NRL stars Tyrone Roberts, Cody Walker and James Roberts will visit Toomelah and Moree this week to encourage Aboriginal community members to lead smoke-free lives.
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The Quit B Fit – Tackling Indigenous Smoking Roadshow will be at Toomelah Central School from 11am to 2pm on Tuesday, November 20 and Apex Oval Moree from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday, November 21.
The Quit B Fit program is part of the Closing the Gap initiative and focusses on health promotion, awareness and prevention to provide Indigenous people with tools and resources to live healthier lives without smoking cigarettes.
“It’s a community event to promote the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program,” Quit B Fit – Tackling Indigenous Smoking events and promotions officer Sam Ah See said.
“We encourage the community to come along and grab some information about the effects of tobacco and how it’s related to chronic disease.”
Ms Ah See said smoking rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than double that of the non-indigenous population.
“Smoking is a direct link to chronic disease,” she said.
“It’s also the number one cause of death and disease in Australia.
“We encourage people to not only give up themselves, but make homes and cars smoke-free as the effects of passive smoking are just as harmful.”
The Toomelah and Moree events will feature appearances by Tackling Indigenous Smoking ambassadors Tyrone Roberts, Cody Walker and James Roberts, as well as performances by Scott Troutman, Koori Rep and MC Mooks. There will also be a barbecue lunch provided and a jumping castle.
A number of other services will also be attending, including Maayu Mali, Pius X Aboriginal Corporation, Homes North Community Housing and Northcott.
The free events are open to all community members but are particularly targeted at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
For more information, please contact Chris Ah See on 0409 385 474.