VOLUME 2 MINISTER NEVILLE LAUNCHES OPEN PLACE On the morning of March 18 The Hon. Lisa Neville MP officially launched Open Place to a packed house. It was a wonderful acknowledgement and celebration for everyone who was involved in achieving this service for Victoria’s Forgotten Australians. Minister Neville demonstrated her commitment to the issues confronting Forgotten Australians talking to several individuals and sharing their concerns and their stories. I particularly want to thank Liz Buller, Marge Crawford and Ron Fleming for their eloquent and generous contributions to the success of the day and to Richard Thompson for his heartfelt song. A WORD FROM JOANNA... 1
Both the staff here at Open Place and Forgotten Australians in Victoria have had a very busy couple of months since the last newsletter came out. Since we opened on January 18 we have provided support to over 250 Forgotten Australians through assistance with counselling, medical services, life skills, in accessing records and tracing family as well as providing general support. We have completed eight consultations with Forgotten Australians around the State making new contacts and spreading the word about the service. We now have 722 names on our mailing list! On April 7 Open Place hosted an ‘open house’ for professional colleagues. This was also a great day with many different professional colleagues coming to Richmond to find out more about us and what we do. Open Place has continued to host the Saturday social support group and the numbers seem to be growing! We were delighted to have the honour of playing Teddy Everywhere’s CD “A Song for the Stolen Generations” on March 20. We continue to receive lots of suggestions about MAY 2010 what people would like from the new service and we are learning more about what works well for people and what does not. Under the section “From the Suggestion Box” we have tried to respond to most of the suggestions that have come in. But particular thanks must go to all the Forgotten Australians who contributed to the envelope of Football Teams that arrived in our Mail Box on 13 April! It was a very impressive list of State, National and International teams of Football, Soccer and Rugby! The clear winner was Collingwood with 14 nominations! Next came Geelong with 9, then Richmond with 7, followed by Sydney Swans, Footscray and Essendon. Manchester United also rated a mention as did Melbourne Storm and Carlton Football Club. Over the next couple of months staff at Open Place will be visiting more regional centres to talk about the Open Place services and to hear the views of Forgotten Australians around the State. We will be advertising these events locally and would love to hear from local Open Place supporters who could provide an interview to the local press about the issues facing Forgotten Australians. Thank you to all Forgotten Australians who have supported the service in these formative months. Your messages of support and thanks to individual staff are gratefully received and celebrated by us all. CHANGE IN HOURS OF OPERATION Just to let you know that our hours of operation will be changing from 1st June. Monday & Tuesday 10.00am—5.00pm Wednesday 11.00am—5.00pm Thursday & Friday 10.00am—5.00pm Directions to Open Place from Frankston: Train from Frankston to South Yarra turn left at station exit 3 minute walk to Chapel Street and take the 78 tram right of Chapel Street to Richmond stop 63. VOLUME 2 STAFF PROFILES We’ve got 3 newbies on board.....read all about them........ Sharon—Team Leader Hi I’m Sharon. I joined Open Place in March as the Team Leader. I assist Lyn and Caroline the Support Workers at Open Place. I was most recently working with the survivors of the Black Saturday Bushfires. I have worked in a variety of jobs covering a wide range of positions including Victoria Police, teaching at a variety of TAFE Colleges and even as a Customer Service Agent for QANTAS; though I was a lot younger when I had that position. Open Place is a new and exciting service. Coming to work is interesting and challenging. I am inspired by the resilience and courage of the service users of Open Place. I look forward to meeting you at social events and when you visit our office for a coffee and a biscuit. David —Senior Counsellor Hi I’m David, my role description at Open Place is Senior Counsellor, and I am the newest member of the counselling team. My background is in Drug and Alcohol, Homelessness and Family Therapy, most recently as Family Clinician and Program Co‐
ordinator with the Odyssey House Victoria Family Eclipse Program. I hope to bring a family inclusive approach to my work here and am looking forward to the Family Support Group that Lyn and myself will facilitate later in May. Along with Robyn, my role is to provide counselling services from the Richmond site and to help locate suitable counsellors for Victorian Forgotten Australians and their family members, wherever they may be around Australia. If you would like to know more about what counselling is (or isn’t), or how to find a counsellor, or anything related, please call or drop in to see me or Robyn at Open Place. Rita—Administration Officer (Casual) 2
