inside features win a new Toyota Prius p3 | come to the AGM p3 | good news for job seeker p4 | art exhibition for members p10 | board nominations p11Registered with the Department of Human Services Print Post Approved 350190 / 00023 ISSN 0816 7877

spring 2008issue 111

Join us at Open Mind

Fiesta 12 Oct

You’ll love ‘ilikeyou’ p7

mivoice

Social inclusion

is the solution: one family’s gift p6-7

from our president

2

The original goals set out by our founders in November

1977 were to improve community understanding, build

community care and employment, nurture peer support,

sponsor research, and secure financial support and services

for people with mental illnesses and their families.

These goals remain as real today as they were in 1977.

There have been many changes over these 31 years which

have positively changed the lives of people with mental

illnesses and their families, yet there are still too many

people missing out on effective treatment and support.

We have played a significant role over this time in bringing

psychosocial support and family education to people in

need. In those early days the organisation was run solely

by volunteers, who undertook all the organisational activities

and provided support to each other in undertaking their carer

roles. Very early on the committee of management understood

that it needed to raise funds to achieve its goals and by 1981

it received its first grant from government to set up an office.

By 1995 grants and fundraising increased to $1 million per

year enabling the development of six consumer programs

supporting around 100 people. The family program was

supporting over 200 people, providing information to many

more and building an active group of volunteers. However, this

growth fundamentally changed the role of the committee of

management, which had to become more formalised to meet

governance and reporting requirements, and delegated the

work it would have undertaken in the past to staff.

Today we provide services to nearly 2,000 people with

mental illnesses as well as 2,000 families across Australia.

Furthermore, we have 19,000 individual contacts through our

helpline and family services, most of whom are people with

Alex Wood retires in October after serving on the board for nine years.

He has done a superb job and his retirement has prompted me to reflect

on what MI Fellowship has achieved and the organisational change over that time.

contents news bites p3 | a job well done and looking back p4 | because mental health matters p5 | for pete’s sake p6 | people and their stories p8 | from our chief executive p9 | clout! p10 | voting for board members and board nominations p11

www.mifellowship.org

spring 2008 mivoice

The Hon. Robert Knowles AO

Front Cover illustrations by Bella Gorissen (age 7) and Finlea Daniels (age 8)

a mental illness and/or their families and friends. We also

have 349 volunteers to assist in this process, with an annual

budget of $13 million.

This tremendous growth in our capability to support our

members has brought with it increased responsibility and,

although our foundation goals remain unchanged, different

accountabilities. This includes a fundamental requirement

for our board to establish and oversee the safe stewardship

and governance of our assets, as well as the direction and

quality of services we provide to people with mental illnesses

and families on behalf of our members. This task requires the

board to attract people who have the skills and ability to fulfill

these responsibilities, to ensure organisational sustainability

and to function as a team to further improve the lives of

people for whom we work.

I truly believe we are living out the mission that our founders

established, and would like to thank Alex for prompting

this reflection and the many hundreds of people who have

worked on this dream. Read his reflections on page 4.

On page 11 I have remarked on our upcoming election

of board members. I have commented on our processes

of nomination and endorsement of candidates, and our

procedures for voting. I strongly encourage you to participate

in our organisation by voting at the election and attending

our annual general meeting on 17 October. Our guest

speaker Gill Callister will be speaking on the changes to

mental health in Victoria.

I look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

e

AGM, awards and forum

Please join us for our annual awards presentation and

forum held in conjunction with our annual general

meeting. We are delighted that Gill Callister will be our

guest speaker.

Gill Callister

Gill has many years experience in child protection, juvenile

justice and community care and last year was appointed

head of the Mental Health and Drugs Division of the

Department of Human Services. Its functions include

3

MI Fellowship’s annual raffle is on again and the grand

prize this year is grander than ever before

- a brand new Toyota Prius, worth $41,187.

The raffle is MI Fellowship’s biggest fundraising event of the

year and will be drawn at 4pm on December 11 at our Fairfield

headquarters, making a very nice pre-Christmas surprise.

mivoice spring 2008

There is also an early bird prize for champion ticket sellers.

