Jaybee's Day Out for the Vision Impaired-Pics

[Lone_Wolf]

I'm looking for anyone who can help out on the 26th of May for a days fishing in the Redcliffe area. I need volunteers / Gear to help Approximately 10 VI/Blind people go fishing. The work (fun) involved would be to help the people to rig and bait up, and hopefully remove fish from hooks, plus good conversation. the people who helped on the last trip can vouch for a good day, even though it was rained out. # #
cheers
Joe

Well, it was on again, weather was so much better than last trip to the coast. In fact it was picture perfect. The trip took us to Woody Point on the Redcliffe Peninsula. There were 9 vision impaired men(clients) and 2 staff from the Royal Blind Foundation, Julie and Dianna and volunteers(helpers) from Ausfish.

The day was an outstanding success. Woody Point has great facilities with a safe fishing platform, ammenities closeby and sheltered picnic tables for lunch. From my point of view, all the clients enjoyed the day out fishing as it was not something they do every day. A few fish were caught, some grinners, garfish and a sandcrab!

A special thanks to Ausfish members for taking time out of their own life to assist.This day out brings immeasurable pleasure to these men and without your help, it may not be possible. It was great to meet some of the faces behind the names:

Ian, "finding_time", this man is a severe soft plastic addict Ausfishers, he needs help.
Bruce, "Charleville" guardian of the fishing rods
Kev, "Kingtin" now holds the record for the longest cast off Woody Point with an ABU 7000.
Noel, make sure you follow the right Tarago next time.

If I missed anyone, I am sorry. Thank you for helping out. #

Joe(Jaybee), we were all sorry you could not be there today, so I have posted some pics so you could see how much fun was had. The clients are already talking about the next trip. Best of luck with your wedding next Saturday mate! # #

Kieran catches a sandcrab!

[Lone_Wolf]

Charleville's school of fishing is in!

[Lone_Wolf]

Shane and Les hard at it..

[Lone_Wolf]

Noel looks hungry... again!

[Lone_Wolf]

Peter at the ready...

[Lone_Wolf]

Peter catches a grinner!

[Lone_Wolf]

Kingtin gives Robert some tips...

[Lone_Wolf]

Anthony, made the trip afterall, interesting balancing act with my rod!! :o

[finga64]

Looks like the weather is a lot better then the first day :)
How was the fishing??
Well done all [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]
Cheers Scott

[land_based]

Looks like all had a top day, weather looks great!!

[fish2eat]

Congratulations and well done to those Ausfishers who helped out on this day. Was stuck at work myself, but what a glorious day the weather gods put on for it.

[shayned]

What no photos of the mighty gar fish? Shane proved he is the mighty bill fish fisherman he couldn't stop catching 'em.

Great day out with some good people, if they end up fishing in your area and you get the opportunity to assist put your hand up you'll enjoy it.
Cheers'
Shayne D

[charleville]

I always avoid seeing pictures of myself. #It always reminds me that I need to lose one or two kgs. # ;D ;D ;D

It was a very enjoyable day out but not long enough. #;) #Great to meet the other Ausfishers. #:)

I clicked off a handful of pix with my mobile phone as I was enjoying the warm sun and watching the flat seas. #Those pix shown below.

ALSO - I just received a call from Julie (organiser) saying that one of her rods did not return. # Did any of the Ausfishers find that they had an extra rod when they returned home, please? #

[lucylass]

that looks great if it ever happens n sydney let me know

i can handle a boat and love to fish

that looks very rewarding

good job everyone

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

I always avoid seeing pictures of myself. #It always reminds me that I need to lose one or two kgs. # ;D ;D ;D



my wife believes stripey shirts should be avoided too - or so I've been told :-?


sorry I couldn't make it wolf - looks like fun - if you can do one for the june school holidays I'll definitiely be in.

chris


" a pleasure shared is a pleasure doubled"

[jaybee]

Thanks for the report Scott, sorry i couldnt be there in person :'( however was there in spirit, will definitely be there on the next one, now can anyone lift a hand and recomend a good spot, looking at Approximately six weeks time, easy travel time is limited. once again thanks to all that helped today, i know (from a phone call) the guys had a fantastic day.
thanks again
Joe.

[choppa]

great report,, and congrats to all those who threw in the helping hands,,,,

joe work kept me away on the day,,, but if another is coming up in 6 weeks,,, and if your looking for a site,,, advise what is needed,,, b/isl has a host of areas that may suit,,, and if needed the old barbie talent MAY come back out of the darkroom for ya,,,,

choppa

[bidkev]

Thanks for the invitation (read insistence) ;D that I come mate.

