Action Taken To Date

Posters, flyers and magnets have been distributed to the business premises in the main street and the outlying shopping malls, all the Hotels and Clubs, the Police Station, the Defence Bases and all the Schools – Private, Public and Catholic. We have had our banner across the main street in November 1997 and on four occasions each year in successive years. When the Council Policy changed we had the two weeks over Christmas and the New Year period. From 2005 onwards our banner booking was moved to the week leading up to Respect Week and Respect Week itself and that is where it continues to be. In 2012 Council Policy changed and we now have the banner up just for Respect Week. We had an unmanned display for three nights at the Voices Festival in 1997, where the sponsorship boards were displayed. During 1998 static displays were held at The Marketplace after each competition and our Sponsor Boards were always on display. In 1999 we had a manned display at the Wagga Wagga Show over the three-day period.

For the children we had purple balloons and yellow balloons – our generic colours – and these were printed with the words STOP AND THINK and then in larger print the word RESPECT in reverse colours. In 2012 the balloons were printed just with the word Respect in large font as it was felt this would have more impact. A manned display was held at the Wagga Wagga Show again in 2000. We will continue to use opportunities, whether static or manned displays, as another means of reaching people in the community across all walks of life. Respect Awareness was very heartened by the positive feedback we had from some people who had seen the posters at their places of employment and in public places. As members of the committee speak at service clubs and other group meetings it enables us to get the message across on a more personal basis. This also gives another avenue for displaying our sponsor boards with the sponsor’s logos for them to get recognition for their sponsorship. We also had a manned display together with balloons for the children at the Police Station Open Day in 1999.

The local media is right behind us and at various times there have been commercials on each station. At times there have been stories in print and radio interviews and these will continue. At times we had a monthly column and later this was replaced with the message in cartoon format in The Riverina Leader, which is a free weekly newspaper to every household in the City. These cartoons were directed at various scenarios where people need to Stop and Think about their actions. For example – road rage, leaving shopping trolleys in the carpark parking spaces, loud music at unearthly hours of the morning, skateboards ridden on the footpaths in a dangerous manner in main shopping areas, etc.

The Superintendent of Police in the Wagga Wagga Area Command has taken our campaign theme of Stop and Think as the motto for police in this District. All the Schools have supported us in this campaign and students throughout Wagga Wagga area have been given Stop and Think bookmarks – the School Representative Councils raising money to cover the cost. This also gives the students ownership of the project. Initially students in all Schools – Public, Catholic and Private – from Kindergarten to Year 12 were given bookmarks. This was changed to Primary and Infants children. The bookmarks were then concentrated on the Kindergarten Classes where teachers feel they have more impact. They are also being used as part of the discipline program for one of the High Schools. New ones were produced in 2007 to illustrate the new generic poster’s message. They continue to be given out to all Kindergarten Classes and any new families within the Schools.

Our first community competition was to produce a poster. This was run from 19th February through to 3rd April 1998. The Launch was held at The Marketplace on 19th February. Details were in the newspapers, on radio and television stations. The competition was open to anyone, any age. The poster to be in any style, eg traditional, comic, modern, abstract, just words or any concept people thought would get the message across. The theme of Stop and Think had to form part of the poster and it could target any area of respect. 1st Prize was a Minolta Zoom 70EX Camera valued at $240.00 donated by Gissing’s Camera and Video with a 2nd Prize of a Dinner for Two donated by Bagleys BYO. There was a Junior Section for Primary Schoolchildren with prizes donated by St George bank. The Judges for this competition were Profess David Green, Professor of Graphic Arts at Charles University and then Head of Wagga Campus prior to his retirement in June 2009, Roger Keynes of Adsolutely! Advertising and Design Consultancy, and Treahna Hamm, a young well known and respected artist.

Respect Awareness Inc was successful in obtaining a $1,000 grant from the Community Advancement Fund – money raised through the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest – to go towards the production of this new poster targeting areas of respect. We were also successful in procuring a $2,000 sponsorship from Austar. Willis Picture Frames subsidised the professional mounting of the posters on to the boards which were donated by Laminex and cut to size by Town ‘N’ Country Furniture. This combined sponsorship enabled the next poster to be produced. This poster was larger than A3 size in vertical format, which was pressed onto board and hung in various locations. The targeted areas were: Hotels, Clubs, Nightclubs, High Schools, TAFE, CSU, Sporting Complexes and Clubrooms, Neighbourhood Shopping Centres, Timezone, Library, Social Security, ATSIC, canteens in large industrial sites and any other places where there is a volume of people. The basic poster is the same but there are four different runs each with a separate message.

The four messages are:
Respect, It’s Your Call, Just Think About It
Respect, Give It a Fly, That’s Right Respect
Stay Cool, Don’t be a Fool, Respect Get With It
R.E.S.P.E.C.T Got It? R.E.S.P.E.C.T Get It? R.E.S.P.E.C.T Good!

