Speech by Sarah Brisbane
CEO of Community Care (Northern Beaches)
Sorry Day, 26 May 2015
Good morning… I would like to start by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the
country on which we are meeting. I pay my respects to their Elders… past and
present… and the Elders from other communities who may be here today.
I would also like to add my welcome to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, The
Honourable Leslie Williams… the Mayor of Willoughby, Gail Giles-Gidney… the
Vice Chairperson of the Board of Community Care Northern Beaches, Carolyn
McKay… other members of the North Shore and Beaches Australian First Peoples
community… and guests.
Community Care (Northern Beaches), which this year celebrates its 21st birthday,
has enjoyed a long relationship with the Australia’s First Peoples community.
We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Guringai Local Aboriginal
Education Consultative Group in 2009. This was shortly after another Memorandum
was signed between the Group and the NSW Department of Community and Aged
Care to put in place a strategy for caring for aged Aboriginal people in the area.
This is just one example of how our local Aboriginal community members with their
long-standing and special connection to this country have built a notable profile
within the area.
Other examples include this annual Guringai Festival, the Gawura Aboriginal
Learning Centre at Brookvale TAFE, regional and local partnerships with local
governments, and the Biala Hostel in Allambie Heights and its relationship with
McKellar Girls High School.
These are all examples of the local First Australian community’s ability to innovate
and build effective partnerships. I’m pleased to say that Community Care (Northern
Beaches) is one such partnership.
We have had an Aboriginal Community Advisor working with us since 2010.
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Jeanne Townsend is a proud Weilwan woman from Warren in North West NSW.
Through her work as a Case Manager Jeanne helps us maintain effective working
relationships by participating in a variety of advisory committees and networking
groups in the North Shore and Beaches regions.
From Bridge to Bridge (Harbour to Brooklyn… which book-end the Northern Sydney
region) CCNB focuses on the things that help people to get the most out of their
lives.
We deal with the stuff that really matters like wellbeing… independence…
connections to the community… getting a job… getting an education… getting a
break… having a friend… a healthy mind… being able to stay in your own home…
feeling settled… feeling supported… and feeling valued.
This is the stuff of everyday life; things that can’t be reduced to numbers and
statistics. It is peoples’ stories which give others the courage to come forward to ask
for help.
These stories, these people, are why we are here. It’s the only reason CCNB exists.
Let me tell you one of those stories now. It is about one of Jeanne’s indigenous
clients. In order to protect his privacy I’ll call him Ted.
Ted was referred to CCNB four years ago by Housing NSW. At 66 he was mourning
the recent and quick succession of the loss of his wife and son, and also struggling
with a variety of chronic health issues including…
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Type 2 Diabetes
Heart disease
Cataracts in both eyes
Heavy daily consumption of both alcohol and cigarettes
Ted also had a history of falls at home… and was completely isolated and
disconnected from the Aboriginal community. He had reached a point where his
family felt he would be better off in a nursing home.
After talking with Ted about what he wanted to achieve and how he wanted to live…
CCNB was able to arrange support for daily needs like shopping… meal
preparation… monitoring of medications… and transport to medical appointments.
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We arranged specialists to help Ted deal with his grief and loss issues and manage
his chronic health conditions, including cataract surgery.
We also provided support to help him resolve domestic disputes, manage legal
issues, access superannuation and – most importantly – to reconnect with the
indigenous community.
Over the past four years there have been setbacks – including a cranial
haemorrhage that required 2 months in hospital – followed by work with a drug and
alcohol counsellor to focus on healthier decision-making… and an occupational
therapist to ensure Ted’s home was made safer.
But overall Ted has gone from strength to strength. His health has improved and with
it his confidence has returned and he now can manage his own affairs.
He has moved house to be nearer his family and his fridge and cupboards are kept
stocked up with healthy foods. He is no longer at risk of being moved into a nursing
home and he is rebuilding social connections with the help of indigenous community
support services in the area.
Sadly, Ted’s situation is not unusual. We are frequently seeing First Australians who
are struggling with very complex health issues and living situations. One of the things
we have learned is that no two people recover in the same way.
Everyone has different needs and takes different paths.
That also applies to recovery from the experience of the Stolen Generations.
Today, Sorry Day, marks a chapter in our shared history which caused significant
trauma to mothers, children, families and communities across this country.
However the experience of the Stolen Generations is not just about the separation of
families – which is damaging enough – it is also about the loss of cultural identity,
language, music, stories and rituals critical to the continuation of culture and
connection with country.
As a provider and manager of community and health services CCNB wants to
continue working with members of our local First Australian communities to find
pathways to recovery so healing can begin – and then continue in a way that allows
each individual to recover in their own way, in their own time.
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We want to play a role in more success stories like Ted, where indigenous people
regain their confidence, their connections with community and country, and take
steps on the journey to recovery.
This is where we need your help. We need to keep working closely together to shape
individual recovery models for maximum effectiveness.
This is how we will jointly create a community where all people’s social, emotional,
and physical wellbeing needs are considered, included, and met.
END
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