Access and Recreation clients and staff are happy that they now have a great place they can call their own.

We went to Little Snails Restaurant, below the hotel, for dinner. Had a great meal. I even tried snails - not bad!

I had butterflies (and snails) in my stomach the next morning! We were there in plenty of time, even had time to look at merchandise. We started by introducing ourselves in a circle and then went to the change rooms; followed by learning how to hook ourselves on with the harness as we climb. We had a practice run on a sample platform, which prepared us for what could happen if it was windy! We were then given hats, hankies, radio, and headphone equipment for communication whilst up there and finally headed off to The Climb!

Our leader Ben was very good and encouraging for those who were a little nervous, like my mother and myself! It was a little nerve wrecking climbing stairs that were straight upwards. It was a relief to make it to the start of the bridge itself. It got easier from there, as the steps on the way up to the Summit (peak of the bridge) were wide and easier to climb.

We had photos taken about half way up, and had rests along the way. Plenty of history was told as well. VIEWS WERE FANTASTIC! Well worth it, I can tell you! If you looked straight down at the traffic from the Summit, it would possibly make you dizzy. This is where I made only a few quick side-glances from the corner of my eyes, but that's it!

It's something you need to do for yourself to understand how great it feels, and it's well worth the money spent! It took just on 3 hours for the whole Climb; getting changed / doing feedback survey, receiving certificates and checking out photos etc.

All in all I had a great 30th Birthday.

1. Consumers are informed of their rights.
2. Consumers are assisted to pursue their rights. This includes information on advocacy and external complaints mechanisms.
3. Consumers are encouraged to involve their family or advocate in all their dealings with Macarthur Disability Services.
4. Consumers are given training on protective behaviours where appropriate.
5. Macarthur Disability Services will support you to have all matters of abuse dealt with in an appropriate manner.
6. Macarthur Disability Services will refer consumers to appropriate services for specialist assistance, advice or counselling.