Chiropractors Awarded Order of Australia Medal

Two Chiropractors were recognised in the Australia day awards for their extraordinary contributions. COCA would also like to congratulate and thank Dr’s Falge and Vindigni. The following are articles written in recognition of their valuable services.

“Caring for Youths at Street level”
( The Courier mail Jan 26-27, 2008)
An Order of Australia Medal is well deserved for a Cairns chiropractor who proves that family and Christian values are not dead. Dr Harald Falge the founder and co-ordinator of Street Level Youth Care in Cairns, is to receive an OAM for his work with 18 volunteers who hand out meals for homeless kids. The idea for the van first came about when Dr Falge and his family were walking along the esplanade in Cairns late one night. “We had no idea of the extent of the problem until one night . . . there were young boys and girls walking around”, he said. “We asked about what they were doing and we were told they were selling themselves for sex so they could get some food, some were as young as 13”. The van not only hands out meals to the homeless teens but also clothing, first aid and counsel. “Its no good just giving them food” explains Dr Falge. “You need to give them other things in order for them to survive.” Dr Falge is trying to raise money for a house to give shelter for homeless who really need it. “So far we have raised $364,00 and we need $1 million in the bank”, he said. Dr Falge attributes the high rate of teen homelessness to a lack of family values. “We try to reunite the teens with their families or at least encourage better communication because it all comes back to the family and family values”. Dr Falge said the solution began with parents paying attention to their kids.

“Hands-on health” help honour. Lalor’s Dein Vindigni has put his hands to good use.
(The Leader Newspaper, Whittlesea’s)
Among the crushed crowds at one of India’s largest railway stations, Dein Vindigni found the inspiration to create something to help people in need. It was 1987 and Dr Vindigni, a Lalor chiropractor, was in Calcutta on a study tour with an overseas aid program. There, he met renowned humanitarian Moira Kelly and saw the clinic she helped run at the train station to care for orphaned children. Upon returning to Melbourne later that year, Dr Vindigni set up a small voluntary clinic of his own, putting his chiropractic skills to use to help the needy. ‘‘Around that time, chiropractic (treatment) was basically inaccessible for people living in poverty,’’ Dr Vindigni said. So began Hands on Health Australia, an organisation which now encompasses more than 20 volunteer clinics in Australia and Asia. The organisation offers services such as dentistry, dermatology, psychology and legal advice to people in need. It has also trained people in massage for clinics in remote Aboriginal communities, where debilitating musculoskeletal conditions are common.

Chiropractic students, clinical supervisors and researchers from Bundoora’s RMIT University are among the program’s volunteers locally. Dr Vindigni’s 21 years of work starting up and running Hands on Health Australia have earned him an Order of Australia Medal on Australia Day. ‘‘I think it’s very much one of those things you accept on behalf of lots of generous people who do things quietly and humbly and are never named,’’ Dr Vindigni said of his award.