Hi, I’m Rita and I work on reception between 10.00 and 3.00. I’ve only been here since February, but I love the job, meeting the people who drop in and my colleagues. I guess I am the first point of contact for Forgotten Australians and for the Organisations who call in. I then direct calls as MAY 2010 appropriate and answer as many queries as I’m able. I barrack for the MIGHTY MAGPIES (sorry Tracey!!). SOCIAL SUPPORT GROUPS RICHMOND The Richmond Social Support Group is held on the 3rd Saturday of every month, 12.00pm at Open Place, Suite 1, 8 Bromham Place, Richmond with lunch provided. Everyone is welcome to attend. DATES: 15th May, 19th June, 17th July, 21st August, 18th September, 16th October, 20th November, 18th December BENDIGO The Bendigo Social Group Meeting is held on the 4th Saturday of every month, 1.00pm at Chutzpah Factory, 198 Hargraves Street, Bendigo. (Next door to Kong’s Chinese Restaurant). Food & Drinks provided. DATES: 29th May, 26th June, 31st July, 28th August, 25th September, 30th October, 27th November, 11th December A MESSAGE FROM BOB…...
Hi I’m Bob and I come to Open Place because the staff make you feel more than welcome and they also make you a beautiful cup of coffee. They will do anything to help you in every way they can, no matter what! So if you really need anything done or any help, come to Open Place and you will get all the help from the staff. That is their job to help all the Forgotten Australians in every way they can so get in here and get some help right now, you don’t have to be shy. VOLUME 2 A MESSAGE FROM BOB..continued
I live in Williamstown and it is a fair way to come but I don’t mind as it’s worth it in the long run and it’s a good day out having a nice cup of coffee and something to eat like a little lunch. All the staff are really good here no matter what it is they will always help you—each and every one of them, not just one member, all of them. They all do everything they can for you so come into Open Place and make a good day of it. I always like to get on the computer so I can learn a lot and the more I use the computer, the better I am getting. Once I know how to do everything on this computer I will be a very happy man. Sale When: 9 June (Wednesday) Time: 2.00pm—4.00pm Where: Sale Neighbourhood House 19‐21 Leslie Street Sale. RSVP: Rita/Tracey 1800 779 379 Ringwood When: 15 June (Tuesday) Time: 2.00pm—4.00pm Where: Central Ringwood Community Centre “Bedford Park” Bedford Road, Ringwood RSVP: Rita/Tracey 1800 779 379 You can learn a lot by coming here, there are all different things you can do at Open Place. Sitting at home doing nothing will get you no where so just don’t sit home all day and think of what you are going to do next, just get out of the place and do something for yourself and you will find out that you will be a lot better—ok? When: 24 June (Thursday) Time: 2.00pm—4.00pm Where: Wimmera Business Centre 62 Darlot Street, Horsham. VICTORIA WIDE CONSULTATIONS We’re back on the road…..in June and July we plan to visit Preston, Sale, Ringwood, Horsham, Hamilton, Swan Hill and Wodonga. Preston Consultations will be held in the Annex. We will have lots of signs and plenty of parking is available. When: 4 June (Friday) Time: 1.00pm—3.00pm Where: Preston Neighbourhood House 218 High Street Preston. RSVP: Rita/Tracey 1800 779 379 3
MAY 2010 Horsham RSVP: Rita/Tracey 1800 779 379 Swan Hill The venue is located at the back and you enter through the dirt carpark off Rutherford Street, follow the ramp at the back and its at the blue door at the top. When: 24 June (Thursday) Time: 2.00pm—4.00pm Where: Swan Hill Neighbourhood House
Cnr. Beveridge & Rutherford Sts Swan Hill RSVP: Rita/Tracey 1800 779 379 Hamilton When: 25 June (Friday) Time: 10.00am—12.30pm Where: Gilly’s (Coffee shop/restaurant) 106 Gray Street Hamilton RSVP: Rita/Tracey 1800 779 379 VOLUME 2 VICTORIA WIDE CONSULTATIONS ...continued Wodonga When: 1 July (Thursday) Time: 3.00pm—5.00pm Where: Biralee Park Neighbourhood House
39 Emerald Avenue West Wodonga RSVP: Rita/Tracey 1800 779 379 Don’t forget...... In October and November we plan to visit Heidelberg, Dandenong, Geelong, Warrnambool, Mildura, Seymour and Leongatha. So do keep an eye on this space and also in your LOCAL PAPERS about forthcoming Open Place consultations. OPEN PLACE FREE CALL NUMBER 1800 779 379 Please remember if ringing from a mobile normal call charges will apply. The number is only free from a landline. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA 4
