winter 2009

issue 114

Tuesday, May 19, 6pm BMW Edge Theatre, Federation Square, Melbourne

Registered with the Department of Human Services Print Post Approved 350190 / 00023 ISSN 0816 7877

mivoice

see inside back cover for more

inside features coping with mental illness: a carer’s perspective p8 | our four-star employment services p9 | nominations now open for MI Fellowship awards p10 | renew your membership now p11

1 in 5 will be affected with mental illness. 5 in 5 can help. You can help by joining mifriend

Reaching out to bushfire victims of Black Saturday p6-7

$

$$

2009 Woodcock Lecture: David Morris and what we

can learn from the UK’s social inclusion experience p4-5

The Hon. Robert Knowles AO

from our president

2

It is pleasing to see that the National Health and

Hospital Reform Commission’s (NHHRC) interim

report to the Federal Government has many

recommendations relating to mental health.

Key recommendations of the NHHRC include:

• Developing further services for early psychosis

in young people in order to intervene in these

potentially lifelong illnesses;

• Creating acute mental health services with rapid

response teams;

• Providing appropriate access to treatment to

ensure maximum availability, family education

and consumer participation;

• Creating community awareness programs to reduce

stigma and discrimination;

• Focusing on better consumer and carer participation

strategies;

• Giving mental health services their own links to other

prevention and recovery services;

• Allowing mental health services to design better

discharge strategies and communicate more with

consumers and their carers/families by focusing

on family supports and needs; and

• Linking housing vocational/educational support

and programs.

This is only a broad overview of the NHHRC’s

recommendations; a more detailed report can be located

at www.nhhrc.org.au

Mental health issues figure prominently in a new report currently before the Federal Government.

www.mifellowship.org

mivoice

MI Fellowship chief executive Elizabeth Crowther’s

column (opposite) outlines the Victorian Government’s

new mental health policy that was launched on March 13.

Many of you have taken an active role in contributing to the

formulation of Because Mental Health Matters, which will be

the Government’s mental health blueprint for the next

10 years. I thank you for your hard work and dedication.

The review of the Victorian Mental Health Act set the

legislative framework for these changes. A copy of our

submission to the review can be found on our website,

www.mifellowship.org, while Because Mental Health

Matters can be found online at www.health.vic.gov.

au/mentalhealth/reformstrategy.

I hope you are able to make the Bruce Woodcock

Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, May 19. Dr David Morris

will be presenting on a matter of enormous interest to

us – social inclusion.

He will be speaking about what can be done and will give

us some examples of projects that have been successful

in the UK.

Finally, MI Fellowship’s appointments and governance

committee has been very active in reviewing our

constitution and looking at ways of increasing the number

of members.

It is your membership and your activities that are essential

for advocating improvements to the mental health system.

The committee is also in the process of reviewing our

governance policies to ensure that we have all of the skills

required for us to govern this wonderful organisation.

contents from our chief executive p3 | woodcock lecture p4-5 | bushfire aid p6-7 | people and their stories p8 | news bites p9 | membership matters p10-11 clout! has been renamed membership matters6 11 Cover photograph by www.urbanartistry.com.au (9416 5076)

winter 2009

3mivoice

from our chief executive

Because Mental Health Matters is a vision

for the reform of Victoria’s mental health

services, the likes of which have not been

seen since de-institutionalisation. As

Community Services Minister Lisa Neville

says in the foreword: “Prevention, early

intervention, recovery and social inclusion

lie at the heart of this new agenda.”

The State Government has foreshadowed

numerous far-reaching changes, such as

the introduction of a new 24-hour telephone

information and referral service to improve

access, and the “comprehensive redesign”

of child and youth mental health services.

But what does this new framework mean

for MI Fellowship and its services?

• “Prevention and early intervention” are

about catching mental health problems

early, or even before they begin. For

example working with local primary and

secondary schools to educate young

people about mental illness, encouraging

them to adopt healthy lifestyles and to get

help if they have concerns. It also means

developing our participants’ awareness

of their own all-round health needs – diet,

exercise and screening checks. We will be

introducing more health promotion activities

into our Open Mind Fiesta.

