The Centre for Ethics

NewsletterVolume 73 - Term 2, 2014

For almost 20 years, the Centre for Ethics has made a point of reminding our school community of great work undertaken by two splendid Anglican organisations: Anglicare WA and St Bartholomew’s Hostel, known affectionately as ‘St Bart’s’. We regularly have speakers from Anglicare who tell us of their involvement with people who have nowhere to live: people who are out on the streets. Christ Church Grammar School students give generously to assist Anglicare provide support to those who, for a great variety of reasons, are homeless.

In October 2013, some of Perth’s high-profile business leaders had their appearances transformed to go undercover as homeless people. This was to raise their own awareness and then to speak to others of their experience. They were Andrew Birch (Chair of St Bart’s and Director of Vantage Performance), Bevan Sturgess-Smith (Chair of St Bart’s

Anglicare’s Foyer Oxford – a new initiativeFoundation and Investment Advisor at The Macquarie Group), Michael Brown (Deputy Chair of St Bart’s and Managing Director of Goldmont Pty Ltd), Deb Brady (Director of St Bart’s Foundation and Senior Sales Executive of Acton Real Estate), Linda Wayman (General Manager of Southern Cross Austereo) and David Flanagan (Non-Executive Chairman of Atlas Iron and Chancellor of Murdoch University). They reported that, while they were on the street, they felt they were ‘invisible’, and ‘very isolated’. The experience provided them with an insight of how it would feel to be homeless.

We are delighted that David Flanagan will come to the Senior School Assembly to speak to students and staff about homelessness.

Later in the year, a representative from Anglicare will speak about an exciting new venture called Foyer Oxford which was recently launched by the Premier, Mr Colin Barnett. Foyer Oxford seeks to end the cycle of homelessness by providing its participants with access to accommodation, comprehensive support, and education, training and employment activities. As the CEO of Anglicare, Ian Carter, says “Youth homelessness is a dire issue facing our society. There are over 6,000 young people who go to sleep homeless on any given night in Western Australia. We believe that Foyer Oxford’s unique multi-dimensional approach is the best chance to help these young people.”

This programme was founded by a consortium: Foundation Housing,

the Central Institute of Technology and Anglicare WA. It is a wonderful example of collaborative creativity on the part of these organisations. Each one provides a specialised service so that a holistic programme may be implemented.

Foundation Housing oversaw the design and construction of the purpose built four storey complex on Oxford Street, Leederville. It will administer the ongoing tenancies of the 98 units – 24 of these have been outfitted for young parents. The idea is to provide a stable and secure home for young men and women so that they can live in safety and comfort as they prepare to move on with their lives. They often face difficult challenges.

The Central Institute of Technology is providing full access to all it’s courses to the young people at Foyer Oxford. This includes a unique programme named Jumpstart which will assist the residents to read at a level required for formal education. As Ian Carter says “The overall goal is to enable

these young people to connect to education and training, and ultimately to long term employment.”

Anglicare WA provides professional youth workers who support young people to reach their goals and deal with the difficulties that may come their way. A comprehensive case-management programme has been designed for the Foyer Oxford residents. The programme encourages and empowers the young people so that they take responsibility. They set their own targets and decide for themselves how they will use their time.

Ian Carter sees the programme as one that gives hope. “The comprehensive wrap-around support places these young people in the best possible situation to succeed. It is an aspirational community with everyone expected to play a role and to do their best. This includes the staff from the three agencies as well as the residents”.

Youth homelessness is a sad reality

in our society, but it is wonderful to know that ventures such as Foyer Oxford are helping to alleviate terrible suffering and hopelessness.

We look forward to David Flanagan’s address to our students and teachers and we will go on supporting Anglicare, St Bart’s and other groups who strive to give people a place to call home.