Every book of tickets sold before November 21 equals a

chance in the draw to win a $1000 Myer gift card. To get involved, contact Hayley Dodd on (03) 8486 4200

or at hdodd@mifellowship.org

news bites

Craftea chat

Weekly craft get-togethers for women with experience of

mental illness offer an opportunity to learn and enjoy new

skills such as cross stitch, sewing, knitting, and badge

making. Create new projects or bring your own.

The gatherings are also a chance to meet other women

with similar experiences. Find out about supports and

be a championA

policy, programs, service and workforce development in relation

to mental health and drug matters.

Gill will speak on Because mental health matters and introduce

the processes involved in changes to the Mental Health Act.

These matters are of vital importance to our community.

Meet one of the key players in mental health in Victoria.

Where: MI Fellowship, 276 Heidelberg Road, Fairfield

When: Friday 17 October at 5.30pm

RSVP: 03 8486 4200

Where are your photographs?

Come and join us for a fundraiser and learn how to create

photo albums celebrating your family and friends. Along with

lots of fun there will be prizes. All you need to bring is 6 to10

photos of the same or similar theme; for example, a birthday

party or Christmas, and we will show you the rest.

Cost: $20 per person including materials

When: 25 October

Where: MI Fellowship,

276 Heidelberg Rd Fairfield

Call: Hayley Dodd on 8486 4200 to reserve your place

C

services in the City of Melbourne. Wednesdays 6.15pm-8.15pm,

Ross House, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, free, materials supplied.

Contact Cate on 0412980500 or email ms.cate@gmail.com to

reserve your place. Bookings essential, tea coffee and biscuits

supplied, produced with Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council,

funds provided by City of Melbourne.

South Yarra PARC open

It’s been a long time in the planning but the hard work

of so many MI Fellowship supporters paid off in June,

when our PARC service in South Yarra finally opened.

PARC, which stands for Prevention and Recovery Care, is

a step-up, step-down service for people who are at a stage

of their illness between needing hospital care and being

able to return to their home.

The PARC centre works in partnership with the Alfred Hospital,

Bayside Health and opened after nearly six years of consultation

with professionals and members of the local community. The

South Yarra PARC centre was opened by Victorian Mental Health

Minister Lisa Neville, who also opened the new Shepparton PARC

centre this July.

9

4

a job well doneSteve (not actual name) came on board with My

Recruitment employment services in March 2008.

A university student, he has experienced schizophrenia

since his teens. He describes his condition as affecting

him most in his ability to access public transport; for

example, he feels paranoia on a crowded tram and

this has a debilitating effect. But Steve indicated his

strong desire to return to the workforce after a two-

year absence. His ambitions were simple but definite

– he needed money for rent and for college. With these

things in mind, Steve and My Recruitment went to work.

Thanks to the work of My Recruitment’s coordinator/

marketer, Donna Ritchens, a vacancy was found in

Melbourne CBD with a newsagency. This job, with a

7am start, required basic warehousing duties, including

labelling/pricing of products and trolley transport from the

warehouse to the shop. It was an average 12 hours a week.

mivoice

Steve was immediately considered for the position.

The hours fitted in with his college timetable and the 7am-11am

shift meant Steve avoided peak commuter times, reducing the

challenge of his accessing public transport.

He started his job in April and built a strong relationship with

the employer who declared that Steve’s work was “excellent”

and his presence in the team “an ongoing asset to our business”.

When Steve went through an episode of illness, affecting his

ability to attend work, at no point was his position at risk, with

the employer declaring nothing but his well wishes to Steve.

From the first cold call contact, this employer was keen

to support the disability employment program.

We thank all parties for their efforts in getting a good man back to

work and wish Steve every success in his return to the workforce.

John Conway

spring 2008

Work is a lot more than just a wage.

After nine years on the board I have very mixed feelings about

leaving because my experience has taught me to understand

so much more about problems in mental illness.

MI Fellowship staff have been very helpful, informative,

supportive, insightful. Board members and committee members,

given time, were equally helpful.

