News and views from our community
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The Merri Creek School Story – a glimmer of compassion in the sad story of Melbourne’s beginnings
By the end of 1847, the Wurundjeri clan had left Merri Creek in the face of increasing persecution and moved from Yarra bend taking their children with them.The school continued with a change of teacher and a smaller number of pupils, mainly from outside of the Melbourne area. At the end of 1847, there were six acres of vegetables under cultivation and many of the children could read and were learning to write. In 1849, an extraordinary cantilever bridge was constructed over the creek by the children and teacher, but it was swept away in a flood in 1850.With the bridge gone, gardens destroyed and the press fanning public criticism of the school as a waste of money, it was officially closed in 1851.While this a sad story, it is also one that shows that at the heart of the local engagement of those earliest Melbourne Baptist people was some sense of inclusion and dignity that they felt toward the original and dispossessed Kulin peoples who were forcibly displaced from their home of thousands of years.1 Mayer Eidelson, The Melbourne Dreaming: A Guide to the Aboriginal Places of Melbourne, Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press, 1997, p. 282 Gary Presland, Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People, Harriland Press 2001, p104-105.3 See “The Merri Creek ‘experiment’” in Ken Manley, From Woolloomooloo to Eternity: A History of Australian Baptists, Paternoster, 2006. pp43-44
- 26 May 2022
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Happy National Volunteer Week 2022! Lana Davis, Volunteer Program Lead – Faces of Baptcare #15
Faces of Baptcare #15Lana Davis, Volunteer Program Lead at Baptcare, lives by a piece of advice “time with family is always time well spent.”Lucky for Baptcare, Lana includes our community of 400 volunteers in her definition of family and – it seems – her calling in life.“Volunteering is the ultimate joy – creating a space where someone feels safe, empowered and cherished – it’s so fulfilling,” Lana says. “My mother worked for a not-for-profit while I was growing up and I was roped into all sorts of fundraising activities from walk-a-thons to selling chocolates door-to-door. Whilst I may have rolled my eyes at my mum for putting my name forward for these things as a kid, I 110% appreciate the skills, knowledge and experience these volunteering acts have given to me over the course of my life. Little did I know that my mum generously donating my time to a cause would put me on a life-long trajectory towards supporting people to engage in their passions.” How long have you been at Baptcare and what is your role? I began my journey with Baptcare in December of 2017 as the Volunteer Co-ordinator for Baptcare Karingal Community in Devonport on the North-West Coast of Tassie. The staff, volunteers and residents at Karingal are warm and friendly and really bring the home to life. In January 2022 an opportunity came available to be the Volunteer Program Partner and I jumped at it!What did you want to be when you were a little girl?I don’t think I ever really knew what I wanted to be. I was always referred to as being someone who was ‘quick witted’ and having the ‘gift of the gab’. I tried my hand at many roles but the one I loved the most was my work with Volunteering Tasmania and now, of course, my role at Baptcare.What do you like about working in the volunteering space?I love nothing more than having someone come and talk to me about potentially volunteering for an hour a week only to have them find we have so much more to offer! Many of the volunteers I brought into Karingal started like that but were soon giving 10-15 hours a week! Members of our community have so much to offer us.As a trained Volunteer coordinator, one of the best gifts you can offer a potential Volunteer is the gift of listening, asking the right questions and harnessing their personal passions in order to make a difference in the life of another. Volunteers come to me in those initial first weeks and marvel at how quickly and easily volunteering becomes part of their life, a piece they never knew was missing. It’s the ultimate joy – creating a space where someone feels safe, empowered and cherished.What is an example of success in the volunteering space?In just my time at Baptcare alone there have been many - from having a Volunteer be employed in a role they never thought they would be able to do (in just six weeks too!) to having Volunteers come thinking they would just have a cuppa and a chat with a resident but going on to create self-sustainable gardening and crochet programs where the residents and the Volunteers create items for sale! Seeing the volunteers delight in being able to be an active member of the home, together with the residents taking pride in their activities, is just wonderful for everyone.What is your motto in life?I have two – moments create momentum and work smarter not harder – neither have failed me yet!What do you consider to be a great life?A life filled with love, laughter and happiness. I may hold a few…ok…far too many…extra kilos but I know that I have a kind, loving family who bring laughter and happiness to my home. I love that I can still, at an age pushing 40, visit my parents and walk into their pantry - just for a look - and mum immediately knows ‘Lana’s home’. My toddler, James is 110% the same. “What are you doing James?” asks Nanny, “Just looking”, says James. Secretly we are both hoping Nanny has a hidden home-baked treat but we are also happy just to window shop!If you could finish this sentence… “You’d be surprised to know that I….” Make the world’s best Garlic Prawn Pasta! I’ve also been known to make a mean chocolate ripple cake too - just ask the volunteers at Karingal!Who is your idol in life and why?While it might sound cheesy, my parents and my grandparents. I have always been in awe of how they grew up with so few conveniences and before all the technological advances we now have. Imagine raising children without television and all the convenient Apps we have to entertain our children with these days!I also admired their relationship. Even at the age of 16. I remember thinking what a marvellous thing it was that they had been married for 40 years, raised 6 children, and yet still have things they didn’t know about each other.I wanted a love like that too and I ended up finding it. Lucky me.
