Working with Aboriginal Families adds to Tweddle's healing spirit.
Tweddle staff embraced Cultural Competence Training this week with Uncle Reg, elder of the Melbourne aboriginal community. Uncle Reg exuded an aura of warmth, care and knowledge. He has the rare ability to weave a story that touches your soul and has you asking questions of yourself, your community, your culture, your identity. We were in good hands.
Born in Queesland, his experience includes decades in senior levels in paid and unpaid positions within the Aboriginal Community, Peak body organisations, all levels of government and non-government agencies in policy and program coordination and management.
To kick start the day, we paid our respects to aboriginal elders past and present and participated in a negative energy cleansing ceremony. This involved walking through the wafting white smoke of smouldering gum leaves and later, eyes closed, meditating on the deeply evocative sounds of Uncle Reg playing the didgeridoo.
Throughout the day, Uncle Reg shared with us stories of the past and present and inspired us with hope for the future and how we could embrace change. We travelled through a time line which covered European settlement, extermination and protection, segregation, assimilation, integration through to aboriginal self determination and self management today. We spoke about massacres, genocide, ethnic cleansing, the stolen generation and exploitation. Facing the truth of Australia’s dark history was confronting for everyone.
In many ways Uncle Reg held a mirror up to what is absent the lives of aboriginal and non aboriginal people, a spiritual connection to the land, a deep sense of community, respect for elders and how we tend live life according to the story we tell ourselves.
Uncle Reg currently runs the men’s family circle, a weekly key component of the Healing Program run by the Gathering Place Aboriginal Health Service in Melbourne’s west. The program combines western medicine with Aboriginal healing and helps men and women affected by drugs, alcohol and long term incarceration. Aunty Zeta manages the women's family circle.
We were fortunate enough to experience personal stories of courage and adversity from a panel of three Gathering Place clients. Sharon, Darlene and Brian shared inspirational and sometimes heart breaking stories and reflected on what has helped and hindered them and how they came to be where they are today.
The afternoon was spent working on our mission statement, an action plan and a vision statement. We look forward to respectfully connecting with the aboriginal community and providing safe and trusted parenting support to families and children. We look forward to delivering thoughtful, welcoming and culturally sensitive services that honour and acknowledge history and past trauma.
When Europeans first settled in the Port Phillip region, it was already occupied by five Aboriginal language groups. The people are The Wurundjeri People, The Boonerwrung People, The Wathaurong People, The Taungerong People and the Jaara People. Tweddle provides its services on the land Wurundjeri and we pay our respects to elders past and present.
Tweddle in the News
Mums attending Tweddle 's Werribee and Melton Day Stay programs were recently interviewed by Fairfax Community news around the topic of sleep. The cover story, titled 'Pillow Talk' explored the complex challenges that can arise when sleep is an issue. "Once you sit down with mums who have a sleeping issue and once you unpack their life there is so much there that they are dealing with and often the lack of sleep is just a by-product" said Tweddle Maternal and child health nurse Karen Macnamara. The story appeared in the Wyndham, Hume, Melton, Point Cook, and Moorabool editions.
To download the story (651 kb pdf) click here
Tweddle join Community Alliance supporting families in the North
Twelve families living in Melbourne's north will benefit from a Department of Human Services funded short term specialist early parenting service that aims to strengthen the interaction and attachment between vulnerable parents and their young children The mulit skilled partnership supporting over thirty Hume and Moreland based 0-4 aged children and their parents pools the resources of the DHS, Tweddle and Hume Moreland Integrated Family Service Alliance
To read the pdf (74.8 kb pdf) media release click here
Read the story 'Support for families' story in the Hume Leader 160811 here
Tweddle and Western Health team up for parents in the west.
For the first time in 21 Years, parents of the 4,400 babies born every year at Sunshine hospital will have the opportunity to get the low down on pregnancy, birth and parenting at an Early Parenting Centre. Western Health and Tweddle have joined forces to create a team that has the expertise to prepare parents for the journey towards parenthood. The community based classes in an environment geared towards parenting proved popular with the first series of classes booking out quickly.
Download the 'Tweddle and Western Health team up for parents in the west' media release
(74.8 kb pdf) here
To download the Childbirth & Parenting Preparation Program Flyer PDF click here
Read the Footscray, Yarraville, Braybrook Star article 16th Aug 2011 here
Finding Solid Ground in Melbourne's West - from Christchurch to Yarraville
A series of serendipitous moments brought Tweddle's new Collaborative Program Manager to Australia. Not long ago Brigid Jenkinson was helping attend to the walking wounded in Christchurch's earthquake ravaged city centre. She's now managing the teams at Tweddle that support complex and vulnerable families.
Download the 'Finding solid ground in Melbourne's West-from Christchurch to Yarraville' media release (274k pdf) here
Read Brigid's story in the Footscray, Yarraville, Braybrook Star 2nd August 2011 here
MyTime@Tweddle Media Release
Tweddle knows it's not easy being a parent, it's been helping vulnerable parents and their children for over 90 years. Throw in the challenges of having one or more children disabled or chronically ill and life can go from hard to extremely tough. To help these parents, tweddle runs MyTime, weekly peer support groups located across Melbourne's west in Altona Meadows, Footscray, Hillside, Point Cook, Deer Park and Hoppers Crossing.
Download the MyTime@Tweddle Media Release (274k pdf) here
See the Star News Group MyTime@Tweddle article here
Tweddle@Brimbank Parenting Program now helping families with older children
Tweddle Child + Family Health Service and Isis Primary Care are offering Vietnamese families parenting help with their 0-4 year olds through a weekly day program in Kings Park. The free service supports up to six families every Thursday and employs a Vietnamese bi-cultural family worker. For information about the service call Tweddle@Brimbank on Thursdays on (03) 9356 0941
Download the Tweddle @Brimbank media release (247k pdf) here
Read the Tweddle@Brimbank story, Brimbank Leader Community News 24th May p5 here