When my involvement as volunteer, committee member and later

still board member began, we were the Schizophrenia Fellowship

of Victoria, essentially a “mums and dads organisation” in North

Fitzroy, overcrowded, with piles of floor filing systems and

hopelessly too much to do.

Hopelessly too much to do has not changed, but increasingly

better trained staff, hugely better research about what we do and

whether it is effective, financial stability and risk management,

management of details of our operations in all sites, education of

consumers, carers and community service providers, integration

with the wider community and governments with research that

is well documented and truthful, have all changed for the better.

Our credibility and advocacy are recognised widely, not least

in federal and state parliaments and the corresponding health

bureaucracies. Such a brief summary is not adequate.

My board education was by slow absorption, but induction now

is much improved. With increasing financial and administrative

responsibilities in a more complex organisation, some board members

need legal, accounting, organisational, structural, governance and

other skills, so carer and consumer voices are more vital than ever.

Liaisons with clinical services, other rehabilitation service providers

and research have all increased. More recently jobs and housing have

been important issues, along with scrutiny and advocacy about social

support, especially for those unable to work, and taking first steps

into supported work or further education. PARCs (step down, step up

facilities between hospital and community living) to facilitate discharge

and prevent re-admission have been very helpful innovations, as have

RTOs (registered training organisations) to assist return to study or

other skills. Both have been enabled by having some discretionary

funds to innovate. Once validated, we hope such programs will

become part of every rehabilitation process, where appropriate.

Stigma slowly lessens as the community realises that most people

recover from mental illness and are able to live productive lives and

that with help most will. The emphasis at MI Fellowship continues to

be that of service to consumers and carers.

POUFZ

looking back Alex Wood is standing down from the board after nine years of service

9

5mivoice spring 2008

A panoramic plan for reform of Victoria’s mental

health services was released in May for consultation

and response. In preparing our submission to this

green paper, the leadership team of MI Fellowship

was able to draw on research findings and feedback

from members

and participants

amassed over

recent years.

This feedback

provides a strong

framework for

the messages

that we wish

to convey to

government in

relation to services, wider community supports,

and the involvement of consumers and carers.

Because mental health matters starts with the proposition

that the mental health system in Victoria is overburdened,

in crisis, and failing the needs of many people both

within the system and outside of it. To turn this around,

the paper argues, it will be necessary to do things very

differently in the future:

• Much more prevention and earlier intervention are

needed so that people can be assisted before their

illness deteriorates;

• Simpler processes for entering treatment are required

so that people with legitimate need are not turned away;

• More people with high prevalence illnesses such as

depression need to be treated within the mental

health system;

• Strengthened links with primary health care services

are essential to ensure that doctors and other service

providers pick up on the health and support needs

of people with mental illness living in the community;

• More flexible ‘bed-based’ care options are required

to take pressure off acute care services;

• Greater involvement of consumers and carers and

a stronger focus on recovery are needed to redirect

services towards consumer needs.

because mental health matters

MI Fellowship has strongly

supported many aspects of the

green paper but believes

it doesn’t go far enough.

MI Fellowship has strongly supported many aspects of

the green paper but believes it doesn’t go far enough.

We have argued for:

• Improvement in the capacity for 24/7 face-to-face

assessment and response to urgent mental health

concerns across the

state. We also argue

for introduction of

programs such as

the Memphis model

where police are

trained to provide

supportive first-line

response to mental

health emergencies;

• Increases in the number and variety of non-hospital bed

options that support acute care;

• Much greater support for education and employment

initiatives for people with mental illness, and for

expansion in family education and support programs

such as Well Ways and Duo;

• Expansion in social housing and home-based outreach

packages at levels sufficient to support people with

intensive needs to live in the community;

• Genuine involvement of consumers and family members and

friends, in developing mental health services in the future;

• Real encouragement to service providers to enter into

voluntary alliances to offer innovative services that are

centred on the needs of the consumer.

The next step in the reform process will be the release

of a white paper later in 2008, in which the

State Government will confirm its policy

and funding intentions. We eagerly

await this. A copy of the MI

Fellowship submission to

Because mental health matters

is available on our website,

www.mifellowship.org.