Frank SheehanSchool ChaplainDirector of The Centre for Ethics

Hetty’s family was torn apart following the 1940 German invasion of the Netherlands and rounded up by the Nazis and then separated from their parents. Hetty and her brothers were sent to the ‘Children’s House’ in Belsen Concentration Camp. Hetty, being one of the eldest, became the ‘Little Mother’ helping to care not only for her siblings but the other children as well. In a direct and

powerful style, Hetty recalls one of the remarkable largely untold stories of the Holocaust—the extraordinary struggle and survival of this group of 40 children through those terrible years.

Hetty Verolme

Ms Verolme will speak to Senior students on 1 May.

Please see: www.anglicarewa.org.au

to read about Street Connect

Stephen Van Mil is an Australian filmmaker, veterinarian and conservationist. Dr Van Mil’s production company, Animal Media Australia, specialises in animal documentary productions, raising awareness about endangered animals.

Documentaries produced through this company for the Ten Network include White Lions: King of Kings for Animal Planet, Saving Orangutans and

the award-winning The Last Primate, narrated by Mel Gibson.

The Last Primate is a moving account of the work of Biruté Galdikas and her lifelong fight to save the diminishing world of Indonesia’s wild orangutans, a habitat threatened by widespread deforestation and palm oil plantations

The Last Primate won the Special Jury Award in 2008.

Dr Van Mil is the patron of the Peru Zoo and conducts annual eco tours to Borneo raising funds for the Orangutan Foundation International. He is the foundation board member of Assistance Dogs, an organisation which trains dogs to assist people with disabilities.

Dr Stephen Van Mil will speak to Senior and Prep students on 7 May.

Stephen Van Mil

A group of students led by Matt Smith from Dalkeith Anglican Church meets every Thursday at 1.00pm in the Centre for Ethics to help understand how to be a Christian in everyday life. They go through a passage of the bible and try to understand what it means and how

it makes an impact on them. The group is interested in evaluating the claims that Jesus makes about himself. The group’s name is Credo, from the Latin for ‘I believe’.

Christ Church Credo

Ian Hickie was appointed the inaugural Executive Director of the flagship Brain & Mind Research Institute at The University of Sydney in 2003. Since then he has overseen its development as a major hub in translational neuroscience and clinical psychiatry. Professor Hickie was the inaugural CEO of beyondblue - the Australian national depression initiative and served as its Clinical Advisor for a few years. He was a founding member of Headspace – the National Mental Youth Foundation.

Professor Hickie was appointed to the Federal Health Minister’s National Advisory Council on Mental Health and then to the Federal Minister’s Mental Health Expert Advisory Group. Professor Hickie is a Commissioner in the new National Mental Health Commission which oversees enhanced accountability for mental health reform in Australia.

Dr Norman Swan and Professor Ian Hickie will speak about:

Saving young lives and securing futures – why mental health matters?

Professor Hickie will talk about early intervention with young people: can it change the course of mental illness?

Professor Hickie will speak about: Early intervention with

young people: can it change the course of mental illness.

Date: Monday 12 MayTime: 7.30pm

Venue: Senior School Staff RoomFree admission

RSVP: Teresa Scott, 9442 1705

David Flanagan is a geologist with more than 20 years’ experience in mining and mineral exploration in Australia, Indonesia and West Africa. Prior to founding Atlas as Managing Director in 2004 he was Exploration Manager with Gindalbie Gold NL where he led the geological component of the company’s gold mining and then iron ore development projects.

Mr Flanagan also participates in industry organisations, not for profit boards and charities, holding positions on the board of GivingWest, Australian Mining Hall of Fame, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is patron for Many Rivers Microfinance. He was the inaugural winner of the Governor’s Giving Award in 2011, recipient of the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship in 2012

and is a passionate supporter of philanthropy in Western Australia.

Late in 2013 Mr Flanagan spent a day, heavily disguised, as a homeless man on the streets of Perth. David will speak to our Senior School students about the transformation he underwent to go undercover. He will share the reactions of those he encountered and what this life changing experience meant to him.

David Flanagan

Ian Hickie

David Flanagan will speak to Senior students on 9 May.

