Tapestries: stories of everyday activism

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contents Introduction Artist’s Statement Betty Chahida Donna Gail and Lillian Isobel Joyce Katherine Kiri Pat

Urania Wendy

3 3 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Photographer+Author Scout Kozakiewicz Editor+Layout Nicola Harte Project Workers

IWD Committee

Nicola Harte Veronica Garcia Nicola, Veronica, Joy, Kirsten, Victoria, Ana

Reference Group

Carers Link West Gateway Social Services Options Matrix Guild Victoria Inc. Northwest Migrant Resource Centre The Gathering Place Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders West CASA Western Region Disability Network Western Young People’s Independent Network

Photograph Printer Framer Catalogue Printer

Darren Rokahr, CPL Services David Amos Whirlwind Print Ltd

© WHW 2008

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introduction

artist’s statement

International Women’s Day (IWD) is marked on the 8th of March every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Photographing these women and sharing their stories of everyday activism has been a truly collaborative process. Trust and intimacy are accelerated in these situations and feel deep, though our contact was brief. I would like to thank the women for their belief in the project and for participating so enthusiastically.

The year 2008 marks the one hundredth anniversary of Victorian women gaining the vote.

Women’s Health West thought it an appropriate time to look at ways of accessing local women’s stories of activism.

This exhibition aims to raise awareness, and celebrate the range, of experiences of women’s power to achieve and focus on actions they have taken at individual, organisational, community or societal levels.

Thanks and congratulations to Nicola Harte, our Communications Co-ordinator, whose hard work has driven this project from funding submission to event management.

We’re excited to present the beautiful photography and writing of Scout Kozakiewicz, a formally-trained local artist with many years of experience in both personal and community projects.

We hope that the stories of everyday activism contained within this tapestry inspire and awaken your inner activist.

The need for an egalitarian way of making these portraits became evident after just the first few interviews. Many of the women spoke of not being locked up. So we decided to take the portraits outside rather than indoors, given the traditional views of women as passive or domestic. Nature became our backdrop. I believe this association is empowering, especially in terms of activism.

Women are equally able to be active in the public sphere as they have been in the private.

With a philosophical nod to some aspects of Romanticism, the portraits are accessible and natural in themselves. Central to Romanticism was this revolutionary energy, the idea that transformation and change was possible, on many levels, from personal to universal. The figure was often depicted in nature, linking the power of the imagination with the force of nature.

Don’t stay inside. Get out and take action, exert your power, make change.

I walk away from this project richer for the experience. The amazing strength, resourcefulness and intelligence that these women have shared through their stories will be a constant reminder that inspiration is everywhere.

Dr Robyn Gregory

Scout Kozakiewicz

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Women’s Health West

ARTIST

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betty

Betty’s life story so far is an extraordinary journey of survival and tenacity. Listening to her speak, with such maturity and insight, it’s hard to believe she is only twenty years old. Betty hasn’t had what we would call an ordinary childhood. Responsibility came earlier to her than many children would experience in our community. These experiences have left a deep impression on Betty, and inform her choices and sense of responsibility today.

She is an active volunteer with Western Young People’s Independent Network (WYPIN), involved with the group since she arrived in Australia four years ago. She helps other refugees and migrants find their feet, just as she once was helped. Trained through Melbourne City Mission Western, she is on call, helping other new arrivals with practical advice such as how to use the public transport system or how to find a place to live.

During high school, she volunteered at a childcare centre leaving school at 3pm every day and squeezing in a couple of hours to help young children of various African ethnicities who did not speak any English. Betty speaks five languages other than English. What inspires this young woman? “It’s

about giving back. When I first came here I didn’t know how to catch a train. Somebody showed me.

Whenever I help or show somebody what they need I feel excited, I am giving back to society. But I benefit as well by them saying thankyou”.

“I lived in refugee camps in Kenya with my brother and sister (she has five other sisters) for over eleven years. Before that I was in Ethiopia for two years. I didn’t know where the rest of my family were. Even my mum, I just saw her two years ago. My mum went for fresh water, when the war broke out in my village in Sudan. I was with my sister; we all started

running in different ways. Mum ran to our house but we weren’t there. I hadn’t seen her for fourteen years. I was caring for the injured during our long walks. I learnt how to cook when I was four, wash wounds and give people injections. So, because of my previous experience I think, ‘Well why not? I was

doing it when I was four, I am twenty now, I can do more than when I was four!’”