• Increasing the “recovery” focus of our

services and building consumer participation

will mean continuing many of the themes

of change already started. We are planning

to trial MI Recovery – our eight-week

peer-led program to foster recovery

– in our rehabilitation programs, making it

available for participants in day programs or

residential settings. We will be increasing and

formalising opportunities for participants and

carers to provide feedback and to have a say

in the decision-making that affects them.

• “Social inclusion” is about increasing

participation of people with mental illness in

the community. Through further development

of our employment and education programs,

we will increase opportunities for people

with mental illness to get jobs and training.

We look forward to taking up changes to the

home-based outreach support service so

that we can offer more flexible and long-term

psychosocial support to enable people with

mental illness to live in community housing.

You can read the new Mental Health Reform

Strategy 2009–2019 at www.health.vic.gov.

au/mentalhealth/reformstrategy.

You can read our submission to the strategy

at www.mifellowship.org/ip-submissions.

shtml. Please let us know your thoughts and

ideas for MI Fellowship services.

The Government’s new mental health policy heralds progressive change for Victoria and our sector.

Elizabeth Crowther

good news statistics

PHaMS on the Peninsula: MI Fellowship has received

the go-ahead to commence

a new Personal Helpers

and Mentors program in the

Peninsula and Western Port

areas. This service provides

one-on-one personal support

to people with a mental illness.

Respite opportunities: MI Fellowship has been granted

Commonwealth funds to grow

our respite services in many

parts of the state. This will

mean more flexible, in-home,

short stay and innovative

respite models for carers and

people with mental illness.

Men’s health: A Bendigo Bank grant is being

used for a 12-month pilot men’s

program at the Pines Learning

and Activity Centre in Doncaster

East. The program aims to

increase men’s confidence and

peer support.

Star performers: My Recruitment’s two

Vocational Rehabilitation

Services have been awarded

four-star ratings by the

Federal Department of

Education, Employment

and Workplace Relations.

winter 2009

4

Visit www.mifellowship.org

for news, views, events and mental health information. Who knows

– you may wish to make a secure online donation while you’re there.

Make sure to subscribe to our free private e-newsletter mi voice

update which keeps you in touch with us in between magazines.

social inclusion

heed global lessons of social exclusion

Professor Alan Hayes has published extensively in the field of family research and has contributed directly to the growing body of knowledge and government policy concerning social inclusion in Australia.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) drives

much of the Australian social policy research agenda in

relation to families, and it has taken a keen interest in the

issue of social inclusion policy as it affects families.

In 2008 the AIFS collaborated with the Federal

Department of Families, Community Services and

Indigenous Affairs (now FAHCSIA) in a major study into

the impacts on family members of caring for family

members with a disability. This report can be accessed

in full at www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/resreport16/main.html.

The research brought to the fore many of the challenges

of caring that will be familiar to carers of people with a

mental illness, including stress, impacts on mental health

and impacts on physical health.

Importantly, the report also identified factors that

together serve to undermine the social inclusion of family

members of people with a mental illness. Issues here

include diminished workforce participation, financial

hardship (which would impact in turn on uptake of leisure

and recreation opportunities), and stresses that affect

relationships and support networks.

The report concludes that ‘family care giving is usually

generous and provided with love and compassion. It also

frequently brings to the caregiver a personal sense of

satisfaction and achievement.’ However, ‘the challenge

for the Australian community is to give families an

opportunity to care for a person with a disability, while

minimising the social, emotional and economic costs

associated with caring’.

MI Fellowship has invited Professor Hayes to specifically

address this challenge in his response to the Woodcock

lecture. How can we ensure that family members of

people with a mental illness, are better supported to

participate more fully in social and economic life?

If you would like to read more about Professor

Alan Hayes and his diverse body of work, go to

www.aifs.gov.au/institute/staffprofile/ahayes.html. Copies of the AIFS Research Journal, Family Matters,

can also be perused at this site.

Professor Hayes has been the chair, deputy chair, or a member of four

Australian Government Ministerial Advisory Councils. An Alexander von

Humboldt Fellow, he has been a visiting professor at the Free University

of Berlin and the Pennsylvania State University.

mivoicewinter 2009

The respondent at this year’s Woodcock Lecture is Professor Alan Hayes, director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies since September 2004.

