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APPENDIX CONTENTS CONTENTS APPENDIX 1. Obituary of Dr. Neville Thomas Yeomans Psychiatrist 1928 - 2000 APPENDIX 4 The Roles of Fraser House Nurses – A Paper by Patients (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 4, 17-20) APPENDIX 5 - Fraser House Big Groups – A Paper by Patients (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 4, 50-54) APPENDIX 6 - The Roles of the Fraser House Patient/Outpatient Committees APPENDIX 7 - A list of the Questions That Were Asked in Neville’s Values Research. APPENDIX 12. A Comparison of Goffman’s ‘Total Institutions and Fraser House APPENDIX 14. A List of Advisory Bodies and Positions Held by Neville APPENDIX 15. Participants in the Watson’s Bay Festival (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12, p. 3) APPENDIX 16. The Range of Events and Activities Teed up as Part of the Centennial Park Festival. APPENDIX 17. Terms Listed in the Natural Business Concepts Lexicon APPENDIX 18. Globalocal Realplay - Healing Nightmares APPENDIX 20. Governments and the Facilitating of Grassroots Wellbeing Action APPENDIX 21. Nexus Groups’ Constitution APPENDIX 22. Excerpts From an Aboriginal Woman’s Diary APPENDIX 23. A List of Some of the Activities Used in Cultural Healing Action APPENDIX 24. A Summary of Ken Yeomans’ 1992 Petford Keyline Survey APPENDIX 25. Some of Neville’s Actions Leading to the UN Funded Gathering APPENDIX 26. One Fortnight’s Laceweb Action in the Atherton Tablelands APPENDIX 27. The Rapid Creek Project APPENDIX 28. Extegrity - Guidelines for Joint Partner Proposal Application APPENDIX 29. Inter-people Healing Treaty Between Non-Government Organizations and Unique Peoples APPENDIX 30. The Young Persons Healing Learning Code APPENDIX 32. A list of Laceweb Aspects as a ‘New Social Movement’ APPENDIX 33. Possible Ways Laceweb Differs From Latin American New Social Movements APPENDIX 34. Cape York Communities Aboriginal Youth Living Well Project APPENDIX 1.
OBITUARY OF DR. NEVILLE THOMAS YEOMANS PSYCHIATRIST 1928 - 2000 Neville Yeoman's affection for and empathy with the original inhabitants
of Australia began very early in his life when, at the age of 3, he was saved
by an Aborigine after he had wandered off and become lost in the bush in far
north Queensland. This rescue from certain death, laid the foundations for
his later work with indigenous communities as a carer, with an intense
interest in the peoples and their cultures. He was a co-healer rather than a
prescriber and believed in approaching the problems of mental health,
alcoholism and drug addiction from a community perspective. He devoted much
of his life to providing counselling and treatment to those most
underprivileged and handicapped especially women, alcoholics and drug
addicts. After 1975, he extended these activities to northern Australia, from
the Atherton Tablelands to the Kimberleys, from Arnhem Land to Central
Australia. In a sense it was a repetition of his childhood years when his
family travelled like "gypsies" throughout the northern parts of
Australia with his prospecting father. Neville Yeomans was born in Sydney on 7 October 1928 to Percival
Alfred ("P.A.") and Rita Yeomans. It was the depression and life
was hard. His father, "P.A."
Yeomans, a mining engineer (who later became famous for his contributions to
agriculture including Keyline Farming, City Forest, Shakaerator plough and
other agricultural developments) took the family around northern Australia
trying their luck at prospecting. These were important years for Neville
Yeomans when many aspects of his character were molded. The vagabond existence of the family meant that they were never
in the one place for long. Experiences such as attending 13 schools in one 12
month period, taught him that friendships were ephemeral and superficial. He completed his schooling at Scotts College in Sydney and then
went to Sydney University from where he graduated as a Bachelor of Science
(Biology) in 1948. He wanted to work with and heal people and he went on to
obtain his Bachelor's degree in Medicine and Surgery in 1956. But it was
people's minds that fascinated him most and he completed a Diploma in
Psychological Medicine in 1959. In the same year he won an overseas
scholarship that enabled him to meet with some of the World's leading
psychiatrists. Neville Yeomans was a brilliant and sensitive man who understood
things in their context, and he had an ability to see things from different
perspectives to those commonly held. He was appalled by the methods used at the time to treat
psychiatric disease (especially shock treatment which he regarded as a crime)
and on his return from overseas he established and became the Director of
Fraser House at North Ryde Psychiatric Clinic, Australia's first family
Therapeutic Community with accommodation for some 86 adults and children. It
was a revolutionary contextual approach that treated psychiatric disease on a
family and community basis instead of treatment of just the individual.
Patients were able to be rehabilitated and return to society rather than
being locked away out of sight and restrained with drugs and straight-jackets.
Many of his peers did not understand this radical approach to treatment and
Neville was frequently vilified for being out of step with the main stream of
things. It is interesting to note that 40 years later, his approach to
psychiatric treatment has become the norm rather than the exception. During the period from 1959 to 1972, he ran "healing
community" courses for Aboriginal and Islander peoples in Sydney, in
country New South Wales and at Alice Springs in Central Australia. He was the Co-ordinator of Community Mental Health for New South Wales Health Department from
1965 to 1970. He published many papers on psychiatric treatment (which are
now held in the Mitchell Library in Sydney) and with a colleague, wrote a
book "Fraser House: Theory Practice and Evaluation of a Therapeutic
Community." published by
Springer, New York (1969). As his interest in community work developed, he completed a
Diploma in Sociology at the University of New South Wales in 1963, to better
understand the social aspects of human responses. He also broadened his
interests to studying other cultures and their values and, among other
things, joined the Australia Eurasian Association in the late 1960's, and
followed his passion for multiculturalism. He regarded Australia as a
"cooking pot" rather than a "melting pot" of cultures,
cooking up a new and better culture for the future! It was on a platform of
multiculturalism that he stood for the seat of Philip (Liberal, Sydney) in
the 1972 elections and gained sufficient votes not to lose his deposit, but
failed to gain the seat. Not content with his already numerous qualifications he went on
to complete a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of New South Wales
in 1975 and was admitted to the Bar. In spite of this, he was more interested
in mediation than litigation and closely studied the mediation systems used
in China. He studied Japanese and Chinese languages and travelled overseas to
Asia, Europe and the Americas on several occasions over the years. He was an avid
supporter of Bliss Symbolics, an international sign language based on
symbols. Neville Yeomans was drawn more and more to the area he grew up
in and in 1975 he moved back to north Queensland where he became engrossed in
working with Aboriginal people. He conducted a private psychiatric
counselling and family therapy practice, facilitated community support for
Aboriginal and Ethnic groups, established "Healing Haven" houses in
North Queensland and assisted in the creation of a black women's shelter in Cairns.
In the early 1980's he became interested in and a keen qualified
practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) which was a revolutionary
way of treating emotional states and of helping people overcome psychiatric
illness and addictions. He and a friend, Terry Widders, set up NLP Centres in
Cairns, Townsville in Queensland and Bondi Junction in Sydney. Neville
Yeomans continued to pay the price of being a pioneer of new ideas and was
regarded as a pariah by many of his professional colleagues in the
establishment, with many refusing to refer patients to him. In 1987 he was a consultant to Petford Aboriginal Training Farm
in far North Queensland and from 1989 to 1994 he facilitated
camp-outs/Intercultural Healing Training festivals in the Atherton Tablelands
and at the Petford Aboriginal Training Farm. In 1990 he was an Adviser to the
Australian South Sea Islander United Council. He was on the Steering
Committee for Training on Torture and Trauma in 1994 and conducted a three
day training course in Darwin. His working career came to an end in 1997 in
Darwin where he was discovered sick with bladder cancer by his youngest son,
and brought back to Sydney for treatment. Neville Yeomans was a very intelligent, passionate and
insightful person with a deep sense of purpose and an ability to focus
absolutely on the job in hand, a characteristic that often made it difficult
for those closest to him. He was also an introspective, artistic and
aesthetic person who loved music (he played the clarinet) and art and he
wrote poetry on a regular basis from the mid 1960's. Many of the poems
demonstrate his sharp wit and sense of fun. The hundreds of poems he wrote,
which give glimpses of the man within, will be published shortly. His passion
was to treat people in need, his skill was his ability to engage with people
and to make suggestions for change. His dying wish was to leave a legacy of
clinics for Aboriginal people to enable them to help themselves. Neville
Yeomans died in Brisbane on 30 May 2000 following a painful struggle with
cancer. He spent his final days at home, surrounded by members of his family
and friends. He is survived by his two brothers, two half-sisters, five
children from two dissolved marriages, and eight grandchildren. Peter N. Carroll Leura, N.S.W. APPENDIX 2. LIST OF THE EARLY
ACTIONS AND THE ISOMORPHIC SOCIAL ACTION NEVILLE HAD ME EXPERIENCE AS ACTION
RESEARCHER
APPENDIX 3.
DIAGNOSIS OF FRASER HOUSE POPULATION AS AT 30TH JUNE 1962 (CLARK, A. &
YEOMANS, N., 1969 PAGE 56) Male Female
Total 1 Disorders Caused by or Associated with Impairment of Brain Tissue Acute and Chronic brain disorders 0 0 0 Mental deficiency, mild with
epilepsy 1 0 1 Disorders
of psychogenic Origin Psychotic
Disorders Affective
Reactions: Manic Depressive reaction depressive
type 1 1 2 Schizophrenic Reactions: Schizophrenic reaction, simple type 3 8 11 Schizophrenic reaction, hebephrenic
type 0 3 3 Schizophrenic reaction, catatonic
type 2 2 4 Schizophrenic reaction, paranoid
type 3 6 9 Schizophrenic reaction, acute undifferentiated type 1 2 3
Schizophrenic reaction,
schizo-affective type 2 0 2 TOTAL 12 22 34 2
Psychoneurotic Disorders Psychoneurotic Reactions Anxiety reaction
0 1 1 Conversion reaction 0 1 1 Obsessive - compulsive reaction 1 1 2 Depressive reaction 2 2 4
TOTAL 3 5 8 3 Personality disorders Personality Pattern Disturbances: Inadequate personality 0 1 1 Schizoid personality 1 0 1 Sociopathic Personality Disturbances Anti-social reaction 3 2 5 Dissocial reaction 1 2 3 Sexual deviations: homosexuality 4 0 4 paedophilia 2 0 2 prostitution and bestiality 0 1 1 Personality Trait Disturbances Compulsive personality 1 0 1 Addiction: alcohol 4 2 6 drugs (bromides; amphetamines; narcotics) 1 1 2 Both alcohol and drugs 4 1 5 TOTAL 21 10 31 __________________________________________________________________ COMPOSITE
TOTAL 37 37 74 APPENDIX
4 THE ROLES OF FRASER HOUSE NURSES – A PAPER BY PATIENTS (YEOMANS 1965, VOL. 4,
17-20) THE ROLES
OF FRASER HOUSE NURSES As with all new work
situations, so to working as a new nurse in this community means coming to
grips with a degree of initial stress.
The job is not easy at first, and one thing is certain - it can only
be done well by all staff members seeing themselves as members of a
TEAM. Only then can new tasks become
tolerable and the difficulties surmountable.
This is the first and most important working rule to be learned, and
with the acceptance of it everything else will tend to fall into place. This basic point can’t be
stressed too much, and new nurses are advised to lean heavily on the team in
the first few weeks in particular. By communicating difficulties,
responsibilities will be spread out and training will continue. Nothing has
to be faced alone. The staff team gives the
example on which the patients will perforce model themselves. It has been a lesson
well learned here, as in other therapeutic communities all over the world,
that when the staff team pulls together the patients tend to do likewise, and
from this comes the amalgamation of true community effort that results in
success all along the line in the treatment program. Perhaps the most
immediate observation made by a nurse coming to work in this therapeutic
community for the first time, is that the patients themselves have had a
great deal of authority delegated to them. Indeed, in some matters they are
virtually the sole authority. At first glance it will seem fantastic that
patients assess and admit new patients; review progress and institute
treatment procedures; make new rules and alter old ones; mete out discipline,
etc. To many new nurses and
doctors as well, and particularly to those whose previous experience was
connected with the physically ill in the general hospital field, or who come
from psychiatric settings more formalized in approach, all of this will be
right out of line with their training and role appreciation. Adjustment will
have to be made, and acceptance that this is necessary is the first and most
important step towards fitting into the altered (and ever changing) role
required. In sum, nurses here at
Fraser House are not so much doing FOR the patients as working WITH and
SHARING an experience. This is basically what is expected. Understanding the reason
behind the differences in work standards and altering roles helps - no one
would be willing to change his work pattern in, or the why he sees himself in
work without reasonable explanation.
If the therapeutic community can be viewed as necessary evolution
change towards democratic self-discipline, and if the nurses’ role can be seen
as becoming more therapeutic as it moves away from that of custodian towards
autonomy for the patients, then the first step is made. CONCEPT In the basic role of the
nurse in Fraser house is that of therapist and this means accepting the
patients as worthwhile and worthy of help and so, aiming to change their
deviant behavior and the deviant ways they see themselves or others. The nurse also is a representative of
society, and becomes involved with patients in order to return their
neurotic, psychotic or other deviant behavior to the norm of this society. The nurse remains as much
a therapist in being with one patient or with an informal group of patients
as in formal group therapy. To be a
therapist means to express real caring and times, discipline about patients. Training in psycho and socio-therapeutic
techniques is a continuing process and the nurse enters into research work
and the domiciliary field as well. The
nursing staff makes up the largest portion of the staff team and has 24-hour
close interpersonal contact with the patients. The role is vital, and in many ways is the
most important. ROLE Nurses are assigned in
teams to regional areas at the moment
- Lane Cove, Ryde, Rest of North Shore, Other Areas. Each regional team is expected to be
responsible for knowing their area, its problems and helping agencies
etc.. Moreover nurses in each team are
expected to come to know all in-patients and outpatients of that area in; to
be specially involved in the appropriate regional small groups, both in the
community and in the Unit; to record progress notes on their regional
patients; be part of both for medical officer and follow-up committee
planning for the patients of their region. Nurses working in
community and social psychiatry ‘steal’ many of the roles of psychiatrists,
psychologists, medical offices, sociologists and social workers. This gives the nurse much more power to
initiate and decide and also the accompanying responsibility. So the role of the nurse
in Fraser house is seen as complex and wholly therapeutic, using a team
approach in a therapeutic community to set the climate for personality change
and social reorganization. The new nurse will at
first learn various areas, and these will be filled in to fit into shape as
the tour of duty lengthens. An hour or so will be spent with a senior staff
member on the first day for initial induction discussions, and the newcomer
is paired off to work with a nurse who is versed in Unit procedure.