After arriving in Australia, she spent two weeks at an English learning centre, before starting year nine. “There were no schools in the camps, I learnt how to write ABCD from some volunteers. There are thousands of kids in the camps and no-one goes to school because they have to look for food, fresh water or their family. Starting school in Australia was a hard process, I kept silent in the class. People would say, ‘What is she doing here? She is so stupid.’ ‘Why are you so tall and so dark?’ I felt like dropping out. But I thought, ‘I cannot leave school no matter how they talk to me.’ Some African people stop going because of racism and bullying. But you

have to deal with it. If you don’t have strength or self esteem you will never get through it”.

Betty is currently undertaking a traineeship as an aged care nurse, and she hopes to study nursing at university next year, maybe even medicine one day.

She is inspired by a story she read about a ninetythree year old woman halfway through her medical degree. “She didn’t even have a primary school education, and now she is going to be a doctor. If I think about that it gives me a vision like, ‘Oh! If she can do it why not me?’ It’s never too late.”

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“But you have to deal with it.

If you don’t have strength or self-esteem you will never get through it.”

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chahida

Chahida is a woman who has made a habit of defying convention. She is about to complete her Bachelor of Business in Computer Systems Management at Victoria University. Leaving high school mid-way through year eleven, heading overseas at sixteen, falling in love and marrying, starting a family at eighteen, she has carved out a unique path for herself. Her journey is inspiring and unconventional and entirely hers.

Chahida wouldn’t change a thing! She loved being at home with her two boys, but when they started school she thought, “Okay, I am not just gonna sit here and do absolutely nothing, so I enrolled in a Certificate (I) to learn how to use a computer, and I am still there! I have got one more semester and then I finish my degree.” Although she believes being a stay-at-home mum is beautiful and she supports a woman’s choice, knowing the kids were going to need a computer really motivated her to be at least one step ahead of them in that department.

Her subsequent education has created many opportunities.

It hasn’t always been so clear-cut and it is never easy. “My strong will power and determination keep me going. I love new challenges and always look forward to my next challenge. Working under pressure and getting through tough times will only make me stronger and more capable of taking on bigger challenges. I always look for the light at the end of the tunnel even though it may be hard to see at times.” Setting short and long term goals, and working out how to achieve them is also important to Chahida’s success.

She also acknowledges that her success is contributing to the much-needed overhaul of how Muslim women are perceived. Although she still encounters people who assume she can’t speak English because she is Muslim, she reflects, “…being a Muslim woman, going out and achieving all this; going back to uni, at the same time working (teaching), and then I had the family…soccer training weeknights, games on Sunday, and I juggled it all and I did it successfully.”

She now teaches Information Technology at VU, a position she is passionate about. While she plans to work in the IT industry, she hopes to continue teaching. She enjoys mentoring others, whether they are family members, or part of the wide variety of people she encounters through her teaching and volunteer work with the Muslim Women’s Council of Victoria and the Migrant Resource Centre North West. “There was always an interest, this thing, that I felt I needed to do something but I didn’t know what. I wanted to be part of something but I didn’t know what I wanted to be part of.”

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“I love new challenges and always look forward to my next challenge.”

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donna

It has been ten years since Donna walked out of prison for the last time. Uniquely placed as an advocate for prisoners, she is passionate about educating the community about the ineffectiveness of prison and dispelling the stereotypes that the public are fed through media, politics and ignorance.

“My big passion and my big love are to go out to the community and talk about women in prison, because prison is something that is still hidden. We

have displaced women that we just throw away. We lock them up where no one can see them. And for a

or whatever, but also a voice for so many women who are dead. It’s interesting, not many women go through the system and get to the age of forty.”

Adjusting to the outside world is a lonely and intimidating process. “These women find it easier to go back to the world they know. It’s so hard to survive on the outside when you don’t have a roof over your head, you haven’t got any skills or education, you’ve never had a job! You’ve got a criminal record, so there is all that baggage that you carry.”

lot of these women, prison is not the answer”.

Donna served multiple prison terms in the 90s and is familiar with the cyclical nature of the prison system. “Like many people there, I was on that merry-go-round. I just kept coming in and out, in and out. Through that process, I lost contact with, and custody of, my child. Basically, I found it easier to be inside than out. I felt that’s where I belonged, that’s where I fitted. I also didn’t have to worry about things, make excuses as to why I lost my child. I was like many women caught up in the system and I think it’s a real indictment that the majority of women would prefer to be in prison rather than be out and part of our community.”