L ) O r ] L

woodcock lecturer tells how we can learn from international experience

?5

Social inclusion has been a priority of the British Government for the past five years but the issue must be seen in global terms and addressed by all levels of government, says 2009 Bruce Woodcock Memorial lecturer Dr David Morris.

How do you define social inclusion? The National Social Inclusion Programme (NSIP) has

adopted the definition of the Social Exclusion Unit: “What

happens when people suffer from a combination of linked

problems – unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor

housing, high crime, bad health and family breakdown

– characterised by the inter-relatedness of problems

that are mutually reinforcing.” The key point about this

definition is that of inter-relatedness.

What are the biggest problems faced by those who are socially excluded? Discrimination, social marginalisation, barriers to

accessing ordinary things in many domains of life.

Is there one factor that is a particular catalyst, or one element you think needs to be targeted more by government? Unemployment is the issue which has received most

‘singularity’ of government attention. In terms of a clear

evidence base, this is justified. Nevertheless, the recognition

by the Social Exclusion Unit of the inter-relatedness of

these factors is key. Arguably, especially in a recession,

the question of how to address the skills gap and reduce

unequal access to learning opportunities is just as important.

Is social inclusion seen as a national issue, or one for local councils? Both, and this is important. In my view, an essential

aspect of a policy successfully implemented is action at

all levels, linked ‘vertically’ from local settings in regional

government to central government.

governments hold the key to social inclusion

Has this emphasis always been the case? No. It is a product of broader contextual changes in the ways

in which health and social care services are commissioned

and provided.

Are there any issues that you think are unique to Britain, or are they applicable internationally? Most of the issues have international application. However,

the National Service Framework and a succession of other

policy documents have set a course for services into which

inclusion can be inserted in a very distinctive way.

Specifically, would they work in Australia? Yes. There may be necessary complexities and challenges but

major accomplishments of international note in wellbeing and

health promotion would seem to represent important resources

for effective programs.

Is it a question of money, more government will or greater public perception? All of these. There is no single solution. Any route map will

have side turnings and long circuits. There are, though, some

necessary conditions and government commitment is one.

Another is the power and authority of service users. In my

view, community engagement is also key and without this,

the changes in public perception associated with sustainable

long-term progress will not happen.

social inclusion mivoice winter 2009

Dr D

avid Morris

AT A GLANCE

Dr David Morris (pictured above) was until recently Director of the cross – government National Social Inclusion Programme (NSIP) at the National Institute for Mental Health in England. He has recently taken up a position as Director of the Inclusion Institute, a new centre of excellence for learning, evidence, innovation and practice on inclusion and community at the International School for Communities, Rights and Inclusion, University of Central Lancashire. He holds a Visiting Academic Associate post at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London. Dr Morris worked with the Social Exclusion Unit at the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to produce the national report, Mental Health and Social Exclusion (June 2004).

For a full transcript of this interview, go tohttp://www.mifellowship.org/news-woodcock.shtml

Dr David Morris will deliver the

2009 Bruce Woodcock Memorial Lecture at 6pm on Tuesday, May 19 in the BMW Edge Theatre

at Federation Square, Melbourne.

woodcock lecturer tells how we can learn from international experience

6

February’s Victorian bushfires constituted a disaster on an unprecedented scale in Australia: 173 lives lost, 2029 properties destroyed, 78 townships affected, over 400,000 hectares burnt.

But in the face of such tragedy also

came unprecedented action. Chief

among that was the Red Cross Bushfire

Appeal Fund, which raised more than

$300 million. But scores of organisations

also played significant roles.

Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria

staff in the Hume region developed

and put together an

emergency response

and recovery kit

within days of the bushfires. The aim

was to assist MI Fellowship staff to

support their participants through both

the crisis and recovery phase. Within

the Hume region, seven participants/

families lost their homes.

Essentially the kits comprised

checklists to guide staff and people

affected by the fires, to ensure that all

possible assistance was requested

and received. Immediate assistance

included emergency relief goods, help

at the relief and recovery centres,

registration with authorities, lodging

applications for government financial

assistance, ensuring that prescription

medications

were secured.

