South Burnett Autism Support Group vice-president Tracey Aberle, from Goodger, with Dayana and Phil Aberle, who travelled from Brisbane to help out at the day

April 10, 2017

If having fun was the main aim of the South Burnett Autism Support Group’s day in the park on Saturday, organisers should be giving themselves a big pat on the back.

But if it was to build awareness in the community about the developmental condition known as autism, they succeeded in doing that equally well, too.

The day in Memorial Park, Kingaroy, was billed as “Autism In The Park” which conjures up thoughts of tables of brochures.

It was anything but.

Although there were the obligatory information sheets, there were plenty of fun activities for children to enjoy, everything from hula hoops and a jumping castle to a very-popular face-painting stall.

And then there were the sensory tables which enabled children with or without autism to test their different senses.

At the smelling station, participants could try to identify the smells in small containers; “matching halves” encouraged participants to match up two decorated cards; while at the texture board people could feel different items while blindfolded.

Especially popular was the sound board where children were making various types of sounds.

Support Group vice-president Tracey Aberle said more than 200 people had come along to enjoy the activities – more than they had hoped for – and a couple of families had inquired about joining the association.

“We usually hold a quiz night to raise funds,” Tracey said. “But this year we decided to give back something to the community.”

Sponsors for the day included Swickers, who donated the meat for the sausage sizzle; Brumby’s and Jen’s Party Hire.

The South Burnett Autism Support Group meets in the Stanwell Room at SBcare in Kingaroy from 7:00pm on the first Friday of every month.

Founding president Jenny Lutz – now the support group’s newsletter editor – was bowled over by the number of people who turned up for the “Autism In The Park” day; the group has been running for more than 20 years
Barry Aberle, from Goodger, was manning one of the sensory stalls … at this one children could test various sounds
Val Bowman, from Blackbutt; Ros Franz, from Manumbar; and Kathryn Franz, from Gin Gin
Jason Moore, from Nanango; with Autism Support Group secretary Bec Humphrey, from Taabinga, husband Shane and daughters Chloe, 6, (with six-week-old Molly) and Eliza, 10 

 

One Response to "Day In The Park With A Difference"

  1. Greetings from Illinois, USA. Looks like everyone’s having a good time and advancing their goals. Barry and Tracey are ol’ friends and I hope the are doing ok. If you see this, give me a buzz or email. Sincerely, Rusty Roeder

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.