Breaking the cycle is extremely difficult. These women are dealing with a variety of issues such as addiction, poverty, abuse and mental illness. “For many they don’t get out of the system. The sad part about it is that I have lost many friends through death, overdoses and other causes. I suppose I am

one of the lucky ones. It’s been a hard journey but I have made it. And I think it is possible for anyone to make it. It takes commitment; it takes other support around you. I see myself as a spokesperson for people who are still caught up in the system. People who are still dealing with their addiction issues

Joining Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company (SDTC) provided the anchor Donna needed to begin the process of recovery. She first saw their productions whilst in prison and they became her lifeline post-release. Donna has since found employment with VACRO (Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders) and lectures at educational facilities.

“I guess I got lucky working with SDTC and VACRO. Now I am moving on to other things. Lots of people who walk out of prison don’t have that. We have this big fantasy that we want people to do their time, get out, get on with their life, get a job and live happily ever after. Damaged women end up in prison and prison damages people.”

Donna is a role model for prisoners and shows what can be achieved if people are given support and are respected. She is reforging her relationship with her son and celebrating her commitment to her partner.

“Anyone can strive to be anything in this world.

People have got to have dreams. You have to believe in yourself.”

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“Anyone can strive to be anything in this world. People have got to have dreams.

You have to believe in yourself.�

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gail and lillian

Gail and Lillian are like peas in a pod. They are the kind of couple that leave you feeling slightly envious, their devotion obvious. It’s as if Gail and Lillian have arrived, they are finally home. Coming out later in life has given them great insight into the special needs and obstacles that older lesbians face with regard to their identity and the services that are available to these women.

“There’s a lot of older women, and they don’t know what it is, but they know their life is not satisfactory.

They find it very hard to talk to somebody about it because they think they are the only ones. We knew of a couple that were together for forty-eight years. They told no-one. They thought they were odd,” Lillian reflects. Lillian came out at sixty, after thirty-five years of marriage, a couple of kids and a lifetime of waiting. It was only when her husband passed that she felt free from obligations and expectations.

Gail came out at forty, but had a few closeted relationships up until then. The relief she felt when she made her first efforts to be part of the lesbian community is palpable, even as she describes it today. “If I don’t meet some women soon, I am gonna go bonkers. Just people to talk to and go out with,” she told a friend. She heard about Lynx, a support group for lesbians, it wasn’t the first time this group had been mentioned. “I always think your whole life is pointed in a direction and it just happens you know? You don’t have to try too much, just be open to what’s there. I was starting to feel I was becoming myself and being true to myself. I wasn’t living in a vacuum.”

for lesbians. The concept has evolved to providing support for older lesbians in their own homes, according to specific needs. The initial impetus to solve the lack of care and understanding in mainstream nursing homes has been channelled into a research paper, financed by the Reichstein Foundation. They document the experiences of those living in supported care, but also the attitudes of staff and other clients. It’s a slow process as not many elderly lesbians are ‘out’ in the nursing homes due to prevailing homophobic attitudes. Once all the information has been gathered, the paper will be sent to parliament. “And hopefully when that gets

there, they will work upon it and legislate, so we are recognised,” says Lillian.

Gail and Lillian are proud of their high profile within the gay community, they enjoy being role models for younger gays. Lillian remembers a young gay couple telling her, “We always wondered what happened to lesbians when they get old.” But then Lillian relates the struggle of a young lesbian teen coming to terms with her identity and confessing, “‘I thought I didn’t have a future.’ She was at the point where she thought, ‘Do I kill myself or is there something for me?’”

These days Gail and Lillian are just as relaxed as can be. “We don’t rush around and scream it from the roof tops, but if anyone asks us…” Together for nine years, Lillian states, “We are more settled and

ready and now it’s just like we have been together always.”

“Yes, very comfortable,” agrees Gail.

Both women volunteer with the Matrix Guild of Victoria, an organisation originally formed by a group of women to raise money for a nursing home

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“I was starting to feel I was becoming myself and being true to myself.”

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isobel

Isobel is an energetic and independent sixty-nine year old Aboriginal woman. She enjoys a laugh and doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Throughout her life she has experienced many difficult situations. She is part of the Stolen Generation, forcibly removed from her parents at a young age; she was lucky to find them again. She also suffered the loss of her own six children in the seventies, a testament to the longevity of this inappropriate welfare policy, so recent in our history.