Gill CallisterExecutive Director of Mental Health and Drugs branch of the

Department of Human Services will present on the reforms

at the forum and AGM on October 17th. XJZ

Escape from suburbia

Pete’s Place offers a unique respite experience and

has become a mainstay option with particular appeal

to families with children. Much time has passed since

respite staff first met with the Drummond family to

discuss their offer of Pete’s Place for use by people

and families affected by mental illness. The house was

designed and built by Pete and judging from his building

style and the interior décor he was a genuine surf dude

as well as extremely talented. Before you even walk in

the door you know you’re somewhere special a million

miles from suburbia. Pete had his own experience

of mental illness and sadly died at a young age. His

sister Sue saw the offering of Pete’s Place as a way of

honouring his life and sharing with others those things

which were dear to Pete and brought him happiness and

purpose. Since then, the number of people who have

benefited from beachside holidays has been enormous.

There has always been a certain informality and flexibility

associated with organising these holidays. Sometimes

families have simply picked up the key and organised

themselves. At other times respite staff have driven or

escorted people to the house and helped them settle in.

There are also those times when staff are required to stay

on to provide the support necessary for people to be able

to get the most out of their time away. I know from talking

to many of the people who have stayed at Pete’s Place

over the years that the special character of the house is

an important part of their holiday experience.

When a parent of young children has

a mental illness, they often find it it

difficult to access opportunities that

enrich their leisure time together. These

times are precious and can become part

of their life’s story. This is what Pete’s

Place has been for many families and it

would not have been so easily

experienced through other service options.

Dee, former respite co-ordinator

A family holiday to remember

When we were 8 and 7 we moved from Melbourne

to NSW to live with our dad and his wife with great

reluctance because Mum said she “had to get her head

fixed” as she was “sick in the head and it always hurt”.

We couldn’t understand why she didn’t have a bandage

around her head to make it better.

We spent school holidays with Mum in Melbourne.

We couldn’t wait to see her as we had never spent so

much time away. We went down to a holiday house at

the beach and we were very excited. I remember the

house was a cabin and I was excited because I got to

sleep in the tree house inside the cabin and my little

sister was not permitted to because Mum thought she

was too young. The backyard was like a jungle to play

in and explore and the fridge was a 1950s style which

fascinated us.

for Pete’s sake

6mivoice

social inclusionspring 2008

You’ll find more information more often. The website is the perfect 24 hour a day introduction to the services we offer. You can download fact sheets, review past annual reports, make a generous donation and see photos from recent events. Meet some of the people who are

touched by mental illness as carers, employers, professionals and people. Subscribe to our free private e-newsletter mi voice which will keep you in touch with us in between magazines.

Visit our bright and bold new website at www.mifellowship.org

L

A lovingly crafted beach house amid the teatree and sand dunes on Victoria’s

picturesque stretch of surf coast at Jan Juc has been a wonderful place to relax and

enjoy a break for many families over the past 10 years. For the surfer who built it, Pete

Drummond, the house was a special place that made him happy. After losing Pete, his

family wanted others to go on enjoying it and generously offered the beach house as a

getaway for families affected by mental illness. In honour of Pete and the Drummond

family we share some recollections of Pete’s Place.

7

We will always have those

special memories of our

first holiday with Mum

I thought the house was cool with the bedrooms in the loft, a

double shower and bean bags we had seen at other people’s

places but had never tried out before.

This was our time with Mum that was really special – we were

all together and not staying with other people. Mum was

probably still unwell but it didn’t seem so because she had

no doctors appointments or visits to the house from people

we didn’t know. We didn’t spend much time at the beach as

it was winter but shared fun activities and did things that you

do on holidays, which we had never had before.

We will always have those special memories of our first holiday

with Mum and we would like to thank the owners for enabling

families like ours to have a holiday experience away from the

mental health system and for us to feel like every other kid.

Thank you.

