Congratulations Katrina Stratton

Hearty congratulations to Dr Katrina Stratton MLA on winning the seat of Nedlands in the 2021 WA State election. Katrina is the first Labor MP for Nedlands and only the second woman to hold this Seat. It is an amazing achievement and everyone at Tuart Place is very proud. Katrina joined the FACT Board in 2015, and is a longstanding supporter of care leavers and Tuart Place. In her Board profile of 2019, Katrina, wrote: “I came to Tuart Place as a Board member for a lot of reasons. I knew of the great work done by Tuart Place, especially its participant leadership on the Board, and in creating the activities that take place here. I was excited to learn from Tuart Place’s model of co-design and what it might look like in the places I work. I had much to learn too - as a social worker - about what it means to people to have been in care, and how we could learn from the past to ensure we provide the children we care for with what they need. “My other reasons were personal. My husband Steve spent a number of years in Fairbridge in the 1970s from the age of five. His mum was a single parent and they came from the UK on a government scheme for single parents, the idea being their children would be looked after while the parent established a home in a new country. I lived with Steve’s care experience in lots of big and small ways. Small things like him never being able to eat pumpkin because it was served up undercooked EVERY night at Fairbridge. To the big things I don’t need to tell you about, especially forming relationships and healing with his family. He died in 2012 in a motorbike accident. My Grandpa spent much of his later childhood at the New Norcia Mission; he was lucky enough to have carers with whom he spent every school holidays, and that consistency of love and care was a great protector for him (we know from research and life, the difference one secure adult in a child’s life can make). He considered himself lucky because of that, and he and my Grandma had a loving 60-year marriage and four children. “It is my privilege to serve on the Board of Tuart Place, to honour the experience of those two wonderful men in my life, and to work with you all to contribute in some way to our goal of Growing Strong Together”. While Katrina’s election win means she will sadly be stepping down from our Board, she remains committed to continuing to be a voice for people with a care experience. We are most grateful for Katrina’s substantial contributions to the FACT Board, and we’re excited to have a voice for Care Leavers in the WA Parliament.

Family First : A Memoir

Book Review by Mary-Ann Oliver

In Family First: A Memoir, Australian-born George Knox tells the story of his life so far. His family was separated when he was a small boy, then reunited after forty years. There are amazing stories of siblings working alongside each other at different times, without knowing of their family connection. George’s family was torn apart by the violence of an abusive father. The children were made Wards of the State - George and his brother Bob lived at Castledare and Clontarf, amidst great difficulties. Their sisters were sent to St Joseph’s, while younger brothers were fostered and adopted. At the age of 17, George joined the Royal Australian Air Force, and his life began to resemble an amazing adventure tale, including a posting at the Woomera nuclear testing grounds. After his time in the Air Force, George travelled to Canada where he met his wife Judith, to whom he has been married more than fifty years. George joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and began his diplomatic career in cold war Russia. Later they moved to Santiago de Chile where they suffered the loss of their youngest child, for whom George still grieves. After what could have been a poisoning attempt by the Americans, George and his family returned to Russia for a year, before being ejected, to their great relief and pleasure. George and Judith then turned their talents in a new direction, running a restaurant on the Gold Coast. When this had run its course, George returned to working with diplomats, and ultimately joined the Federal Government as a Protocol Officer, facilitating visits of foreign presidents and prime ministers. George is a great storyteller, and the pain and joy he experienced across his life is vivid.

Family First: A Memoir. Ward of the State – RAAF Maralinga Nuclear Tests Veteran – Cold War Diplomat – Businessman – Protocol Officer. Author: George J Knox (410 pages; published in 2020) Available from http://blokesworld.com/