She is a great example of the self-determination of aboriginal women’s resilience in the face of incomprehensible trauma. According to Isobel, with

age, she is developing more strength. But hearing just a little of her story, you sense she has always had it.

“I come to The Gathering Place every day. I go to the doctor here. I go swimming every Monday. I go to the movies and bingo. I exercise every Friday. I have just started line dancing, all the oldies get together, and they follow me. I am the oldest there. I have just started but I already have a certificate.” The Gathering Place is an important meeting place for Isobel. It’s where she catches up with friends, has a cup of tea and a chat, and goes out on different excursions. She believes it is really important to be part of a group, a community, whatever your background.

“When my daughter passed away I used to lock myself inside. A friend brought me here and I have been coming here ever since. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t know about this place. I never went

She is also learning to read and write. She was very nervous to begin with. “I told my teacher, ‘I am too old to learn’ and she said, ‘No, you are not!’” laughing as she remembers. “But you are never too

old to do what you wanna do. If you put your mind to it, you can do it.”

She has blood pressure issues and a heart condition. According to her doctor, her health has improved. “I am exercising and eating the right food.

I eat lots of salad and fish, no cheese, no dairy. The things I like I can’t eat! If my boys are eating icecream I go into another room!”

She also actively supports her son, who has cerebral palsy. She shares the care with another son. She recalls a time when they tried to catch a bus together. The driver made some nasty racist remarks to which Isobel stood up. “Right. I want your name, phone number and bus company and I am going to report you. We reported him and he went to court. He had to apologise to my boy and pay him damages. I haven’t seen the bus driver since!

It doesn’t matter what colour you are, you have to treat everybody the same. I might be old but I am not stupid!”

Isobel looks forward to this year, thinking about all the friendships she could make and all the things she may learn. She also remembers her dad saying, “‘Stand up for what you believe in.’ I never used to but I do now.”

nowhere, used to lock myself up. I don’t like sitting at home. I feel better in myself now.”

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“Stand up for what you believe in.

I never used to but I do now.”

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joyce

Joyce is a Yorta Yorta woman from Northern Victoria.

She is a proud mother of three children and quite a few grandchildren. Joyce is incredibly involved in all aspects of foster care through VACCA (the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency), taking in her granddaughter over thirteen years ago. Although, if she really thinks back, she has been unofficially involved for twenty years or so.

through domestic violence. I was hospitalised for three months, all my ribs were broken. I began a life in Queensland, living with my sister but I didn’t want to bring her any upset, so I moved into a women’s refuge and I never looked back. I saved, got a house, got myself on my feet and met Graham. I got my selfesteem back. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help, to put your kids in foster care, to sort yourself out.”

“Prior to fostering our granddaughter, we had numerous street kids that our children would bring home. On many occasions we would feed them and clothe them, just take them in for three or four days, maybe a month. Just help them out. That opened our eyes to the need for care of children.”

Joyce and her partner Graham have been looking after indigenous children ever since, they are up to number forty-two. “We don’t want any of them lost in

“I went back to school. I did my Associate Diploma in the Applied Science of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Welfare. I studied for two years full-time.

And that’s when I found out about the true identity of my people. I found out who I was and what my people went through. Growing up with mum and dad, they sort of sheltered us. I remember being called names at school because of the colour of my skin. I guess that’s the strength mum and dad gave us. Don’t dwell on what they say, dwell on what you want to do, what you want to be.”

a system where they won’t have any contact with their parents again or their people. So we need to keep them as secure and safe as possible.”

Raising her children with a strong sense of their family history and culture, she is proud of their sense of self today. “I enforced it on my children to believe in themselves and recognise who they are.

They were so strong with it, they became Aboriginal dancers. They led the MOOMBA parades for five or six years and they continue to dance and teach and work with the Aboriginal community throughout Melbourne. My daughter helps people trace their family trees.”

Joyce also works with the Broadmeadows Koori Court, a less intimidating but no less serious court procedure, as a respected person. She also spends a lot of time at The Gathering place in Maribyrnong.

She takes her kids along to the playgroup and meets other mums, sharing parental advice.

It doesn’t appear that Joyce and her partner will be slowing down any time soon. At a recent family gathering, relatives commented on how well she looked. “It must be the kids, they give me the

energy.”