There was also a range of longer

term tasks identified, associated with

getting lives back on track during the

recovery phase.

The kits were subsequently taken

up by the Department of Human

Services and a number of other

organisations in the Hume Region,

which acknowledged MI Fellowship’s

leadership initiative.

Reflecting on the experience of the

fires, MI Fellowship regional manager

Alastair Drummond recalled a sense of

shock and bewilderment that gripped

everyone – staff and participants alike.

However he also emphasised that

both staff and participants quickly

responded in a way that was

“immediate, heartfelt, genuine

and generous”.

“The teamwork approach that

underwrites our programs’ work with

individuals and families showed in this

time of crisis because everyone really

did pull together,” Alastair said.

mivoicewinter 2009

mi fellowship responds as a team to victoria’s bushfires

In the wake of the February 7 bushfires, Australia united in its desire to assist the victims.

Here are two ways MI Fellowship reacted to help ease their burden.

Staff in the Hume region developed and put together an emergency response and recovery kit within days of the bushfires.

7

The image of Sam the koala drinking from the water bottle of a CFA fireman focused worldwide attention on the animal victims of Black Saturday.

The Herald Sun, which initially ran the

photograph, was inundated by people

wanting to buy a copy. At one stage 40

full-time staff were donating their time

to answer phones and fill out orders.

The newspaper sold more than 15,000

copies of the famous photograph and

raised over $300,000 for the CFA.

Sam’s popularity grew so much she

eventually had a lawyer to handle

media queries.

But there were, and still are, thousands

of other animals recovering away from

the spotlight.

A group of MI Fellowship participants

has done their bit to make that road

to recovery just a little easier.

The women, who attend a day

program in Warragul, have prepared

‘animal aid’ packs for use by a local

wildlife shelter to help treat some of

the injured animals brought to the

shelter in the wake of the fires.

A call for help from the shelter was

broadcast on a local community radio

station and was heard by Gippsland day

program worker Michelle Possingham.

She passed it on at the centre and

within days half a dozen women

attending the day program were putting

their sewing skills to good use – making

blankets, microwaveable wheat bags

and heat packs.

“In times of crisis you get a lot of people

volunteering to help,” Michelle says.

“The fires came within a kilometre

of one of our consumer’s homes.

We all know people who have died.”

Michelle says they are hoping to

find more ways to be involved in the

ongoing bushfire recovery.

If you have animals affected by the Victorian bushfires, the RSPCA may be able to provide you with support from the RSPCA Bushfire Animal Assistance fund.

Kinglake, February 2009

mivoice winter 2009

mi fellowship responds as a team to victoria’s bushfires

helping all creatures great and small

Sam the injured koala became a fundraising superstar.

Kinglake, February 2009

“ In times of crisis you get a lot of people volunteering to help,” Michelle says.

Kinglake photography by Cam Ward at Hootville

Carer Jeff Hemmings shares how he’s coped with the life-altering diagnosis of a mental illness.

Some 20 years ago my wife was diagnosed with

agoraphobia. As this was to prove my baptism-by-fire

moment, I had to look up agoraphobia (‘an irrational fear

of public or open spaces’) at the Albury library. Without

knowing it at the time, I had joined the ranks of mental

illness carers.

My lack of understanding and inaccurate initial

diagnosis were not the only barriers I had to overcome.

I was excluded from clinical sessions, even though I was

the patient’s husband, and dismissed as not intelligent

enough to understand treatment options or medical

terminology because I was not medically trained.

As I then worked for government, my family led a very

transient lifestyle. Our extended families were never

where we needed them. Our choices then were harsh

– cope or disintegrate.

Today, after much progress in correct diagnosis and

treatment, life is brighter and much clearer. And, yes,

my family is stronger for the experience.

Coping is more than having help come to you, even if

you are faced with apparent isolation. It’s very much

about thinking “outside of the square”. When you do,

help is easily within your grasp.

I’ve developed many and varied mechanisms to cope with

the multitude of things that have affected me as a carer.

