Quitting smoking in style

The No More Ngamari Ball, held recently in Narrogin, took a fresh approach to quitting smoking.

Tackling smoking with style was the idea behind staging a community ball at Narrogin’s Town Hall last month.

Vennessa McGuire, health promotion officer with WA Country Health Service in the Wheatbelt, came up with the idea because she wanted to try a different approach to promoting changes to the Ngamari Free program.

The ball was open to anyone in the community, withentertainment provided by members of a youth dance group.

Ms McGuire said she was delighted with the response to the event and impressed such a diverse range of people had braved a cold night to attend.

“It was brilliant to see such a positive vibe on display at the ball, which proved to be an effective way of signalling a change in the way we’re delivering the Ngamari Free program,” she said.

“Most importantly, the ball provided a great opportunity to celebrate our young people and was a good stepping stone toforging connections within the community to promote ‘Ngamari Free’.

“It was a great opportunity to talk to young people in adifferent setting and to explore how to build on those connections in order to promote my work.”

She said the success of the night had prompted questions about if and when the next ball would be held. “It really was a great evening to be part of which