Experience has shown how the patients actually give a great deal of help to
new staff in aiding in their orientation. The new nurse will receive plenty
of support to fit into the community. Fraser House traditions are now well
established. There are no great dissatisfactions to overcome. Nurses are on the staff
to work as members of a therapeutic team, and to receive a training that has
profitable personal and career rewards. Better training and greater work
satisfaction for staff are basic aims in therapeutic communities. GROUP THERAPY The significance of group
therapy in Fraser House may be gauged by the fact that there are about three
thousand groups structured in a year involving twice this number of man-hours
by the nursing staff. Reporting sessions, attended by nursing staff follow
each of these groups, also consume more man-hours devoted to analysis and
interpretation of each group, and exchange of information brought out by
these groups. These reporting sessions are also for continuous training in
all aspects of community and social psychiatry Small groups are made up
of from eight to twelve people, and are allocated daily. These allocations
are made to conform to different patterns according to age and marital state,
according to social class and marital state, according to sex and marital
state. Also, there are intergenerational groups consisting of patients and
their families, of each medical officer attached to the Unit, and groups made
up of ‘withdrawn’ patients. The unstructured groups
are special groups held for particular patients for various reasons, e.g.,
they may be planned and scheduled for certain times during the day or night
when a patient’s relatives arrive from the country. Or they may be
spontaneous, when a relative arrives unexpectedly. Or they may be held as and
when a particular patient, or patient family becomes disturbed over some
crisis which arises. THE
THERAPIST IN SMALL GROUP THERAPY The role of small group
therapist and observer has always been the province of the nurse in Fraser
House, and represents part of the rise in therapeutic status. Nurses have
become therapists in their own right. The first essential in
taking a group is to see it as a meeting, and like all meetings, there is a
need for a chairman to conduct affairs and keep issues to the point. The initial function of the
therapist is to see that the group functions as a group. It may be necessary
for him to be quite directive in order to achieve this in some groups, but on
the other hand it may just happen anyway even if he adopts a completely
passive and wordless role. How active or passive, directive or non-directive
the therapist is or chooses to be, may be influenced by many things – e.g.,
the attitude or mood of the group itself and tensions built up prior to and
during its running; the type of group and purpose, or the themes introduced
during the group. The therapists own personality is a basic factor which
determines handling, and this may vary from day to day depending on the
therapist’s mood, and also on his attitude to the type of group or even some
of the people contained in it. It should be said here
that, whilst one might be influenced to some extent by the way certain
therapists conduct the group, it is inadvisable and unwise, and indeed well
nigh impossible for one therapist to copy another, for the previously stated
reason that the therapist’s own personality is a basic factor in determining
the handling of groups. So that even if one decided on a particular therapist
as ones ‘idol’, one should not attempt to emulate too closely. Because of
this ‘personality’ factor and other rather intangible factors, there are not
many rigid rules which can be generalized to apply to all groups, but the
following can be applied to most: THEMES If a theme is introduced,
and it is considered to be not too superficial or inappropriate, the group
should pay some attention to it, and not change the theme to another without
good reason. If an attempt to change the theme is made, it may be done
deliberately by a patient for a fairly obvious reason (such as a personality
clash with someone involved in the previous theme), or a less obvious reason
such as an unconscious identification and a consequent wish to avoid the
theme. It may also be done through plain insensitivity on the part of the
person making the attempt at the change. There are many reasons for these
moves, and it is the therapist’s role to decide on the dynamics of the
situations and then to make use of them by feeding them straight back into
the group at the time, and if necessary, to make an interpretation of the dynamics
operating in the events and occurrences. It is also in the
province of the therapist to direct the group away from superficial themes or
from discussing themes in a superficial manner. The therapist, in order to
discourage superficiality, may find it necessary to commence the group
immediately he enters the room, by physically structuring the group in such a
way that he gains attention, establishes some kind of control, and
incidentally builds some initial tension within the group. This, of course is
not always necessary or desirable, but is often helpful in dealing with
groups of teenagers who tend to spread themselves around the room, put their
feet up on chairs, and throw matches and cigarettes about. These practices in
themselves are quite harmless, but in group are often used as avoiding
tactics, and are apt to wreck and render valueless the group itself. So the
therapist can avert these disruptions when he enters the room by making
everyone get up and draw their chairs into a tight circle in the center of
the room and disallowing feet up on chairs. In general, the therapist
should make use of what is going on in each particular group at the time it
is taking place. He has first to be able to recognize what is going on and he
can only do this through observation and experience. The way he uses these
things which are going on within the group depends to a large extent on the
therapist himself – again the personality factor. Even though a therapist is
inexperienced, and perhaps not very confident, he should keep in mind that he
brings something very valuable to the group with him – something which no one
else can do in the same way – the sum total of his own unique life
experience. When used with confidence, this is a very powerful force which all
nurses have at their disposal. INTERACTION AND INTEREST If most of the group is
involved in interaction, it goes without saying that they are also
interested. However, interest can be very high even though there is not much interaction.
Look at their faces, their feet, their hands, their respiration, the way they
sit, and it will be known if they are interested or not. Interaction may not
be high if the therapist has found it necessary to be active or directive.
This sometimes must be the case. TENSION There will usually be
varying amounts of tension as the group progresses, both from the group as a
whole, and from individual members. Silences usually build up while tension
is mounting, and the best way to use this tension is not to break these
silences; let the members of the group do it as they will when they can no
longer stand the tension – and then see what is released with the tension and
make use of it. MOOD The mood of a group is
sometimes sustained throughout, but more often it changes, ranging through
many emotions and frequently depending to some extent on the build up and
release of tension, the themes discussed and the manner of the discussion,
the interaction and the interest, and the cross-identification of those who
interact. The role adopted by the therapist is also important here. Once
again, the emotions which set the mood for the group are used. APPENDIX 5 - FRASER HOUSE BIG GROUPS
– A PAPER BY PATIENTS (YEOMANS 1965, VOL. 4,
50-54) FRASER
HOUSE BIG GROUPS Whereas much has been
achieved over the years in the way of explanation and handling of individual
and small group difficulties, little is to hand to clarify the acknowledged
emotional forces and the psychotherapeutic techniques of large community
groups. Most individual
maladjustments can be readily recognized by seeing a personality at conflict
with himself and his environment. Small groups portray the ‘family’ setting
and inter-personal interaction. But ‘Big Groups’ forming as they do the
backdrop to all therapy in this Unit, are not explainable adequately in the
term of psychology or psychiatry previously applied to the individual patient
or even to the classical group situation. The sciences of sociology
and social psychology, with their study of whole collections of people and
the interplay of these groupings within entire societies, are used to explain
both these dynamics of the Big Groups and the therapeutic directions of the
whole community. Theories of behavior of crowds and audiences apply to the
Big Groups in particular. The techniques used in
handling these meetings are principally our own and have evolved through
testing and retesting of basic theories by adoption and ‘trimming’ of those
found successful by some leaders, and by constant discussion and evaluation
of the problems these community groups pose. The community meetings
held at Fraser House are of two main types and a third is gradually evolving.
Morning community groups have two main therapeutic functions; personality
change is the aim of four meetings, while social control is the focus of the
Thursday morning administrative group. Evening Big Groups, though not
compulsory, are invariably well attended by in-patients. But by far, the
majority attending can be classified as outpatients and these receive the
bulk of the attention. With family therapy as a principle, the projective
interplay of the various families present characterizes these meetings to
such a degree as to almost typify the aim of the evening Big Groups. The setting is a large
hall (the Center Block) in which clear speaking is adequate, central to both
wings of the building. Seating is in two rows at the sides and one end with a
single row at the end nearest the entrance door. The group leader usually
sits in the center of this row, but is free to move according to his or her
dictates. All of the chairs face centrally so that, as much as possible,
everyone is in view and speakers can face each other. But principally the
people are shoulder-to-shoulder as in an audience as well as being members of
a single crowd - usually numbering about one hundred persons. Two members of the
nursing staff (one male - one female) observe and record the meeting from a
detached point behind the back row. Other staff members
(medical, nursing, research, etc) intersperse themselves among the patients,
paying particular attention to the three inner corners (notorious
geographically for the most destructive and resistive sub-groups) but leaving
the doorway clear of staff. Portion of a row is reserved here to lessen the
interruption made by latecomers. It has become traditional
that the four ‘therapeutic’ Big Groups commence with a reading of the ‘Ward
Notes’ by one of the patients. On Thursdays this is deferred till after the
various committee reports and elections. In essence these ward notes serve
the purpose of an informal Unit newspaper and comprises all manner of
notifications from grouches about yesterday’s foodstuff to staff warnings
against suspected ‘conmanship’. Usually the therapist
then allows the group to enter into spontaneous ‘free floating’ discussion
until a general interconnecting theme is apparent. This may then be pursued
with promptings towards interaction between different generations or social
classes or psychiatric opposites – or perhaps to tie in together for mutual
support those with similar difficulties, personally or because of family or
life-crisis situation. At times the focus might
fall on one particular patient or family to highlight a special need, and it
is quite common for sub-groups or cliques to merit attention. These latter
are constantly forming, breaking and re-forming, and the group leader much of
the time finds it impossible to be aware of these changes and undercurrents.
The interspersing of staff members throughout does much to obviate this as
these moves can be discussed later in the reporting session, or if urgent,
brought to the attention in the group by the staff member aware of the moves.
Most meetings see the group as a whole reacting much like and audience to a
few main actors. This can be constructive as an insight-gaining process as
the personal, intra and inter-family or sub-group projections are portrayed
and leadership values rise or fall. At other times when matters affecting the
internal security of the community arise or pressures are brought to bear
from outside sources, interpersonal differences are dropped for combined
feeling and action and the Unit becomes united as its projection against
threat is shown. So the audience-type reaction displaces to behavior more
attributable to that of a crowd. When these crowd-like emotional forces move
the whole community, the opportunity is presented to harness these towards a
therapeutic goal which can do more in a single hour towards personality
change for more people than many months of other therapy. Herbert Blumer says
of these forces: ‘People become aroused
and more likely to be carried away by impulses and feelings; hence rendered
more unstable and irresponsible. In collective excitement, the personal
make-up of individuals is more readily broken and in this way the conditions
prepared for the formation of new forms of behavior and for the
re-organization of the individual. In collective excitement, individuals may
embark on lines of conduct which previously they would not have thought of,
much less dared to undertake. Likewise, under its stress and with
opportunities for the release of tension, individuals may incur significant
re-organization in the sentiments, habits and traits of personality (Blumer and Shibutani
1970).’ When both the staff and
patients are working well together in the Unit, a peak of enthusiasm is
reached at times when everyone sees almost any move at all as being gainful.
New enterprises are embarked upon with an eagerness that is almost inspired
and success is a certainty. Whereas perhaps a month earlier the same move would
have met an equally certain failure. All improvements in expanded therapy
services and the patient-government structure (and the recent acquisition of
the Unit vehicle) have been adopted at such times. The opposite of gain is
loss and this is felt most acutely in a feeling-wave by the entire community
at a time of bereavement, deprivation or mourning – when a fellow-patient’s
close relative dies; rejecting parents spurn pleas for help; or there has
been a serious or fatal attempt at suicide. Here the all-pervading shared
sadness can give rise to depressives becoming overwhelmed with emotional
forces of loss and breaking into bitter tears as a sign of externalizing
their feelings of aggression and loneliness. The sincere sympathy given by
fellow-patients and therapist at these times can do much to consolidate
future lessening of inhibition while false exaggeration of hope is avoided. Again, when as a whole
the Big Group is swayed by frustration, contagious aggression and excitement
result; just as contagious as the feelings of fear and panic experienced due
to a shared threat anywhere. The recognition and use
of these crowd feelings by the therapist are usually intuitive. The leader
must ‘feel’ these and employ them – they are of the greatest value when utilized
therapeutically towards corrective emotional experience. This can be rated as
either an individual, a family, the whole group, or any combination of these
being helped in this direction. Community meetings are
followed by a report by the two official observers, and comment by all staff
members present, including the therapist who took the group. Points assessed
are: o
Mood o
Theme o
Value
and interaction o
Therapist’s
role o
Techniques
employed From these ‘post-mortems’
comes much of the knowledge needed. At the moment this seems by no means
exhaustive. The aim must be always to look at the community in the ‘BIG’ – as
a whole and this certainly is no easy matter. FURTHER
THEORY AND EXAMPLE The Fraser House
Therapeutic Community is a sub-community of Lane Cove and Ryde aimed at all
the different social problems of these areas. There is an inherent movement
towards change resulting from the emotional contact of people with different
problems. This change is a therapeutic
change if the atmosphere is one of help, respect for the worthwhileness of
each person, and discipline where necessary. A professional man, father of a
schizophrenic girl, once abused the patients and the Unit, because he was
sick of people of lower education etc. telling him what to do. His education
and professional knowledge were not in doubt, but his capacity as a loving
trusting father was. Those like him in age and education had tried and failed
to change him in the past. Those unlike him could do so with much more
effect. This therapeutic
community attempts to reproduce normal life in many ways, particularly in
allowing the development of emotional storms (as they occur in families) and
in not enforcing overly good behaviour, as is the usual hospital pattern.
Like normal life too, there are limits and so effective discipline is a major
part of the program, especially for those with antisocial or hostile
problems. The process of change for
the disturbed patient and family may be described in many ways. One is that
the Unit attempts to provide emotionally corrective experiences in the
conflict area. This can be seen in the spreading of a theme within a group or
in the contagion of feeling within the Unit that always most deeply affects
those with the problems in the area of conflict which set off the emotion.
When sexual interference becomes an emotional topic, the experienced
therapist can tell at a glance all those women and girls who have had a
similar experience - it screams from their faces. They can then be helped to
face this and all the covering up about it, in them and in their family. Success for a therapist is now known to
depend very much on how much the patient realizes that the therapist cares.
This cannot be acted by the therapist – and here lies the importance of
learning to relax and be oneself and express oneself in the therapeutic
situation Caring for the patient
does not mean loving and accepting everything he does. You don’t care for
someone if you let them wreck themselves or harm others. It means coming to
see and feel that the patient is a person worth helping and changing. It
means to accept the person, but reject their deviant problems (e.g., love a
depressed person, but NOT their depression – want to change their
depression). Particularly it means rejecting abnormal behavior, particularly
that which is harmful to others. So here caring will mean love and
discipline. There are some points
which help in the therapeutic approach to whole families in groups: Aim to help the whole family Help them not to push the
most deviant member down when they are under tension Encourage parents of the
presenting patient to talk about their difficulties with their own parents,
and each other. If the presenting patient
has improved more than the rest of the family, suggest they forget his
problems and talk about their own Make sure the different
generations in the family attend different small groups much of the time The overt symptoms in the
presenting patient usually indicate the key conflict for all the family Suggest family members
who insist they have no problems, that you would like them to be more selfish
and talk about themselves anyway Don’t reject the parents
because of what you see they have done to their child – find out what he has
done to them No parent ever
purposefully wrecks his or her child. They should not be blamed for a tragedy
they were caught up in Don’t adopt any of the
above techniques unless you feel it The emotional comfort and
satisfaction of the Unit staff is one of the most significant features of the
therapeutic program. The numerous staff meetings aim to foster this.