Norman Swan

Dr Swan will discuss: A new paradigm for research.

Date: Monday 12 May Time: 7.30pm

Venue: Senior School Staff RoomFree admission

RSVP: Teresa Scott, 9442 1705

Norman Swan is the host of the Health Report, on ABC Radio National, presenter of Health Minutes on ABC News Radio and ABC Television’s Catalyst, health commentator, speaker and facilitator. In addition, Norman edits his own newsletter, The Choice Health Reader, which is published in partnership with the Australian Consumers’ Association.

Dr Swan is managing director of GSB Consulting and Communications Pty Ltd. He has been the Australian correspondent for the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal and consulted for the World Health Organisation in Geneva on global priorities in health research, putting evidence into health policy and clinical trial registration.

Dr Swan hosts Tonic on ABC News 24, and hosted the predecessor of Catalyst, Quantum as well as Health Dimensions. He has been a guest reporter on both Catalyst and Four Corners. He created, wrote and narrated a four part series on disease and civilisation, Invisible Enemies, made for Channel 4 (UK) and SBS Television. This has been shown in twenty seven countries. He co-wrote and narrated

The Opposite Sex a four part series for ABC Television and for the past three years has been medical host of The Biggest Loser on Channel 10.

In late 2008 Norman co-chaired a global meeting of Health Ministers in West Africa which pursued the goal of making health policy evidence-based with a follow up meeting in Singapore in October 2009. He has been a Board member of The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) for three years and is Executive Chairman of Tonic Direct, a company devoted to creating appropriate demand for health care.

Dr Norman Swan and Professor Ian Hickie will speak about: Saving young lives and securing futures – why mental health matters.

Dr Swan will talk aboutA new paradigm for research.

The inaugural Meeting for Minds forum will be held at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle. The event will be a conversation style forum amongst neuroscientists, mental health researchers, clinicians and families with lived experience of mental illness. The forum is designed to encourage understanding of the current state of neuroscience and clinical approaches

to the treatment of mental illness, balanced with real life experiences.

The forum will showcase the latest developments in fields such as molecular neurology, networks, cognitive treatment practice and their affects.

Meeting for MindsThis talk will be held at the

Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle

Please visit www.meetingforminds.com.au

A new group called Fathering in the Fast Lane will have its first meeting on 21 May. Frank Sheehan will be the facilitator. It takes its name from the title of Bruce Robinson’s book. In that book, Professor Robinson explores ways in which men in demanding jobs can ensure they are good fathers to their children. It presents numerous ways to improve both the quality and amount of time that fathers spend with their children. More than 75 men from different backgrounds and professions are interviewed: pig farmers and plumbers, doctors and politicians. These men speak about the ways they balance demanding jobs with being good dads and offer suggestions for making work help, rather than hinder, fathering. All fathers, whether in separated or intact families, can benefit from the experiences of these successful, busy dads.

Wayne Bradshaw from the fathering project at UWA will speak to our first gathering and suggest some

directions. As Frank Sheehan says: “Books like Fathering in the Fast Lane can be a big help and so can discussion and the sharing of experiences and ideas. It will be interesting to see whether there is a need for such a regular gathering at Christ Church. I would be surprised if there isn’t. People will move in and out. But most of us need some help and encouragement at some stage with our fathering.”

Kindly RSVP to fsheehan@ccgs.wa.edu.au.

The Bindaring unit of the Australian Red Cross is holding

it’s 51st clothing sale at the Claremont Showgrounds

on Saturday 17 May.

All proceeds go to vital Red Cross community service programmes.

Please contact Teresa Scott, 9442 1705.

