Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Amber NT Patron Kyrrie Blenkinsop talks about Bereaved Parents Awareness month

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Amber NT Patron Kyrrie Blenkinsop talks about Bereaved Parents Awareness month · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We do know that the loss of a child, no
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  Speaker 1: matter their age, is one of the hardest things that
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  Speaker 1: any parent can experience, and it changes your life and
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  Speaker 1: the lives of the people around you. Now that loss
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  Speaker 1: is often not talked about, and it is actually more
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  Speaker 1: common than a lot of us realize. July is indeed
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  Speaker 1: Bereave Parents Awareness Month, and it is dedicated to raising
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  Speaker 1: awareness of the support which is necessary after the loss
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  Speaker 1: of a child. And joining me on the line right
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  Speaker 1: now is Amber and T Patron and our former news
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  Speaker 1: director from a few years back, Kirie Blenkenstop. Good morning
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  Speaker 1: to you, Kirie.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Wilfy.
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  Speaker 1: How are you very well? Great to have you on
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  Speaker 1: the show. And I'll tell you what Crystal's run off
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  Speaker 1: her feet today. So if you feel like another job, mate,
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  Speaker 1: you can come in and help again if you'd like, for.
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  Speaker 2: Come and give Crystal a bit of a hand.
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  Speaker 1: She is incredibly busy. Now, Kirie, this is such a
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  Speaker 1: tough topic for so many people. I know that the
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  Speaker 1: loss of a child, there's something that so many of us,
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  Speaker 1: so many experience, but don't often talk about. But indeed
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  Speaker 1: July is Bereave Parents Awareness Months. Is what is this
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  Speaker 1: month all about.
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  Speaker 2: So Katie, it's all about awareness.
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  Speaker 1: It is.
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  Speaker 2: It's an incredibly tough topic to talk about. For some reason,
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  Speaker 2: it's still taboo. The loss of a child, the loss
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  Speaker 2: of a pregnancy is actually a lot more common than
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  Speaker 2: people think that. For some reason, people feel like they
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  Speaker 2: need to keep it away, that people don't want to
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  Speaker 2: feel about it. But we really want to create awareness
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  Speaker 2: that this stuff happens and families do need to be supported.
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  Speaker 2: And amber ENSI is really developing this month into our
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  Speaker 2: annual fundraising and awareness month. It's an opportunity to promote
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  Speaker 2: awareness around the critical support services that our organization provides.
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  Speaker 2: And you touched on it a little bit earlier. The
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  Speaker 2: fact that this is sadly so common. One in four
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  Speaker 2: pregnancies will end in miscarriage, and despite Australia being one
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  Speaker 2: of the safest places in the world to give birth,
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  Speaker 2: tragically six babies are stillborn every single day here in
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  Speaker 2: this country. And the support that amber NT provides it's
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  Speaker 2: not only to the parents that experienced the lots of
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  Speaker 2: their child, it's also the entire family. It's brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties, grandparents,
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  Speaker 2: friends and in fact, the white community now sadly already.
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  Speaker 2: This year's actually had forty eight referrals. And from that
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  Speaker 2: forty eight referrals, there's a kind of a whipple of
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  Speaker 2: sects through the family and the community, and that means
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  Speaker 2: that there are many, many more people that we provide
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  Speaker 2: support for from just one referral to our organization.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah right, so forty eight referrals in the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: just this year alone.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's sadly true.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, I know that Amber and obviously works
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  Speaker 1: with those families and really does their best to help
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  Speaker 1: them through what must be an incredibly difficult, difficult time.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it is. It is one of the most
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  Speaker 2: unimaginable tragic things that a family can go through the
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  Speaker 2: loss of a child, and Amber and provides confidential, free
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  Speaker 2: non clinical services where here to listen, support, remember those
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  Speaker 2: babies and children that will lost, create memories, educate and
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  Speaker 2: also advocate. And this month it is around an education
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  Speaker 2: focused to where growing out beside doing grief trains for
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  Speaker 2: anyone that comes in contact with parents or families tower
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  Speaker 2: indeed people in the community that have been impacted by
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  Speaker 2: the loss of a child. We've got train that helps
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  Speaker 2: people learn strategies that can help them support someone who's
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  Speaker 2: experienced grief and understanding how to unicate with them. It's
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  Speaker 2: obviously a very sense to be confusing an emotional time,
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  Speaker 2: so we provide people with training to help them help
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  Speaker 2: the people that are going through that loss.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, now, Garrie, some people listening might be thinking to themselves,
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  Speaker 1: did this used to be Sids and Kids? Is you know?