Specifically their role is to prevent the development of covert, hidden
conflict between staff members about patients. Such conflicts are proven to
result in overt patient disturbance. The staff remains the most powerful
members of a therapeutic community and their welfare and comfort are of
paramount importance. APPENDIX
6 - THE ROLES OF THE FRASER HOUSE PATIENT/OUTPATIENT COMMITTEES Admitting Committee (devolved from
the psychiatrist) Roles: Interviewing people seeking
admittance Identifying problems and problem
areas Specifying the type of treatment Specifying period before review Specifying conditions of admission Ensuring prospective patients know
the requirement for both patients and their families and friends to attend 12
groups before the patient’s admission Making a record of all the above
details which is presented at the following Thursday’s Administration Big
Group. Membership: Residents eligible for election upon being six weeks in the Unit. The split between residents and
outpatients is unavailable. Staff present: Medical
officer and members of the nursing staff Progress Committee (The senior
committee - devolved from the psychiatrist) Discussing and assessing individual
patients and families Discussing problem areas Suggesting treatment procedures Confirming, altering or changing
treatment Maintaining close liaison with Rehabilitation
Committee Membership: Residents eligible for election after being two months in the
Unit. The Split between residents and outpatients is unavailable. Staff present: Senior male nurse and senior
female nurse Pilot Committee (devolved from
director/psychiatrist) Roles: Attending all other committees Investigating all other committees Reporting to Progress, Parliamentary
or Big Group on irregularities or failing activities (Formed March 1965) Membership: Residents who have considerable functionality and a hence likely to be leaving the Unit in the next
few months. The Split between residents and outpatients is
unavailable. Staff present as representatives: Senior and Junior charge nurses Parliamentary Committee (devolved
from senior charge nurse) Roles: Liaising between residents and staff Sustaining paramount emphasis on
democratic government, rights, dignity and freedom Presenting staff with a uniform view
of resident feelings about the Unit’s functioning Airing criticisms of the efficiency
and policy of any committee Hearing applications of resignation
from any committee. Holding elections for vacant
positions on any committee at start of Thursday Administration Big Group Membership: All residents on structured committees. The
Split between residents and outpatients is unavailable. Staff present as representatives: Senior and junior charge nurses Ward Committee (devolved from
nursing staff) Roles: Maintaining discipline Ensuring ward cleanliness (as
adjunct to domestic and maintenance staff) Being responsible for patient
cleanliness and welfare Discussing treatment procedures with
the Progress Committee Meting out justice when rules are
broken Drawing up work rosters Ensuring cleaning duties done Monitoring resident’s behavior Permitting or denying weekend leave
based on behavior Instilling responsibility,
initiative and independence Membership: Residents who have considerable functionality and a hence likely
to be leaving the Unit in the next few months. The split was 8 residents and 4
outpatients. Staff present as representatives: Nurses Teenager’s Committee Roles: Promoting a spirit of friendship
amongst teenagers in the Unit Organizing a program of group
outings and activities Enforcing peer discipline Assuming a group parenting role Liaising with Ward Committee re
inter-generational issues Membership: Restricted to members under 20
years of age Split between residents and
outpatients unavailable. Staff present as representatives: Nurses (check) Outpatients, Relatives and Friends
Committee (devolved from Social Worker) Roles: Supporting the evolving of local
psycho-social support networks Maintaining locality based card
index with names and addresses and typical travel modes Providing a coordinated transport
system to enable more regular attendance at groups Providing assistance to outpatients
within their own district Providing relatives and outpatients
with a voice in Unit management Liaising with Follow-up Committee Membership: Family and friends of inpatients, and inpatients. Split - 2
outpatients Staff present as representatives: Social worker Rehabilitation Committee (devolved
from Social Worker) Roles: Assisting discharged patients
finding work Arranging accommodation Liaising with the Progress Committee
re progress and employment prospects Membership: Residents who have considerable
functionality and a hence likely to be leaving the Unit in the next few
months. Split between residents and outpatients unavailable. Staff present as
representatives: Social worker Follow-up Committee (devolved from
Social Worker) Roles: Establishing close liaison between
inpatients and their relatives and friends Organizing and financing home visits
by resident domiciliary group members and searches for AWOL residents Administering emergency aid Liaises with Outpatients, Relatives
and Friends Committee Membership: Residents who have considerable
functionality and a hence likely to be leaving the Unit in the next few
months. Split - 4 residents and 2
outpatients Staff present as
representatives: Social worker Activities Committee (devolved from
Occupational Therapist) Roles: Arranging individual, small group or
whole community occupational therapy for therapeutic and disciplinary
purposes; examples: pantry duty, assisting the librarian, collecting workers
meals, emu parades - a line swoop through the Unit picking up rubbish as
everyone walks through; a tender was won by the residents to build a bowling
green at the unit; in 1964 a contract was obtained to pack light globes. Liaison with the Progress,
Rehabilitation and Ward Committees and staff relating to appropriate
occupational therapy Membership: After resident has made
considerable move to functionality. Information on
split between residents and outpatients unavailable Staff present as representatives: Nurse/occupational therapist (check) Finance Committee (devolved from
Administration - accounting, banking and welfare) Roles: Holding surplus funds Allocating these funds as necessary
to other committees Monitoring all committee funds and
recalling funds surplus to need Safeguarding the Units patient
welfare funds Inspecting cash records and cash
balances of all committees at weekly meeting maintaining Fraser House Finance
Committee bank account Being the Unit’s accountant, banker
and internal Welfare Officer in respect of money Assisting people who mishandle money
towards greater responsibility while in office Membership: The treasurers of all of the
other Committees Staff present as representatives: Administrative staff involved in accounting,
banking
and internal welfare; Nurses. At
one stage the rule regarding the split was
3 residents and 3 outpatients Canteen Committee - devolved from
Administration (accounting, banking and welfare) and Occupational Therapist Roles: Contacting goods suppliers and
ordering Receiving goods from sales/delivery
people Serving patients, staff and visitors Maintaining coin-in-the-slot soft
drink machine Supporting fellow Canteen Committee
members who are isolates (e.g. depressed or schizophrenic residents) Providing public relations role Tallying up daily takings Presenting weekly report at Administration
Big Group Generating surplus used to purchase
van used in domiciliary visits and supplying petrol and maintenance Membership: Restricted to members under 20 years of age.
The split was 6 residents and 2
outpatients Staff present as representatives: Nurse/occupational therapist Social Committee Roles: Arranging social activities both
inside and outside the unit Membership:
Residents
who had been 6 weeks or more in
the Unit. The split was 3 female residents,
3 males residents and 3 outsiders Staff present as representatives: Nurse/occupational therapist Notes: The Social Committee was disbanded a
couple of times when there was no residents with flair for being on this
committee. When some ‘live wires’ turned up as residents it would get
restarted again. Notice that the membership split
ensured that outpatients were also represented and involved in the committee
process with all of the benefits flowing from this in emerging them in the
healing community process. APPENDIX 7
- A LIST OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED IN NEVILLE’S VALUES RESEARCH. The nature of the universe
(In the range ‘is basically good or makes sense’ through to ‘is
basically bad or pointless’) Human nature
(In the range ‘good or sensible’ through to ‘bad or senseless’) Can mankind change itself or be
changed?
(Yes, Perhaps or No) Man-nature - what matters Activity – Who do you take notice of Direction – (Self, Others, What fits) Degree – Unimportant, moderate importance,
important Time important (Future , present, past) Verticality place (Above, level, below) Horizontality place (Centre, Between edges, out one
edge) APPENDIX 8
- RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRES AND INVENTORIES - NEVILLE T. YEOMANS COLLECTED PAPERS
1965, VOL. 11. A list of the many of the surveys
and questionnaires that patients and outpatients were asked to complete. The
page reference relates to Volume 11 of Neville Yeomans Collected Papers in
the Mitchell Library –NSW State
Library, NSW.
APPENDIX 9
- A LIST OF OTHER INVENTORIES DEVELOPED AND USED AT FRASER HOUSE (YEOMANS 1965, VOL. 4 ,
P. 43): Personal Adjustment Record (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 6) Social Health Record (Yeomans 1965, Vol 11) General Adjustment Record Child Adjustment Record Family Adjustment Record Group Reporting Record Follow-up Record Social Problem Record Social Value Record Opinion Leader Form APPENDIX
10 - A PARTIAL LIST OF RESEARCH BY DR. NEVILLE T. YEOMANS OTHER RESEARCH WITH
COLLEAGUES DURING THE YEARS 1959-1965 This Appendix contains Tables A, B
and C listing fifty-seven of the extensive body of Neville’s research papers
and monographs mentioned in his collected papers in the Mitchell Library.
Many are undated though come from the 1959-1965 period. Table C lists
research in association with others. The Unit Career of Staff Members (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 2 p.
35.) Whisperer’s Relationship - a
Collusive Liaison (Yeomans 1965, Vol .5
p.38.) A General Theory of Welfare
Functions (Yeomans 1965, Vol .2 ,p.
38 - 40.) File Note - Reference to a Suicide
in Fraser House (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 2, p.
43.) Network Therapy (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 5,
p.40.) Abotat - A Modification of the
Thematic Apperception Test for Administration to Aborigines (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 125,
p.67-69) The Problem of Taking Sides – Taking
the Side of or Supporting the Healthy Component (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 5,
p.46 - 47.) Power in Collective Therapy (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 5,
p.52 - 54.) Sydney Therapeutic Club (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 5,
p.104.) Follow Up Committee (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 5,
p.106.) Personal Adjustment Record (Yeomans 1965) Personal Information Record (Yeomans 1965) Early 1960’s. Social Values (Yeomans 1965) The Psychiatrist’s Responsibility
for the Criminal, the Delinquent, the Psychopath and the Alcoholic (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 50.) Table A -
Research by Neville in the early 1960’s Research on Alcoholism – Theory and
Administration – A Paper for the National Committee on Alcoholism – Adelaide
Meeting of Medical Sub-Committee. Neville T. Yeomans Collected Papers 1965,
Vol. 1, p.183 – 185. (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 1,
p.183 - 185) Collective Therapy – Audience and
Crowd. Australian Journal of Social Issues 2. & 4. (Yeomans 1966,Vol. 1,
p,187-188, Vol.12, p. 77, 87). The Role of Director of Community
Mental Health (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 66. ) Culture, Personality and Drug Dependence
- The Problem of Drug Abuse in NSW. The Institute of Criminology, Sydney
University Law School. Seminar Working
Paper No. 3 (Yeomans 1965, Vol .1 p.
297) Social Categories in a Therapeutic
Community (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 2 p.
1) Mental Health in the Office -
Institute of Administration - University of NSW (Yeomans, Vol.1
p.203-213) The Sociology of Medicine 1967 -
Synopsis of Community Health Services and Informal Patterns of Care (Yeomans (Unknown date),
Vol 1, p. 215) Incontinence Research (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 67-69) The Nurses Self Image and its
Implications - The Australian Nurses Journal Vol. 61 No. 4., April 1963 (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 94.) Table A
(Contd) - Research by Neville in the early 1960’s The following Table B. lists further
research and papers by Neville in the 1960’s. 1961. Treatment of Alcoholics and
Drug Addicts in Fraser House Neurosis and Alcohol Unit (Yeomans 1961, Vol. 2, p. 45.) 1963. Sociotherapeutic Attitudes to
Institutions - Paper Presented at the State Psychiatric Services Clinicians’
Conference - 22 April 1963 (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 46, 60-61. ) 1963. Letter of Congratulations to
Fraser House Patients Regarding Patient’s Rules for Committees – Jan 1963 (Yeomans 1963, Vol. 2 p.
13.) 1963. Some Detail of Patient Government - 13 May
1963 (Yeomans 1963, Vol. 2 p.
25. ) 1964. An Alcohol Treatment Program
in Australia – A Paper Presented at the 27th International Congress on
Alcohol and Alcoholism – 11 Sept 1964. Neville T. Yeomans Collected Papers 1965,
Vol. 1, p.91. (Yeomans 1964, Vol. 1,
p.91.) 1965. Post Graduate Psychiatry and
the Social Sciences. In Kiloh, L.C. & Andrews, J.G. (eds.). Undergraduate
and Post Graduate Teaching in Psychiatry. University of NSW Press Sydney (Yeomans 1965, Vol 12. p.
77. ) 1965. Post Graduate Psychiatry and
the Social Sciences. Teaching of behavioral Sciences, p.11. Neville T.
Yeomans Collected Papers 1965, Vol. 1, p.165-181 (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 1,
p.165-181.) 1965. Values Orientation and
National Character (Yeomans 1965, Vol .1 p.
253 - 265). 1965. The Therapeutic Community in
the Rehabilitation of the Aged. A Paper Presented to a Conference on Clinical
Problems among Aged Patients, Held at Lidcombe State Hospital – 30 April
1965. (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 1,
p.155-163). 1965. Cultural Values, Aboriginals
and Mental Health – A Paper Prepared for the Third Congress of the Australian
and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 1,
p.189-201) 1967 Value Orientation in Normal and
Deviant Australians – A Revision of a Paper Read at the Annual Meeting of the
Sociological Association of Australia and New Zealand January 1967 (Yeomans 1967, Vol .1 p.
225 - 241). 1967. A Community Developers’
Thoughts on the Fraser House Crisis (Yeomans 1967, Vol. 2, p.
46 - 48.) 1968 Coordinator Community Mental
Health Dept of Public Health NSW. The Therapeutic Community in Rehabilitation
of Drug Dependence - Paper Presented at the Pan Pacific Rehabilitation
Conference 1968 (Yeomans 1968, Vol .1 p.
267 - 283) 1968. Draft of Speech on Social
Problems to the Ionian Club Sydney – Introduction on the Origins of the
Ionians (Yeomans 1968, Vol. 1 p.
291. ) 1968. International Study on
Attitudes to Drug and Alcohol Use (Yeomans 1968, Vol .1 p.
293) 1968. Mental Health and Social
Change - Brief File Note (Yeomans 1968, Vol .1 p.
295) The
following Table C lists research by Neville and other Fraser House Staff in
the 1960’s. Table C Yeomans, N. T. & Psychiatric
Research Study Group – Social Values Questionnaire, 1965 (Yeomans and Psychiatric
Research Study Group 1965, Vol .1 p. 243 - 251) Yeomans, N. T., Hay, R. G. early
1960’s. Psychiatric Epidemiology of Sydney – A Pilot Study - Medical Journal
of Australia No 2 p. 986 (Yeomans and Hay 1965,
Vol. 12, p. 77) Yeomans, N. T., Hennessy, B. L.,
Bruen, W., early 1960’s. Suicide Study (Yeomans, Hennessy et al.
1965, Vol. 12, p. 45, 89. ) Yeomans, N. T. and the Fraser House
Staff, early 1960’s. The Macquarie Health Project (Yeomans and the Fraser
House Staff 1965, Vol. 12, p. 91.) Yeomans, N. T., Hennessy, B. L.,
Hay, R. G., early 1960’s. Recent Developments in a Therapeutic Community (Yeomans, Hennessy et al.
1965, Vol. 12, p. 87. ) Yeomans, N. T., Daly, J., early
1960’s. Child – Parent Group Reporting Form (Yeomans and Daly 1965,
Vol. 12, p. 45, 88.) Clark, A. W., Yeomans, N. T., early
1960’s. Observations From an Australia Therapeutic Community (Clark and Yeomans 1965,
Vol. 12, p. 88.) Yeomans, N. T., Hennessy, B. L.,
1965. Nursing Disturbance Study (Yeomans and Hennessy
1965, Vol. 12, p. 45, 88.) Yeomans, N. T., Cockett, M., 1965.
Leadership Study (Yeomans and Cockett
1965, Vol. 12, p. 45, 89.) Yeomans, N. T., Johnson, J., 1965. A
Study of Teenage Patients in Fraser House (Yeomans and Johnson
1965, Vol. 12, p. 45, 89.) Yeomans, N. T., & Bruen, W.,
1965. The Five Year Follow Up Study (Yeomans and Bruen 1965,
Vol. 12, p. 45, 89.) Yeomans, N. T. Cockett, M. 1965. Ward Note Tabulation (Yeomans and Cockett 1965,
Vol. 12, p. 45, 89.) Yeomans, N. T. and the Fraser House
Research Team, 1965. The Social Values Study (Yeomans and the Fraser
House Research Team 1965, Vol .