A pleasant and rewarding experience that make's me realise how lucky I am. Those guys have a wonderful spirit and my "charge" put me really at ease. Nice weather, nice location, good blokes...........what more could one ask for?.......well? I suppose a few fish wouldn't have gone astray ;D

Nice to meet up with fellow ausfishers too. Count me in for the next one if I'm free on the day.

Joe, Shoncliffe jetty (sandgate pier) could be the go one day. Plenty of room and well fenced and good barbie facilities too.

kev

We live in a society where pizza gets to your house before the police.

[charleville]

I always avoid seeing pictures of myself. #It always reminds me that I need to lose one or two kgs. # ;D ;D ;D



my wife believes stripey shirts should be avoided too - or so I've been told #:-?



Well I thought that if I stand side-ways no one will see me. # ;D ;D ;D

[shayned]

Hey Charleville,
You should have stood next to me in the photos you would have looked positively svelt then. I'm wondering if the rod got left on the jetty amongst young Jaydens gear, he's out there a fair bit I'll catch up with him and ask. He strikes me as a pretty good young bloke I'm sure if it was left with his gear he'll have done the right thing and we will be able to get it back to the rightful owner.

[charleville]

Thanks Shayned. I went back there last night and searched around everywhere with a torch but to no avail. I ran the torch over every rod that I saw there but none fitted the description nor did my enquiries yield anything. It would be a jolly shame if Julie loses this rod which has sentimental value but also had a new reel on it. Of course, she was so busy attending to those things that she had to do with the whole group.

BTW, the jetty was sure busy last night. Someone had even pitched a tent at the end of it. Lots of people cast-netting close in and lots of people using light sticks on their floats. It was interesting to see the light sticks floating out on the water.

Being Friday night, the pub was pretty busy also so that there was a long walk to get parking. Sure is a busy area at night.

[Lone_Wolf]

Charleville,

Sorry, I musta jinxed you giving you the title of guardian of the rods. Was it Julie's rod and reel that went missing?

[charleville]

Yes Lone Wolf. #A smallish old rod with a chewed/eroded grip and a brand new reel - forget which brand - might have been a Daiwa.

I recall her putting the rod into my car on the way up as I have just had a rod at home chewed by one of my pet ducks and that caused me to notice this particular rod.

Of course, when everyone left the jetty, all of the gear was just carrying by everyone and stacked against the rail at the covered area where Diana and I bundled it up and put it in my car for the home trip.

Next time we will need to count the rods.

[bidkev]

Shame about the rod :'( Here's hoping it turns up, especially if it has sentimental value. Just goes to show how much there is for these folk to do, looking after gear as well as the clients. That's the trouble with large groups, everyone thinks someone else has it covered. I went to pick up R's rod after packing my own and someone else was already carrying it off. Perhaps a check list next time out eh........before we leave the location?

kev

We would all like to vote for the best man but he is never a candidate.

[Big_unit]

I would take my hat off to you blokes if I wore one.

Good onyas, top job.

As I said before - THATS GOLD [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Cheers
James

[shayned]

I'll pop out this arvo and see if the young bloke is there.

[Lone_Wolf]

Whingeing Pomm

Gender:
Re: Jaybee's Day Out for the Vision Impaired-Pics
« Reply #17 on: Yesterday at 19:10:48 » # #Thanks for the invitation (read insistence) # that I come mate.

A pleasant and rewarding experience that make's me realise how lucky I am. Those guys have a wonderful spirit and my "charge" put me really at ease. Nice weather, nice location, good blokes...........what more could one ask for?.......well? I suppose a few fish wouldn't have gone astray #

Nice to meet up with fellow ausfishers too. Count me in for the next one if I'm free on the day.

Joe, Shoncliffe jetty (sandgate pier) could be the go one day. Plenty of room and well fenced and good barbie facilities too.

kev

Kev, it was great that you got there and a pleasure to meet a true gentleman of the game. I reckon Shorncliffe would be a great spot too. The men were talking about alternative activities apart from fishing. I hope the AF family would still be willing to help out if that is what they choose to do so.

This day out makes me appreciate the simplicity of fishing and the fun it can bring to anyone. I have talked to the guys and if there is one thing these men struggle with, it is to be given the chance to do the day to day things we take for granted.