Antoinette, 18, and Kathryn, 17

mivoice spring 2008

LA different focus on mental illness

Stigma is a major contributor to the problem of social

exclusion. ‘ilikeyou’ is a stigma-busting project that

tackles the problem head-on. It brings together two

parties – secondary school photography students

and participants in MI Fellowship programs who have

mental illness and who want to advocate for change.

Students and participants are paired and have the task

of producing a portrait photograph of the participant,

or of the two together. The purpose of the portrait is

to project the person with mental illness in ways that

challenge negative stereotypes and that emphasise the

similarities and connections among us; it must be a

positive and empowering image that attracts the viewer.

Accompanying each photograph will be a caption that

the team co-authors, that describes what lies behind the

picture and what it meant to them to produce it.

The completed photographs will be entered into a

competition and hung as an exhibition. MI Fellowship

is thrilled to have the involvement of newNorth Gallery,

photographic fine art printers and gallery, in Fairfield

Village. NewNorth will assist with production of the

completed portraits and will host the exhibition and

opening in early October for 10 days prior to Open Mind

Fiesta. The exhibition opening will be at 6.30pm on

Wednesday, 1st October at 15A Railway Place Fairfield.

But it doesn’t stop there. ‘ilikeyou’ will form the

centrepiece of the Open Mind Fiesta on 12 October,

where it will be viewed by up to 35,000 people who

participate in this event each year. As well as the

announcement by the judges of the winning entry,

we will be inviting viewers to vote for a people’s prize.

‘ilikeyou’ has attracted a lot of interest from regional

Victoria. We are delighted that schools in Shepparton

have come on board and there is interest from schools

in Melbourne’s inner suburbs. We will be exploring with

these schools the possibility of taking the exhibition on

tour to spread its message of social inclusion.

Open Mind Fiesta is is taking place at Station Street,

Fairfield on Sunday 12 October between 10am and 5pm.

When I studied social work in the early 1980s the emphasis

of my training was on fighting for social justice; advocacy

was a clearly defined set of practices that were part of the

tool kit of social workers.

Most of my experience has been in service delivery,

advocacy and education. Starting out in acute health

care I experienced first hand the pressure on hospital

services and problems created when discharge planning

is insufficient. For a time I worked in home and community

care in local government, and saw people in unstable

health circumstances landing back home with no supports

in place. I also recall the lack of understanding on the part

of workers in this sector regarding the needs of people

with mental illness – the design of these programs defined

eligibility for assistance in terms of physical capacity, with

scant regard for the disabling effects of mental illness.

Periods of time in community health, women’s health

and family and children’s services, have enriched my

understanding of many specific service areas including

victims assistance, drug and alcohol, housing, community

development, child protection, allied health services and

counselling. For many months I was able to delve deeply

into the lives of women with acute postnatal depression

and puerperal psychosis; this phase of my working life is

often with me now in my work at MI Fellowship.

The changes I seek with my team are those enunciated

in the vision of MI Fellowship – on a day to day basis

we work for reduced stigma, greater knowledge and

understanding about mental illness, improved services for

people with mental illness and their families, and greater

opportunities for economic and social participation.

The advocacy team draws on multiple sources of

information: feedback direct from members regarding

their needs and wishes, evidence from our programs (including

Helpline) and from participants, evidence from the field and the

literature, and information regarding the strategic directions of

the board and senior management team. The opportunities to

use this information for change might arise from the external

environment or they are those that we create ourselves; the

advocacy team together is involved in developing policy

responses, managing small demonstration projects that foster

social inclusion and increased mental health literacy, providing

information, individual support and advocacy services, and

coordinating events for a range of stakeholders. Our colleagues

and peers in these tasks are volunteers, carers and people with

mental illness themselves.

There is a daunting amount of work to be done, but we manage

to have a lot of fun as we do it.

people and their stories

8

pathways

mivoicespring 2008

dates for your diary in 2008 Mental Health Week – 5-12 October |

Open Mind Fiesta – Sunday 12 October | Carers Week – 13-19 October | AGM, awards

and forum – Friday 17 October | Volunteer thank you party – Wednesday 3 December |

Find out more about all activities by calling 03 8486 4200 or visit www.mifellowship.org

MI Fellowship’s Ruth Barr at this year’s Woodcock lecture

We’re about more than programs and information

– at our heart we’re about people. No one knows

that more than advocacy manager Ruth Barr.

