ISSUE 1: MAY 2012
The
Tuart Times
A New Resource Service for WA
Hello, and welcome to the first
edition of The Tuart Times. This newsletter comes to you from Tuart Place – a new Resource Service at 24 High Street Fremantle funded by Lotterywest to provide assistance to people who experienced out-of-home care during childhood. We chose the Tuart tree as our emblem because it is “a survivor under difficult circumstances” and is uniquely West Australian. The service joins the ranks of other State government funded services for care leavers, such as Open Place in Victoria, Lotus Place in Queensland, and Wattle Place in NSW. Group activities at Tuart Place
have been rapidly expanding since we opened in January, and in this edition we bring you our May / June program of events; introduce our first staff members; and highlight some of the activities at 24 High Street Fremantle. As well as social activities, Tuart Place provides counselling and support groups; computer skills classes; access to family tracing; assistance to obtain records; and help in dealing with other agencies. As a Lotterywest-funded ‘pilot project’, Tuart Place will operate three days per week in Fremantle until December 2013, by which time we hope to have achieved government funding to establish a full-time
ongoing service in a location closer to the Perth CBD. The start of a new service like Tuart Place is an exciting time and offers great opportunities for those interested in volunteering and helping to shape the future of the service. Please contact us if you would like to be involved in any way. We hope you enjoy this first edition of the Tuart Times. Best wishes, Pip Dr Philippa White Director, Tuart Place
“A sense of survival brought me to the Support Group” During my childhood I was in two church-run institutions. Having developed a strong sense of survival, I found my way to the Support Group at 24 High Street Fremantle. I am now a part of a ‘new arm’ that has emerged from the Group. There has always been a friendly enthusiasm and respect for individuals during the group sessions and at discussions over lunch, and now there is also a party atmosphere being celebrated by a ‘Movie Group’, which formed about six months ago. Like others, I am using inspiration from the Group to break down the walls of those challenges that were overwhelming to me in the past. Some of those life-challenges are being recognised, observed and slowly but surely conquered. I am finding safe ways of enjoying life more. The people in our Group are noticed by the way we are smiling more and by the way we are talking and understanding more about those things that matter to each
of us. We are socialising and enjoying life more confidently than ever. With the success of the ‘Movie Group’, we are now looking at other ideas, such as sharing meals at restaurants and experiencing a show at a theatre. Maybe even a picnic in the hills on a warm summer’s day? Fishing from the beach? A new, better world is opening to us after all this time. Thank you again to the wonderful, patient, understanding, caring people at 24 High Street for helping us to achieve some liberation from those old thought patterns, and especially to Susy, with her wonderful caring attitude, who gives quality focus and shows me ways I can observe life’s challenges and find ways to overcome them. Ron Love
Thanks very much for this item Ron, and thanks also for your great weekly newsletter - and for arranging our weekly Lotto ticket. We’re always keen to support Lotterywest
WHAT’S ON?
PROGRAM OF EVENTS MAY - JUNE 2012
MONDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
THURSDAYS
10am Drop in Drop in for a coffee and a look around our centre. Borrow a book from our library or chat to the friendly staff and Resource Service members.
10am - 12noon Support Group New members are always welcomed. It’s a relaxed, informal group where people can meet with others who have had similar experiences. Susy, the group facilitator provides an easy-going environment where discussion and support go hand-in-hand.
10am - 12noon Coming Soon! Building Self Confidence Introductory 4 week course: 24 & 31 May and 7 & 14 June Want to feel good about yourself, get on better with others, or just have more fun in life? This is for you!
12pm Sausage Sizzle Every Monday we get the barbie out and put the snaggers on! Have a sausage, bun and drink for a gold coin donation. 1-3pm Family Tracing Drop in between 1 - 3pm and our friendly volunteers will help you find out about your family history.
1-3pm Open Computer Class Whatever your skill level (even if you’ve never turned on a computer before) you can come along and get individual help. If you want to browse the internet, use Ancestry.com, develop keyboard skills or send emails, this is your chance!
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Future plans for our program include: Singing Group, Art & Crafts and a Walking Group. We are also happy to help arrange reunions and special interest groups at Tuart Place and other venues. Please contact Sue at reception (6140-2380) to register your interest or suggest ideas.
