Clive raises the flag Clive Morrison is an Aboriginal Elder and Tuart Place participant. In October last year, Clive was being photographed outside the Roundhouse, which is just down the road from Tuart Place in Fremantle. A Roundhouse staff member came over and asked him if he would like to raise the Aboriginal flag. Clive was indeed happy to raise the flag. He said later that he had felt very proud to have been asked and pleased that Aboriginal people were being recognised in this way. Fremantle’s historic Roundhouse raises the Aboriginal flag every day to demonstrate respect for the Whadjak Nyoongar people and their land. This and other Roundhouse activities are in keeping with Fremantle’s Walyalup Reconciliation Action Plan.
Heal for Life goes to Whitemoor Prison by Dale Lynch
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endured some form of childhood trauma and abuse. This has contributed to poor decisionBesides my role as a Board making skills and entering member of FACT, I have been the prison system. Many involved with the Heal for Life prisoners also have previously (HFL) Foundation since 2010, untreated mental illnesses and/ firstly doing my own healing and or addictions – also related to then as a peer support volunteer childhood trauma. and mentor, working with people On the first day we who have also endured childhood presented the module to a group trauma and abuse. of 15 prisoners and about six In October last year Liz therapists; and on day two we Mullinar (Founder of HFL) invited worked with a group of 40 of me to help her present a module the unit’s prison officers and on ‘The Effects of Trauma on the clinicians. Brain’ at a prison in London. We The emphasis was on how were to be accompanied by Henri to ‘de-trigger’ ourselves and Seebohm, a psychologist and others. The HFL model has a counsellor who has worked in UK simple, four-step method of deDale with Henri & Liz outside Whitemoor Prison prisons. triggering immediately, thereby It was too good an allowing the person to think and opportunity to miss, and so in November 2019 Liz, Henri and I presented the module over act in a calmer and logical manner. Despite their pasts and crimes, the prisoners were two days at ‘Whitemoor’ - a maximum security men’s prison a lovely group to work with and it was obvious that what near Cambridge in England. A special unit inside Whitemoor houses happened in childhood had played a big part in how they approximately 70 long term prisoners who experienced came to be serving life terms in prison. They participated severe childhood trauma and struggle to get along with well, and the feedback we have since received from both other prisoners to such a degree that they have spent most the prisoners and staff has been very favourable, with some describing the workshop as life changing. of their prison term in isolation. For me it was a truly awesome experience. Over 95% of prisoners in the western world have