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

people and their stories

9

from our chief executive

The vision of the founders in 1977 was to create

a fellowship of people with the lived experience

of mental illness, either personally or within families.

Those pioneers quite deliberately named this

fellowship the Schizophrenia Fellowship. They wanted

the term “schizophrenia” with all the misconceptions,

myths and stigma that surrounded it to be front and

centre of what the fellowship stood for – to right the

wrongs done to people with schizophrenia and their

families and friends.

More than 30 years on, Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria

has tried to remain true to the vision of the founders. When

the organisation was re-named, there was widespread

opinion that “mental illness” rather than “mental health”

should replace the word schizophrenia, again recognising

that it was illness and the stigma surrounding mental illness

that this organisation is concerned with. When the question

arose of how to abbreviate the organisation’s name, MI

Fellowship was the preferred option. It put front and centre

the idea of fellowship being core to the organisation. The

MI maintained the reference to mental illness, so kept the

core vision and mission in the name. Though it is common

practice outside of the organisation to abbreviate the name

to MIFV or MIF, from within the organisation, we have tried

to refer consistently to the organisation as MI Fellowship.

MI Fellowship, as you are aware, highlighted the issue of

housing for people with mental illness during schizophrenia

awareness week in May this year. Subsequently, we have

made submissions to the Commonwealth green paper on

housing and homelessness, Victorian parliamentary inquiry

into supported accommodation and most recently to the

Victorian government’s green paper Because mental health

matters, which promises some of the most far-reaching

reforms of the mental health system in Victoria that we

Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria now has more than 30 years of history.

have seen for a long time, and which includes a review

of the Victorian Mental Health Act. Keep an eye out for

consultations on the review of the act. We’ll also try our

best to keep you informed and to offer opportunities to

have your voice heard.

With so many inquiries happening at present (some

as a result of getting a new federal government after

11 years), and with submissions having to be prepared

in short timeframes, we have not been able to offer the

opportunities for your direct input nearly as much as we

would like. However, the data from surveys from 2007 and

2006, in which you rated your priorities and wrote your

concerns and solutions, has proved invaluable in ensuring

that your collective voice has been heard.

In addition to these submissions, MI Fellowship has been

developing a housing strategy to explore how we can

contribute to the development of models that involve

building developers, housing agencies and rehabilitation and

support services like ours to work in partnership to provide

social housing for people with mental illness. We will keep

you informed of specific strategies as they are developed.

Gerard Reed, who has been part of the senior executive

team for the last four years is moving on to manage

Doutta Galla’s mental health services. I thank Gerard for

his contribution to MI Fellowship over the past 6 years

and wish him every best success in his new position.

I hope you can be part of our annual general meeting in

October this year and I also encourage you to vote in the

coming board elections.

Elizabeth Crowther

mivoice spring 2008

dates for your diary in 2008 Mental Health Week – 5-12 October |

Open Mind Fiesta – Sunday 12 October | Carers Week – 13-19 October | AGM, awards

and forum – Friday 17 October | Volunteer thank you party – Wednesday 3 December |

Find out more about all activities by calling 03 8486 4200 or visit www.mifellowship.org

www.mifellowship.org

When mental illness is a factor

The final Member’s Forum for the year comes as a response

to direct feedback from members who want to know more

about financial and credit management for people who have

mental illness. Speakers from Consumer Action Law Centre

and State Trustees. See www.mifellowship.org for details.

Where: Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria Fairfield Place,

276 Heidelberg Rd Fairfield (Melways p30, J12)

Registration: call Hayley on 8486 4220

or email at membership@mifellowship.org

When: Tuesday 28 October, 2008 – 6.30-9pm

10 mivoice

clout!Welcome Stacia

I am delighted to introduce myself to you as the new

Coordinator – Members & Volunteers. I look forward to

getting to know more of you in the coming months.

