It made me cry, because what I do is done with love and not for praise and I am so grateful for kind people who took the trouble to write. 

There are two angle ladies who have been so wonderful to me since Jack was so ill – Rhona Chilton and Kerryn Thornton. They have just done so much for me. 

My previous mum Gwen Mitchell taught me to love and care for people. 

I am so grateful that God made me a carer. It has been so rewarding to me and I am the blessed one. 

Thankyou to everyone. 

Dorothy Armstrong, Horsham

YMCA Victoria and the Father’s Day Council of Victoria are searching for exemplary fathers and father figures to be nominated for the 2017 Victorian Father of the Year award.

The Victorian Father of the Year Award acknowledges fathers and father figures who an extraordinary impact on children’s lives. There are many dads, and their surrogates across the state, whose dedication to raising resilient children goes unrecognised despite the fact that raising a child is one of life’s most precious gifts.

For these children and families, their dads are superheroes and are always there when they’re needed, interested in their children’s lives and putting themselves and their needs second.

Nominations close on AUgust 11; visit www.fathersdaycouncil.org.au for more information. 

Peter Burns, acting chairman, Father’s Day Council of Victoria

FOR many Victorians, the dream of owning your own home is has become unachievable.

In the past, if you worked hard and saved enough, you could afford to purchase your own home – but as we all know, it’s getting harder and harder.

Massive price increases have meant that many hard working people in Western Victoria simply cannot get into the housing market.

The government cannot change pricing in an open market, but we can take steps to make the great Australian dream a little more achievable.

I’m proud to say the Labor Government is it taking steps to help first home buyers to get their foot in the door.

From July 1, the Andrews Government will remove stamp duty for purchases below $600,000 for first home buyers.

Additionally, for contracts signed between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2020, the First Home Owner Grant for new home purchases will double to $20,000 if the home is built in regional Victoria.

The increase will help first home buyers to purchase in their local community and will help support construction and employment in country towns.

We’re also confident it will help bring people from Melbourne and regional cities to great country towns such as Stawell, Ararat, Warracknabeal, Nhill, Edenhope and Rainbow.

Jaala Pulford, Member for Western Victoria

NAIDOC Week runs from July 2 to 9 and has the theme “Our Language Matters”.  

The emphasis of this week is to celebrate the unique role language plays in linking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to their cultural identity, land and people.  

Today only about 120 of some 250 distinct indigenous languages are still spoken, with many at risk of being lost. Youth Off The Streets is trying fix this.

My organisation has specific programs that are run to connect our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to their culture and I believe that this is one of the best ways to help our young people make positive choices and achieve their full potential.  

The unfortunate truth is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians make up about 27 per cent of our prison population, have high suicide rates, and an overall lower life expectancy. 

We cannot sit idly while these issues are still faced by Australians, we need to take action.

Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has been a privilege. 

I’ve seen so many young people turn their lives around through simply connecting with their culture, land and people.  

We know that connecting young indigenous people with Aboriginal Elders and our own Aboriginal youth workers ensures that they have cultural guidance in their most formative years. 

In some cases, all our troubled young people need is kindness and guidance from cultural leaders to turn their lives around.

This NAIDOC Week, I implore you to take part in your local NAIDOC Week events.  

Join me in encouraging our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to connect with their community and history and achieve greatness. 

To read more about NAIDOC week and to find your event, please visit: http://www.naidoc.org.au/events-calendar

Father Chris Riley, chief executive and founder, Youth Off The Streets