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St
Luke's Innovative Resources
137
McCrae St
Bendigo
3550 Australia
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Attention
photographers!
Innovative
Resources is calling for submissions of
photographs for a new resource called
The
Age of Adventure.
For
more information
click
here
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A
Spirit of Place
When
I was a kid we had a special tree in our
backyard. It was a massive Virgilia tree
(or at least it seemed massive to the
ten-year-old me) that stood in the back
corner of our yard - a silent testament
to my parents' foresight. I liked to imagine
them planting the small sapling on their
empty block of land back in the 1950s
- like a Super 8 film in my mind's eye
- and marvel at the trunk that was now
thicker than a telegraph pole.
Magnolia
IX © Jacqui Comer 2006 Oil on
canvas 110x180cm
For
us it was a tree above all trees and,
thanks to children's writer, Enid Blyton,
it became our own Magic Faraway Tree in
the heart of Melbourne 's northern suburbs.
For many years the tree dominated our
backyard play. From its highest branches
you could see forever (or at least to
the fish'n'chip shop at the end of the
street) and I was convinced that within
the mysterious sounds of its rustling
branches I could hear the rushing contents
of Dame Washalot's bucket or the clanking
approach of old Saucepan Man.
As
well as a source of play it was a place
of solitude. There was always a sturdy
limb, hidden from the ground, on which
to recline, and lose yourself in the secret
whisperings of its swaying branches. It
was a joyous limbo, away from the demands
of school, parents and the everyday world.
The tree didn't expect anything in return;
it was just there, season after season,
year after year.
Eventually,
the tree was felled to provide space and
light for my father's vegie garden. The
roots of the tree had spread as far as
the house and into our neighbours properties,
raising pathways and sucking every drop
of moisture from lawns and garden beds.
I was quietly devastated at the time.
I grieved for that place where so much
of my childhood had been imagined and
played out.
As
time went on, I came to realise that the
place I yearned for in the branches of
that Vagilia tree was inside me all along.
I go there regularly, though I don't have
a name for it. It's a place free of pain
and stress and conscious thought. A place
where imagination and memory bleed into
daydream. The place I go to when I'm staring
out of the office window instead of writing
the next issue of SOON.
SOON
19 features stories that, in different
ways, address the notion of 'place'. We
revisit Storm in a Teacup, a
resource that reflects upon place in emotional
and highly creative ways. You'll also
read about a new CD which tells the stories
of Aboriginal Elders in song and spoken
word, and hear about a place where mental
health is being rethought in practical
and holistic ways.
May
you find your own place to imagine,
John
Holton
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'Sometimes
the best way to figure out who you are
is to get to that place where you don't
have to be anything else.'
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Available
March 2007...
Words
Words
of life
Words
of light
Words
to face
The
darkest night
How
simple. A set of cards each with a single
word-a word that relates to life with all
its struggles and joys.
Single,
unadorned words can have a power and a resonance;
they can stand like beacons to illuminate
our feelings and stories; they can provoke
the most potent memories and strong emotions.
A single word can transport our thoughts to
a very different place.
Words
is a set of 100 cards each elegantly
designed but starkly minimalist in order to
capture the beauty and transcendence of words
that resonate with the human spirit. This
card set grew out of discussions with counsellors
who work daily with grief and loss. But Words
does not only speak to times of sadness
and depression. There are possibilities here
for rediscovering hope, joy and meaning as
we reflect on the significance that particular
words have in our lives.
In
search of hope
Sam
began frantically searching among the Words
cards for a particular one that could express
her current experience. In tears, she talked
with her counsellor about looking for the
word 'hope'. Her counsellor suggested she
say out loud, 'I'm looking for hope.' Sam
repeated this sentence several times with
strong emotion. When asked to notice her body
sensations, Sam talked about feeling panic
at not being able to find the word 'hope'.
She reflected on her desperate search for
hope; hoping for some positive outcomes relating
to her current situation. Many fruitful insights
emerged as the reflection and conversation
about Sam's experience of hope continued to
unfold.
View
this resource on our website
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'But
words are things, and a small drop of
ink, falling, like dew, upon a thought,
produces that which makes thousands,
perhaps millions, think.'
Lord Byron
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Caring.and
other highwire acts
Mental
health is one of the most pressing issues
facing society today and into the future.
In 2004-05 there were an estimated 10 million
mental health-related general practice encounters
in Australia. Two years down the track, and
those numbers are still increasing, but for
every one of those 10 million encounters there
are many individuals and families facing mental
illness alone, undiagnosed or unsupported.
The truth is, very few of us remain untouched
by mental illness.