…..seeks interviewees for The Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants Oral History Project. As the Prime Minister announced in his Apology on November 16, the National Library is conducting oral history interviews to record the lives and experiences of Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants. These will be collected from across Australia, will be preserved in the National Library of Australia, and be made publicly available, subject to any access conditions imposed by interviewees. The National Library has been collecting oral history since the 1950s and holds the largest oral history collection in Australia with over 40,000 hours of recordings. Along with social history and MAY 2010 folklore interviews, the collection also contains interviews with many notable Australians. The Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants Oral History Project will run for three years and aims to document a rounded history of the experiences of children in institutional and out of home care and the lifelong impact of these experiences on their lives and their families. The project will also interview a selection of advocates, welfare officers, employees of institutions and administrators. Along with undertaking interviews, the Library is interested in collecting related materials including photographs, posters, badges, reunions, diaries and published autobiographies. The Library is working closely with the National Museum of Australia which is developing an exhibition about the history of institutionalised care of children, and there is a joint website for these two national history projects at http://forgottenaustralianshistory.gov.au/ The Library is also working with the Australian Na‐
tional Maritime Museum which is developing an exhibition about Child Migrants. Since the Apology, there has been widespread interest in being interviewed for the project, and the Library will be selecting individuals to build a collection revealing the diversity and complexity of the experiences. With so many people wanting to tell their story, the Library will be selecting people to interview. If you would like to express an interest in being inter‐
viewed, then please contact the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants Oral History project on 1800 204 290 (cost of a local call from a landline) or email Joanna Sassoon on [email protected] VOLUME 2 PARTNERS & FAMILIES OF FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIANS SUPPORT GROUP When: 24 May (Monday) Time: 10.30am—12.00pm Where: Open Place, Suite 1, 8 Bromham Place Richmond RSVP: Tracey 1800779 379 or [email protected] This group is a way for partners & families of Forgotten Australians to get together. As this will be the first group, the purpose will be to discuss what everyone would like to get from the group. FROM THE SUGGESTION BOX 5
We have received a lot of helpful and enthusiastic suggestions for our new website. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to contribute an idea. All the suggestions have been presented to the website developers and many have been integrated into the site development. It has been suggested that we have a notice board near the front door with our photos, our names and our roles described. We think this is a great idea! We have received a request to run a group for Forgotten Australians at Open Place to talk about the experience of being in “care” and what strategies people have used to cope with day to day life. It has been suggested that we can learn from these experiences and strategies to help children and young people in care today. Please contact David Hartmann or Caroline Carroll if you are interested in being part of a group like this. We hope to establish a group in the very near future. MAY 2010 Open Place received a suggestion that we change the name of “Support Worker” for Lyn and Caroline’s title to “Service Liaison Officer/Worker”. We discussed the suggestion at our staff meeting and after considering a number of different ideas we came back to Support Worker as the name that really covers everything that Lyn and Caroline can do for the people that contact the service. They do more than liaise with other services, more than access services and more than provide information. They provide the support that is needed to assist Forgotten Australians to access the right services and that describes a fairly general role. So we have stayed with the title of “Support Worker”. We also received a suggestion that for every Rich‐
mond Social Support Group, we celebrate the birthdays of that month by bringing in cakes. Big thanks to both Liz and Marge who have volun‐
teered their unique and outstanding cooking skills and will grace us with their delicious cakes on the day. At the Melbourne Consultation Group meeting on 10 March it was suggested that we purchase a Pool Table for the computer room. A vote was called for but only 12 out of 31 attending supported the idea. WANT TO SEND US YOUR SUGGESTIONS????? There are many ways of contacting us with sugges‐
tions for improving our service and we receive lots of different ideas from people on a regular basis. You can make your suggestion through our Sugges‐
tion Box at the front desk, through the website www.openplace.org.au and through e‐mailing [email protected]. COUNSELLING FOR FAMILY MEMBERS Don’t forget…...family members of Forgotten Australians can access counselling for themselves. Call David or Robyn on 1800 779379
VOLUME 2 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 6
