New Name, New Mission

Like most clubs, when Blacktown Workers was established in 1955, it was a place to enjoy an affordable meal and a drink with friends and family, or to take in some live entertainment. While this remains true, the Club and its sister venues now offer so much more in order to meet the rapidly changing needs of members.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has become a top priority for the club group’s membership base, with the average member being 66 years old. Later this year, the group will begin constructing the Parkside Lifestyle Community next to Workers Blacktown — a development that will comprise 480 independent living units, a 160-unit residential aged care facility, two community centres and a gym with a pool, as well as some retail outlets.

The Workers Lifestyle Group also has diabetes firmly in its sights, joining forces with Western Sydney Diabetes to increase the detection, awareness and prevention of the disease in Blacktown through a comprehensive campaign in which they have committed to investing $100,000 per year for the next five years. 

Diabetes is a significant issue in Blacktown and surrounding areas, with 13 per cent of adults living in the Western Sydney Local Health District having diabetes and 38 per cent at high risk of developing it.

The group’s health journey started last year when Workers Blacktown began considering adding more nutritious items to the menu at its Blue Gum Café and re-evaluating what type of cooking oils they use. The Club now has several healthy options on offer for diners, inspired by the CSIRO’s Healthy Eating Plan, which they plan to keep refreshing and expanding upon. These meals are rich in vegetables and protein, and low in carbohydrates.

“We’re joining a revolution, not starting one with our friends at Western Sydney Diabetes,” says Workers Lifestyle Group CEO Morgan Stewart about the organisation’s wholistic approach to the health of the local community.

The club group’s members and employees now have free access to: 

• Two self-service SiSU Health Stations (one at Workers Blacktown and one at Workers Sports) which can measure a person’s blood pressure, heart rate, body mass index (BMI), weight, body fat percentage, height, smoking status, perceived stress and diabetes risk in less than five minutes. Users can track their results over time as the machine can be accessed via a web portal or a mobile phone app
• Regular cooking demonstrations held at Workers Blacktown to teach individuals about how to eat healthier and make simple dietary changes that can make a big difference to their wellbeing
• Regular glucose testing on-site, conducted by the Western Sydney Diabetes team
• Regular face-to-face time with Western Sydney Diabetes dieticians on-site
• Regular Diabetes Detection Events run by Western Sydney Diabetes at Workers Blacktown, where people can learn more about diabetes and the lifestyle choices that can affect the likelihood of them developing it, as well as how to manage their diabetes if they do develop it.  

“If you live in the Blacktown area, you have two to three times the chance of having diabetes than if you live in the North Shore or the Eastern Suburbs, and half the people that have diabetes don’t realise they have it,” says Janine Dawson, Diabetes Prevention Program Manager at Western Sydney Diabetes. 

“The major objectives are to increase awareness and also to reduce the incidence of diabetes, so we want to encourage people to be tested, to find out what their blood glucose level is and to take appropriate action.”

^{ABOVE: Workers Blacktown member and diabetes sufferer Brenda Simms}

Long-time Workers Blacktown member and diabetes sufferer Brenda Simms has embraced the new focus of the Club. She began using the venue’s gym several years ago and more recently has been working with the Western Sydney Diabetes team at the Club, learning about which foods she should be substituting for healthier options and what other lifestyle changes she should be making, while keeping a regular eye on her diabetes. 

Brenda has lost a whopping 33 kilograms and no longer requires insulin for her diabetes. 

“I’m proud of myself and I’m happy within myself now,” she says. 

“If they can get through to even a few people who have got diabetes to improve their way of thinking about foods, they might only be little things, but they make so much difference. 

“I always have been proud of Workers Blacktown, but now with this program it makes you even prouder. Knowing they are trying to do something to help us all, it’s top class.”

Another partner organisation for the club group is Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! — a charity involved in conducting nutrition education for indigenous youth, originally in remote regions of the Northern Territory, Far North Queensland and Western Australia. With Blacktown having a high indigenous population, the relationship is a natural fit. 

Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! has designed a Good Tucker mobile app which gives users a fast and easy way to identify good and bad food choices at the point of purchase simply by scanning a product’s bar code — a great initiative to complement the Workers Lifestyle Group’s health and wellbeing offerings.

“The aim is to just keep building … to see what’s working and then just keep adding to the equation to try and provide local people with funding options to come along and do things that might change their health outcome,” Morgan says.

To find out more about the Workers Lifestyle Group’s mission to combat diabetes, watch this episode of ClubTV.