When
it comes to any discussion about mental health,
whether at a political or community level,
carers are often the forgotten part of the
equation. There are tens of thousands of people
whose lives are changed forever by caring
for someone with a mental illness; who struggle
daily with the demands of this role and all
the challenges associated with it.
In
October this year, Innovative Resources will
publish Caring.and other highwire acts,
a book that gives carers in the Loddon Mallee
region of Victoria a voice; a chance to tell
their stories honestly and anonymously. There
are stories of heartache, stories of grief
and loss, stories of great courage, and even
stories of joy and recovery. Walking the tightrope
of mental illness can be all these things
and more.
A
holistic approach to mental health
One
person who feels strongly about the future
of mental health treatment in central Victoria
is Su Jan. After her own family's experience
with mental illness and the health system,
Su is passionate about finding an alternative
to the standard clinical treatment of mental
illness. She believes in a whole-person approach
to managing mental health and has become an
advocate for a
complementary medical model that focuses on
wellness and health, rather than illness and
pathology.
Su's
research led her to Earth House, an organisation
in New Jersey, USA, that has developed such a
model. The Earth House program has been in
place for 30 years and includes sound nutrition,
a daily schedule of exercise, educational
courses, and support groups, combined with
excellent medical care providing a minimum
of required psychiatric medication. Earth
House residents are called students, rather
than patients, as they are engaged in learning
a new way of living that will help them overcome
the challenges of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder
and depression, and greatly improve their
quality of life.
 Earth
House students gradually become self-sufficient
through learning how to function successfully
in a structured environment. The individual
talents and capabilities of each student are
recognised and cultivated. Students are expected
to attend all scheduled courses, which include
Literature, Drama, Art, Tai Chi, and Yoga,
and participate at the level at which they
are capable. Each student learns cooking
techniques and how to manage their individual
nutrient and medication program. Those who
have successfully completed the Earth House
program are able to maintain part-time or
volunteer employment, drive a car, and manage
their own affairs with a minimum of guidance. This
is especially significant as the majority
of students come to Earth House as a last
resort, after years of psychiatric treatment
and numerous hospitalisations.
Back
here in Bendigo, Su Jan has been lobbying
local health providers and professionals,
social service networks and other organisations
in an attempt to make this mental health model
known, and encourage others to see its benefits
for the central Victorian community. But she
needs your help and support.
If
you are a carer or someone experiencing mental
illness, Su would love to hear from you. What
have your experiences with the mental health
system been like? What are your particular
needs? What do you hope for your loved one?
Would you like to see a complementary mental
health model like Earth House available in
central Victoria ?
With the support of other carers and families, anything is possible. Please contact Su Jan at: 
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'It
is no measure of health to be well adjusted
to a profoundly sick society.'
Krishnamurti
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New
on Our Shelf List...
Ulumbarra
- A meeting place
What began as one musician's dream to explore the music and storytelling tradition of Bendigo's Indigenous Elders, has evolved into Ulumbarra, a CD featuring
17 tracks of music, songs and spoken word.
James
Williams runs Planned Activity Groups at
Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative
(BDAC). In 2004 he met Steve Lane and Wayne
Glenn from St Luke's Hip-Hop program, Reel2Reel,
and heard the work they had done with
young people. He immediately saw the potential
for adapting their process to work with
the Indigenous Elders.
'We
started with three Elders curious about
the project, now two years down the track
we have a completed CD,' James says. 'We
began fortnightly sessions where conversations
between an Elder, Steve, Wayne and I took
place. Elders would tell their story in
their own words, and often one phrase could
contain the trigger to unpack an episode
from their life that might lead to further
episodes or a deeper telling of the story.
'The
stories were hand written as quickly as
possible. From these transcripts there was
usually a line that encapsulated the feeling
of the story; that became the title or suggested
a musical style. The Elders were consulted
at every stage and had the final say as
to how their story would be represented.'
The
process has resulted in a diverse range
of musical styles and instrumentation. Some
tracks use narration, while others are songs.
In both forms, the music allows the stories
to be heard and understood in all their
scope and richness.
There
are comical yarns, childhood memories, stories
of place - even a track that takes the form
of an audio get well card for Aunty Nola
Kerr, an Elder who sadly passed away during
the making of Ulumbarra.
Ulumbarra
features a cast of talented local musicians
who all donated their art, skill and time
to realise this remarkable collection of
stories about the lives of Indigenous people
living on Dja Dja Wurrung country.
Buy
this resource on our website
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'We
are all visitors to this time, this
place. We are just passing through.
Our purpose here is to observe, to learn,
to grow, to love... and then we return
home.'