Initially these boards were changed over each three months so that over a period of twelve months the four messages were seen in each location Volunteers undertook this task. The remaining soft posters were then used in the Schools each year in their common areas such as the Library, Gyms, Foyers, Hallways etc.

We conducted a very successful Colouring-In Competition through all the Primary and Infants Schools in Wagga Wagga in 1998. The Cheesecake Shop sponsored this competition. The entry was a before and after bully scene with the bully having to Stop and Think! There was a tremendous response from the Schools which was great. In 2000 we again conducted another very successful Colouring-In Competition. Ray White Real Estate sponsored this competition and in 2001 our Competition was sponsored by Cas$hies Second Hand Dealers. This Competition was divided into two sections, one for the Infants and one for the Primary children. The latter being in the form of a puzzle which proved very popular. In 2002 we used this format for our Competition which was sponsored by Wagga Mutual Credit Union. In 2003 Fearnes Coaches sponsored the competitions, in 2004 Crazy Jim’s Mitre 10 Hardware came on board and in 2005 PRD Nationwide. In 2006 the sponsors were Murrumbidgee Dairy Products and in 2007 Cargills Meats. 2008 Zac Zacharia Optometrists came on board and in 2009 msp photography. The Wagga Wagga Art Society or artists in the community have done judging for the competition. In these last six years Respect Awareness has extended the competition out to country schools in an approximate 60-kilometre radius of Wagga. The sponsor has been Cargills – now know as TEYS a Cargill Joint Venture. Since then the Competition has been sponsored by Gateway Bookshop.

In 1998 it was heartening to have a Poster Competition take place at the Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre which includes Shepherds Park School within the Centre. We received some extremely good entries from these young people – the entries certainly revealed in a very telling way the theme of STOP AND THINK. Workout Gym and Coco Cola sponsored this Competition. Each year since we have gone into the Centre and on occasions we have taken cartoonists and other talented people with us. This has captured the interest of the young inmates and has produced surprising posters. As a result of our initial visit to the Centre one young very keen detainee asked to come onto our Committee and was allowed to do this. He served for thirteen months in that capacity. Through the Centre he attained his School Certificate. After being transferred from Wagga he went on and gained his Higher Certificate. He then went on to successfully complete a University degree and is now a married man with two children. The Centre has acknowledged in writing our help in assisting with his rehabilitation.

In 1999 four ex-School Principals went around all the Year 6 classes across the Primary Schools in Wagga Wagga and spoke with the children. Following on feedback from these people it was felt some sort of ‘tool’ was needed. This is how the idea of making a video came about. TAAG has been in discussion with Charles Sturt University, Wagga Campus, who now have an accredited option for students in the B.A. Acting for Screen and Stage degree, to produce a video on Respect. This would form part of their Schools Performance Program. The idea is for the students to research various ‘problem areas’ encountered and identified by the teachers in the Schools such as Respect for Authority, Self Respect, Respect for other children, Respect for other people’s property, Bullying, etc. This research would then be developed as short slips and made into a video that can be used as a resource in the Schools.

The whole program would go through various steps of development and would be done with interaction with the educators at each step and with our Group. It would be envisaged that there could possibly be four distinct age groups we are looking at. Infants; 5 – 7 years; Year 3 – Year 6; Year 7 – 9 and Year 10 – Year 12. This is an exciting venture and we are hopeful that at some stage some students will take this up as their elective option. The Regional Director of Education in this region at this time, Mr Colin Parker, is right behind this initiative.

For some time Respect Awareness had a side on the Contour milk carton in this region advertising the Group and its aims together with the generic poster.

In 2005 Respect Awareness held a Respect Week and encouraged schools and everyone to focus on respect in that week in their own way. The week was launched with Wagga Motors having the Naming Rights of ‘The Big Splash’. This was run in conjunction with Rotary and took the form of Gumi Races in the Pool. Various Wagga Businesses and the media sponsored this event. Respect Week was again held in 2006 with Apex helping TAAG run the event. The Naming Rights sponsors in 2006 were Dennis Family Homes and Wagga Blinds and Awning Centre and again there was sponsorship by various Wagga Business and the media. This sponsorship in each year allowed Respect Week to provide free entry to the OASIS Centre for the public. The Gumis are rubber tubes strapped together. Each Gumi had a team of three people on it and paddles were used to propel the craft.