- 18 May 2022
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Piecemakers – Moe’s quilting group extraordinaire. Drop by for a yarn and stay for a quilt…
Every fortnight, the Moe Baptist Church is abuzz with the sounds of friendly chatter, humming sewing machines, and an endlessly bubbling kettle.Welcome to the home of the Piecemakers.Piecemakers is a group of about 15 ladies who gather together every few weeks to quilt, chat and connect. Created in 2012, the group originally made 10 quilts that they donated to Baptcare for our Family Services and Asylum Seekers (Sanctuary) communities. So began a wonderful relationship that flourishes to this day.“What these ladies do for those we support is simply inspiring,” commented Sabina Cruz, Fundraising and Community Engagement Manager at Baptcare.“They donate their money in materials but also so much time. Hundreds of hours and creative flair go into each unique quilt, and these ladies are more than happy to part with them knowing that the quilt will bring comfort to a child in foster care or to a person seeking asylum in our Sanctuary program. It's a blessing to have these ladies donate their quilts each year.”These quilts can take up to 200 hours to make and some are entirely hand stitched. Draped over the chairs, the bright and intricately designed quilts seem to have a sort of Harry Potter-esque magic and life about them. Draped on mass, they look like one bright, open-armed hug just waiting to embrace someone in need.Norma, one of the quilters, was delighted to hear that a few of the Piecemakers’ quilts were donated to a grandmother and granddaughter within the Baptcare foster care community. Estranged from her daughter for 10 years and with her grandchild in foster care, Norma loved the thought that her quilts might bring joy to another grandmother and grandchild.“You hope that the people who receive the quilts will enjoy them and look after them,” Norma said. “I guess it’s something in their life that they can feel good about – and they may not have much else to feel good about, so it’s lovely to give them this gift.”Fellow quilter, Leslie,agrees with Norma. Asked why she likes to donate her quilts, Leslie said, “I’m just a giving kind of person I guess. When I lived in New Zealand, I used to foster orphaned children, so I’m happy to be helping out Baptcare’s fostering community now. It’s something close to my heart.”Like many communities, the giving at the heart of Piecemakers is also a gift to many of its members.“Many of the quilters may have family living far away, so they enjoy getting together with people in the Moe community,” commented Margot, the organiser of the group. “We all enjoy the friendship and connections.”As fellow Piecemaker Norma says, “I wasn’t in a good place before I joined Piecemakers. I really joined because I needed some TLC for me. Being a part of this group has been really therapeutic for me. They’re a beautiful group of ladies.”Some names changed for privacy reasons
- 05 May 2022
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Living happily at home: Matteo Russo
Matteo Russo currently lives happily with the support of Baptcare's Home Care services. "I trust the people who Baptcare send to my home. It's unbelievable, we're like a family," he smiles.
- 11 Apr 2022
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‘Judge me by my ability, not my disability’
- 31 Mar 2022
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International Women's Day 2022 – profile of Baptcare's Dolly and Aamisha Khanna
Dolly and Aamisha buzz with warmth and energy. It’s no surprise that both women work in the caring profession. Both women celebrate the opportunity to help people in their daily jobs at Baptcare as Lead Care Consultant and Acting Kinship Care Team Leader, and they also celebrate each other.When asked for the best thing about her Mum, Aamisha commented, ‘Her cooking! Also, growing up, I have always admired how she has not only been amazing at any work she does, but how she is a supermum. She has an incredible ability to connect with almost anyone.’Dolly admires Aamisha’s natural caring nature, and ability ‘to put anything back together, whether it is a 5,000-piece puzzle or people that are hurting. As a young girl she was always giving back to community, either by volunteering at an orphanage in Zambia or helping to build a school in Kenya’.You can read more of Dolly and Aamisha’s story below, including more about Dolly’s work as an ambassador for a recent BreastScreen Victoria campaign – breastscreen.org.au/screendebut.What do you like about your jobs?Dolly – The best thing about my job is the people! I really enjoy working with my teammates and also people from other areas of Baptcare who support and provide guidance to help deal with challenges and complaints. It’s very rewarding to be able to connect with clients from different backgrounds and to be able to give back to the community.Aamisha –I thoroughly enjoy the conversations and the time I am able to spend with clients and their carers, and the ability to help them. I also enjoy being part of an amazing team who are so dedicated and passionate about their clients’ wellbeing. They have so much knowledge and I am constantly learning from them.What three words describe your daughter and what is the most special thing about your daughter? Dolly - Her punctuality, work ethic and sense of direction. This child can never get lost as she has a built-in compass. Aamisha is an empath and gives so much of herself to the people around her. She is a natural born counsellor (and this is her chosen profession). As a young girl she has always