Tanias Staff Update
We have some really fun outings at AJs!
Our Timezone mornings are especially lots of fun! HELEN and CAMERON M go regularly on Mondays, and CARA and MARK on Tuesdays, and the rest of our Timezone crew is on a rotation. Team games and challenges are always popular. And everyone seems to have a game they are drawn to or are especially good at.
HARLEY B is our ace big-game fisherman; HELEN has our top strike rate for mini ten-pin bowling; SHARON surprises us with her stealth goal-keeping in air-hockey; CAMERON M loves nothing better than playing The Claw Machine and recently picked-up a hoop of 500 tickets; MARK is our very strategic basketball Connect-Four player; HAMISH is our Cup-Pong expert; CLEMENT drives a racing-car like a pro; SAMUEL T is determined to master the Giant Claw Machine; LEWIS spins some great deals in Monopoly and is one of the few to have never been sent to jail; ALECIA makes riding a motorbike look simple; HARRISON is such a good sport and takes on anyone’s challenge to a duel; JOSEPH has great rhythm on the Taiko Drums; BETHANY gives everyone a run for their money on Mario Karts; TE RAMANUI has amazing skills on the chocolate bar scooper (much to everyone’s envy!); PAUL R is a surprisingly quick footed soccer player; ANGELIQUE loves destroying aliens in Halo; DEAN is our Nerf gun sharp-shooter; KIRWAN has been mastering the art of axe throwing; NICK F has a keen eye for squirting down dinosaurs; NICK T has just started coming back with us (we’re not sure what he has up his sleeve just yet), and ME – I just seem to lose to everyone!
On Wednesday mornings we deliver our giant bags of shredded newspaper to Orana Park. CRAIG B and TE RAMANUI go regularly and the rest of the group on rotation (HAMISH, BETHANY, LIAM, ANTHONY, MARK, CLEMENT, LYRIC, LAUREL, ALECIA, ANGELIQUE, ANTHONY, BEN N-F, HARLEY B, HARRISON, JOHN G, NICK T, LEWIS, PAUL R, KYLE, NICK F and PAUL S). The gorillas, lions and giraffes seem to be the all-time favourites. Everyone gets a real kick out of seeing their shredded paper being bunched up into a cushion or a nest by the gorillas. We usually cover one end of the park each week. CRAIG B and TE RAMANUI get along really well with the shuttle driver, Phil. Each fortnight or so, we catch the shuttle from the gorillas, and have a catch-up with him. It’s such a terrific place to be able to visit so regularly. It’s great getting out in the fresh air, getting to watch the new animals as they grow, and seeing our clients recognise new and interesting animal behaviours.
MARK is in-charge of keeping all our AJs cars clean. Every Wednesday afternoon, MURDOCH and IAN join MARK for a drive to the carwash. If there’s room, other clients might join us too. IAN is always on the look-out for emergency vehicles and MURDOCH likes to point out the car yards and other regular sights along our drive. Mark takes care of the ticket machine, puts in the car mirrors, and sometimes puts air in the tyres. He does a great job and takes this responsibility very seriously.
On Thursday mornings we go the Multi-Sensory Room. CALLUM, STUART, ANTHONY, and JOHN G go fortnightly. JACK, KYLE, GEORGIA, SOPHIE, and ANGELIQUE take turns on a rotation. Every month the room is refilled with sensory objects related to a new theme. Everyone is free to explore and discover as they wish. CALLUM loves the new rocking chair and the weighted blanket; STUART is in charge of choosing our music (although you might get the sack from that job soon Stuart, as Peggy Lee is starting to feel like Ground Hog Day!); ANTHONY likes being in the egg-chair; JOHN G always checks that the smell machine scents are authentic; JACK loves getting a laugh and tells us his own jokes on the microphone; KYLE is a showman and loves watching himself in the mirror with the microphone or playing the drums; GEORGIA loves fossicking through the tactile box; SOPHIE loves dressing up and ANGELIQUE enjoys colouring in the fluro corner. And of course, everyone loves to have a chat with their favourite lady at the Sensory Room, Catherine.
During our morning outings, we always enjoy our visit to a cafe or the mall for morning-tea. It’s such a good time to get to chat together properly and catch-up on what everyone’s been getting up to.
Winter is creeping closer. And that means our store-room door will be closed soon. I’m going to miss the “Bunny-Ears Welcoming Committee” when I arrive each morning!!