Unfortunately there are rules and safety issues which these activities occurring through the RBF. If it was not for guys like RBF staff Joe, Julie, Dianna(on their days off) and all the AF volunteers who were there to assist, these events would never occur.

Having said that, these guys have overcome a lot to be as independent as possible. Without mentioning names, in that group, there is a man who is currently a world class power lifter, a man whose knowledge of Italian music and opera is amazing to say the least and a man who goes surfing down the coast on a regular basis. There are also men with multiple disabilities who "achieve" every day by just making the event. They are all great guys when you get to know them.

Thanks again to AF members for your contribution.

[bidkev]

[quote]<snip>


Having said that, these guys have overcome a lot to be as independent as possible. Without mentioning names, in that group, there is a man who is currently a world class power lifter, a man whose knowledge of Italian music and opera is amazing to say the least and a man who goes surfing down the coast on a regular basis. There are also men with multiple disabilities who "achieve" every day by just making the event. They are all great guys when you get to know them.

Thanks again to AF members for your contribution.

And there is also one who was prepared to take a grinner home and "give it a try" :o My deckie would like him immensely ;D This guy loves his fishing and the attention he paid to his sport was awesome......pity it only rewarded him with a grinner. Another guy caught several gar. Now just how did he do that when he couldn't see the float? :o

kev

[Lone_Wolf]

Another guy caught several gar. Now just how did he do that when he couldn't see the float?

.. there is more to seeing than meets the eye!

[jaybee]

How do you put into words to say THANKYOU x 1000 times. recieved a few calls from clients in the past 24 hrs, to say they were stoked is an understatement. Thankyou all who helped on the day, i dare say it will live in some memories for quite some time. and i will certainly be on the next one, but then if i come it may rain again. ;D a BIG well done to all those that helped on the day. lets hope the next one is even better.
cheers
Joe

[charleville]

Another guy caught several gar. Now just how did he do that when he couldn't see the float? #

.. there is more to seeing than meets the eye!


This guy is very interesting. #I had a great conversation with him going to and from the event as I took him in my car from the Blind Association at the Gabba.

He is blind but has only been blind only a few years so he has memory of what things look like. # He does a number of activities like sculpturing, wood turning and - wait for it - drawing with a pencil. He says that he can feel the thickness of the pencil lines on the paper and talked about how he went and bought some thin latex type material and made his easel on which to draw. #The soft latex backing helps him feel the lines. Some of his pictures will be included in an exhibition at Southbank late in June which I shall go and have a look at.

We discussed how the eyes use 1/3 of the brain to function and that therefore if the eyes no longer work, there is an enormous lot of computing capacity that is available for other processing that allows this sort of sensitivity.

The same fellow had been an avid fisho prior to losing his sight and in fact came to yesterday's event with his own baitcaster and tackle box with a built in rod holder that he had attached to it.

Dispite his lack of sight, he is a pretty self-reliant bloke and very keen to discuss the pieces of art that he had made - eg the scupture that he had just finished with files of various grades thus giving different surface textures, a fruit bowl that he had turned out of craft wood and stained at home using boot-polish (proper stain not being used because of safety issues), how he is keen to do some sculpting in marble etc etc etc. #Lots of chat about the fish he used to catch up north, the 40 motorcycles that he had owned in the past, his singing in recent musicals to which he was introduced by his current girlfriend (He sings bass), etc etc etc.

He also spoke of the cruelty of being discarded by ex-friends after he lost his sight in north Qld but also of the special admiration that he had for his braille teacher in Adelaide and organisations like #the Qld Blind Institute. How he funds his special needs- white cane, electronic aids, household appliances etc.

We could have chatted all day. #:)

In my daily life, I actually have never known a single person with a disability (other than those like me with spectacles and sometimes a bit of stupidity #;D ) and I always reckon that I don't have a charitable bone in my body. #So naturally, I was not sure what to expect but Julie the organiser made things happen pretty easily and by participating and talking with the clients, I have discovered since coming home that they gave me far more than I gave them. #I have talked an awful lot to my wife since Friday about the experience and what I had learnt.

I now know of things like braille trails throughout the city, that there is another written language for blind people besides Braille, about the electronic gizmos that they use, and how they can cope pretty well with life especially with the help of people like Jaybee and Julie and people who help them with their mobility out in the community. That is, people who help them learn the way to and from places where they want to go on a regular basis. #eg the fantastic guy who I mentioned above is thinking about finding a place on the Brisbane river to go fishing and would need the help of a mobility trainer to help him find the way there. #(He was also going to get his girlfriend to help him find Ausfish on the internet on her computer. #She is also blind but they have gizmos that convert the written word into spoken words.)