12, p. 45, 89. ) Yeomans, N.T., Hanson, R., Dall, E.
1965. The Aboriginal and Ethnic Minority Study (Yeomans, Hanson et al.
1965, Vol. 12, p. 45, 90.) Yeomans, N. T. & Cockett, M.,
1965. The Fijian Project (Yeomans and Cockett
1965, Vol. 12, p. 45, 90.) Yeomans, N.T. & Cockett M.
1965s. Intra-familial Conflict – A Simple Questionnaire - Submitted to the
Family Process Journal (Yeomans and Cockett
1965) Yeomans, N.T. & Cockett, M.
1965s. Précis of Intra-familial Conflict – A Simple Questionnaire (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 1,
p.91.) Yeomans, N. T., Hennessy, B. L, Hay.
R. G., 1966. Recent Developments in a Therapeutic Community With Assessment
of Improved Technique For Introducing New Patients. (Yeomans, Hennessy et al.
1966, Vol. 12, p. 45. ) Yeomans, Neville. T., Cockett,
Margaret, 1966. Intra-Familial Conflict – A sample Questionnaire (Yeomans and Cockett
1965, Vol. 12, p. 45, 87.) Yeomans, N. T., Clark, A. W.,
Cockett, M., Gee, K.M., 1970. Measurement of Conflicting Communications in
Social Networks. (Yeomans, Clark et al.
1970) Table
C. Research and Papers by Neville and
other Fraser House Staff APPENDIX
11. ORGANIZATIONS ASSISTED BY MEMBERS
OF THE FRASER HOUSE RESEARCH GROUP ON AN INDIVIDUAL OR WORKSHOP BASIS - 1965 As an example of linking Fraser
House to the wider community and vice versa, during 1965 assistance was given
on an individual or workshop basis by members of the Fraser House Research
Group to the organizations listed below (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 94.): External Affairs
Department Anthropology Department –
Sydney University Department of Sociology
NSW University NSW Marriage Guidance
Council NSW Department of
Education Health Education Division
of the Health Department of NSW Australian School of
Pacific Administration Department of Law –
Forensic Psychiatry – Sydney University Hanover Center for
Homeless Men – Melbourne Victorian Council of
Social Services Melbourne University
Research Workers Victoria University - New
Zealand Research Council of the
Foundation for Research and Treatment of Alcoholism Organizations Assisted by Members of
the Fraser House Research Group on an Individual or Workshop Basis –
1965 APPENDIX
12. A COMPARISON OF GOFFMAN’S ‘TOTAL INSTITUTIONS AND FRASER HOUSE Total Institutions Fraser
House
APPENDIX
13. FEATURES OF FRASER HOUSE THAT WERE NEITHER PRESENT IN THE PAUL AND
LENTZ’S AMERICAN RESEARCH NOR REFERRED TO BY THE AMERICAN RESEARCHERS (PAUL AND LENTZ 1977). Creating
Cultural Locality Pervasive attention to place in
enabling patients and outpatients extend their family-friendship networks
functionally Full family residential therapeutic
community The therapeutic community as
therapist – though this would tend to happen naturally Clients as self-therapists,
co-therapists and community therapists The Resocialising Program - Self
Governance and law making through an extensive patient run committee
structure providing residents daily scope to learn firstly, about how administrations
in communities and societies work, and more importantly, how they
malfunction, and secondly, how to live with malfunctioning administrations
without resorting to pathological accommodations (refer Presthus (Presthus 1978)) Staff devolved their administrative
roles to resident committees, thus freeing up staff time for engaging in the
healing role – administrative therapy No token economy, rather an actual
economy. Example one: via residents running the canteen - all aspects of
canteen was run by patients as work therapy including book-keeping,
preparation of accounts, stock-taking and reordering. Example two: The
residents making the bowling green after winning the tender to do the job. The Tikopia model - intentional use
of structures and processes engendering diverse cleavered unities Matched sleeping with
counterbalancing of over-active/under-controlled and
under-active/over-controlled - an example of diverse unities Socio-therapy based on the
assumption that the primary locus of psychosocial dis-order was in the
client-family-friends nexus rather than just within the client. Big Group therapy (180 plus) with
family & friends required to be in attendance as a condition of the
client being in the unit - with all of the associate potential for family and
friends to learn coping and healing skills in relating with the client –
learning to live well together Small group attendance based on
sociological categories (location, age, marital status, etc.) Residents running a suicide crisis
intervention resource. Residents running the domiciliary
service for ex-patients and outpatients. Residents taking the main
responsibility in getting friends and relatives agreeing to come to groups -
usually by making unannounced calls Residents involved in evolving each
others’ social networks (through the Outpatients and Friends Committee and
the Location-based Small Groups) Virtually everything that happened
was shared by all staff (including cleaners) and clients. This oral (as well
as written record keeping) and information exchange allowed virtually all
staff time to be in interaction with clients. Use of simple slogans (e.g. ‘bring
it up in the group’) Use of tight group processes to contain
and prevent assaultiveness so there was no need to use isolation as practiced
in the American treatment groups Residents and or staff being
constantly with (specialing) suicidal clients (with clients never isolated) Defining local areas as ‘catchment
areas’ and providing crisis support, especially suicide crisis support, to
these areas so that the clients saw themselves as being part of a therapeutic
community - which was in turn an integral community preventative resource A collection of psychosocial
therapies including: o
collective
(big group) therapy o
ecology
therapy o
governance
(administrative) therapy o
family
and friends network therapy (with impetus from Big group and domiciliary
care, as evidenced by the growth of the Grow self help group by ex Fraser
House residents o
family
and friends socio-therapy o
family
(residential) therapeutic community o
milieu
therapy o
nanotherapy
– work at the micro-level o
parent
& child play therapy o
research
as therapy o
residential
co-therapy o
work
therapy APPENDIX 14. A LIST OF ADVISORY
BODIES AND POSITIONS HELD BY NEVILLE A founding director of the NSW
Foundation for the Research and Treatment of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency. A founding director of the national
body of the above organization. The Government Coordinator on the
Board of Directors of the Foundation for Research and Treatment of Alcoholism
and Drug Dependence. A member of the Council for an
International Conference on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. An advisor on an Australian National
University Research Program on the Study of Alcoholism. Chairman of the Departmental
Conference of Clinicians Panel (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 67) Member of the NSW State Clinicians
Conference (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 96) A member of the Committee of
Classification of Psychiatric Patterns of the National Health and Medical
Research Council of Australia. An advisor to the Research Committee
of the New South Wales College of General Practitioners. A member of the Executive Council of
the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs and the Chairman of their Health
Advisory Panel (Yeomans, N., 1969,
Vol.12, page 92) A patron of Recovery (now Grow) and
the organizer of the first group in Sydney Hospital. The Patron and Counsellor of
Recovery Groups A member of the Advisory Committee
of the Institute of Criminology A member of the Advisory Editorial
Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology. Having extensive court experience as
an Expert Witness and involved in prison rehabilitation and prison reform for
some years. He assisted development of rehabilitation and research programs
by parole and probation officers. Some of these were involved in the
Psychiatric Research Study Group (Yeomans, N., 1969, Vol.12, page 73). The president of the Total Care
Foundation which was the entity used to evolve the Watson’s Bay Festival
(discussed later in this Chapter). A Founding member of the Sydney Arts
Foundation Member of the Ministerial Committee
involved in the repeal of the Inebriates Act (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 71) Member of the Health Education
Advisory Sub-Committee on Alcoholism (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 72.) Organizer of a Fellowship on
Alcoholism (Yeomans 1965, Vol. 12,
p. 72.) In 1980 Neville became a member of
the Editorial Board of the academic Journal, The Journal of Therapeutic
Communities. An examiner for the Fellowship
Examinations of the Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry –
confirmed by Dr. William McLeod, psychiatrist and former Director of
Psychiatry at Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital in Melbourne for over twenty
years. A founding member of the Sydney
Opera House Society (mentioned by E. Deuk-Cohen) A member of the Board of Directors
of : o The Drug Addiction
Foundation o The Drug Referral Centre o Aged, Sick and Infirm
Appeal APPENDIX
15.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE WATSON’S BAY FESTIVAL (YEOMANS 1965, VOL. 12,
P. 3) o
Australian
Don Henderson sung folk with poetic interludes o
Australian
Folk singer - Don Gillespio o
A
collection of expensive sculpture, pottery and art was on display - on loan
from Art Galleries o
Czech
Trich Trotch Polka o
Filipino
Band o
Greek
display by Girls of the Lyceum Club o
Hungarian
Czards o
Indian
dance by Rama Krishna o
Indonesian
singers o
Israeli
Dancer - Vera Goldmen o
Japanese
dancers o
Karate
display o
Malaysian
Scarf dance o
Mike
Harris - guitarist o
Oriental
dancers o
Polish
dance music and songs o
Rev
Swami Sarcorali and Roma Blair and the Yoga Fellowship gave a Yoga
demonstration o
Sally
Hart - also folksy o
Spanish
Classical guitarist Antonio Lazardo o
Spanish
Flamenco Dancers o
Spanish
Flamenco Guitarist played by Ivan Withers o
Welsh
folk singers In the evening was a psychedelic
light display and pop band. APPENDIX 16. THE RANGE OF EVENTS AND
ACTIVITIES TEED UP AS PART OF THE CENTENNIAL PARK FESTIVAL. o
A
film show o
Barbeques o
Cultural
displays o
Display
by historical fire engine Association of Australia o
Displays
of national dress o
Displays
of yoga o
Dog
obedience exhibition o
Dress
and fashion parades, o
Folk
dancing o
Folk
singing o
Handcrafts o
Horse
drawn cart pageant o
Jazz
groups o
Jogging o
Kite
flying o
Light
shows o
Lions
club display and activities o
Marching
girls o
Marquee
and geodesic dome o
Music
performances o
National
dancing o
National
feasts o
National
songs o
Painting
groups o
Physical
fitness activities o
Poetry
reading o
Pop
groups o
Puppet
‘Shoes’ o
Qantas
and TAA displays o
Ropes
area and ladders o
School
gymnastics teams o
Six
Vintage cars o
Small
tractors with trailers for shifting people o
Static
displays APPENDIX
17. TERMS LISTED IN THE NATURAL
BUSINESS CONCEPTS LEXICON
APPENDIX
18. Globalocal Realplay - Healing
Nightmares Globalocal
Realplay - Healing Nightmares Introduction In the late Eighties when
I was consulting in organizational change I was approached by a Federal
Government Department about creating paradigm shift and cultural and climate
change in their senior executive members. Neville and I wrote on one page
what he described as a ‘global-local realplay’ as a resource for senior
executive change. Neville adapted the learning process ‘role-play’ (Shaw and Corsini 1980) to be ‘realplay’
consistent with Cultural Healing Action. Consistent with Keyline and Cultural
Keyline this realplay set up hypothetical realities for people to share.
Bandler and Grinder call this, ‘future pacing’ (Bandler 1975; Grinder,
De Lozier et al. 1977; Grinder, Bandler et al. 1981; Bandler, Grinder et al.
1982). Consistent with
Neville’s, 1974 ‘On Global Reform’ paper (Yeomans 1974) the hypothetical
realplay is set in an indefinite future time where there has been a shift in
World Order to Regional Governance with local governance of local matters. In
this future reality Australia is part of the SE Asia Oceania Australasia
Region. All members of the Federal Senior Executive Service are becoming
redundant in two years. However there are seven plum areas of work at the
Regional Governance Level. Regional recovery is one. Currently the key contenders
for that plum are consortiums from SE Asia because they are more sensitive to
Islamic issues. If Australia wins the job, the Regional Recovery Center would
be placed in Darwin. Another plum job is creating a power grid stretching
from Tasmania through SE Asia to China. If Australia gets that plum it would
be based in Melbourne or Adelaide. The idea was that all in the Senior
Executive Service could be given the challenge to increase their competencies
in thinking like a living system, working with emergent properties and ways
of thinking, in self organizing and mutual organizing cooperation by dividing
up into seven groups who then set about preparing a joint proposal that would
be worthy of winning the contract. Participants would be given actual resources
to meet in small and large groups and network by phone and the Internet.
Working with a large number of other peers in putting together what would be
a very substantial proposal would create potential to co-reconstitute
themselves as a very new kind of workforce. The realplay task is to work with
one’s peers in preparing a comprehensive plan outlining the structure and
processes the consortium would use in constituting say, the Regional Trade
Centre. The realplay is to extend to one’s family in talking through as
hypothetical’s all of the issues involved say in relocating to Darwin – new
friends, new schools for children and the like – as well as exploring
possibilities for evolving family-friend support networks among one’s
consortium peers and their families. When
the Department decided to use American consultants they were not shown the
Hypothetical Realplay and it has never been used. However, it does give the
feel for Neville’s application of Cultural Keyline principles and his
thinking about possible futures and Global and Regional governance. GLOBALOCAL
REALPLAY HEALING
NIGHTMARES SETTING: 22nd Century Nows in Australia PERSONNEL: Clerical, service, others POSITION: So far you are surviving the
Disasters STRUCTURE: A universal Rule of Law is guided by
developing globicultural canons enabling renewal, frugality, humanity,
spirituality, ecology, justice, equity, beauty, peaceability and diversity. The World Assembly is mobilizing
localized, functional and globilateral governance and regeneration of
interdependencies. Regions, nations states, cities,
localities and individuals are cooperating, negotiating and pooling
resources. Technical rehabilitation is being
internationalized; interregional cooperation and continental repair fostered. POSSIBILITIES
FOR AUSTRALIANS: Columbus Place – business,
governments, and community groups throughout the world have accepted that the Space Migration Site in
Cape York Peninsula is the only way to go. Co-ordination of regional recovery
for Asia-Pacifica is to be decided between Kuala Lumpur and Darwin. The
latter’s alleged disadvantages are that we have neither proper respect for
Islam; nor a cooperative, open, flexible Territorian Government. Townsville is our nomination for the
Minority Peoples Activities Agency. Polycentric organizing action teams
are needed for: Air, waters, forest, land
(including coastal zones, river systems, transboundary areas), peace-keeping,
resource recycling and taxation, international and intergroup dispute
resolution, city-regional relations, and conversion planning. Brisbane and
Sydney are competing for one of these challenges. Technical rehabilitation: Melbourne
and Adelaide as leading centres are exploring the feasibility of electricity
sharing from China to Hobart. Austro-India and East African
cooperation is being pursued at all levels in Perth, as is the Kimberley
Colossus. Sydney and New Zealand are linking
with Latin America. Melbourne is proposing a World Institute
for harmonizing Appropriate Dispute Resolution and Legalities. TASK: To build support with each
other towards reviving and restoring your family and community. © 1992.Dr. Neville Yeomans & Les
Spencer, Yungaburra, Qld; APPENDIX
19. A LIST OF LACEWEB FUNCTIONAL MATRICES MOST OF THEM DATING FROM THE LATE
SIXTIES AND EARLY SEVENTIES NAME USED FUNCTIONS, FIELDS AND
FOCI AKAME
Youth and adolescent support
Cultural healing action Alternatives to criminal and psychiatric
incarceration Stopping youth
and adolescent civil and criminal law breaking Values CADRES Community theatre Community wellbeing Social justice Therapeutic mediating Alternative dispute
resolving CHUMS Unmarried mothers: Care Help Support Networking Experience sharing Work opportunities Playgroups Childcare CODA Disability
action and the arts CONNEXION Intercultural healing action Intercultural humane
legal processes Intercultural social
networks Linking to global
governance Intercultural healing
action Truth, reconciling and
accepting DANZACTS Alternatives to prisons Cultural healing action Combatant’s return to
civilian life Healing dance, drama
& the arts Healing festivals and
camp-outs EMATRIX Experiential learning –
self-organizing systems Reconstituting organizations to
being living systems CBO/NGO/Business/Gov
organizational innovation ENTREATIES Intercultural enabling Exploring intercultural humane
values Peacehealing protocols EXTEGRITY Supporting grassroots community following
societal collapse Funding
support for civil society re-constituting Fostering caring
partnerships between prior conflicted peoples Supporting survivors of
torture and trauma (natural/man-made) Support for
reconstituting local grassroots community FUNPO Youth action Youth employment and
skilling Youth healing festivals Youth sport, dance, art
and culture INMA Caring Enabling Fostering emergent
properties Nurturing Seeding possibilities Spiritual Wholeness Inter-cultural Normative
Model Areas KEYLINE Conservation Eco-villages &
eco-habitat Edible landscaping Oasifying desserts and
arid areas Permaculture Self-sustaining Water harvesting MINGLES Celebrating and re-creating Community health Social networks Wellness Enriching families NELPS Accommodation Community education Employment and skilling Income security Personal wellbeing UN-INMA Quick response healing teams Supporting torture and trauma survivors
Alternatives to criminal
and psychiatric incarcerating Therapeutic community Evolving enablers Enabling networking Each of the names in the above list
has significance. Neville had checked on the derivations of the words and
terms he had in the Laceweb Functional Matrix names: AKAME ‘Aka’ is Torres Strait Islander for
Grandmother; hence the Connotation
is ‘me and my (wise) grandmother’ CADRES From Latin ‘quadrum’, a square; meaning ‘a
function’ or’ scheme’;the ADR connotes ‘Alternative Dispute Resolution’ CHUMS Colloquial for good friends Care
and Help for Unmarried Mothers CODA From Latin ‘cauda’
meaning ‘tail’; an adjunct to the close of a composition; CoDA Latin ‘co’ from
‘cum’, meaning ‘with’, and DA connoting Disablility Action CONNEXION From Latin ‘connectere’ – to
join, link, unite, associate, closely relate, coherent, having the power of
connecting; link to Old English ‘Connexity’ meaning simultaneously being inter-dependent,
inter-related, inter-woven, and inter-connected DANZACTS Connoting ‘dance acts’;
combatant’s return to civilian life is respectfully connoted by the embedded
‘ANZAC’. (In working with a member of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army
(BRA) and other Bougainville and West Papuan traumatized refugees in 2001,
dance was rated the most useful in the healing ways we explored.) Therapeutic
community. EMATRIX Enabling and evolving Function Matrices ENTREATIES From Old French ‘entraiter’
– to ask earnestly; the word ‘treaties’ is embedded EXTEGRITY Connoting ‘extensive integrity’.
