Alice Springs news
Alice Springs news; NewspaperNT
1998-11-04
This publication contains may contain links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
This publication contains many links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
English
Community newspspers; Australia, Central; Alice Springs (N.T.); Newspapers
Erwin Chlanda
Alice Springs
v. 5 issue 40
application/pdf
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
Erwin Chlanda
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/231426
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/668427
from off road 6x4 to the fancy camper trailers and off road caravans. (Don't use your tip trailer as an off-road trailer.)There is a simple rule with all of them when you're in sand, let the trailer tyres down first. Trailer tyres don't steer, don't drive and most times don't brake. Let them down to about 12 psi and the car tyres to about five psi less than you would normally (from say 25 psi to 20 psi) and try that . I've seen plenty of trailers being pulled out of sand, even had to be pulled out myself, so remember, you gotta let them down!Another thing to be careful about is the extra fuel a trailer can make you use. Allow for about two thirds more. In real heavy sand allow about 4.5km per litre (for a six cylinder petrol engine).Remember a few rules about travelling off road. Be prepared, know where you're going, tell someone else where you're going and when you'll be back. When you get to a tricky place: rule one, get out and look; rule two, think, asses and decide.If you're in a hurry, leave early. Want to know more? Do a 4WD awareness course, and enjoy the bush. It's God's own country. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: HELP'S A LITTLE CLOSER. By CHRIS HALLETT. We know more about domestic violence now: it is under reported and victims still have trouble seeking help.Catherine House (named in recognition of a long term worker at the Women's Shelter) is the latest bid to make that help more available and convenient for women. Situated in Hartley Street, Catherine House is staffed by three workers, Linda Rendell, Christine Boocock and Helen van Roekel, providing counselling, support in the community, and education. Alice Springs Women's Shelter Coordinator Esme Tyson says: "The aim of the service is to provide outreach services to women in the community, expanding on the work being done at the shelter. Linda is seeing women from within the town as well as those in outlying communities, while Christine and Helen are providing education on the role of the shelter and domestic violence issues to agencies within and surrounding Alice Springs."Says Linda: "I'm able to meet with women at the Centre, or in their homes if appropriate. Sometimes women feel trapped in their own homes, or they are afraid of being seen to be seeking help. We can then talk about what is happening to them, and what domestic violence is all about."From there, we can see if a woman wants to go to the women's shelter or work out some safety strategies that could keep her safe when the violence starts, such as planning an escape route, and getting support from friends."Women can request ongoing counselling and support for as long as they need to."Esme started with the Alice Shelter on Telegraph Terrace in late 1985 when it consisted of three old demountables which had been nurses' quarters. The current purpose built shelter was finished in 1990 with a few additions since, such as a children's building and landscaping.Last financial year it provided accommodation to over 450 women and over 380 kids.Esme says of the shelter: "We define ourselves as a safe place for women, with or without children, who are escaping from violence, and they are from all cultural backgrounds. "The reason we just say escaping from violence' is because we take women escaping from spousal violence but we also take women who are escaping from what we define as community violence or any other, such as family violence. "There's no point in defining who the perpetrators are, we just know if a woman is terrified of being out there, she basically has a right to be at the shelter."The women using the shelter are generally in their twenties or early thirties. About half of them bring kids, mostly under 10 years old. Says Esme: "Usually women end up coming to us when their general support system has failed. Quite often people go to their family or close friends but if for whatever reason that system either isn't functioning properly, or can't cope, or simply doesn't exist that's when women tend to come to women's shelters."About four out of 10 women seeking crisis accommodation at the shelter have suffered serious injury. The average stay at the shelter is about four weeks.Says Linda: "Of the majority of women I see, alcohol has played a large part in the violence. I wouldn't go so far as to say it causes it, but it plays a large part."Accurate statistics of reported domestic violence incidents have only been kept in the NT for the last few years making comparisons over time impossible. As well, with greater publicity being given to the problem and the services available to victims, more people will report incidents rather than suffering in silence as before.However, the NT's Domestic Violence Data Collection Project gives us an overview of the problem: in 1997, 98 per cent of victims were female and 96 per cent of offenders were male; 55 per cent of victims were indigenous Territorians, as were 50 per cent of offenders.Disturbingly, in 47 per cent of all incidents, children were exposed to the violence, perhaps ensuring that another generation will grow up expecting violence to be a part of their personal relationships. CENTRE STAGE DEADLOCK MAY BE NEAR RESOLUTION. The deadlock over government funding for the theatre group, Centre Stage, may be heading for a resolution through