Fathering in the Fast Lane

Red Cross

Wayne Bradshaw from The Fathering Project and Frank

Sheehan will speak about Fathering in the Fast Lane.Date: Wednesday 21 May and

Wednesday 18 JuneTime: 7.30pm

Venue: Senior School Staff RoomFree admission

RSVP: fsheehan@ccgs.wa.edu.au

We are always delighted to welcome back speakers whose talks have been so interesting and helpful. For more information on any of our speakers please contact Teresa Scott at tscott@ccgs.wa.edu.au

From car bombings to meeting Yasser Arafat and making it to the summit of Mount Everest, Mark ‘Squiz’ Squirrell has experienced more than many can dream about. When he headed to the East Timor Crisis in 1999 he was setting out on the adventure of a lifetime. It was a journey that would see him navigate some of the globe’s most brutal war zones to deliver emergency aid and conquer the world’s tallest mountain.

Squiz was awarded the coveted ‘Green Beret’ whilst serving with the Australian Commandos. His tenure with the military provided him with the skills and courage to succeed amongst adversity and turmoil. It was the perfect grounding for a career as an International Aid Worker.

Squiz escorted food convoys through the Gaza Strip, negotiated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamel Eelam (Tamel Tigers) and brokered deals with Somali Clansmen to ensure the safe delivery of United Nations food aid.

Squiz was inspired by his organisation, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and the

Souyu Kato is a tea ceremony professor who has been invited to China, India and Germany to perform tea ceremonies (ura senke).

Ura senke is the oldest and most traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Mrs Kato’s grandmother was the daughter of a Buddist priest at the Higashi Honganji temple in Kyoto which is the oldest Buddist temple in Japan.

Mark Squirrell

Japanese Tea Ceremony

impoverished people that it feeds, to climb to the top of the world and help raise awareness of the global hunger crisis. After a gruelling six week ordeal, Squiz raised the WFP flag on the summit of Mount Everest.

Mrs Souyo Kato will speak to Senior students on 12 June.

Please contact Teresa Scott on 9442 1705 beforehand, in case there is a change in the programme. A map of Christ Church Grammar School is available on our website www.ccgs.wa.edu.au/about-us/our-location/campus-map

The Centre For Ethics

CalendarDate Event and topic Speaker Time Location

Thursday1 May

The Children’s House of Belsen

Hetty Verolme Morning Classroom

Wednesday7 May

Endangered Orangutans. Is extinction inevitable?

Stephen van Mil Morning Classroom

Wednesday 7 May

Can we do something to save the orangutans?

Stephen van Mil Morning Chapel

Thursday8 May

Homelessness

David FlanaganChancellor of Murdoch UniversityPhilanthropist

9.00am Chapel

Every Thursday Christ Church Credo Matt Smith 1.00pmCentre for Ethics office

Monday12 May

Saving young lives and securing futures – why mental health matters

Norman Swan andIan Hickie

7.30pm RSVP 9442 1705

Wednesday 14 May and Thursday 15 May

Meeting for Minds

Mental Health ForumInternational speakersPlease see:meetingforminds.com.au

To register, clickwww.meetingforminds.com.au

Thursday15 May

Ethics Book Club Francis Sheehan 7.30pm RSVP 9442 1705

Saturday17 May

To Boldly GoEric Delvewww.energise.org.au.

All Day Chapel

Saturday17 May

Australian Red CrossBindaring Clothing Sale

All DayEnquiries: 9442 1705

Wednesday21 May

Embracing FatherhoodFrank Sheehan andWayne Bradshaw

7.30pm

Senior School Staff RoomRSVP to: fsheehan@ccgs.wa.edu.au

Thursday 12 June

Fighting hunger on Everest Mark Squirrell 9.00am Chapel

Thursday12 June

Japanese Tea Ceremony Souyu Kato Morning Classroom

Thursday12 June

Humanitarian Aid andCultural awareness

Mark Squirrell Morning Classroom

Thursday12 June

Striving for success Mark Squirrell Morning Chapel

Monday16 June

Positive intelligence Greg Mitchell Morning Classroom

Wednesday18 June

Fathering in the Fast Lane Frank Sheehan 7.30pm

Centre for Ethics office RSVP: fsheehan@ccgs.wa.edu.au