Meet the Staff at Tuart Place Admin / Reception SUE STAFFORD’s duties at Tuart Place
include office administration and reception. Sue brings extensive administration experience to her role at Tuart Place, having worked in a variety of different organisations and industries. Sue has two boys, 7 and 8 years old, who keep her
Senior Therapist / Group Facilitator
SUSY VAUGHAN has qualifications and experience working in a range of client focused roles including counselling; psychotherapy; training and development; careers and employment and service management. Since Nov 2009, Susy has facilitated a
Service Development Consultant
CATHCART WEATHERLY moved to WA from Tasmania in 1992 where he has continued to pursue his interests in the arts, culture and social justice issues in his work and personal life. Cathcart is a strong strategic thinker with many years of experience working in a wide range of community, social service and arts organisations. He is currently a
very happy and very busy. When she’s not picking up Lego Sue likes reading, gardening, music and movies. She hopes to finish her Diploma in Horticulture some time this decade. support group at 24 High Street where care leavers have developed friendships and a new sense of confidence. At Tuart Place, Susy provides counselling, facilitates groups and helps Pip with the service development and coordination. When Susy isn’t at work, she enjoys going to the beach, playing volleyball, and travelling in Australia and overseas. board member of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA, Deputy Chair of Healthway and Chairperson of Healthway’s Arts Sponsorship Committee. Cathcart’s current work involves the development of Tuart Place into a full resource service.
Fundraising Barbecue: Sizzling Sausages at 24 High Street A newly purchased barbecue; willing volunteers from the Support Group; cool drinks and delicious sizzling sausages made for a fun-filled and very successful day. Maxine, Lyn and Jen from the fundraising committee bought the barbecue and the boys put it together. This took a couple of attempts - those
things are not as easy as they look! Sylvia prepared a colourful banner which caught the eye of people passing by and the smell of the sausages and onions cooking did the rest. Following the success of last month’s venture, the group plans to hold more sausage sizzles and other fundraising events. Why not come and get involved?
Tracing Family with Ancestry.com Sometimes you turn up more than you expect when you start tracing family! This was the case for Lyn, who has been tracing her family using the Ancestry.com website on the computers at Tuart Place and found she had some rather interesting relatives. On her father’s side Lyn was able to trace her family all the way back to Jonathan Swift, a famous author who was born in Dublin in 1667. Swift wrote several novels including the wellknown classic, ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. Lyn’s mother’s side of the family was also quite colourful - Lyn
discovered that one of her female ancestors had been a Cook at Government House, and another had been arrested over 130 times for a variety of minor offences. Lyn says that “When you spend a lot of your childhood in institutions, you really don’t know who your family is and where you come from. Sometimes there’s no one to ask. So for myself, I found I developed an interest in genealogy. I’ve browsed information in the State Library and Ancestry.com has given me another useful resource for researching further.
Lyn now helps other people to trace their family histories using the computers at 24 High Street.
Introducing the Find & Connect website – an Australia-wide resource Find & Connect is a website designed to help The first version of Find & Connect was launched in Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants understand November 2011 but the website is an ongoing project and more about their past and the historical context of child we’re adding more to it month by month. welfare. There is a team of historians working Everyone affected by the history of around Australia to update and add to the out-of-home care will have their own story to information on Find & Connect. This team will tell – we hope this website will help people be working for the next three years. In WA, your find their own pathways to information and historian is Dr Debbi Rosser whom many of you resources that will help them make sense of know from her work on Signposts and as MC the past and see where personal stories fit at the launch of the Memorial to the Forgotten into a broader context. Australians. Find & Connect does not contain Input and feedback from the community anyone’s personal information or private about the website will be an important part of records – only information that is already the project – we value your feedback. Dr Debbi Rosser published and/or in the public domain. The Find and Connect website is at www. However, Find & Connect can help people locate findandconnect.gov.au Please have a look and get in touch and get access to their personal records. with us!
Finding your way to 24 High Street
24 High Street
Train Station
Closest CAT bus stop
With no on-site parking and a location in inner-city Fremantle, we have had to find creative ways of travelling to 24 High Street. Lyn and Jen often park at South Beach and catch the Blue Central Area Transit (CAT) Bus, which stops close by in Phillimore Street, just after Cliff Street. The Blue CAT Bus is free and runs every 10 minutes, starting from Fremantle Train Station. If you’re arriving in Fremantle by train, the Blue CAT bus will bring you two blocks closer than the Station, with a scenic 16-minute bus ride on the way. Use the map opposite to get your bearings.
South Beach parking
Forgotten Australians Coming Together (FACT) Inc Tuart Place is dedicated to Mr Laurie Humphreys JP and his fellow founding members of Forgotten Australians Coming Together (FACT) Inc. Together, they brought to life Laurie’s dream of creating a resource service for all Western Australians who experienced out-of-home care during childhood. Laurie and his brother Terry spent their childhoods in institutions both in England and Australia
and Laurie continues to campaign for a better deal for all care leavers. Laurie is passionate about breaking down the barriers between the ‘different’ groups and says: “We were all in out-of-home care, we were all separated from our families, and we all basically want the same thing. Let’s join together and cooperate in achieving our goals.”
Tuart Place: Contact Details and Opening Hours 24 High Street Fremantle WA 6160 Phone (08) 6140-2380 Email admin@tuartplace.org
Opening Hours 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday Wednesday Thursday