It is possible that Neville knew of the term ‘tensegrity’ connoting
‘integrity through tension’ and used this to derive ‘Extegrity’. FUNPO At Yungaburra where
Funpo started it stood for the ‘Fun Post Office’; all the children of the
little town were exchanging letters with each other gratis by sending them to
Funpo. It also stands for Friends of UNPO, the Unrepresented Nations and
People Organization in The Hague. INMA ‘Inma’ is a special
word for the Central Australian Aborigines. Neville had obtained their
permission to use it. It has many meanings including ‘being together’. In Ma
connotes ‘in ma’ – ‘in the mother’ and has similar connotation to the word ‘matrix’.
The Torres Strait Island word ‘Ini’ also means, ‘being together’; INMA also
stood for International/Intercultural Normative Model Areas (Yeomans 1974). KEYLINE From Nevilles father’s ‘Keyline’ MINGLES Mingle: to mix together, to blend with, to
associate NELPS
A play on ‘help’; NLP
or Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or Neville’s terms for NLP, namely, ‘Natural
Learning Processes’, and ‘Natural Living Processes’ UN-INMA Unique (Indigenous)
Networks - International/Intercultural/Interpersonal Normative Model Areas APPENDIX
20. GOVERNMENTS AND THE FACILITATING OF GRASSROOTS WELLBEING ACTION The following paper was prepared for the Rural Health Support
Education and Training (RHSET) Section of the Australian Federal Health
Department in 1993. That Department was offering funding to INMA Nelps
initiatives. This paper was discussed with the Head of RHSET, his Deputy, and
his head of Program Evaluation. While RHSET people were prepared to ‘bend’
their rules’, no money was accepted by INMA Nelps. The issues and
problematics relating to Government sectorising, and using top down
service-delivery criteria for decision making in granting funding and program
evaluation relating to loco-lateral self-help and mutual help well-being
action that are canvassed in the paper were acknowledged by the three RHSET
people. The paper has forwarded on to Global Governance organizations, and
various Citizen Based Organisations (CBO’s) in the Region. GOVERNMENTS AND THE
FACILITATION OF COMMUNITY GRASSROOTS WELLBEING ACTION Dr. Neville
Yeomans, Les Spencer, and Terry Widders A
discussion paper prepared by the Laceweb. . Copyright: The Laceweb. First
distributed 1993, and reprinted 1998 & November 2000 From small beginnings in
the 1940's community based grassroots wellbeing action is taking place across
Northern Australia and spreading throughout the SE Asia Oceania Australasia
Region. A ground-swell of people is cooperating in taking their own
responsibility to resolve a massive range of cultural wellbeing issues. In
the past these issues have fallen to governments to resolve because no other
entity had the capacity to have an impact.
If grassroots community
wellbeing nurturing action continues it's exponential growth, the potential
to lower the present cost involved in service delivery is immense. The role
of governments, for large sections of the wellbeing agenda, has scope to
change from 'deliverer of services' to that of 'facilitator of local cultural
nurturing action' - self-help. This grassroots nurturing
cultural action for wellbeing is called by some 'The Laceweb'. The Laceweb
could be a micro-model for an alternative wellbeing delivery process running
parallel to service delivery, not only for Australia, but also for the rest
of the world. The grassroots wellbeing action
being described differs in many respects from traditional non-government
organizations (NGO) and community-based organizations (CBO), both voluntary
and non-voluntary. In this paper the term
'grassroots' is used in the sense of 'the common folk'. Often the people
involved have never engaged in socio-cultural action before - have never been
on a committee, exercised any problem solving effectiveness or dreamt that
they could have an effect. 'Wellbeing' is used in the widest possible
sense and covers the nurturing healing aspects of human living. This includes
physical, socio-emotional, mental, spiritual, relational, family, communal,
cultural, intercultural, economic, habitat and environmental. 'Nurturing
cultural action' implies 'healing' in its widest sense. Self-sufficiency was the
hallmark of Australia's early non-aboriginal pioneering and rural life. At
the very first settlement, the Rum Corps assisted in the stripping of the
cultural context of all inhabitants - Aboriginal, Irish, Anglo, and the like.
These contexts it replaced with an invasive military culture. Issues
impacting on wellbeing (health, housing, community services, etc) in the
colonies became so massive that governments have become increasingly a main
vehicle for delivering wellbeing related services. This has generated a
system of top-down action delivered by thousands of experts in academic,
government and non-government bodies who, together with their administrative
backup, sort out aspects of our lives for us. Behind these are even more
thousands of bureaucrats who keep track of what all these experts are doing
for us. Most wellbeing issues
revolve around what we do or do not do as we go about our lives; that is, our
culture. A very small proportion of loss of wellbeing relates to the action
of germs, viruses, and chance occurrence. Some wellbeing loss is
attributable to business decision-makers (pollution, environmental
degradation, and the like). A very large proportion
is self-imposed or imposed on others - substance abuse, domestic violence,
becoming insane, committing crime, poor eating habits and life styles,
polluting, causing soil erosion and so on. It is trivially true that if
people stopped behaviours like the ones mentioned, most wellbeing issues,
currently costing billions, would be solved without costing a cent. But it's
not that simple. Across Northern Australia
influences are being generated that are placing the impetus for nurturing
cultural action for wellbeing back at the place it breaks down - with local
people as they go about their lives. It is a lateral and bottom-up action.
Small groups engage in action and keep using practices that work for them.
Others become involved and initiatives, starting 'at the bottom', work their
way 'out' and 'up' to include more of the wider community. Different communities can
vary markedly as to what constitutes their wellbeing culture. Bottom-up
grassroots cultural wellbeing action is about the local community exploring
and making consensual decisions about what they need and want for their own
wellbeing; taking the necessary steps themselves to attain their wellbeing
and deciding themselves when they have not got it. Only they know this.
Increasingly the people involved are saying "We do not want outsiders trying
to provide our wellbeing or deciding our wellbeing for us". Because 'Grassroots
community cultural nurturing wellbeing action' is a long expression, the term
'Action' will be used from here on. The Laceweb Action taking place involves
people recognizing contexts of possibility and taking the opportunity to do
something for themselves and others. In most cases it is the women who are
taking the initiative. It involves acts celebrating diversity. It revolves
around cultural healing and intercultural reconciliation. Action expands links
among individuals and families and turns strangers into friends. It builds
'communing' communities. It permeates through everyday life. It 'villages'
the city. These features have multiple benefits including the removal of
anomie, loneliness, powerlessness, identity issues etc. Initiatives are involving
people in acting together to take back ability over their own lives. Experts
are used as resource people and not as power brokers and decision-makers.
Nurturing culture involves ways of joint action that continually spreads and
enriches the wellbeing competence base throughout the local community. People
are engaged in passing on diverse wellbeing micro-experiences, for example,
in providing community based family and individual support. Wellbeing-competence is
refined and passed on in natural settings as well as during specific
structured contexts; for example, the intercultural family center previously
explored in Rapid Creek - Darwin, far north Queensland intercultural
diversionary services, South Sea Islander initiatives and Vietnamese Helping
Hand health and training activities. Increasingly people are being
intuitively appropriate in their responses to each other. There are acts that
are perfect for the moment, which also contain the seed of realistic
generalisable policy. This Action is taking
place without an over-reliance on funding. At times, many people come
together for specific events, celebrations and healing actions. (An example was
the UN funded Small Island, Coastal, and Estuarine People Gathering
Celebration (http://www.laceweb.org.au/rsig.htm ) in Far North Queensland
in 1994. As well, throughout every day, grassroots people are involved in
myriads of significant trivial wellbeing acts. People act together to support
each other at appropriate times. Most actions do not rely on money. Action combines the
structured and the general, the formal and the informal. It creatively and
positively uses community grapevines. It has a self-sustaining energy.
Specific and general programs evolve out of action. In all of this, Laceweb
Action is generative. It is a dynamic expanding process that continually
subjects Action to review. Evaluation processes proceed in tandem with
Action. Programs and actions that
'work' are passed on to others, consensually validated and adopted as policy
at the local level. Action is simultaneously
addressing everything undermining wellbeing. It is both pervasively holistic
and detailed within its holism. Action is focused on all the inter-related
issues involved - simultaneously working on impediments to, for example,
economic, socio-emotional and environmental wellbeing. Because of the
multifaceted nature of nurturing Action, it tends to have simultaneous
multiple positive consequences. Action
has three concurrent themes. The major theme is generating and nurturing
wellbeing. This is closely followed by preventing impediments to wellbeing
and curing those affected by impediments. Action is focused on increasing
wellbeing, sustaining prevention, and decreasing the need to cure. Another feature is that
it starts with action based on consensually valid local knowledge. It
commences with self-starters who have an 'outcome' focus (compared to an
'input' focus). These people start by doing things and demonstrating to
others that things can be done. They get others involved who follow and
extend their example. This is fundamentally different to what happens in
traditional top-down expert driven processes. Experts (often with 'input'
focus) tend to hold strings of planning meetings and exploratory conferences,
conduct research and feasibility studies and then hold more conferences to
discuss the research and explore what might be done. With every respect, it is
typical that massive time and expense is incurred in all of these
expert-driven processes before anyone ever does anything to solve the
problem. Local grassroots nurturing action people are very familiar with local
issues and immediately get on with the job in hand. Action people are not
dependent on constantly seeking anyone's permission or approval, especially
the approval of experts. Action does draw on the
resources of NGO's and CBO's and works in association with them without the
Action itself reverting to top-down processes. Action is supported by the
detailed local knowledge and the resources available within local
government. Bottom-up process can
meet, complement, and facilitate the top-down approach. For example, by
providing consensual small project proof about what works, the bottom-up
approach can support top-down processes by allowing opportunities for
top-down studies to be restricted to what does work, rather than studying and
sifting through lots of things that will not work. We live at a time when
national and international attention is being focused on seemingly unsolvable
intercultural reconciliation conflicts both within Australia and around the
world, especially those involving indigenous people and small
minorities. At the same time in
Darwin and across Northern Australia there are small living breathing
microprojects of grassroots nurturing cultural action for wellbeing producing
intercultural reconciliation within communities. Peoples from many cultural
backgrounds - Aboriginals, Torres Strait Islanders, Asians, Pacific
Islanders, Anglo-Europeans etc - are cooperating together to provide their
own wellbeing. The Australian Federal
Government's aim has been to have Darwin and the surrounding region as
Australia's northern link with East Asia. The world's focus will be on
multicultural Australia during the lead up to the Year 2000 Olympics in
Sydney. In the family of the Laceweb, governments may have a micromodel that
can have national and global applicability.
