News

Bus drives home Project Ice Mildura message

Fri, 17 Jan 2014 12:24:00

Project Ice Mildura has unveiled another eye-catching vehicle to drive home its message in the ongoing campaign against methamphetamine.

An eye-catching bus billboard is hitting the road from today and will continue building community awareness about ice and its effects for the next eight months.
The Project Ice Mildura community poster outlining the “cold, hard facts about ice” will be displayed on the back of Sunraysia Bus Lines bus as it travels district roads, as well as visiting primary and secondary schools around Mildura and in the NSW towns of Buronga and Gol Gol.
Project Ice Mildura spokeswoman Rebecca Koren, from the Northern Mallee Community Partnership, said the bus poster was made possible by a $1000 donation from the Red Cliffs Lions Club.
“The back of a bus is a pretty big and obvious place for us to use and it will mean thousands more people – school children, parents and road-users – are exposed to our message,” Ms Koren said.
“The generosity of the Lions Club typifies the huge community response we have had.
“We’ve received tremendous support from so many organisations and companies both financially and in-kind.
“It has allowed us to get this campaign off the ground in the first place, and ensure the message really does reach the entire community by one method or another.”
The bus and billboard posters are being supported by a series of smaller posters being placed at strategic locations in the community.
They also come as a new advertisement carrying the Project Ice message hits television screens through Prime Mildura.
“Our campaign started out as a community response to the growing problem of ice in our area,” Ms Koren said.
“We didn’t have funding or a budget, but it was our aim to saturate the local community with information about this drug and the threat it presents,” Ms Koren said.
“Our message throughout the project has been to encourage people to ‘get the facts about ice’ and the community has responded to that, with more than 450 people already having attended community information sessions.”
Facilitators are available to run sessions at the request of community organisations, sporting groups and local businesses.  Another 17 sessions have been booked for the first three months of the year.
President of the Red Cliffs Lions Club Robert Wolfe said the club had got involved as a community organisation, because ice was a community problem.
“Sunraysia is certainly not the only place being affected by this drug – but the unique thing about this community is that we are banding together to do something about it,” Mr Wolfe said.
“We are hoping our involvement will encourage other clubs to come on board and support this initiative,” he said.
Sessions can be arranged for groups and businesses by contacting the Northern Mallee Community Partnership on 03 5021 7671. 
Project Ice forums for the general community are also held each month.  They are scheduled at Sunraysia Community Health Services for February 11 and March 11.
Information about Project ICE Mildura and ice-related issues is available from www.projecticemildura.com.au/
Anyone with drug or alcohol problems can get assistance and support from Sunraysia Community Health Drug Treatment Services team (5022 5444) or Mallee District Aboriginal Services Alcohol and Other Drugs team (5018 4100).  Information about drug-related activity or crime can be reported anonymously to Crime Stoppers 1800 333000 or www.vic.crimestoppers.com.au