A carer needs to be across a raft of issues – from medical

(managing medication, working with the medical fraternity,

first aid), social (the stigma of mental illness, coping with

being alienated as a carer, managing family fallout), legal

(knowing your choices and legal rights as a carer, the

Mental Health Act and how it’s enforced, council assistance,

Centrelink entitlements), treatment (what to expect from

crisis assessment and treatment team intervention, making

informed decisions on common treatments, dealing with

hospitalisation) and coping with self-harm issues.

In all of this it’s important not to overlook yourself. And so,

three coping mechanisms I have are:

• The advantages of seeking respite;

• The importance of peer support; and

• Sharing your knowledge with other carers.

All the advice in the world will amount to nothing if you’re not

prepared to seek out assistance. If you don’t understand, ask

questions, research, Google or use Wikipedia on the internet,

use libraries. If nothing else, consider my last three topics above.

And come to events like a MI Fellowship men’s barbecue,

or attend a Men’s Shed, and experience inclusion for

yourself. You’ll see you’re not on your own, and how others

can relate to your story. You won’t be sorry.

caring for the carers

8

pathways

mivoice update – email newsletterStay in touch with the latest news and events in mental health. Register your details at www.mifellowship.org. It’s free, private and you can unsubscribe at any time.2

Jeff Hemmings says carers need to seek as much information as they can from any source.

“ All the advice in the world will amount to nothing if you’re not prepared to seek out assistance.”

people and their stories

mivoicewinter 2009

9

good work recognised

Sustained excellence is an apt description of My Recruitment,

MI Fellowship’s employment services on the Mornington

Peninsula. It collected one win and a commendation from four

nominations in Ostara Australia’s annual employment awards.

Employment Consultant of the Year was June Stone, a

vocational rehabilitation services employment consultant at

Ostara’s Frankston site.

Special recognition in the Case Manager of the Year

category went to Judy Anderson, who has spent the past

news bites

star performers

My Recruitment’s/MI Fellowship’s two Vocational

Rehabilitation Services have been awarded four-star ratings

by the Federal Department of Education, Employment and

Workplace Relations.

The star rating is a way of measuring the performance of

vocational rehabilitation service providers against set criteria.

date for your diary in 2009 Woodcock Lecture – Tuesday, May 19, 6pm at BMW The Edge Theatre, Federation Square | Volunteer information sessions – June 1, 5.30-6.30pm & July 1, 3.30-4.30pm at MI Fellowship’s Fairfield office | July Members Forum – July 21, 6.30-8.30pm at MI Fellowship’s Fairfield office | AGM & awards ceremony – October 20, 5.30pm-7.30pm | Open Mind Fiesta – October 11, Station Street Fairfield Find out more about all activities by calling (03) 8486 4200 or visit www.mifellowship.org

XEmployment Consultant of the Year June Stone, left, with Judy Anderson.

mivoice winter 2009

15 months providing vocational rehabilitation services at

both Ostara’s Frankston and Hastings sites.

Nominated for Site of the Year was the Hastings Vocational

Rehabilitation Service site and nominated for Employer of

the Year was Travis Honda in Frankston.

Full details in the next edition of MI Voice.

carers learning on great escape

Retreat participants soak up some respite on the beach at Lakes Entrance.

There are 19 organisations providing vocational

rehabilitation services throughout Australia but MI

Fellowship is the only specialist provider, working out of

Hastings and Frankston exclusively with people whose

mental illness affects their ability to find a job.

Carers of people with a mental illness

have been getting an added bonus at

recent respite retreats run by Mental

Illness Fellowship Victoria, thanks to the

incorporation of the Well Ways Snapshot

education program.

The Carer Respite and Education Retreats

incorporating Well Ways Snapshot

were established with funding from the

Commonwealth Department of Families,

Housing, Community Services and

Indigenous Affairs in October 2007.

Four retreats have been held so far, within

the Gippsland, Barwon, Southern and

Eastern regions and the plan is to roll

them out statewide.

A total of 37 carers of people with a mental

illness attended the first four retreats.

They ranged in age from 36 to 81 and were

unanimous in their praise of the concept.

Of those carers who responded, 30 rated

the quality of the respite at the retreat as

excellent and 31 said they would definitely

recommend the respite program.

Similarly, all 31 carers who responded

said they found the combination of respite

and education helpful.