There seems to be
consensus between governments of all persuasions about the value of reducing
the size of government expenditure and of getting better value for the public
dollar. The Laceweb's nurturing cultural Action for wellbeing is a vehicle
that can contribute to both of these aims. National and local governments are
well placed to encourage grassroots Action. It is in the interest of
governments to do so. How can government foster
this community based nurturing cultural Action? Three
issues will be introduced. Firstly, government
policy and program processes are presently geared for traditional top-down
expert-driven undertakings. Currently, committees evaluating funding submissions
presuppose that traditional top-down expert driven approaches will be
used. Grassroots community
wellbeing action also has both policy and program processes. However these
are generated by lateral and bottom-up action. Specific and general programs
evolve out of this action. Programs and actions that 'work' are consensually
validated and adopted as policy at the local level. The fundamental aspect of
Action is that local people have the first and last say about everything to
do with their own wellbeing. A second issue is that
governments and their bureaucracies have tended to fragment the world into
narrow separate bits - economics, health, housing, agriculture, forestry, the
environment etc. Each government program area tends to jealously guard
onerous apparent prerogatives as a 'dispenser of public funds'. Few, if any,
government inter-sector funding arrangements exist. In contrast, grassroots
wellbeing action is holistic in a manner that is at the same time both
pervasive and detailed. A third issues is that
while people may aspire to lessen public expenditure and obtain better value
for the public dollar, there is a strong pressure towards putting
self-preservation first if achieving the above goals appears personally
detrimental. Traditional government
and non-government wellbeing agencies may see grassroots initiatives as a
threat to their own funding. If grassroots wellbeing action really starts to
be effective on a larger scale, this may raise a fear of presupposed
downsizing within sections of the bureaucracy and a similar fear within
traditional wellbeing services. Because of these
perceived threats, the foregoing entities may mistakenly seek to undermine
grassroot wellbeing initiatives. They may fail to see scope for multiple
lateral integration between lateral/bottom-up and top down processes, or
appreciate the scope for shifting from vertical integration to lateral
integration. The obvious claim from within the existing paradigm is that
grassroot wellbeing action is 'unprofessional' - that it is not under the
direction and control of professed experts. Also, that it is not organized
'properly' - in other words, it is not 'top-down'. The
Laceweb The Laceweb has
experience dating from the 1940's in working with healing action. The Laceweb
is a source of influence, confluence, understanding and enabling in linking
up peoples, contexts, issues, and actions in sustained lateral/bottom-up
nurturing culture for action for wellbeing - refer An Example of Enabling
Indigenous Wellbeing. ( http://www.laceweb.org.au/ena.htm ). Other Laceweb roles are
seeking out people who are generating nurturing cultural Actions that work,
letting other grassroot people know about them and sharing healing ways that
work. The Laceweb is well
placed to take on a number of roles in exploring the possibility of
government facilitation of grassroot community wellbeing action. Firstly, The Laceweb can
continue to expand in its current Action role. Secondly, The Laceweb can
work along side government to develop processes for resolving the many
matters arising from the three issues previously mentioned. Thirdly, The Laceweb
could provide an interface and support role between government and grassroots
nurturing action. This could relate to the evolving of action agreements and
other funding arrangements for specific local action initiatives. The Laceweb welcomes sharing discussions
about the ideas and initiatives outlined above. APPENDIX 21. NEXUS GROUPS’
CONSTITUTION ___________________________________________________ CONSTITUTION
OF NEXUS GROUPS __________________________________________________ FORMERLY
CONNEXION Registered in NSW October 1971 PREAMBLE NEXUS GROUPS
- A BRIEF OUTLINE NEXUS GROUPS is a group of people
with a shared concern for people experiencing an emotional personal, family
or human relations crisis. These are the people who are likely to become the
consumers of welfare and mental health services. Some of us are or have been
patients; some of us have worked with such persons; some of us have been
both. We are working outside of hospitals and institutions; we intend to
remain outside and to help others to stay out. We reject the idea that clients
and patients are different kinds of human beings to those who try to help
them. We recognize only that a human being in a state of personal and social
crisis may need the help of his or her fellow humans. We reject the idea that ‘being well’
or ‘working’ is the same as ‘being normal’ or behaving as you are expected to
behave (being good). We recognize only that when a person’s behaviour is
intolerable to other people, it is usually because their situation is
intolerable to them. So we must not simply ask them to change their behavior;
we must help them to change the situation.
We reject the idea that an emotional crisis is simply a ‘disease’ to
be ‘treated’ with medicines, handouts or punishments in isolation from the
social situation that brought it about. We recognize that ‘treatment’ can
only relieve distressing symptoms and that the consumers should have the
right to choose this treatment if s/he wants to. People of NEXUS GROUPS see the idea
of NEXUS GROUPS as a mutual help organization. We have formed ourselves into
a collective, to come to know ourselves and one another and to increase our
understanding of human relationships and emotional crisis. There are some professional workers and
ex-professionals helping NEXUS GROUPS who have valuable experience and
knowledge to bring to use. However, they work according to the
NEXUS GROUPS philosophy and reject the one-sided patient/doctor type of
relationship. People `freak' (i.e. behave incomprehensibly
and so on). Some freak-outs have very positive aspects - increased
perception, sensitivity and insight, but there are often negative sides -
fear, confusion, isolation and alienation. At such times people need the
support of others. NEXUS GROUPS is where such support could be found. Anyone
who agrees with our aims is welcome to join us in putting them into practice. NEXUS GROUPS is a community-based
organization aiming to stimulate community concern and action about personal
and human relations problems. WHAT IS
NEXUS GROUPS DOING Drawing on our basic philosophy of
mutual help with problems we of NEXUS GROUPS have started to work in the
following areas: Providing a phone service where we
can be called for advice, information or a sympathetic ear. Having an office open 6 days a week
where people can drop in and talk etc. Organizing people willing to visit
any in crisis at any time. Building up a network of people in
the community who can accommodate and lend support to people in crisis for
short periods Researching and informing people
about human relations problems human rights and humanitarian law. Contacting sympathetic individuals
and organizations who can be of use to people who come to NEXUS GROUPS Planning to obtain, operate and
maintain a mini-bus for mobile groups, emergency groups and home visits. Providing a sympathetic magazine for
information and education. Raising the necessary funds to
finance the above work, the organization was registered as a charity in
October 1971. 1 NAME The name of the organization shall
be NEXUS GROUPS. 2 MEMBERSHIP Annual financial membership shall be
instituted and a register of financial members kept. Only financial members may vote. Only financial members may become
committee members. Under exceptional circumstances,
exemption from subscriptions may be decided by a vote at the meeting the
member is accepted. Membership will be conferred by a
vote at a committee meeting. Application for membership will be
in writing to Executive Committee. Membership subscriptions will be due
1st. September each year. Members joining after February will
pay half annual dues. All members may extend the help of
NEXUS GROUPS to any person in need of help. Members may remain completely
anonymous or use first names only if they desire to do so. No member will aid or abet any other
member in any crime or act of anti social behaviour. Any member arriving at meetings drunk
or drugged may, on a group decision, be expelled from the meeting until
sober. All members must endeavour to be at
meetings on time so as not to disrupt the group once it is in progress. People without close relatives or
friends may on group decision become members, but the group's aim is to
involve families. Any member who does anything
considered detrimental to the group or its individual members may on group
decision be banned entirely from the group, and can apply for re- admittance
after no less than 3 months. Visitors to group meetings may only
attend three meetings before applying for membership. Subscriptions for membership or
NEXUS GROUPS newsletter will be set by the Committee as necessary, now at
$5.00 annually. 3. MANAGEMENT The management of the Organization
shall be vested in an Executive Committee consisting of the office-bearers
and four (4) other members. No member of the Executive Committee
shall be appointed to any salaried office of the Organization or any office
of the Organization paid by fees and no remuneration or other benefit in
money or money's worth shall be given by the Organization to any member of
the Executive Committee except repayment of out-of-pocket expenses, interest
at a rate not exceeding interest at the rate for the time being charged by
Bankers in Sydney for money lent the Organization and reasonable and proper
rent for premises let to the Organization. 4. OFFICE BEARERS The office-bearers shall consist of
a President, Secretary, Treasurer and such other officers as shall be decided
by the members of the Organization at the Annual General Meeting. The
office-bearers and the other members of Executive Committee shall be elected
annually at the Annual General Meeting. Any casual vacancy occurring among the
office-bearers may be filled by the Committee and the person so appointed to
fill such vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired term of the member so
replaced. Professional people i.e. Doctors,
Lawyers, Priests, Politicians, etc., will not be eligible for election to the
Executive (Management) Committee, but may be referred to the Honorary
Advisory Resources Committee. Office-bearers and Executive Committee members
will be elected only from within the general NEXUS GROUPS membership. To be
elected to the Executive Committee a person has to be a financial member of
NEXUS GROUPS and must be nominated by the group which they have been
attending. 5. PROCEEDINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE The Executive Committee may meet together
for the dispatch of business, adjourn and otherwise appoint and regulate its
meetings as it thinks fit. The President may at any time, and
the Secretary on the requisition of any four members of the Committee summon
a meeting of the Committee. Questions arising at any meeting of
the Committee shall be decided by a majority of votes of those present and a
determination by a majority of the members of the Committee present shall for
all purposes be a determination of the Committee. In case of an equality of
votes the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. The continuing members of the
Committee may act not withstanding any vacancy in the Committee, but if and
so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to
these rules as the necessary quorum, the continuing member or members may act
for the purpose of increasing the number of members of the Committee from
amongst the members, which they are hereby empowered to do, or of summoning a
general meeting of the Organization, but for no other purpose. The Executive Committee's function
is to maintain lines of communication with all people and departments working
in the field of social well-being and mental health so that NEXUS GROUPS
groups may have first hand information on developments in this field and to
manage the business administration and to set policy for the NEXUS GROUPS
Organization. 6. VACATION OF OFFICE The office of a member of the
Executive Committee or of a trustee shall become vacant: Upon his decease. If he becomes bankrupt or makes any
arrangement or composition with his creditors generally. If he resigns his office by notice
in writing to the Organization. If he is absent for more than six
months without leave of the Committee from meetings of the Committee held
during that period. If he ceases to be a member of the
Organization. Upon a resolution being passed by a
two-thirds majority of members present at a properly constituted general
meeting specially called for the purpose, to remove him from office. If he holds any office of profit
under the Organization. If he is directly or indirectly
interested in any contract or proposed contract with the Organization. 7. FINANCIAL YEAR The financial year shall conclude on
30th. June. 8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting of
members shall be held during the month of July in each year, when the Annual
Report and audited financial statements shall be presented. Any four members of the Executive
Committee may at any time convene a Special General Meeting of the
Organization. Special General Meetings shall also be convened by the
Secretary upon the written request of not less than five per centum in number
of the members of the Organization and shall be held within a period of one
month from the date of the request. 10. QUORUMS At meetings of Members a quorum
shall consist of five (5) members and at an Executive Committee Meeting shall
consist of three (3) members. Should within half an hour of the time set down
for a meeting to commence, a quorum be not present, then the meeting shall be
adjourned to the same time and place seven days later or to a place and to a
time within one month of the date of such meeting, to be determined thereat.
If at such adjourned meeting a quorum be not present, then those members
attending shall be deemed to be a quorum, provided the number of such members
is not less than three. 11. PROCEEDINGS AT COUNSELLING GROUP
MEETINGS Counselling group meetings will be
of one-hour duration with one half hour for supper and general discussion;
total one and a half hours. A group chairman will be elected by
the group at each meeting to chair the next meeting. A group chairman's duty is to see that
as many members as possible have a chance to discuss their problems, unless
in his or her opinion there is an urgent or critical situation that the group
wishes to deal with, also he or she must check any side conversation which
may disrupt the group and make sure that a chairman is elected for the
following week. A Group chairman may after warning a member order him or her
from the group for that meeting only. All personal problems discussed at
group meetings will remain strictly confidential and must not be discussed
outside group meetings. Any person inquiring of a member may be invited to
attend a group meeting and state their reasons for inquiring. 12. GROUP LEADERS, ADMINISTRATIVE
MEMBERS OR COMMITTEES Each local group shall elect their
own group leader, administrative member or committee, whose function is to
maintain lines of communication with the Executive Committee and to make sure
a different group chairman is elected each week at his or her local group. 13. NOTICE OF MEETINGS Group counselling meetings will be
held weekly wherever possible. Executive Committee meetings will be convened
at the discretion of the President or Secretary. A notice may be given to any member
either personally or by sending it to him at his address registered with the
Organization or if he has no registered address to the place of abode of the
member last known to the Executive Committee (Management Committee). Where a notice is sent by post,
service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing,
prepaying and posting a letter or an envelope containing the notice and to
have been effected, in the case of the notice of a meeting on the day after
the date of its posting and in any other case the time at which the letter
would be delivered in the ordinary course of post. 14. FUNDS All monies received by the
Organization shall be deposited intact at the earliest possible date to the
credit of the Organization’s Bank Account. Receipts for monies received shall
also be issued promptly. All payments in excess of $5.00 made
by the Organization shall be paid by cheque signed by any two of the
President, Secretary and Treasurer. All assets and income of the
Organization shall be applied solely in furtherance of its objects. No
portion shall be distributed either directly or indirectly to its members,
except as good faith compensation for services rendered or expenses incurred
on behalf of the Organization. 15. AUTHORISATION OF ACCOUNTS All accounts shall be presented to
and passed for payment at an Executive Committee Meeting and full details of
all such approvals shall be entered in the Minute Book. 16. AUDIT The auditor or auditors shall be
elected at the Annual General Meeting. They shall examine all accounts, vouchers,
receipts, books, etc., and furnish a report thereon to the members at the
Annual Meeting. Audits shall be conducted at regular intervals of not more
than twelve months. An auditor shall not be a member or closely related to a
member of the Executive Committee. 17. MINUTES The Executive Committee shall cause
minutes to be made: of all appointments of
office-bearers and members of the Committee. of the names of members of the
Committee, general members and visitors present at all meetings of the
Organization and of the Committee of all proceedings at all meetings
of the Organization and of the Committee. Minutes need not be taken at group
counselling (therapy) meetings. Such minutes shall be signed by the Chairman
of the meeting at which the proceedings were held or by the Chairman of the
next succeeding meeting. 18. DISSOLUTION The Organization shall be dissolved
in the event of membership less than three Persons or upon the vote of a
three fourths majority of members present at a Special General Meeting,
convened to consider such question Upon a resolution being passed in
accordance with paragraph (a) of this rule, all assets and funds of the
Organization on hand shall, after the Payment of all expenses and liabilities
be handed over to such registered or exempt charities as referred to in any
of the sub paragraphs of Section 78 (1) (A) of the Income Tax assessment act
as the Special General Meeting may decide at the Special General meeting so
convened, or at a subsequent Special General Meeting. 19. AMENDMENT OF RULES These rules may be amended by a
resolution passed by a two-third majority of members present at any Annual
General Meeting at which notice of the proposed amendment shall have been
given or at a Special General Meeting, convened for such purpose. Provided
that the Minister of the Crown for the time being administering the
Charitable Collections Act, 1934, as amended, shall be notified of the
amendment being made. 20. ADVISORY OR RESOURCES COMMITTEE The Advisory or Resources Committee
shall consist of those qualified and professional people who will lend their
support to NEXUS GROUPS groups and advise on matters of group development and
therapeutic values. No member of the group will approach
any member of the Advisory or Resources Committee other than through their
Executive Committee. APPENDIX
22. EXCERPTS FROM AN ABORIGINAL WOMAN’S DIARY An Armidale
Diary Excerpts from a young Aboriginal
women’s diary from the second Armidale Workshop published with her permission
in the Aboriginal Human Relations Magazine June 1972. (University of New
England, Dept. of University Extension et al. 1971): ‘I feel very mixed up, uneasy,
frightened and I try to get myself out of this by staying in my room while
the meeting is on, but I feel that it will only work in two ways, either (1)
I will close up altogether, and go back to my old ways of joking my way
through, or, (2) go and sit in and listen to the discussion and see how I
feel when I have finished there. I decide to go back and sit down and listen
to the rest speak.’ An Aboriginal women’s’ group formed
because some had said they found it very difficult to talk in the large
group. The young Aboriginal women and her mother joined the group but were
asked to leave by some men because they thought that the two of them were big
talkers. ‘My mother stayed and fought back,
but I had to get out of there - my mind was blank. I didn’t even know where I
was going. I felt I had to just get away from everything I was connected
with. I walked till I came to my senses about a half a mile down the road.’ ‘I felt better after the next
morning. While that evening before, a friend helped me with my problem. We
talked privately in our rooms. The next morning I seemed more sure of
myself.’ ‘After dinner people from Armidale
told their own personal stories. This was one of the first times I ever cried
in front of people, but for each of the problems I felt equally responsible
for what had happened to these men.’ Later: ‘My feelings seem to be nervous,
sorry and angry.’ ‘I feel sick at this moment, but I
feel sorry for someone or something and this feeling is choking me. The
tension in this room is funny; not in the laughing sense, but in the personal
sense.’ Final comment in her diary: ‘It was a good week for everyone I
talked to, and the next one will be even better.’ APPENDIX
23. A LIST OF SOME OF THE
ACTIVITIES USED IN CULTURAL HEALING ACTION o
Acrobatics o
Adventure
challenges o
Aromas
o
Art
as re-constituting self and others o
Body
painting and adornment o
Carving,
moulding and sculpture o
Chanting,
humming, singing, toning, and vocalizing o
Circus
& Clowning – balancing, juggling o
Creative
moving o
Creative
writing o
Dancing
and Theatre o
Drama
and spontaneous drama o
Drawing
o
Drumming,
percussion and body percussion o
Group
dynamics o
Writing
o
Music
o
Orating o
Painting
o
Playing
and games o
Poetry
o
Realplay
and re-enactment o
Spontaneous
singing and vocalizing o
Story-telling
o
Visual
artistry o
Voice A list of some of the activities
used in Cultural Healing Action APPENDIX
24. A SUMMARY OF KEN YEOMANS’ 1992
PETFORD KEYLINE SURVEY Petford
Keyline Survey – 1992 As one aspect of the Developing
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Drug and Substance Abuse Therapeutic
Communities Gathering funded by the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse
(NCADA) P.A. Yeomans’ son Ken Yeomans, with many of the troubled youth at
Petford assisting completed a Keyline Survey of Petford. ‘Old man’ Geoff Guest runs over 140
horses on the property and at certain times a very large expense is involved
in buying horse feed. Petford is about 70 kilometres inland from the high
rainfall areas of the Atherton Tablelands. At Petford it is arid, although in
the wet season the Petford property, in 1992 around 150 square kilometres,
received a small number of massive thunderstorms. These would drop a massive
quantity of water that would disappear in sudden swift run offs into many
creek beds that were soon dry again. The Keyline survey team, aided by a
contour map searched the property for a very specific landform and they found
it. The area is depicted in Diagram 01. ‘A’ is a semicircular mountain range
with only one drainage point. The area that was draining out through that one
spot would have on average around half a dozen storms a year. ‘B’ was a
system of dry creek beds that would catch this water. ‘C’ was a proposed channel and earth
wall as depicted in Diagram 01a. This would divert the water along the
contour line into another valley at a slightly lower elevation. The advantage
of this second valley is that it is only around 40 meters wide with a rock
base and high rocky walls. The water stored here would be deep with a long
narrow surface. The angle of the valley means that the sun would only hit the
water during the middle of the day. This would keep evaporation in the
tropical heat to a minimum. Down the valley around 200 meters at
‘E’ is a natural rock barrier that all but closes the valley. This is a
natural place to build an earth wall as depicted in Diagram 01c. A pipe could be placed at the base
of the upstream wall. This pipe could go through the wall about a meter under
the top and run down the down-stream side of the wall. At the base of the dam
wall would be a valve to control water flow. The pipe then runs into the
channel ‘F’ which follows the contour and has a dead end. Levels are organized such that water
flows over the side of this channel sideways on a natural rocky slope at a
slow rate and irrigates a fan shaped area marked as ‘G’ that had sufficient
depth of top soil (similar to the ‘flag’ in photos 11 and 12 in the Thesis).
