Coastal Caring Clowns - Recent Events

Coastal Caring Clowns attended the Maleny Relay For Life.

On Saturday 9th October 2010 four clowns went along to the Maleny Showgrounds to provide some comic relief for the
participants in the Relay For Life.

Relay for Life is organised for the Cancer Council. The intention is to build greater awareness of the research into cancer
treatment as well as to raise funds to assist in the search for a cure.

Abbeygale, Singalong, Sunshine and Twaddles all arrived ready to run around the oval BUT because if the rain the event
was moved indoors. Due to the restricted space; along with the loud music of the band; it was very difficult to interact with
individuals so they were restricted to balloon sculpting and a little singing, dancing and a bit of silly stuff.

Still, the clowns were well received and they added to the entertainment on the day.

Visit to Carramar Nursing Home

On 4 December six members of CCC (Dennis, Gus, Heather W., Nick, Susie C., and Suzie P.) set out to break new ground for
CCC. It was the first time that we had visited a new venue for quite a while, and it was the first visit of CCC to anywhere in the
Noosa area.

Carramar is a part of the NoosaCare group and is at top end of the nursing home market, with about 100 residents. There is a
main building with a spacious hall and 10 lodges each housing 8-12 residents, set amongst landscaped gardens. Each lodge has
individual rooms arranged around a common space that has cooking facilities as well as additional easy chairs, TV etc.

We were told before we arrived that those residents interested would be playing a version of indoor bowls in the main hall (a
contrivance to get them together, I think). About 30 residents were present plus staff; they were most welcoming and we mixed
and mingled and they proved to be mostly quite alert. We then took it in turns to do individual sillinesses. The format of having
the residents lined up either side of the bowling mat was good for this. It was a set-up that worked well, there was a lot of lively
off-the-cuff banter between the six of us - it was a real ensemble effort. We had a photo taken with a very alert 101 year old
lady resident.

After about 40 minutes in the hall we broke up into three pairs and visited the lodges to interact with those residents unable to
get to the main hall.

We all agreed that it was a most successful visit - a most enjoyable venue, both from the general ambiance and also from the
obvious enjoyment that both residents and staff got from our visit. We all agreed in the debrief that it was the best visit we had
had for a long time.

It is a place that, despite the long travel time to get to and from the nursing home, we all felt should be added to our list of
regular venues -the staff told us that they hoped Carramar would become a regular visit for CCC.

Gus

Coastal Caring Clowns - 10th Anniversary

In September 2011 the Coastal Caring Clowns celebrated their tenth anniversary of bringing laughter
and happiness to the sick, elderly and their carers on the Sunshine Coast by holding a morning tea at
the Maroochy Baptist Centre.

Special guest for the day was Steve Dickson MP for Buderim who became a clown for the day and was
given the name "Dicko". Steve launched the clown's booklet "The First Ten Years 2001 - 2011" which
was produced by Professor Gus Guthrie who has been a clown with the Coastal Caring Clowns since
its inception. The booklet is to be sold ($10) to help raise funds for the Coastal Caring Clowns and to
help them continue their therapeutic clowning on the Sunshine Coast. The local media was at the
event and the clowns appeared on Channel 7 local news as well as appearing in the Sunshine Coast
Daily the following day.

A great time was had by all who attended which included the founder, Barbara Brewster as well as
current clowns, former clowns and members, sponsors, Diversional Therapists from Nursing Homes
and Co-ordinators from Hospitals and other invited guests.