Why does Open Place need to have written confirmation of my time in care? The funding for all our Programs, including counselling, life skills, medical needs and travel and family reunions requires confirmation of time in care because we need to be sure that the services that we provide are being delivered to Victoria’s Forgotten Australians. The staff here appreciate that searching for documents can be stressful for many people and we want to make the process as easy and stress free as possible. We also understand that for some people there is very little evidence of time spent in “care”. Staff at Open Place are always prepared to be creative and resourceful to facilitate the process of obtaining confirmation in the simplest, least stressful manner. How can I make a complaint about Open Place? Open Place welcomes suggestions about how to improve our services. Our Service Charter which you can find on the website describes our position in relation to feedback from service users. There are a number of ways of making a complaint depending on what you want to complain about. We understand that many people prefer to express their views verbally and we are always willing to hear your complaint and to try to resolve the matter through discussion. We may ask you if you want to make your issue of concern a formal complaint. It is always preferable if you want to make a formal complaint to put that complaint in writing. If you want to complain about the outcome of an application for financial support for life skills or medical needs you can make that complaint to the Team Leader, Sharon Clark. If you are not satisfied with her response you may take that complaint to the Manager, Joanna Bock. If you are still not satisfied then Joanna will present MAY 2010 your complaint to the Brokerage Monitoring and Review Panel for their consideration. The panel is a body of four people one each from Berry Street, from Relationships Australia Victoria, from Department of Human Services and from an independent organisation. If you want to make a complaint about a staff member you can make that complaint to the Manager of Open Place. If you want to make a complaint about a Counsellor who is not employed by Open Place but for whom we provide funding, then you should speak to either Robyn Byron or David Hartmann. If you are a counsellor or another professional and want to make a complaint about the service or a staff member you may contact the Manager, Joanna Bock. I understand that if I am successful in gaining compensation/redress from the State Government or from a past provider that the costs of any counselling I have received through Medicare could be deducted. Is this true? We have heard of instances of Forgotten Australians having a sum withheld from the amount granted as “compensation” in lieu of the person having received counselling through Medicare. However, in most cases that we know of this amount has been paid to the Forgotten Australian at a later date. In discussions with Lotus Place (our similar service in Queensland) we have been advised to encourage legal representatives to ensure that the terms “ex gratia” or “act of grace” are used instead of “compensation” or “reparation”. We also understand that as of 4 February this year the matter of discretionary payments made by State and Federal Governments with particular reference to Stolen Generations, Indigenous Stolen Wages and Forgotten Australians, has been referred by the Senate to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee. VOLUME 2 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS . .continued What are the criteria for Life Skills? The intent of the life skills program is to provide opportunities for Forgotten Australians to develop or enhance skills that were neglected or not provided during their time in “care”. Generally speaking this means courses, materials or equipment that may enhance opportunities to socialise and participate in community life to a greater extent than you might currently enjoy. For each person this is likely to be different. Open Place cannot provide financial support towards full degree courses at universities however we will provide support for equipment such as books and other materials for university courses. The support worker at Open Place will help you with your applications and can discuss the advantages of different opportunities. To be eligible you need to be a Victorian Forgotten Australian. Under current guidelines Open Place will fund one application per financial year. We will review this guideline at the end of this first six month period [June 2010] when we have a better idea of how we are tracking with our funding. A MESSAGE FROM ORANA FAMILY SERVICES… A big THANK YOU to all those who attended the reunion on Anzac Day. We are hoping that everyone enjoyed their day, a day filled with reminisced memories and many emotions. A special thanks also to those who came from Tasmania, Adelaide and Regional Victoria. We are looking forward to seeing everyone back again next year! FINANCIAL COUNSELLOR 7