been giving back to community, volunteering at an orphanage in Zambia, helping to build a school in Kenya, climbing Mount Kenya to raise funds under the Duke of Edinburgh program, volunteering at a Hospital and SPCA. My favourite memory is of her performing ballet in Prague, at the age of seven in the world ballet contest.Aamisha - If I had to choose three words to describe my mum, they would be nurturing, hardworking, and bubbly. Mum has the ability to walk into a room full of strangers, and immediately make a friend. She has always been extremely compassionate and caring, and from as long as I could remember, she has had an incredible work ethic. Growing up, I have always admired how she has not only been amazing at any work she does, but how she is a supermum. The most special thing about her is her ability to connect with almost anyone - and her cooking!What is your happiest mother/daughter memory?Dolly - All parents would agree that you don’t have one single happy moment but series of them. The first time I held her in my arms and instantly forgave her for the 12 hours of labour is undoubtedly my happiest one. But it is also travelling along with her and watching her evolve into this compassionate, empathetic and beautiful human that she is. The ability to put anything back together whether it is a 5,000-piece puzzle or people that are hurting. Aamisha - Like mum has said, I can think of a fair few moments - I think some of my favourites were during our first lockdown in Melbourne where we would spend the evening doing something creative like painting together with a show in the background and just enjoying the other person’s presence. Similarly, dinners and coffees together are always some of my most treasured moments with her because mum is so nurturing and I always leave feeling lighter and calmer.
- 07 Mar 2022
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Gwenda Sach remembers her mother on Founders Day
This was a grassroots movement of passionate and compassionate women, not a top-down initiative. As Ken R. Manley wrote in From Woolloomooloo to ‘Eternity’: A History of Australian Baptists (Volume 2, 2006), “In Victoria, from the floor of a Baptist Assembly – not from any denominational master-plan – came a plea that the churches should establish a home for the elderly. Baptist women took the initiative. Mrs Mary Pope, wife of Revd W.G. Pope, was the leader…The Union Secretary was advised but it was the women who had been organized to gather in large numbers and ‘invaded’ the Assembly on 17 May [1944] and moved the proposal…the motion was ‘carried with acclamation’.”As we prepare to celebrate Founders Day on 24 February, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to speak with Gwenda Sach, daughter of Florence, at Baptcare The Orchards Community. She shared the story of her mother, her family and the practical expression of faith that is the beating heart of Baptcare.“I remember going to Strathalan with my mother in those early days,” Gwenda said. “It was a big building and there were a lot of women there engaged in different tasks. My mother was part of the original committee. It was a very busy time.”The powerhouse who catalysed the energy of these committed Baptist women was Mary Pope. “She would circulate around the congregations, drumming up support for providing homes for the elderly. She was a vibrant leader, very energetic in helping women in their faith. She encouraged women to start counselling for older people. She was a great person, and was concerned for people not just physically but also spiritually.“My mother was a good and wise woman. She had common sense and cared for people. You need people like that, and you also need leaders like Mary Pope. These were great days. There was a vibrancy, and a sense of a true Union of Baptist people. We also loved the Belgrave Heights Convention. My mother was a lovely, serving Christian woman and it meant everything to her to be within the church. It was her family out here in Australia.“The story is unending. Mum was not a preacher, but one who lived her faith in the practical help of others alongside other women who knew the Lord. And we can still see that happening today.”Florence started life in England where she was a member of Holmesdale Baptist Church in London. During the First World War she met a young soldier from Australia, Victor Sach, who had been serving in France and Belgium before being moved to England for Rest & Repatriation. “It was love at first sight,” Gwenda says. As she tells the story, Gwenda refers to her mother’s constant companion, a small red notebook in which Florence wrote Bible verses, pertinent points from Baptist meetings and family records.After the war finished, Victor and Florence travelled together to Australia on a troop ship. She became part of Victor’s church family at George Street Baptist in Fitzroy. Later they spent five years in Middle Brighton, then settled in Bentleigh. Six daughters were born: Enid, Beryl, Phyllis, Doris, Joan and Gwenda.The youngest child, born in 1935, had profound health challenges. “When they discovered I was born with both hard and soft palates cleft, they had to feed me by dripping milk down my throat from a tiny teaspoon,” Gwenda says. She underwent major surgery aged two and again at 14 and 28, followed by countless hours of dental work, orthodonture and speech therapy.Does Gwenda complain? Of course not; she is Florence’s daughter, after all. “God’s been so good to me,” she says. “My whole life is a blessing from the Lord. He has been my life’s joy.”Which doesn’t mean life was easy. “When I was eight years and four days