Water would build up behind the dam wall and back fill the creek system in
the narrow valley marked as ‘D’. It was proposed that the water be
used to grow hardy local shrubs with edible foliage for the horses on half
the land and the other half to be used to grow trees for oil extraction. All
of the soil needed for the construction is available locally and everything
could be built using the tractor and equipment Petford already has. The
system requires no power as it is all gravity fed. The water stored in any
one year would be more than sufficient for more than four years.
Diagram
01. APPENDIX
25. SOME OF NEVILLE’S ACTIONS LEADING TO THE UN FUNDED GATHERING o
Having
this Aboriginal women sit in on his psychotherapy o
Linking
with her in linking with other local natural nurturers o
Monitoring
Global conferences and gatherings o
Having
me writing letters o
Seeking
funds from many international and global governance agencies o
Positioning
this possible gathering as a follow-on gathering to a UN Conference o
Arranging me to bring up DTE site set up people o
Encouraging
me to be involved in ConFest site set-up o
Grooming
me and encouraging me to ask DTE for the two lots of funding o
Getting
DTE people skilled in site set-up to visit local sites and Aboriginal
communities o
One
of the sites we visited was used for the UN funded gathering o
Linking
with other natural nurturers in the region as potential support in hosting o
All
the previous festivals he had energized including the Aquarius Festival and
ConFest o
Sending
the Aboriginal and PNG women to ConFest APPENDIX
26. ONE FORTNIGHT’S LACEWEB ACTION IN THE ATHERTON TABLELANDS One
Fortnight’s Laceweb Action in the Atherton Tablelands The following details one
fortnight’s Laceweb activities in the Atherton Tablelands region in December
1993, many of which were precursors to the Small Island Coastal and Estuarine
People Gathering Celebration. This fortnight was during the time the three
Down to Earth visitors were staying at Neville’s place in Yungaburra with
Neville and me: Virtually all of the
children of Yungaburra (over 40) including Aboriginal, Islander and small
minority children were engaged all day in preparing atmospherics for a New
Year Party at Neville’s large bungalow heritage property in Yungaburra (refer
Photo 10 in Chapter Nine). The children painted all of the pillars supporting
the house with orange fluoro paint and spread fluoro-whited sand on the floor
so that it glowed white at night under the fluoro lights. They also dug a
channel to the atmospherics area under the top end of the house through to
the back of the house that created an enchanting garden entrance by walking
down earth steps in the front garden. At night this channel was also lit by
fluorescent lights and had fluorescent paintings by the children draped down
the earth walls. During the day each of the children had gone home and
brought back white garments that they were allowed to splatter with fluoro
paint. They were stunned when they wore these at night under fluoro lights. I
had an extraordinary three-meter by two meter fluoro painting of outer space
painted by Richard Clements, one of Australia’s leading contemporary
painters. I had many hours of discussion with Richard about Laceweb. The
children also splattered tens of thousands of small fluoro spots on two large
dark tarps. These glowed like a million stars around the whole downstairs
area at night. The extraordinary atmospherics created by the children were
their exclusive domain till around 9:00 PM when they came upstairs and
escorted the adults one by one into their enchanting space and music/dance
area. Approximately 150 adults
and children attended this New Year’s Eve party at Neville’s place with half
being Aboriginal and Islander families. Neville told everyone that he would
provide the alcohol. Many of the attendees are heavy drinkers. Only extremely
low strength beer was there. There was no drunkenness and many heavy drinkers
said it was the first New Year’s Eve that they had stayed sober since they
were toddlers and that it was their best party ever. The adults were amazed
at the atmospheric space created by their children. From this energy a
children's group formed in Yungaburra that Neville called FUNPO. They would
send letters to each other c/o FUNPO, Yungaburra. Yungaburra is a very small
place and we had the cooperation of the local postmistress. Recall that the
term FUNPO had, at one level the connotation, ‘Fun Post Office’. At a deeper
level, the term stands for ‘Friends of UNPO, where ‘UNPO’ is the
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization based in The Hague. Australian
Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders are members of UNPO, as are other
peoples and nations not represented at global forums of the United Nations. Also during the fortnight
a number of the FUNPO children were among forty who attended a four-day
camp-out in an old clearing in beautiful rainforest area owned by Neville on
the Baron River at Kuranda on the Atherton Tablelands. The woman in Photo 40
attended with her son and daughter. This was in a beautiful rainforest
setting. We had just finished wading up a little clear stream with a bed of
golden sand so that the water looked golden. Overhead, vines hung down from
the green cathedral vault of the rainforest canopy. A further busload of
another 35 turned up in evening for music, dancing and fireside chats. A
neighbour interested in sabotaging Neville’s intercultural activity set up a
sign saying the event was cancelled and this busload returned to Cairns
without finding us. Neville dreamed that this
rainforest land may become an Intercultural Healing Wellbeing Centre for the
SE Asia Oceania Australasia Region – refer Appendix 01. Neville spoke of his
mountain ash forest property at Paluma, North of Townsville, and his
Yungaburra House also being resources linked to the proposed Intercultural
Healing Centre. As at January 2003 this dream had not been realized. It is
understood that the Kuranda rainforest land and the Yungaburra house had been
sold in settling Neville’s estate. Another small camp-out
(around 25 people) was held at Ravenshoe beside a small stream in a beautiful
bush setting. Alex Dawia brought up a small bus of 14 Aboriginal people from
Bama Healing Prison Diversion Program where he worked at the time. These
street people had been sobering up the previous night at BAMA. The gentle
playful healing energy of the camp-out had these very shy nauseous people
slowly warming to each other and the others present so that change in them
was very apparent to themselves and the other participants – therapeutic
community in action. During the same two-week
period a series of family therapy sessions were held by Neville with an
Aboriginal extended family. An old disused World War Two hospital that was
built like a hanger and had a cavernous interior was explored as a possible
venue for gatherings in the wet season. This was the same fortnight that
those three DTE Enablers were staying with Geoff and we visited 15 possible
sites and held discussions with Aboriginal people at a number of Aboriginal
communities. Neville also took the three DTE people for a day at Geoff and
Norma’s Therapeutic Community a little over an hours drive away, and engaged
in nightly sharing of stories with these DTE visitors and myself. Also during the same two
weeks, informal sharings of stories about what Laceweb action has been
happening occurred at the monthly out-door market day in Yungaburra. Many
hundreds of locals attend this market and Laceweb people take this
opportunity to tell each other stories and engage in potent trivial
exchanges. This market action is resonant with the Paddington Market in
Sydney surrounding Neville’s first Community Mental Health Centre in the
early Seventies. Trivial exchange as therapy is resonant with what Neville
called, ‘home, street and rural Mediation Therapy and Mediation Counselling’,
where nurturers take opportunity to use the relevant moment in everyday life
to engage in healing. APPENDIX
27. THE RAPID CREEK PROJECT FAMILY
NEXUS THE RAPID
CREEK VILLAGE PROJECT The Larrakia locality Gurambai
(Rapid Creek) is both a suburban region and a unique urban based watershed
and creek system within the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory of
Australia. Family Nexus (refer other background
notes), in association with intercultural people of the Rapid Creek
Community, are developing a micro-project to nurture well-being
socio-emotionally, economically and environmentally. The initiative is
drawing upon the constructive cultural diversity of the community for
expansion of productive economic opportunities afforded by Darwin’s proximity
to East Asia. Grassroots and long-grass family action is exploring the
resolution of socio-emotional issues like domestic violence, suicide,
substance abuse and keeping family members out of criminal justice and mental
institutions. As well, the aim is to skill families in well-being areas such
as relational mediating, intercultural healing action and developing
grassroots policy based on consensually evaluated and validated community
action (refer other file-notes on these themes). Ideas are exploring
Aboriginal and multicultural healing cultural arts action and festivals. This bottom-up project extends to
involving the local community in taking care of all aspects of the Rapid
Creek catchment area. The Project is resonant with the concept of Integrated
Local Area Planning (refer Social Strategies for the Northern Territory - A
Strategic Workshop, April 1993: Office of Northern Development, GPO Box 4075,
and Darwin 0801 NT). Preliminary explorings are beginning with long-grass
aboriginal bodies and communities, local government, Greening Australia, as
well as religious, welfare, health, artistic, multicultural and educational
groups. Rapid Creek is one of the few (and
perhaps the only) intact urban-based watershed system left in Australia. It
embraces semi arid dry lands, paperbark communities, eucalyptus woodlands,
pandanus and grasslands, monsoon rainforest, as well as wetlands and
mangroves. The Rapid Creek catchment area provides extensive habitat for
local flora and fauna. The local community also uses Rapid Creek as a
beautiful leisure environment. Many parallel projects are coming
together. They include practical rehabilitation of flora and fauna by the
Friends of Rapid Creek and active planning by the Darwin City Council and
Greening Australia. The more human nurturing family oriented activities are
focused around the Rapid Creek Water Gardens and nearby Village shopping
centre. This is where the oldest market in
Darwin is held. The market has a strong intercultural tradition with
colourful stalls being run by people from many ethnic/cultural backgrounds
including aboriginals and people from Papua New Guinea and other Asian
Pacific and European countries. A number of grassroots nurturing well-being
groups are being attracted to operate from this centre. All of the above
action is developing a strong sense of community. It is villaging within the
city. In helping to remove impediments to
social, environmental and economic wellbeing in Darwin, the Rapid Creek
Village Project is developing a micromodel perhaps with global applicability
and with specific relevance in developing Darwin as Australia's northern link
to East Asia. APPENDIX 28. EXTEGRITY - GUIDELINES FOR
JOINT PARTNER PROPOSAL APPLICATION
EXTEGRITY - GUIDELINES
FOR JOINT PARTNER PROPOSAL APPLICATION
Extegrity Enablers Last updated October 2000 Evolving the document - 'Extegrity -
Guidelines for Joint Partner Proposal Application' Extegrity (Extensive Integrity) is a
functional
matrix
providing enabling support to our partners and others. Enablers are sensing a
need to evolve an integral fundroving and fundseeking frameweb resonant with
ethical humane ways. Given the holistic breadth of Wellbeing healing
activity, substantial funds may be applied. Simultaneously, micro-activity
may be supported with the widow's mite (a small coin). Vital micro-support
finds its way via the heart. Macro-funding sources
rightly demand clarity of intent consistent with their foci, and require
specificity, integrity, transparency, accountability and rigor. Within humane
wellbeing contexts this interfaces/merges disparate ways - the preplanned and
specified with the random and the spontaneous. In this context the
document 'Extegrity - Guidelines for Joint Partner Proposal Application' (set
out below) is evolving for our own self-development. Firstly the document
provides ethical, organizational and funding administrative guidelines.
Secondly it specifies: 1.
the
nature of macro-fiduciary relationships we will consider with both fund
sources and wellbeing action co-partners 2.
the
ethical humane character of our co-partnerships, and 3.
the
ordering, framing and nature of our co-partner action In respect of point 3
above, this document hints at the pervasive scope of humane wellbeing action
- including humanitarian law and humanitarian democracy - towards
re-constituting all aspects of the social life-world towards wellbeing. This page may be used by
macro and micro funding entities and co-partners alike to get a sense of our
wellbeing action and humane ethical ways. Note: More informal funding arrangements
will be considered . Refer the motion and Implementing
Proposals .