Don’t forget you can make appointments to see our Financial Counsellor at Open Place, Rich‐
mond. Our Financial Counsellor visits every 2nd Wednesday afternoon. Please ring 1800 779 379 to make an appointment. MAY 2010 to ....... Kevin for being such a handyman and setting up our BBQ which John W kindly sourced for us from Kmart. We have recently used the BBQ at our last three Richmond Social Support Groups. Edie for her green thumbs in potting all the plants, putting them around Open Place and coming in each week to water, talk to and take care of them. Jane for her magical skills in crocheting that have produced lovely cushions now living on our couches in the drop in centre. We have a very talented group of painters and poets who have graciously let us display their work in Open Place. A very big thank you to Bryan, Shelly, Marcus, Richard and Brian C. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to see the artwork, I really hope that one day you can drop by and see how talented these people are. Thanks again to everyone for your hard work and effort in making Open Place such a welcoming place to visit. ART SPACE Come and help us make a mural for Open Place! Showing our hope for a brighter future. Using collage materials, paper, magazines, fabric.... ALL MATERIALS PROVIDED, no experience required. LUNCH PROVIDED WHEN: TIME: WHERE: RSVP: 1 June (Tuesday) 10.00am—12.00pm Open Place, Richmond Suite 1 / 8 Bromham Place Richmond Carlie—1800 779 379 VOLUME 2 MAY 2010 CARD DAY We’ve seen that quite a few of you are handy with a deck of cards so we thought we’d organise a card day. Bring your best “poker faces” and come join us! LUNCH PROVIDED WHEN: TIME: WHERE: 13 May (Thursday) 11.00am—3.00pm Open Place, Suite 1 / 8 Bromham Place Richmond Lyn—1800 779 379 RSVP: Card days will be held every Thursday fortnight —
Thursday—13 May, 27 May, 10 June, 24 June, 15 July, 29 July.......... FRIDAY COOKUP The Friday cookup was so successful we’ve decided that it should be a monthly event. The cookup will be held on the last Friday of every month. 10.00am—1.00pm Friday—28 May, 25 June, 30 July, 27 August, 24 September, 29 October & 26 November. Come along and help us cook up a storm. Share a meal and take some home (if there’s any left) Maybe even teach us a recipe or two. EVERYONE IS WELCOME. COMPUTER SKILLS COURSE CRAFT DAY—SCRAPBOOKING Come and join us for a half day of scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is a hobby that has been growing in popularity. The purpose is to preserve memories in a unique and creative way. A scrapbooker starts with a scrapbook and a set of memories that you want to preserve for the future. LUNCH PROVIDED WHEN: TIME: WHERE: RSVP: 1 June (Tuesday) 11.00am—3.00pm Open Place, Suite 1 / 8 Bromham Place Richmond Lyn—1800 779 379 6 July, 3 Aug, 7 Sept, 5 Oct & 7 Dec Scrapbooking days will be held on the first Tuesday of every month (none in November as it falls on Melbourne Cup day) 8
Contact Caroline or Lyn on 1800 779 379 Open Place will be running three short courses [each one is identical] for Forgotten Australians who have expressed an interest in Computers for Beginners. We currently have a list of 15 people so we hope to be able to accommodate those Forgotten Australians who have already expressed an interest. Each course can accommodate 5 people. The first session of Course 1 is Tuesday 18 May starting with lunch at 12.00pm followed by the session going from 1.00pm to 4.00pm. The next 2 sessions will be held on Tuesday 24 May and Tuesday 1 June also preceded by lunch. The first session of Course 2 will start on Tuesday 15 June followed by two more sessions on 22 June and the 29 June. The first session of Course 3 will start on Tuesday 13 July followed by two more sessions on 20 July and the 27 July. VOLUME 2 COMPUTER SKILLS COURSE...continued Interested Forgotten Australians need to commit to the three sessions and should contact Caroline or Lyn on 1800 779 379 for further information or to express an interest. If there is continuing interest we can create more courses or run more advanced courses if that is required. Update: Course 1 has already been filled. The waiting list is growing so please ensure you register your interest quickly with either Lyn or Caroline. Thank you. DIGITAL STORIES Want to do something creative with your photo’s? One of our talented Forgotten Australians is happy to share her knowledge to help you create a digital story. Digital stories are like short movies with voice‐
overs, audio, captions and special effects—It is more than just adding images to text. We are hoping this workshop will run mid to late July, dates are yet to be confirmed however if you are interested in participating please contact Caroline on 1800 779 379 and your name will be put on the waiting list. ART COLLAGE DONATIONS 9
We are looking for donations for our Art Space day and would be very appreciative if anyone could contribute the following: Old magazines, paint, fabric, wool, cardboard, paper, buttons etc. Please call Carlie on 1800 779 379 for further information. MAY 2010 FIND & CONNECT SERVICE BREAKING NEWS...... Jenny Macklin Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs released the following Press Statement on 11 May: “The Rudd Government will help Forgotten Austra‐