old, my father died of TB Meningitis. I was in shock for a long time. Legacy stepped in and supported us. It was the war, and many families were finding things a struggle.”Gwenda undertook secretarial studies, was influenced by legendary Baptist missionary figures including Rev J.D. Williams and Rev Dr Gilbert Macarthur, and in 1965 was selected for work in Papua New Guinea providing support to a Melbourne Bible Institute outreach project, Christian Leaders’ Training College. She spent six years there, stationed mainly in the remote highlands town of Banz. “Our conditions were very basic, western food had to be airdropped to us via Madang, but we had kerosene lamps and we loved the work.”Florence Sach lived to almost 100 and spent her final years in Baptcare’s Karana community. Phyllis spent her final years at Baptcare’s Hedley Sutton, and Gwenda and her sister Joan made Baptcare Templestowe Village and then The Orchards their home. “Baptcare has been good to me,” Gwenda smiles. “And the Baptist church has brought me joy and fulfilment.”Women like Gwenda and Florence are links in a long chain of service – women with a belief in mission and practical social action. This is the DNA of Baptcare, the founding story that can be drawn upon by all within the organisation as a source of strength and meaning. Baptcare staff continue to come face-to-face with social disadvantage and injustice in our communities. We can look at the example of the women who insisted on better care for older people at Strathalan in the 1940s, and be inspired to press forward with our own work in 2022. You can be sure that is what Mary Pope and Florence Sach would have wanted.
- 24 Feb 2022
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Senator Linda Reynolds visits our Tasmanian office
Baptcare’s Launceston office welcomed some special guests last week – Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Senator Linda Reynolds and Bridget Archer MP – Liberal Member for Bass.We were thrilled to share some of our work in the NDIS and Early Childhood Approach spaces, as well as some testimonials of inspirational clients whose lives have been transformed by the care of Local Area Co-ordinators and the NDIS across North and South-West Tasmania. You can watch some of these stories here: An Ordinary Life'These good news stories reflect the true intent of the NDIS scheme' commented Senator Linda Reynolds.The Minister was also very complimentary of the ‘true person centred’ approach that Baptcare takes with all aspects of our interactions with participants. She commented that we’ve always been proactive in consulting with acknowledged leaders within the industry to find a way to solve identified gaps.We feel that this observation was a testament to the very heart of Baptcare. Our work in this space is an example of our mission in action, striving to take positive actions to assist people with disability to be able to live their best lives.Amanda Williams, NDIS Community Manager at Baptcare commented that ‘Senator Reynold’s visit made me realise that I am working for an organisation that truly cares, and who takes positive actions to assist peoples with disability to be able to live their best life.’You can read more about Baptcare’s work in this space at baptcare.org.au/services#disability-services
- 09 Feb 2022
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Baptcare’s Moonta school literacy project
Baptcare’s NDIS Yorke Mid North team were recently involved in a fabulous literacy project with the local Moonta Area School and the Nharangga Aboriginal Progress Association.Lee- Anne Bennett, Community Project Manager and Siobhan Bee, Local Area Co-ordinator of the YMN Region, developed the idea to ask Moonta school children to write a story about an animal who was living with a disability but who either overcame or accepted their limitations to become their own hero. Students would get bonus points if they used Nharangga Language.“I hoped that the project would assist young children to develop acceptance and knowledge about disability in our region while also involving their parents and strengthening Baptcare’s relationship with our local Nharangga community leaders, the Nharangga Aboriginal Progress Association, the Moonta School and Community library” said Lee-Anne.There were 30 amazing entries from three classes: Reception/Year 1 and Year 2 with a year 2 child, Halle, winning the overall prize, awarded at a special presentation.Halle’s story Kylie the Kangaroo Makes New Friends is about a kangaroo who was born without a tail, and who asks her mother “Mum, am I ugly because I have no tail?”. After being assured that she was beautiful just the way she was, Kylie gains confidence and goes on a mission to make new friends around the world because she’s shocked to hear her mother say that there are animals all around the world who don’t have any friends.Kylie goes to Asia and makes friends with Tamara Tiger then meets Dorla Deer in America and Hannah Hedgehog in the United Kingdom. The story ends with a proud Kylie competing in the Paralympics and winning $100!Lee-Anne commented she loved how Siobhan went above and beyond to take the initial idea to completion and added smiles to the faces of everyone involved. This project has led to another initiative-a great example of co-partnering and collaboration in action! Baptcare is currently working with the Nharangga Progress Association on a community garden project that would be promoted widely to people living with a disability in the Yorke Mid North and Moonta area.You can find out more about Baptcare’s Disability work on our website here.
- 07 Oct 2021
