Big smiles on dials at Smiles Day

FOLLOWING last weekend’s successful Smiles Day, organisers are already looking forward to next year.

Held at Barrack Reserve on Saturday, the event was a joint venture by Heathcote Health, Heathcote Community House, Heathcote Primary Health and Bendigo Community Health Services.

“This was our third annual Smiles Day and it keeps getting bigger and better,” said Community House executive officer Vicki Forde.

The theme this year was 5 Ways to Wellbeing.

“We know that social participation is the most significant difference you can make towards high levels of wellbeing,” said Sebastian Goscha, Bendigo Community Health’s health promotion and community engagement officer.

“This is why we love this wonderful Heathcote event.

“A big thank you goes out to the organisations who helped put the event together as well as the sponsors and organisations who provided activities for families.”

Activities included face painting, a Santa photobooth, Royal Flying Doctor Service plane simulator, a free barbecue, and stalls run by community organisations.

“It was incredibly rewarding to receive positive feedback from stallholders about engagement from the community and to see so many families with smiles on their faces,” said Mr Goscha.

Children helped out during the preceding weeks by submitting entries of photos, drawings and videos containing a smile, and prizes were awarded on the day.

“It was so good to MC the prize giving as I got to see all the children’s smiling faces as they received their prizes,” said Maree Hingston.

“The organisers did a great job and I thought it was very inclusive with all the different groups involved.”

One of the stalls was facilitated by headspace Bendigo.

“We had a great day and I was impressed with the engagement from all age groups,” said that organisation’s community engagement officer Haylee Kennedy.

“I was able to provide information packs to many community members wanting information and resources.”

Heathcote Community House volunteer Monica Bongailis assisted with transporting prizes to the venue and said she was amazed at the turnout and support by all those who donated prizes.

“I can’t believe the amount of donations that have come from the community,” she said.

“I originally came from a different part of the state and a town four times the size of Heathcote but I’ve never seen anything like this before.”