It hasn’t always been easy for Joyce, despite being raised by a strong mother from whom she draws strength and inspiration. “I had a bit of a run with alcohol and drugs in my hey-day but I have overcome them. My first marriage was a disaster

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“Don’t dwell on what they say, dwell on what you want to do, what you want to be.”

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katherine Katherine was not afraid to make some noise, stand up for what she believed in. A strong, rare character, someone you hear about and can’t help admiring. But for all of Katherine’s radical activism and public displays, there was also a fragility about her. Strength muddled with self-doubt and insecurity. Katherine’s ability to publicly turn a difficult situation around exposed not only her illness or disability but also her great, generous heart.

Katherine died in her sleep on Saturday 22 September 2007. She is very sadly missed.

An ardent feminist, she routinely questioned authority and the hierarchical structures that define our society. She believed in equality and access for all; education and health care were particular concerns. You see, Katherine suffered from chronic rheumatoid arthritis and also experienced mental illness. She was intimately familiar with the lack of public funding and awareness around both these matters.

Katherine was elected Women’s Officer at Melbourne University in 1996, her platform was disability advocacy. She would create little inconveniences for able-bodied students: obstructing doorways or stairs, increasing awareness of the lack of access for all. She created some hullabaloo around disabled parking within the university precinct, printing bumper stickers that read, “I am an asshole! I parked my car so as to block the access of a disabled person to this area… Next time my car will be scratched.

Cripples Inc.” She brought a sense of humour to her activism that belied her everyday struggle and frustration.

According to a good friend, “During the last years of her life, Katherine refined the art of activism to an everyday act. She spoke her mind about access issues anywhere from the public library to the supermarket.” She also became involved with the Power On program, a Women’s Health West initiative.

The program is geared towards encouraging women who experience mental illness to recognise their power and better manage their health and their lives. In her own words, “Working as a peer educator has been a journey for me; from babbling when insecurity hits to a feeling of confidence in what I, and we, are doing. Essentially a peer educator shares her personal abilities and experiences with those who have had similar experiences and helps develop a shared knowledge.”

A colleague describes her trepidation, “It’s such a generous thing to do. Declare it. All of us have personal issues that we struggle with in our lives.

Katherine was really scared of that, to be known in the workplace as someone with a mental illness.

But she took on the job anyway, in the hope that her experiences could assist other women to take control of their lives. Katherine was really happy with how that went. She soon realised she wasn’t going to be stigmatised, as had been her previous experience.”

Katherine had really hit her stride. Working to promote women’s well-being was a natural progression from her earlier radical activism. Her well-worn and loved boots represent the woman missing in the photograph. A friend describes their significance.

“Katherine’s boots symbolise her ability to stand

tall and walk forward towards the goals she set for herself and the various communities she was a part of despite not being able to walk some days herself. Katherine’s footsteps on sand would have been unwavering and solid in their direction. The laces in the boots symbolise her creativity, both academically and in quilting and sewing.”

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“Katherine’s boots symbolise her ability to stand tall and walk forward towards the goals she set for herself.”

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kiri

Kiri heads PEER1, a violence prevention program conducted throughout schools in the western region.

Kiri developed the program for West CASA2 as an extension of their counselling and support services.

Violence prevention is an emerging field that Kiri is passionate about promoting. “It’s shifted the playing field so that violence isn’t just about feminism; it’s a public health issue. It’s got serious health impacts and serious financial impacts, which always has a lot of weight with the government.”

Kiri feels she has finally found her path with the combination of prevention, women’s health and community work. “I remember at times feeling as if my career was all over the place. I don’t have vocational qualifications or I don’t know what I want to do. I feel that now I am at a place where it has all come together and I feel that, yeah, I do know what I am doing; I do have something to offer. I am really

happy with where I am at and being able to make a difference is really important to me.”

Kiri trains peer educators, who are young university students, to conduct the workshop with high school students. “One of the great things about this model is the mentoring that I see going on. We start off talking about power in our society and the way that it clusters. Like the more power you have the easier it is to get more; the less power you have, the harder it is to get.”

“We talk about sexual assault, the law and consent and some of the complexities around consent. I guess I am starting to understand consent as a process, rather than you give consent at one point and it’s yes or no. It’s actually an ongoing thing that you have to keep thinking about. It’s about an ongoing relationship of trust between two people and ensuring there are conditions for that trust to be able to happen. So we talk about consent as being a free agreement, as being unpressured.”