EXTEGRITY
- GUIDELINES FOR JOINT PARTNER PROPOSAL APPLICATION Facilitation of
Indigenous and/or disadvantaged small minority Psycho-Cultural Healing,
Humanitarian Law, and Humane Democracy Extegrity (Extensive
Integrity) is a functional matrix providing enabling support. Displayed are
the ethical, organizational and funding administrative guidelines that
Extegrity are evolving for our own self-development. In addition, this
document seems to be emerging as of unifying educational value in our growing
cooperation between a number of SE Asian, Pacific and Australasian deprived
mini-minority and indigenous groups. This document is the way in which we and
our co-partners have been exploring our relationships. A short background and description
of the priorities and criteria used when facilitating grants for the
furtherance of psychosocial healing, mediation counseling/therapy,
humanitarian caring rights/talents and humanitarian caring democratic
community follows. I. COMMON
HARMONIOUS VISION ETHICS AND PURPOSE OF THE OVERALL APPROACH I-1 GUIDING
PRINCIPLES Extegrity (Extensive
Integrity) is about co-evolving a not-for-profit Indigenous and/or
disadvantaged micro minority humane community partnership enterprise. Our
focus is on self heal, self help enabling action by minority/Indigenous
people. We favor enabling mediation therapy, learning healing and embracing
cultural celebratory psychosocial experiences. Perhaps these may best be
shared with overseas neighbors in seminars, healshops and gatherings at
pleasant and safe places in North Australia. Our purposes include fundroving
and fundfinding and the facilitation of fund transfers to jointly cooperative
partnerships of humane caring Indigenous and/or disadvantaged small minimized
minority individuals and groups. Approval of an application thereby gives the
partners membership of Extegrity's board. We are committed to the
extension of humanitarian
law process,
such as those promoted and practiced by the Red Cross, Red Crescent, Medecin
Sans Frontiere (Doctors Without Frontiers) and similar bodies. Humanitarian law may be described as
enabling ethics law - the law of sisterly/brotherly love, expressing the
caring Integrity of communities. It is the care/share principles guided
processes of health, education, welfare, land healing and other aspects of
environmental law and of the arts community norms expressing healing learning,
beauty and joy (the passage of humane rites). We respect the long
traditions of humanitarian principles such as medicine's Oath of Hippocrates
and the canon law duties of spiritual bodies, including aid to the
disadvantaged and funding for full education of the talented poor. Modern
versions of these humane rights and sacred duties may well be evolving by
community and individual example. Perhaps these are expressed by Australian
'Clean Up the World' and attitudes of a 'fair go' for all, South African Truth
and Reconciliation processes, and the humane talents of Indigenous and small
minority peoples for open sincere community discussion, consensus, creative
compromise, reconciliation and forgiveness. These we can learn from; express,
evolve and extend perhaps towards a more virtuous reality. We are also committed to
the respect and promotion of global principles set out in the Universal
Declaration on Human Rights, enhanced by the international Covenants on civil
and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights. Our activities fit in
with commitments created by the main international and regional instruments
for the protection of humanitarian and Human Rights. These instruments enshrine
common values regarding fundamental freedoms and democratic principles that
can be said to be universal, indivisible and interdependent. Our partners and others contribute in your own
way to these priorities and to a common "positive, practical and
constructive approach" for the enabling of mediation counseling/therapy,
and self-heal/self help by and for tortured and traumatized persons and
groups. We are exploring effective and visible action. We are aiming for
clarity and transparency while fostering the flexibility needed for extension
and for a prompt response to emergencies. These may help ensure that our
actions are better attuned to the needs of partners, other beneficiaries and
initiatives by others. If anyone wants to make
any suggestions of ways to increase the fairness, openness, humanity and
effectiveness of our evolving process, please contact any of us that you
like. If interested, please feel free to discuss with possible partners.
Perhaps you may then decide to form and/or broaden such partnerships and then
consider discussion as to whether or not to jointly return a completed
application to: EXTEGRITY | Email - also request for Application
Form
| I-2
WHAT ARE THE KEY LINES OF EXTEGRITY? o
Healing
o
Humanitarian
law o
Humanitarian
democracy I-3
WHAT ARE THE GENERAL PRIORITIES FOR OUR KEY LINES OF FOCUS FOR ENABLING
SELF-HEAL/SELF-HELP, PEACEHEALING AND MEDIATION COUNSELLING/THERAPY BY
INDIGENES/MINORITIES We have so far identified
the following thematic priorities and focus groups, as requiring attention. Please note that these
priorities are indicative and that the following list does not pretend to be
exhaustive. I-3-1
THEMATIC PRIORITIES Healing: psycho social nurturing
rehabilitation and liaison/mediation therapy/counselling; conflict prevention and
negotiation, sacred and personal mediation, confidence-building, conflict resolving,
healing festivals and community education; international, individual
and community caring and celebratory cooperation. Rule
of Humanitarian Law. transparency of community
organization with an emphasis on grassroots community development, local
humane democracy, participation by citizens effected, and lastly caring local
self governance; encouragement of humane
alternatives for Security structures such as the use of minority/Indigenous
healing liaisoners; and in dangerous emergencies, tranquillizer darts; information and education
to support humane actions by the international court of justice such as its
decision against apartheid; the international criminal court; and community
initiated humane treaties such as the anti-landmine agreement and the Beijing
Declaration of Indigenous Women. Intercultural
humanitarian democratic community caring mediation; developing local groups
and associations for self-heal/self help, healfests; gender equal
opportunities and non discriminatory equitable practice; independent, pluralist
and humanely responsive media including ethical and capacity training of
writers, presenters etc.; information and education
on humanitarian rights to receive/give care and nurturing; community humane
democracy - encouragement for open community based grassroots caring
self-governance. I-3-2
FOCUS GROUPS o
Survivors
of Torture and trauma o
Indigenous
peoples o
Disadvantaged
Small Minorities o
Women
o
Children
o
Refugees/returnees
o
Prisoners
o
Disabled
Our main locus of
initiation is North Australia. Our use of the term 'overseas' is in relation
to this locus. Our main regional focus is on Australasia-Oceania and SE Asia.
I-4 WHAT ARE THE BASIC
CONDITIONS AND GENERAL CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY? Projects should be in
accordance with the Extegrity principles described above. Applicant organizations
must be properly accredited, indigenous/small minority non- governmental,
non-profit making organizations or institutions. Applications must be
accompanied by the necessary supporting documents, namely: o
detailed
schedule of activities for the project; o
detailed
budget in Australian dollars (Aus $) for the project; o
previous
annual report and certified accounts of the organization; o
statutes
and/or articles of association of the organization; Applicants who have
previously received a grant are required to submit evidence of successful
project completion to be eligible for further assistance. Grants are meant to cover
costs directly associated with a specific project or action and cannot be
used to cover the operating budget of the organization concerned. The
administrative costs cannot exceed a fixed percentage over the total cost of
the project (see later). Financial assistance for
a project will generally consist of a contribution and cannot cover the total
cost of the project. No grant awards can be
applied retroactively to cover costs incurred before the date of the
signature of the grant declaration by the beneficiary. Project activities
ought to start only after the signature of the joint cooperation agreement
with partners and Extegrity, and the co-financing agreement between the
Applicant and the Funder. Costs incurred before agreements are signed by all
signatories will not be reimbursed. Examination of each
application is made in consultation, conferring with appropriate
indigenous/minority and other bodies connected with Extegrity. Proposals are
then made to the Funder for decision. Please note that Extegrity's decision
is final as is the Funders. Given the large number of requests receivable the
declining of applicants cannot include detailed justifications. I-5
WHAT IS NOT ELIGIBLE? Projects of a partisan
nature or involving political parties are not eligible (though multi party
helpfulness is encouraged). One off conferences, grants to individuals,
scholarships and academic research would normally be excluded unless part of
a broader project. Projects of social
assistance or emergency humanitarian relief Activities covered by
other support by the same or connected overseas funders Purchasing of buildings
or offices, deficit funding and capital endowments, retrospective financing
for projects already in existence or completed are not eligible. Organizations or projects
advocating political activism or violence in any form. II
PURPOSES COVERED BY THE APPLICATION FORM II-1
INTRODUCTION All the key lines enabled
by Extegrity are covered by the application form. The general objectives of the
three key lines - healing, humanitarian law and humanitarian democracy - are
to facilitate, enable and extend these in our geographic area. Healing: With this key line,
Extegrity explores and aims towards: The sharing of
indigenous/minority wisdoms, knowledge, talents and processes of
self-heal/self-help and mediation counselling/therapy; as well as their
practice and organization by multi-origin groups of nurturers, healers,
carers, liaisoners, personal spiritual and celebratory mediators, counsellors
and the like. Support for activities of
groups and organization pursuing humane rights objectives and support for
healing learning healfests and rehabilitation centres for the survivors of
torture and trauma and for groups and organizations offering concrete aids to
victims of humane/caring human rights abuses. Humanitarian (caring)
community law: With this key line,
Extegrity explores and aims towards: The transfer of specific
talents and micro-experiences of humane healing practices and the rule of
humane law to indigenous/minority community workers groups and associations
in the countries concerned. Support for activities of
communities, groups, and organizations pursuing humane talents and rights
objectives Humanitarian (caring)
Democratic Community With this key line,
Extegrity explores and aims towards: o
The
strengthening of indigenous/minority community and people's non- governmental
bodies and associations which by their vocation and specific activities can
make a continuing contribution to the extension of a humane caring
intercultural and interdigenous open democratic community o
Open
humane caring democracy/combined macro-projects of open humane caring
democratic community II-2
WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES OF OUR OVERALL PURPOSES Healing Rehabilitation and
healing learning self help action by and for survivors of torture and trauma
; in particular projects aimed at enabling women and children victims of
human rights abuses; Implementing of Indigenous/disadvantaged
small minority based healing learning and rehabilitation processes; Activities to mobilize
and apply healing learning talents, including setting up healing learning
experiential units capable of rapid deployment; Learning contexts for
health and wellbeing workers in the healing of survivors of torture and
trauma. Caring Law Preventing of torture and
violence; including rehabilitating violent offenders to their humanitarian
duties - facing violence with tender-tough bruv-love; Extending respect of
Indigenous and small minority peoples' humanitarian rights and talents at a
regional and world wide level; Extending and protecting
women's humane caring healing talents and rights; Strengthening respect for
the humane rights of the child to be cared for, nurtured, playing and
learning. Caring Democratic
Community Strengthening and
extending community groups, networks and associations and furthering
confidence building measures for those suffering from violence II-3
WHAT ARE THE BASIC CONDITIONS AND GENERAL CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY UNDER
THESE KEY LINES? II-3
-1 COMMON PROVISIONS Applicants who have
previously received a grant are required to submit evidence of successful project
completion to be eligible for further assistance. Where continuity would be
compromised by this provision, evidence of successful implementation to date
should be provided. General administrative
costs should not exceed 5% of the total project costs. Where the
strengthening of a specific organization is an integral part of the project
and its objectives, costs associated with this objective may be considered;
they must be itemized, not merely indicated as general administrative costs. In the case of torture
victims rehabilitation centres, the contribution may go towards the
organizations running costs. Applicants must normally
contribute at least 20% of total project costs. At least 10% of this must be
in finance. Up to 10% may be contributions in kind (e.g. volunteers,
expertise, equipment, premises). Contracts will not
normally be funded for periods exceeding 36 months. The main applicant should
hold the bank account into which the grant is paid, and this account should
be located in the same country as the main applicant. The account should be
an Australian dollar account, whenever possible. Applicants must supply
brief personal and work summaries (CV's) of main persons employed on
projects, and may not sub contract activities without the prior agreement of
Extensive Integrity and the Funder. Two sorts of projects may
be supported microprojects and larger scale projects. Some microprojects
contributing to overall macro programs may be up to Aus $50,000 Any equipment financed
with Extegrity assistance must remain the property of local (as opposed to
Funder based) bodies at the end of the project. Public bodies such as
charities, churches, ministries or local authorities, whilst not being
eligible as a project partner, may be auxiliaries to projects in a supporting
capacity. Different geographic and
functional areas must be clearly separated and defined in your application. Geographic: for example,
in Australia Territory Top End or Far North Queensland, or both. For overseas
fieldwork, put country and exact location within it. Function: please define
your special interests, what you're good at and how you describe yourself,
e.g. carer, healer, counsellor, liaisoner, mental health worker, mediator,
healfest organiser, educator and evaluative researcher. II-3-2
SPECIFIC RULES FOR PROJECTS COMBINING HEALING LEARNING, DEEPENING HUMANE
DEMOCRACY AND HUMANITARIAN LAW Projects must cover all
three of healing learning, humanitarian law and democratic humane caring
community. The objectives remain
primarily sib-like caring healing, and thus do include socio-emotional and
mediation therapy/counselling, inspiring mediation and other processes
because they encourage fair open caring law and governance processes of
activities. A limited number of
larger scale projects may be financeable. Projects must be involving at least
two countries in Australasia-Oceania and SE Asia. The minimum size of such
macro-projects might be Aus $200,000, and in general the maximum combined
funding may be Aus $1,000,000. Perhaps the only justifiable significantly
larger funding would be an overall macro program involving multiple regions
from South Asia to Oceania and including focal activities of Indigenous/small
minority groups right across North Australia. II-3-3
WHO MAY APPLY? Indigenous/disadvantaged
small minority applicants and their formal partners should be properly
constituted non state, non profit making bodies and independent of State
authorities, that is, they determine their own policies and expenditure.
Their main Australian base should be in the North. Informal partners and
others may network and join with applicants and formal partners Coalitions of Indigenous
tertiary educators/practical research bodies; and consortia of Indigenous/
disadvantaged small minority media bodies may also be regarded as eligible
partners within these programs. Specific conditions for
combined key programs (macro-projects): o
Successful
applicants must be experienced and include partners able to demonstrate the
capacity to manage larger scale activity. o
It
is essential that programs involve numerous organizations and persons acting
in partnership. It is also desirable that such combinations extend right
across North Australia and include overseas members. A partnership is a
relationship of substance involving the active exchange of talents, skills,
experience, knowledge, wisdoms and possibly finance. Projects designed to
promote good neighbourly relations by bringing together participants from
more than one country in Australasia-Oceania and/or SE Asia States (e.g.
regional transborder cooperation) are particularly encouraged. Projects focused on the
acquisition and application of knowledge and processes of mediation
therapy/counselling, psycho-social/cultural rehabilitation and conflict
resolution practice may have limited requirements to involve formally
constituted partner bodies on the following conditions: that they relate to
what may be informal groups of Indigenous minority care/share leaders, elders,
healers and mediators from different areas, clan-land or nations representing
different issues. An example might be an all-origin group of humane elders
interested in using peacehealing approaches to extend humane care
rights/talents and rehabilitation in their local area or nation state. The informal group must
still complete a partnership form. The main applicant must,
of course be a non-governmental organization (which cannot be political). Applicants to combined programs
must be North Australian bodies which include overseas and Indigenous and/or
small minority partners and individuals born in Oceania or SE Asia. II-4
EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT OF PARTNERSHIP APPLICATIONS All applicants' projects
are evaluated to assess the project's potential to fulfil the stated
objectives and the estimated impact the project will have on the Extegrity
program. A scoring system based on the following criteria can be used as an
indicator: o
conformity
with the general objectives of Extegrity o
relevance
of project to the needs and constraints of the country(ies) concerned and the
focal beneficiaries o
methods
proposed for the execution of the project o
cost
effectiveness of the project o
quality
of the organization and broad base o
visibility
of the Funder's contribution Evidence for: o
quality
of partnership and relations o
efficacy
o
fulfilment
of project objectives based on all the other criteria o
impact
and multiplier effect - short/long term Priority is accorded to
projects by Indigenes/disadvantaged small minorities offering concrete and
direct aid. Projects by
Indigenes/disadvantaged small minorities concerning evaluative and action
research and seminars of particular merit are taken into consideration in so
far as is possible. Bodies connected with
Extegrity are consulted for background information on the projects according
to their geographic scope and thematic coverage. Where relevant, projects may
also be subject to an external consultation to ensure that the organizations
funded have recognized talents and experience in the field. Applications are selected
on an ongoing basis. Once a complete grant application is submitted,
applicants should allow a minimum period of twelve months for a decision to
be taken by Extegrity. The beneficiary
organization must accept the inspection procedures of Extegrity, the Funder
and their auditor structures and procedures. Specific criteria for
open healing humane, democratic combined macro-programs |