lians and former child migrants reconnect with their families as part of the $26.5 million Find and Con‐
nect Service. This investment will help Forgotten Australians and former child migrants trace their personal and family histories and reunite with family members where possible through a records tracing and support ser‐
vice. We know that for many Forgotten Australians and child migrants who grew up in institutional and fos‐
ter care, the feelings of loss and abandonment have remained with them throughout their lives. Providing the practical support to help them recon‐
nect with their lost families is one way the govern‐
ment can help heal the legacy of the trauma and loneliness of lost childhoods. The Find and Connect Service delivers on the com‐
mitments made by the Prime Minister when, on be‐
half of the nation, he apologised to the estimated 500,000 children and 7,000 child migrants placed in institutional or out of home care in the last century. Through the Find and Connect Service, people who grew up in institutions and foster care will have ac‐
cess to case management and counselling support services from trained and skilled providers to trace and reconnect with their families. The national Find and Connect Service will provide:  A national website and single online access point to help care leavers find records held by past care provider organisations and govern‐
ment agencies, linked to state and territory indexes; VOLUME 2 
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A national 1800 telephone number for care leavers to call if they want to speak to someone trained to help them locate their personal records; A national network of specialised case managers to help care leavers locate and access personal records and, where possible, reunite with family members. Case managers will also connect care leavers with counsellors and other support services where required; and New counselling support services, specifically for care leavers, from appropriately trained and skilled providers to provide support for care leavers as they trace their families. Priority access will be offered for care leavers who are aged or terminally ill. The Find and Connect Service will be developed in close consultation with key stakeholders, including care leavers and state and territory governments.” We will update our website once more information becomes available. www.openplace.org.au WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO 10
Joanna Bock is the Manager of Open Place and her role is to oversee the development of the program and ensure the quality of service delivery. Joanna is also responsible for developing strategic relationships with other service providers such as Centrelink, Housing, Legal Aid, Community Health Services and Aged Care. Tracey Anderson is the Manager of Administration at Open Place and she coordinates the administrative processes attached to the requests for assistance with medical, life skills, counselling and travel and family reunion. Tracey also manages the administrative processes for the building and for reception. Rita Randle provides a front desk reception service responding to the calls that come in and coordinating the mail. Sharon Clark is the Team Leader for the support workers with a major responsibility for processing MAY 2010 applications for medical needs and the life skills program. Sharon also works closely with other service providers to develop helpful working relationships whereby we can advocate for the needs of Forgotten Australians. Caroline Carroll and Lyn Langanke are Support Workers who receive most of the duty calls and they respond to follow up requests for assistance with medical needs and for the life skills program. Caroline and Lyn can also visit and support Forgotten Australians at home and they play a big part in the Richmond social support group as well as participating on other groups that we run at Open Place. Carlie Oliver is our Records and Reunions Worker who can assist Forgotten Australians to search for their own and their known family members’ records and past history. Carlie works closely with VANISH and Pathways and with the DHS Adoption and Family Records Service. Carlie also plays an active role in supporting the Geelong and Ballarat social support groups as well as running activity groups at Open Place. David Hartmann is our Senior Counsellor who provides direct counselling and group work to Forgotten Australians and who also liaises with the external counsellors who provide counselling through Open Place funding. Robyn Byron is a Counsellor working with David providing direct counselling and group work and liaison with other counsellors, advocating for the needs of Forgotten Australians. If you have any suggestions for our next newsletter due in August, please give us a call on 1800 779 379 or send an email to [email protected]