As members, your feedback, ideas and concerns are

important and influence the future direction of our work so

I invite you to give me a call or e-mail me about items that

are important to you. Hayley Dodd is also available for you

to contact if you would like to renew your membership or

update any details. Our contact details are below.

Welcome to Clout! – the members’ communication hub. Clout provides useful information, and calls for involvement and input into the big issues that affect people who have a mental illness and their families.

spring 2008new regular feature

To send feedback to Stacia Beazley call 8486 4250 To renew your membership or update your details with Hayley Dodd call 8486 4220 or contact membership@mifellowship.org

managing creditNT

As well as hearing your voice we will also do our best

to keep you informed of issues and events related to

mental illness. One such event I would like to share with

you is The Art of Making Sense – a creative art exhibition

displaying more than 70 works by people who experience

mental illness and/or psychological trauma. A guided tour

for MI Fellowship members has been arranged for late

October and I look forward to the opportunity of meeting

more of you there. Details below.

Until next time…Stacia Beazley

the art of making sense

The Cunningham Dax Collection

The works in this exhibition have been selected

to show that people with mental illness and

psychological trauma create artworks that

relate to the broader social context, to ideas of creativity, to

the life stories of their creators, as well as to psychological

experience. The exhibition is open to the public free of charge

until 1 November OR join the MI Fellowship members guided

tour on Wednesday 29 October, 11am-noon. The tour will cost

$8 per person and bookings can be made by calling Hayley

on 8486 4220 or via e-mail at membership@mifellowship.

org. Places are limited to 25. For more information on the

collection visit - www.daxcollection.org.au.

Over 50 members attended the forum in July on wills and

trusts where Grant Mackenzie, a partner with Philips & Wilkins

Solicitors, discussed estate planning for families where

members have special needs.

His message was that a testamentary trust (a trust set up in

a will) can be a powerful way of protecting assets and ensuring

an income stream for family members into the future. Many

examples were provided of how different needs and family

issues can be accommodated in the design and operation

of trusts. Appointment of trustees is a key decision that will

determine the success of the family trust however there is

flexibility for trustees to resign and for replacements to be

appointed without endangering the trust’s survival.

Carla Krijt, No title, 1998, oil on canvas, 30 x 22.5cm

wills and trusts

Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria invites you to a Member’s Forum...

11

voting for board membersWhile I am pleased there is an election, I do need to

draw to your attention a claim that the board has acted

in contravention of the Corporation Act 2001 by endorsing

four of the nominating candidates. This claim is totally

refuted – endorsement of candidates is a normal part

of a board election process and supports the board’s

governance role. As you are aware, with the advice and

support of external experts, we have been strengthening

our governance policies and practices over the last

three years through the appointments and governance

committee. The task of this committee is to ensure the

board meets its legal compliance obligations, and also

has the appropriate range of skills and experience. This

includes ensuring that the expressed views of consumers

and carers are well represented. We put this into practice

by making sure that we have more than one consumer

and carer on the board at all times. The board’s decision

to recommend nominees to you reflects this committee’s

work and is aimed at ensuring the ongoing good

governance of the organisation as well as fidelity to

our core purpose as a fellowship.

We have not had a balloted election for some years.

The last ballot was conducted by a show of hands at the

AGM; since then, constitutional amendments now require

us to conduct a postal ballot.

To ensure that we are compliant with all legal requirements

of this new ballot process we have contracted an external

qualified expert to conduct the ballot and count the votes.

You will receive your papers in a separate mail out on

Monday 29 September. Included in this correspondence

will be the ballot papers, a declaration envelope and a

reply paid envelope. Instructions will be included in this

correspondence, where you will be asked to vote for four

of the five candidates, by marking your preferences on the

papers, signing the declaration envelope and posting it to

reach the returning officer by no later than 9am on Friday

10 October 2008.

I know this voting process seems very formal, however this

method of postal voting is now a legal requirement. Your

vote is important to us and I encourage your participation.

