It was 1984 and we had recently arrived as new migrants from Scotland. We were living in a remote part of regional Victoria and with my husband away at work, I was alone with my three young children under six and decided to continue study remotely from home.
Deakin was so accessible even then and the course materials were superb. I had a Bachelor of Science from Edinburgh, majoring in Psychology and Metaphysics and wanted to specialise in Child Psychology.
Marooned, without a car or access to a larger community, I chose to study the development of the sense of humour in children. I had three willing experimental subjects: my six-year-old daughter and her brothers aged three years and 21 months respectively. Despite the obvious challenges, we embraced the task and were able to co-opt a few local children from the tiny hamlet know at Peechelba, which lay 20 minutes out of Wangaratta on the road to Yarrawonga.
I received a high distinction for my thesis and then went on to open the first community residential unit (CRU) in Wangaratta a year later for children who had in the terms of the day ‘severe and multiple disabilities’.
Together with my 16 staff rostered around the clock, we provided 24-hour care for the children, who had been moved out of institutions in Melbourne and NSW back to their area of origin. Each day I returned home, to see my beautiful, healthy children I was hugely grateful for my good fortune.
I think that led to my motivation to tackle the devolution of the special purpose nursing home known as Moira, in Sandringham, four years later. It was a punishing time for the children and families whose lives were completely disrupted by the deinstitutionalisation, although it was a very necessary development.
Unable to access funding to provide the funds to re-house the 22 children in care at Moira, I appealed to the Australian Senate and was able to achieve a revision of the Disability Services Act (1986) to allow for a special case to be made for the children.
We had our therapeutic funding restored, but no funds for new infrastructure, so I had to become a ‘fundraiser’ overnight. The retired accountant assisting us at Moira suggested I read the book on Philanthropy Australia and find some sources of funds. I had no office so had to make my calls from the sleepover room, so many jokes were made about that!
I was very fortunate in that all my submissions were successful, and the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust funded a whole new home. It was named after the Scottish philanthropist herself, much to the delight of the Chairman of Trustees, the late Darvell Hutchinson.
Many other Trusts and Foundations came on board, and we renovated and repurposed three other homes as a result. My career course was then set and moved rapidly across the sectors: from Disability, to Aged Care and then to Education.
Later, I established a fundraising firm called The Development Management Team which ran the campaign for Costa Hall at Deakin’s Waterfront Campus. I worked with the late Geoff Neilsen who was Chairman of the campaign.
My CV not only tells the long story of a 35-year career in Australia of which I am quite proud, when I take the time to reflect. Thank you, Deakin: I am in your debt.