Aboriginal
Saying
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Storm
in a Teacup
A
universe of meaning in one small book
Storm
in a Teacup is but one small story in
the oceans of stories and books created over
the course of human history. One small, seemingly
insignificant story. Just like a single star
or a planet-so easily lost, overwhelmed in
the immensity of the universe. Or a teardrop
unnoticed in the enormous, swirling water
cycle of our own insignificant little planet.
But
Storm in a Teacup might also be
many stories; about a drop of water, about
the environment, about death and decay, about
journeys and regeneration, about place and
home. Or it might be a story about nature
or dreams or nightmares-or about one little
boy and his grandfather. And maybe, just maybe,
Storm in a Teacup might be the
story of meanings, connectedness and
relationships, of purpose and renewal, of
resurrection and hope.
One
thing that people might not realise is that
tucked between the covers of Storm in
a Teacup is a toolkit like no other.
For teachers, counsellors and anyone working
closely with people, this book can be used
to build countless 'learning' and 'therapeutic'
conversations. In classrooms and workshops
it can also inspire practical, hands-on exercises
and creative arts projects. The reflective
notes at the back of the book are bursting
with ideas and visual prompts.
There
are exercises and ideas around hidden messages,
reading images, exploring feelings and relationships,
dreams, poetry and other creative writing,
journeys, the five senses, death and dying,
nature and the power of place. For teachers
and facilitators especially, there are literally
weeks-worth of potential exercises and activities.
A
teardrop fell into a teacup
Half
of which was never drunk
And
ended up in the sink
Down
the drain
Never
to be seen again
Perhaps
it's time to rediscover the magic of this
powerful picturebook?
View
this resource on our website |
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'Discovery
is the ability to be puzzled by simple
things.'
Noam
Chomsky
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SOON
mailbox
Dear
John,
Towards
the end of last year I was looking
for a class activity for my Year
8 art students. A friend had recently
sent me copy of Storm in a
Teacup (out of the blue)
so I read it and discovered the
fabulous notes in the back of
the book.
I
ended up reading the book to the
kids in class. We had a conversation
about place as suggested in the
notes: Did you have a special
place as a child? Do you have
a place like that now? Is it real
or imaginary? The students were
surprisingly forthcoming with
their responses.
Each
student then produced a mixed
media collage representing their
special place. All the kids were
really into what they were doing.
It seemed to hit a creative nerve.
What began as a end of year 'fill-in'
kind of exercise became a really
memorable experience.
The
artwork by Chris Sage-Marsh is
simply beautiful.
Alison
Woods
Secondary
Teacher
Paramatta,
NSW
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'There
is no such thing as a failed experiment,
only experiments with unexpected outcomes.'
Richard
Buckminster Fuller - Architect
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Every
day she sweeps hair for the minimum wage.
When asked her profession it's easier for
her to say she is a member of the beauty industry.
In six months she hasn't touched a pair of
scissors, other than to place them in neat
rows in the steriliser at the end of each
day. The hair is relentless. It wafts, silent
as snow, hour after hour, coming to rest at
the swollen feet of the frenzied snippers
with their skin-tight, quarter-length trousers
and painted toenails. Their chatter is inane;
their capacity for small-talk inexhaustible.
She
pushes the mini-mountains of hair with her
broom, tracing the knotted patterns of the
floorboards, losing herself in the eerily
beautiful combinations of hair colour: silky
black and henna red, mousy brown and strawberry
blonde, silvery grey and powder blue, wisping
and weaving into strange, psychedelic rodents.
She likes to imagine them roaming the salon,
launching themselves at the throats of the
unsuspecting customers, bringing a gory end
to their idiotic prattle.
Night
time brings no relief. Her dreams are hair-raising.
The scissors are huge and deafening and she
cannot keep up with the relentless waves of
hair. They eddy and swirl like a living liquid
- rivers of hair; boiling lava hair; the sizzling
hairy foam of breaking waves - first lapping
at her knees, then her waist, before dragging
her under, restricting her breathing, clogging
her mouth and throat. She wakes gagging with
the bitter, lingering taste of salon conditioner
on her lips and tongue.
There
is one dream, however, that she never wants
to end. It's the one where she collects the
hair from the salon, every day for months
and months, and stores it away in a secret
hair silo on the outskirts of town. She forms
the mountain of hair into a giant, multi-coloured
hairball, and rides that hairball, running
across its silken surface like a seasoned
circus performer, through the centre of town,
past the salon, waving to the dazed shoppers
who have never seen a one-tonne hairball being
ridden by an ex-member of the beauty industry.
And
when she reaches the edge of town she keeps
on going. Past the car yards and factories,
past the grazing sheep and cows, toward the
distant sunset, dreaming of a place where
beauty is absolute and fashion is obsolete.
©
JH 2007
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SOON