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  Speaker 1: And is this the same organization or a different organization?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it is. So. Our organization started out as
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  Speaker 2: Sids and Kids then TEA. It was founded by two
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  Speaker 2: bereaved mothers back in nineteen eighty five. Sadly they suffered
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  Speaker 2: the loss of their children and back then there were
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  Speaker 2: virtually no support services available. They wanted to ensure that
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  Speaker 2: no other family was in the same position as them
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  Speaker 2: with having that complete lack of support services, so they
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  Speaker 2: created Sids and Kids. Now. Over the next three decades,
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  Speaker 2: the organization expanded to not only say sleeping awareness, but
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  Speaker 2: also a support network for families through stuff the loss
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  Speaker 2: of a baby or child from conception right up to
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  Speaker 2: the age of eighteen. And that's when we became believed
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  Speaker 2: Parents support MP to really reflect the services provided for
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  Speaker 2: family to experience loss through things like pregnancy, stillbirth, the illness,
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  Speaker 2: accidents and suicide. And then in twenty twenty one, to
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  Speaker 2: simplify and to focus our vision emission, we became Amber
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  Speaker 2: and Tea excuse me, and our tagline is besides doing
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  Speaker 2: Greek and I think that really just sums up the services.
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  Speaker 2: We are here to listen and support families absolutely.
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  Speaker 1: Now there are a number of different events that are
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  Speaker 1: happening throughout the month of July to do just that.
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  Speaker 1: What are some of those events and where can people
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  Speaker 1: get some further INFI.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, We've got a number of wonderful events. The
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  Speaker 2: theme for this month is looking up for Territory Angels
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  Speaker 2: and our events really aimed it putting down technology and
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  Speaker 2: engaging and participating. So this week we're focusing on connection.
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  Speaker 2: We've got a picnic down at the Columbay launch tomorrow
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  Speaker 2: night from five thirty. Next week our focus is more
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  Speaker 2: on well being. We've got a mind and Motion class
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  Speaker 2: on the thirteenth that's going to be held in the
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  Speaker 2: city on the lawns across from the deck Bar. On
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  Speaker 2: the eighteenth of this month, we've we've got an awareness
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  Speaker 2: focused breakfast that's going to be hosted by our chair
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  Speaker 2: Amberensi's chair Peter Prio. We've got a panel including Minister
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  Speaker 2: Lauren Moss, We've got the senior chaplain for the hospitals
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  Speaker 2: and also a mother who has had first first hand
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  Speaker 2: experience with our services. Now finally on this month, on
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  Speaker 2: the thirtieth, we've got a Walk to Remember at Sanctuary
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  Speaker 2: Lakes in Parmesan and that's a really beautiful reflection event
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  Speaker 2: for families that are impacted by loss to really come together.
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  Speaker 2: So if you or anyone you know is interested in
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  Speaker 2: our events, all the informations on our Facebook page, in
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  Speaker 2: our website if you just search Amber and Te you'll
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  Speaker 2: be able to find it. Tickets are available via Spiking
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  Speaker 2: Tickets and also individuals and workplaces can host technology free
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  Speaker 2: events to raise funding if they'd like to. They can
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  Speaker 2: get in contact with us via our Facebook or our
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  Speaker 2: website if they'd like more information on how to do that.
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  Speaker 2: And one of the most important things about all the
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  Speaker 2: fundraising that Amber and TE does is every single dollar
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  Speaker 2: that is raised stays right here in the territory to
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  Speaker 2: help territory family.
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  Speaker 1: It is so incredibly important and being able to provide
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  Speaker 1: that support to families after they've gone through the tragic
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  Speaker 1: loss of a child is just something that is absolutely
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  Speaker 1: instrumental I think in the territory. So, Kirie, we really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate you having a chat with us this morning. Tell
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  Speaker 1: us again just where people can get that further information
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  Speaker 1: if they are interested.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, no worries, Katie. So if they head to our
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  Speaker 2: Facebook page or our website, if you just search Amber
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  Speaker 2: and Tea in Facebook or on Google, that's going to
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  Speaker 2: take you straight down and you'll have all the information.
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  Speaker 2: And we've also got a run down of all the
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  Speaker 2: events and how you can get involved.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Amber, NT, Patron, Kirie, Blink and st. We really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for chatting with us.
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  Speaker 2: Oh thanks so much for having me on, Katie, really
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  Speaker 2: appreciate it.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you.