Rob Knowles, president

mivoice spring 2008

2008The candidate statements for nomination to the board appear below. The first three nominees are sitting board members, the remaining two are not currently on the board and are listed in alphabetical order.

Jennifer King As chair, finance audit resource management committee, I have contributed financial, commercial and leadership skills in governance, strategic planning, budgeting and risk management. I have no personal experience of mental illness, family friends do. Seeing their struggles, I want to use my personal and professional skills to make a difference to the lives of people with mental illness and their families. I am a finance professional and Fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants, and a person of strong professional standing and integrity – an experienced business adviser with sound judgment, adept at strategic thinking and problem solving.

Involved with MI Fellowship since 2005 and endorsed by the board of directors

Louise Milne-Roch As chair of the MI Fellowship appointments and governance committee, and deputy president, my role has been to ensure organisational stability and legal compliance. Now working as a consultant, I have 35 years experience working in health; my last role

was chief executive of the Nurses Board of Victoria. I have a mental health carer and advocate role through family illness. Both these personal and professional experiences drive me to participate in this organisation to get a better deal for people with mental illnesses and their families. I am also a board member of the Cancer Council of Victoria.

Involved with MI Fellowship since 1999 and endorsed by the board of directors

Elaine Price I am a current board member, carer and advocate for people with a mental illness. I stand for re-election to continue to serve the members of MI Fellowship as I have experienced the many issues families face. I continue to educate myself with the many changes within the Mental Health System and I serve as a volunteer on MI Fellowship helpline. My professional background before retirement was as a financial analyst in the manufacturing industry. In 2007 I was awarded by Rotary International a Paul Harris Fellow for service to mental health.

Involved with MI Fellowship since 2003 and endorsed by the board of directors

Vern Hughes The fellowship belongs to its members but it has been captured by its management and turned into a corporate-style service provider. I am nominating to challenge this direction and revive the fellowship idea

– more consumer and carer empowerment, less managerialism. The board doesn’t want challenges like this and even “endorses” its preferred candidate, in violation of Corporations Law. Members should reject this practice. I am a parent, two sons (20, 17) with autism and several mental illnesses; fellow, Faculty of Business and Entrepreneurship, Swinburne University; previously director, Hotham Mission; executive officer, Westgate Health Services Co-operative; director, Macaulay Community Credit Union.

Involved with MI Fellowship since 2008

Theo Krambias I worked in pharmaceuticals after completing science studies with roles in sales, marketing and training. Since 1999 I’ve focused on hospitality and property development. I actively supported the first Open Mind Fiesta back in 2001. Recently I have worked with the board to develop its property portfolio, utilising my business relationships and experience. I am a board member with OzChild and the Cyprus Community of Victoria. I am proud to have helped secure a major redevelopment of a Cypriot community centre. I have had experience of mental illness within my family and stand for the board with great enthusiasm.

Involved with MI Fellowship since 2001 and endorsed by the board of directors

board nominations

wills and trusts

12

MI Fellowship’s Jenny Hickinbotham

was featured in an article on

understanding mental illness in

the August-September issue of

Fernwood magazine.

“Being fit is helping me to stay well”

Jenny says.

Chief Executive : : Elizabeth CrowtherEditorial : : Hootville CommunicationsDesign : : Room44, Lisa MinichielloPrinting : : Bambra Press

MI Voice is for members and aims to keep them informed of the latest information on mental illness and our advocacy work. It is also our opportunity to keep potential and existing supporters and donors informed of the Mental Illness Fellowship’s activities and the difference their contribution makes.

MI Voice is the quarterly publication of the Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria, Fairfield Place 276 Heidelberg Road, Fairfield, Victoria, Australia, 3078.

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

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

board of directorsPresident : : The Hon. Robert Knowles

Vice President : : Ms Louise Milne-Roch

Secretary : : Mrs Diane Brown

Treasurer : : Ms Jenny King

Directors : : Mr Darrel Drieberg, Mr Nathan Shafir, Prof Christos Pantelis, Mrs Elaine Price, Dr Alex Wood, Ms Lesley Miles, Mr Paul Montgomery

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spring 2008

thank you to our supporters

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