Across Queensland

Having fun on the slide at the opening of the Logan Gardens All Abilities Playground are Chantel (left) and Chloe. All abilities playgrounds enable children with and without disability to learn, grow and develop through play, alongside each other.

Local talent Martha Dickman performs Absolutely Everybody at the 2011 Disability Action Week Awards dinner at the Cairns Convention Centre. Awards were presented across eight categories, acknowledging the extraordinary contribution of individuals and organisations in enriching the lives of Queenslanders with a disability.

Joining in the Oz Tag game held in Cairns to celebrate NAIDOC Week are (from left) James, Tormisha and Jade. NAIDOC week is held annually and brings Indigenous and non- Indigenous people together to celebrate Indigenous Australia through cultural experiences such as dance, art, music and food.

Paralympian Jarrod Moncur (right) shares sporting tips with Brandon at the Challenge Games in Townsville — an annual sporting carnival for children with disabilities. This year’s event attracted more than 750 students from state, private and catholic schools across the state.

Youth Justice Services staff Troy Buchanan (left) and Marcel Moeder (centre) with street artist Garth Yankovic at Willows State School in Townsville where Garth worked with young people to create a series of murals to brighten up the school grounds.

Jada joins in the craft activities at the Department of Communities stall at the Gladstone Multicultural Festival that celebrates the region’s rich diversity — 38 percent of the region’s population was either born overseas or has a parent born overseas, representing 31 countries and 29 different languages (ABS 2006).

Nigel Logan (front), Wayne Taylor (left), Wayne Simonsen (centre) and Angus Cook participate in a mentoring session at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville. They are some of the community members who volunteer their time to build strong and meaningful relationships with young people at the centre.

Torres Strait Islander traditional dancers Milton Walit and John Francia teach children how to dance and create traditional costumes during National Aboriginal and Islander Children’s day at Mount Coot-tha Botanical Gardens in Brisbane.

Siobhan Chapman shares the dream map she prepared during the inaugural Queensland Young Women’s Forum in Brisbane where 50 young women were encouraged to aim high to achieve their goals and dreams.

Reanna tries out the trampoline and soft mat gymnastics during the Super Sports Sign On day in Bundaberg. Sign On Days were held at 16 different locations to provide a one-stopshop where families could find out about all sports on offer in their area — making sport fun and accessible.

Heather Foord (left) pays tribute to Narelle Green at a luncheon at Mooloolaba after Narelle received the 2011 Foster and Kinship Carer Excellence Award for the North Coast region for her dedication to helping Queensland’s most vulnerable children and young people.

Manny Hegarty presents Phillip Toby with a certificate for sharing his ‘deadly story’ at the Mount Morgan launch of the Learning Earning Active Places (LEAP) Strategy that outlines how government will work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to improve access to education, employment, health and housing opportunities.