So even someone like me who has a fairly pragmatic and some say ruthless outlook on life ( I use the Godfather movie as a training movie for how to operate in corporate life #;D) benefitted enormously from the experience and is ever so eager to do it again. #It may be because I tend to be fairly unsympathetic about most things that I was inspired by the "get on with life" attitude of these people. #They are not disabled like a lot of fully functional people are in the community who struggle to live dispite all of the luxuries of modern life. They just have a disability.

I commend these events to all Ausfishers. #A great initiative by Jaybee. # :) :) :)

[Figjamm]

Bloody beautiful post Charlie!

This guy was so nonchalant about his problems that it had me amazed at the human resilience. He spoke of his trauma (loss of friends, abandonment and other issues) and how he dealt with it by recording it all on audio..a simpliification (by way of explanation by me) but he then played it back and relived it at subsequent times so that he could learn to come to terms with it. A very brave man to find his own course of action and to deal with it in his own way. A lesser mortal such as I couldn't bear the thought of reliving traumatic events.

Like you Charlie, I am still in awe and look forward to meeting these guys again. I say "meeting" as opposed to "helping" because if anything, it was they who helped me.

kev.....posting from Bev's and now must go work on Play-Pen

[Burley_Boy]

Good to see, send me a pm on the next one and I'll bring the kids who happily help out. Sounds like a great day out. :)

[shayned]

Re the gar, the bloke in question, shane, was unlucky enough to get teamed with me and took it with a great deal of grace I must say. What we did initially was use me as a seeing eye fisho, calling for the strikes, once he got a feel for it he started knocking them off on his own. I didn't think it possible to catch gar without seeing them but then again at one point we got a birds nest with another line (my fault by the way bad verbal direction) I threw my hands up and was going to cut and re rig. Shane went to work on it and damn near got it out another 5 mins or so he probably would have except for me going on about the fish he was missing and how it would be faster to cut it. As to the gar the other thing that helped was the quill floats they have almost no resistance in the water allowing more feed back through the line.

I'm not as eloquent as Charlleville but concerning the blokes either side of me you would happily go and have a couple of cold sherbets with them and be assured of a good afternoon with good company. As long as I can organise time away from work I'll happily go and annoy the folks again.

[finding_time]

What a top day!!! ;)Just inspirational .Really good to meet all the other Ausfishers there. Jaybee next time it's on give me a bell as i'll do all i can to be apart of it again.

Ian

[jaybee]

no worries to those that have put their hand up for the next one, am writing all this down. ;D
cheers
Joe

[Lone_Wolf]

Re: Jaybee's Day Out for the Vision Impaired-Pics
« Reply #35 on: Today at 16:36:43 » no worries to those that have put their hand up for the next one, am writing all this down.
cheers
Joe

He has a memory like an elephant guys, so be ready for a call! ;D ;D

[finding_time]

Hopefully i'll get to meet Jaybee at the next one!!! :D :D :D :D :D ;)

Ian

[jaybee]

He has a memory like an elephant guys Just don't mention the ears scott ::) yep looking forward to meeting a few more ausfishers Ian.
cheers
Joe

[Big_Ren]

That is an awesome report....inspirational, funny, motivational and reflective of the underlying quality of the human spirit.

You can write my name down as well Joe and if I am available, I would love to be involved. Will even dob in my wife to come down and help.

Cheers
Paul

[Slient]

Give them a round of applause....[smiley=laola.gif]

[jaybee]

Hi guys - #Julie here under Jaybees name - You have overwhelmed me by the responses you have so happily and freely given back on our trip to Woody Point with the RBF clients. I will be excitedly anticipating our next trip as are the clients and can't wait to see you all again. And a very big Thankyou to Bruce for going out of his way and returning to Woody Point to look for my rod that very night! A true legend!
# TIGHT LINES EVERYONE. JULIE !

[charleville]

And a very big Thankyou to Bruce for going out of his way and returning to Woody Point to look for my rod that very night!
# TIGHT LINES EVERYONE. JULIE !

Thanks Julie. I just wish that I had been able to find it still there.

I am looking forward to the next outing with these guys though

Regards...........