In 2007 the launch was by way of a big community BBQ at Bunnings in the Home Base, Wagga Wagga Lions Club running the BBQ. Outreach tools we used printed balloons, stickers used by Butchers and Delicatessens on shrink-wrapped food. In 2008 TAAG was delighted to have the two Coles Supermarkets use the stickers on their shrink-wrapped meat parcels then in 2009 Woolworths Supermarkets came on board. A5 flyers designed to attract children with a punchy message were given out in Respect Week and in 2007 metal garden plaques with the message ‘plant respect and watch it grow’ for planting in one of the School’s garden beds. The Schools used this opportunity to have a planting ceremony. In 2008 these garden plaques were again taken by some of the Schools who had more than one garden bed they wanted to use for this purpose. As well we took around the garden plaques to all the Pre-Schools and Day Care Centres and in 2009 a shrub was taken around for them. On each of these occasions they were able to have a little planting ceremony. In 2008 Respect Everyone stickers that the butchers and supermarkets were using were given to all Infants and Primary Schoolchildren and in 2012 these stickers were extended to cover Daycare children. Another initiative in 2008 was a rubber stamp with the word RESPECT on it and this was used by Capital Nightclub – the Nightclub that all the young people use – in Respect Week. The Nightclub has continued using this stamp on the alternate weekends – all patrons having to be stamped when they go in. It was unfortunate the Nightclub stopped operating in 2013 because this was a great way of reaching out to the teens and other young people in the community.

Respect Awareness Inc has run RESPECT WEEK each year following its success in 2005.

In late 2007 Respect keyrings were distributed to all Year 11 and Year 12 students throughout all the Schools – Public, Catholic and Private. These keyrings were also given to Year 7 students at the beginning of 2008. Towards the end of 2008 Respect biros were distributed to all Year 7 and Year 11 students. The biros had the words ‘Stop Think Respect’ on the top side of the barrel and on the other side was the name of the sponsor. Our Local Member, Daryl Maguire, sponsored the keyrings and biros outreach. In 2009 Year 7 students received a ‘Respect’ Slap Wristband which proved to be very popular. These were done in TAAG’s colours of purple and yellow/gold. In 2010 Printed Water Bottles were given to all Year 7 students. Other tools used in 2010 included the Respect message on the back of one of the taxis and the side of the Riverina Fresh 1 litre Milk Carton. From 2011 the Respect rubber wristbands are given to all Year 7 students and a Respect pencil grip is being given out to all Kindergarten children throughout all the Schools in Wagga. This will be a continuing outreach each year.

Respect Week revealed that Wagga Wagga High School held a RESPECT DAY. The day commenced with a full School Assembly at which the School Captains addressed the Assembly on Respect. Other activities, involving the whole School, were carried out during the morning centred around this theme. In the afternoon their own School Band and musical items from groups within the School played music around the theme of Respect. The Principal of the School advised us that in 2005 it was such a great success they would be doing it again in subsequent years. In 2008 another High School featured each day on their big board at the entrance to the School a particular area of Respect – Self Respect; Respect for the Family; Respect for God etc. We are aware that all the Schools are doing special things in Respect Week with their assemblies and in other ways. The outreach in the Schools in 2013 was fluro jackets with the catchy phrase we are using on many things now ‘plant RESPECT and watch it grow’ were given to the Schools for use by the teachers on playground and bus duty and any other activities they wanted to use them for. In 2014 the outreach to the Schools in Respect Week was a large colourbond sign again with the words ‘plant RESPECT and watch it grow’ and the Schools have erected these on their School fences at the entrance gates. This reinforces the message to the children going into School and parents see the signs when dropping their children off to School and again when they are picked up.

In Respect Week in 2006 a Community Poetry Competition sponsored by Book City.

Over the years all the Service Clubs, Community Groups, P & C Associations, Scouts and Guides have given us the opportunity of being Guest Speaker so that we talk on a one-to-one basis. In 2009 we have been asked to speak to groups of unemployed people of all ages, all countries, all creeds etc.

In the first semester of 2005 the School of Communication, Bathurst Campus, Charles Sturt University, was commissioned to produce a campaign. TAAG gave them a brief to cover criteria in areas that it is looking for and this was produced by their professional company, Kajula, which is Australia’s internationally awarded student agency. The methodology used was to have two student teams working as mini agencies to produce and develop a full communication campaign. The campaigns to be produced to the point of execution. This company does work for corporate bodies and community groups. A brief as envisaged for us was quoted at $1,500 – the Company just look to recoup their expenses. Kajula has done work for Lion Nathan, Arnott’s Biscuits, TAC (Traffic Accident Commission of Victoria), Electrolux, Compaq computers as well as charity/non profit organizations, Relationships Australia, The National Heart Foundation and Learning Links to name a few. Their Senior Lecture at that time, Rod McCulloch, produced the ‘Keep Australia Beautiful – Do The Right Thing’ Campaign, and comes with sound industry experience.

Respect Day

This is a new outreach activity for the whole community which was started in 2018 where with heavy advertising through all the media we encouraged people to wear something purple and/or yellow, which are colours, or wear some accessories using those colours – caps, headbands, jewellery, wristbands, shoelaces, the list is endless. The Schools were encouraged to do this and some had a mufti day doing this.

This is something we are going to build on each year. In 2019 we have A5 cello mats with the Respect Day and date featured, encouraging people to wear something in our colours or accessories and there are some scenarios about Respect. These are being placed on all the tables in coffee shops and cafes where there are tables for a couple of weeks prior to Respect and in Respect Week. This is being sponsored by Borambola Wineries.