It’s hard to quantify the impact of a preventative program but as one of the peer educators realised, “It’s like we are going out there and there’s this big, wrong idea in the world about women and about relationships. We are going out and putting a little dent in that idea, we are spreading a good idea, a different way of thinking about relationships.”

Kiri’s approach to activism is very personal; she has found an ethos that works for her. “I have never wanted to fight. I understand the need to fight for your rights and that sort of thing and that certainly is important. But I never wanted to look for a fight, I guess. So the work that I am doing now really suits me because it’s a way of being active without necessarily being confrontational. It’s a big part of my practice. Looking at how to make change in the

world and supporting people to make change in their world by creating space, rather than try and push people around.”

“Through power, we talk about gender and how gender and power interact. Then we go into violence in relationships, because most assault happens with somebody you know. We broaden the definition of violence, about emotional and physical as well as financial abuse and we talk about the way power interacts with a domestic violence situation. It’s about power and control.”

1 Promoting Equal Empowering Relationships 2 The western branch of Victorian Centres Against Sexual Assault

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“Looking at how to make change in the world and supporting people to make change in their world by creating space, rather than try and push people around.�

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pat

Pat has a dream. She would like to organise a local Sydenham support group for carers of people with mental illness. Her personal experiences, from childhood to the present, inform her hopes and give rise to the generous and compassionate woman that is Pat. She approaches her goal one step at a time, weaving each experience into the fabric of her life, not a moment of heartache discarded nor an instance of joy. It is all part of the learning process that Pat embraces.

“I feel that all my life experiences have brought me to where I am and I can actually put some of that knowledge to use in the community, which I find really rewarding.” Pat was officially recognised as a carer in 2001 and has been at home full–time, juggling finances to get by, since then. In 2005, through her association with Carers Victoria, she became involved in Power On, a Women’s Health West initiative.

In her role as a peer educator, Pat shares her story with other carers, facilitating discussions and offering practical solutions. “That’s why I got the job. Being a carer, I can really relate one hundred percent, because I am living it as well.” Carers often slip under the radar, often so completely focussed on their dependent, they neglect their own health and their own happiness. “As a carer, you think you don’t have rights, that the person you are caring for deserves everything they ask for. You put pressure on yourself. We teach women that if you stand up for yourself, gradually, they will accept it.” The strategies are positive, affirmative, action techniques, placing emphasis on practical solutions.

The pressure of full-time caring can take its toll and Pat experienced a breakdown herself. She fully understands the need for compassionate, experienced support services, “When I was in that black hole myself, I called up a crisis line… but I wasn’t taken seriously. I ended up staying with a friend for three months. It helped knowing someone was there, keeping me company, not telling me, ‘Pull yourself together Pat’. There was a lot of learning going on, but it took me a while to think, ‘Yeah, I do want to make a go of life and not be where I am.

I used my inner strength.’”

Pat has been incredibly pro-active, seeking out advice and organisations that can help both her and her child. Finding Carers Victoria helped Pat balance her needs whilst caring for her daughter. By attending support groups and other activities, she realised how important it is to maintain your own social networks, your own life and your own wellbeing.

Pat is passionate about helping others. The feedback she gets through her facilitation work constantly inspires her with new ideas. “We offer different strategies, we do many activities that are fun and the carers realise, ‘I can light the candles, and soak in the bath and do something for me.

I deserve to be taken care of as well and reach out for help’ and know they don’t have to do it all.”

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“I feel that all my life experiences have brought me to where I am and I can actually put some of that knowledge to use in the community, which I find really rewarding.�

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urania

Urania is a determined, persistent woman with a strong belief in what is just. She has been very successful in advocating for people with disabilities.

Her current activism stems from this but it hasn’t always been the case.

“I have always been rebellious and political. Usually for other people before I had the disability. The basis of it is for my own independence and mobility. I had to fight for that. Anyone would be stupid not to know that you have to fight for something from the government, especially if you are from a minority. We don’t have much clout.”

“The first bit of activism, if you want to call it that, was with the Maribyrnong City Council of Footscray.