10

membership matterstime to get nominating As a member of MI Fellowship you are in a unique position

to nominate someone for awards that recognise people who

have worked to improve understanding, awareness, service

provision and the general promotion of mental health.

The awards are a great way to acknowledge the high

standard and ongoing commitment demonstrated by

those involved. They also provide an opportunity to say thank

you to those who have made a difference to mental health.

The categories are:

Mental Illness Fellowship Award (annual)

Awarded to a volunteer, participant or carer, family or

friend associated with Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria

for their outstanding contribution to participants and/or

carers in MI Fellowship programs.

Mental Health Community Award (annual)

Awarded to a person working in the community for their

outstanding service to people living with a mental illness,

or a carer of a person with a mental illness.

Volunteer of the Year Award (annual)

Awarded to a volunteer for outstanding contributions

to MI Fellowship.

O’Meara Award (non-annual)

Awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding and

extraordinary contribution to MI Fellowship over many years.

Blickle Award (non-annual)

Awarded to an individual who has had sustained impact

on the development of mental health outside MI Fellowship.

MI Fellowship will host an awards ceremony at the annual

general meeting on Tuesday, October 20 from 5.30pm.

Award nominations must be submitted by 5pm Friday, August 14

and can only be made by financial members of MI Fellowship.

Nomination forms are available at www.mifellowship.org/

awards.shtml or on (03) 8486 4200.

Membership application forms can be downloaded at

http://www.mifellowship.org/help-membership.shtml

or call (03) 8486 4200.

To send feedback to Stacia Beazley call (03) 486 4250 To renew your membership or update your details with Hayley Dodd call (03) 486 4220 or contact membership@mifellowship.org

join the boardNominations are now being called for Mental Illness

Fellowship Victoria’s board of directors.

All people nominated and nominating for a position on the

board must be current financial members of MI Fellowship.

All members who have not renewed their membership by

Friday September 18 will be ineligible to vote at this year’s

AGM. Nominations must be received by July 31.

For more information call Bernie Trahair on (03) 8486 4200.

july members' forumRecent feedback has revealed a number of members wanting

to hear more about how families work together when caring

for someone with a mental illness.

‘Communication & Families’ is a forum that will open

up this discussion through examples of communication

techniques and strategies. Topics will include:

• Ways that family members can work together to support

each other;

• When someone becomes unwell, who takes up what role;

• What is good continuing practice when everyone is well;

• Techniques for open communication; and

• Establishing communication pathways between the whole family.

The forum will be held on Tuesday, July 21 from 6.30-8.30pm

at MI Fellowship, 276 Heidelberg Road, Fairfield. It is free for

MI Fellowship members and $5 for members of the public.

RSVP to membership@mifellowship.org

or phone Hayley on 8486 4220.

mivoicewinter 2009

At last year’s AGM are, from left, MI Fellowship board secretary Diane Brown, Robin and David Richards, MI Fellowship chief executive Elizabeth Crowther and MI Fellowship president Robert Knowles. David was the winner of the 2008 Mental Illness Fellowship Award.

(clout! has been renamed membership matters)

11

The heart of a country carer still beats in Diane Brown.There is nothing unusual in Diane Brown’s passion for

Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria; like many others,

the MI Fellowship board secretary’s family has been

deeply touched by mental illness.

But her commitment goes well beyond the norm, to the

extent that she regularly undertook a 600km round trip

by train from her home in Wodonga so she could attend

MI Fellowship board meetings in Melbourne.

Diane convened the Wodonga Support Group for five years,

is a former member of the Melbourne Health Research

and Ethics Committee and currently chairs MI Fellowship’s

Directions Committee.

Diane lived in Wodonga for 15 years before moving to

Melbourne in 2001, the year after she joined MI Fellowship’s

board. She says she’s “probably a city girl now” but still

retains a strong affinity for the country and the needs of

people with a mental illness living in rural areas.

“I did it because I had a person to help. I felt MI Fellowship

helped,” she said of her decision to join the board while still

living in Wodonga.

“I could see the need for more support, more services for

country areas. Coming down (to Melbourne) as a country

person could reinforce that need.

“I’m just an ordinary person. I don’t have the degrees

or the business background but I have wide knowledge.

I’m a carer and have insights into how carers are affected.”