I’d moved into Yarraville and the footpaths were horrendous, and you can see that I am in a wheelchair. It took me ages to get through to the right department. I had to wait two weeks for the first reply and they were shunting me from person to person. I worked out that their communication process was pretty sloppy, so I addressed that. I made a real big fuss and as a result, they actually asked me to come onto the Disability Action Committee. So out of eighteen people, there were six places. Not bad for something you didn’t apply for. So the people responsible for doing the roadwork actually got the people from the DAC and asked me to show them the footpaths. They actually got done in eight weeks.” The council’s communication process was also modified as a result of Urania’s experience.

“What I usually give talks on is my experience with organisations and basically I say, ‘Knowledge is power, right? You’ve got to have your information and have a persistent attitude.’ I am not averse to some conflict; I don’t care what people think, within reason. I find a lot of people are too scared to create waves. I mean what have you got to lose? What I say when I give my talks is: expect no for an answer, don’t take no for an answer.”

“I was diagnosed with MS in November 1989. It happened quite suddenly. I started getting wobbly in the legs. It would settle down, then it started again.”

On the day Urania was told she went into complete shock. “I felt like I had fallen into an empty, black,

bottomless pit. Then I thought I am gonna get over this because I believe in positive thinking.”

“I got into a fantastic rehabilitation program in 1990 called CRS (Commonwealth Rehabilitation Scheme).

They put me onto various exercise programs, swimming, and hydrotherapy. They also put me into a garden centre for people with disabilities.

That started my passion for gardening. I became a volunteer there and was the acting co-ordinator for two months. I was their success story.”

“Basically, at the moment things are pretty good. I think I have been through the worst of it. I have got a lot of support around me, which I didn’t have before and I have made a lot of friends. I would say, find out

what you are interested in and just get out there and try, try, try!”

She has been involved in making changes to public transport access in her local area and sits on various panels for the Equal Opportunity Board, the Electoral Office and Centrelink. She has trained in public speaking, which she finds extremely useful.

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“I would say, find out what you are interested in and just get out there and try, try, try!”

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wendy

Wendy has dedicated much of her life to some form of volunteer work. As a girl, she joined the brownies, as a teenager she was a pinkie at the Williamstown hospital. She dreamed of becoming a nurse. The one thing she wanted to do was get her sister’s veil, red cape and silver buckle. Yet, as so often happens with the best laid plans…

On the day of her final exam, Wendy gave birth to her first child. Her priorities had shifted, as she created a home for her husband and baby. The family had not long settled in Newport, before Wendy’s husband was called up for national service. Alone, with a new baby, in a new house, she suffered a breakdown, and her life was set on a new trajectory.

Wendy recovered from her breakdown through the support of her husband, church community and the nurses of Mont Park, who, upon her husband’s advice, let her continue to care for her baby. She cites this is a major influence on her rehabilitation.

“My husband told them ‘don’t take away her baby or you’ll never get her sanity back.’ I also learnt about the other side of humanity that I didn’t see as a child: you didn’t see people with mental illness, deep depression, you didn’t see drug addicts, they were always locked away. I saw that in there, and that showed me that there but for the grace of God go I and that ‘who am I to talk? I’ve been with you…’”

Thirty-five years on, she reflects, “I locked myself up. Never again will I lock myself up. You’ve got to

go out, got to be out. Four walls are no good, sitting at home crying is no good.” Having this experience

changed Wendy profoundly. It inspired her contribution as a volunteer at the South Kingsville Community Centre, it empowered her. “Well, I am not perfect, I’ve never been perfect, I don’t want to be perfect.”

With her three children at school, she was able to dedicate her days to the South Kingsville Centre and Gateway House, in particular the elderly citizens who accessed the centre. “I am a people

person, and an older people person and that’s where I have always been.” She found her passion

working with the elderly and went on to complete her Personal Care Attendant certificate. “I have learnt so much from my senior citzs, knowledge, love, understanding, companionship, death, acceptability… their acceptance of me and who I am and what I am.”

Wendy’s curiosity and energy are infectious. She is constantly learning, whether it be about a new culture or language, all through contacts in her local community. “People are out there, you don’t have to

be home alone. Enjoy the moments. Life is meant for living.”

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“People are out there, you don’t have to be home alone. Enjoy the moments.

Life is meant for living.”

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To book this exhibition for display at your school, organisation, community centre or women’s group, please contact: Women’s Health West 317-319 Barkly Street FOOTSCRAY 3011 Phone: 03 9689 9588 Fax: 03 9689 3861 info@whwest.org.au www.whwest.org.au

Funded by

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Sponsor

Thanks to

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