Diane sees her role at MI Fellowship as two-fold: helping

look after the needs of carers, and educating people to

understand and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.

She sees stigma as a big barrier that is yet to be overcome

and believes that reducing it is the biggest role MI

Fellowship can undertake.

“I want people to realise it’s an illness, it’s something that

can be helped with medication and everyone has a right

to dignity,” Diane said.

“You still have a right to a good life.”

‘city girl’ still has country at heart

MI Fellowship board

secretary Diane Brown

is committed to helping

carers like herself.

“ I’m a carer and have insights into how carers are affected.”

Big and Me by David Miller Ford Street Publishing, RRP $26.95. Hardcover

Big and Me is a lovely and poignant book that is appropriate

for pre-schoolers and primary school-aged children.

The story respectfully deals with the struggles of children

whose parents have mental illness and is a ‘way in’ to talk

about the confusion and fear they may have about a ‘big’

person in their life who sometimes doesn’t act like other

grown-ups.

The whimsical pictures of machines will appeal tremendously

to digger-loving young readers.

Evelyn Bugel, Counselling Services co-ordinator (and mother of small children)

You will receive a 10 per cent discount if you pay by cheque and state your membership of Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria. Post your order to:

Paul Collins, Ford Street Publishing, 2 Ford Street, Clifton Hill,

Victoria, 3068.

If you want to pay by PayPal and use your credit card you will not receive

the 10 per cent discount and you will be charged $6.50 postage and

handling. Go to: http://www.fordstreetpublishing.com

mivoice winter 2009

little book with a big message

12

Chief Executive : : Elizabeth CrowtherEditorial : : Hootville CommunicationsDesign : : Room44, Lisa MinichielloPrinting : : Bambra PressMI Voice aims to keep our readers informed of the latest

information on mental illness and our advocacy work. It is also

our opportunity to keep potential and existing supporters and

donors informed of the Mental Illness Fellowship’s activities

and the difference their contribution makes.

MI Voice is the quarterly publication of the Mental Illness

Fellowship Victoria, Fairfield Place 276 Heidelberg Road,

Fairfield, Victoria, Australia, 3078.

Telephone : : 03 8486 4200Email : : enquiries@mifellowship.orgWebsite : : www.mifellowship.orgMental Illness Fellowship retains the right to edit articles. Please note that the opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria.

© Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria. All rights reserved.ACN 093 357 165 ABN 93 093 357 165 ISSN 0816 7877

board of directorsPresident : : The Hon. Robert Knowles

Vice President : : Ms Louise Milne-Roch

Secretary : : Mrs Diane Brown

Treasurer : : Ms Jenny King

Directors : : Mr Darrel Drieberg, Mr Nathan Shafir, Mrs Elaine Price, Ms Lyn Allison, Mr Paul Montgomery, Mr Theo Krambias

Please use this form to change your address details, become a member of the Mental Illness Fellowship or to show your support for our work.

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Please contact us on 03 8486 4200 or via enquiries@mifellowship.org

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Volunteering – Your donation of time and talent.

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membership

• For credit card donations call (03) 8486 4200 and quote MVWIN09, or complete this form and either post or fax your credit card details.

• For cheques and money orders post this form to: Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria PO Box 359, Clifton Hill, Victoria 3068 Fax: 03 8486 4265

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thank you to our supporters

We encourage you to recycle this item. Please pass along to interested parties or dispose of via recycling. Our printer, where possible, uses the cleanest of environmental practices.

The Canberra Times Friday, January 9, 2009 Award-winning actor Eric Bana, the narrator of Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria’s “5 in 5” community service announcement, revealed in March that he suffers from depression.

Bana told GQ magazine his depression was eased by the love of his family and a passion for cars and racing.

The 40-year-old has indicated he was not intending to speak on behalf of those who suffer with clinical

depression, nor had he sought treatment or been diagnosed with the condition.

The stigma faced by people with a mental illness was not helped by this front page headline in the Herald Sun, left. It labelled

a patient who escaped from Thomas Embling Hospital a “maniac”.

The man’s 1999 Supreme Court trial was told he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. He was found not guilty of attempted murder

on the basis of mental impairment.

MV

WIN

09winter 2009

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