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‘A place of hope, support and healing. The Sanctuary Counselling Centre provides care and support for individuals and their families experiencing life-challenging illness or bereavement.’ We hear from Tara McKinty. ‘The people we meet are already coping with enough challenge so we want to make our service as accessible as possible. Many people are touched to find this service is a gift from our wonderful community. http://www.sanctuarycounselling.org.au/

‘Our underlying philosophy is that although we cannot always choose the challenges we may face we can, with positive help, choose the way we respond.”www.facebook.com/The-Sanctuary-Counselling-Centre-216528698380243/

‘My training is in social work and counselling. I’d worked in many settings before I felt ready to establish an independent service that reflected my deepest values, availability of informed compassionate care for all at the times when we are challenged the most. It was when I moved from the UK to the Yarra Valley that I met Scott, now my husband, and Lou Vickers-Willis who asked us to come to Geelong and set up The Sanctuary.

Continue reading “The Sanctuary, Tara” →

Roxie Bennett (a name just about synonymous with Geelong) is one of the 16 inspirational speakers at the Humans in Geelong Expo 10 – 3pm this Sunday at Deakin University Waterfont Campus. Hear Roxie at midday. Roxie is well-known through her on-air career at Krock and Bay93.9 but her impact on the Geelong community extends well beyond the microphone.

The effervescent and passionate Geelong-ian has supported hundreds of local groups including Geelong Relay For Life, the Salvation Army, Red Shield Appeal, Geelong Animal Welfare Society, Kids Plus, Give Where You Live and the Barwon Health Foundation.

Roxie’s personal experience with breast cancer has given her a particular passion for cancer services in Geelong and sharing her story of survival.

We recently spent a morning with this lovely human (and coffee addict) at one of her favourite haunts, The Federal, ahead of the #HumansinGeelongExpo.

Tell us about you, Roxie

I was born and raised in Laver’s Hill deep in the Otways. We were dirt poor but had an awesome life – we lived on fresh fish, had a cow and veggie garden in the backyard and spent all our time by the ocean.
Continue reading “Roxie Bennett” →

Jennifer Cromarty, President and Founder of local not-for-profit Creative Geelong is one of 16 inspirational speakers at the Humans in Geelong Expo on Sunday 8 Oct Deakin Waterfront, hear her at 12.15pm.

This dynamic woman also runs her own strategic communication company, tandemVox, and is heavily involved in the Geelong community at board level and within various local groups and clubs.

 

Jen is the passionate force behind Creative Geelong Inc –formed two years ago – to understand and support the creative work of the future, and tell stories of Geelong’s creativity. Creative Geelong has recently taken over space in Centrepoint Arcade for its Makers Hub project.

We caught up with Jen after their official launch.

Continue reading “Creative Geelong, Jen” →

Tony Strain’s Irish Band, Which, Which is Which, will be playing at the #humansingeelongexpo Sunday 8^th October, Deakin Waterfront at midday. He is one amazing individual who works tirelessly for the Geelong Irish Society Inc. to the point where others can’t help but feel inspired by the passion that he puts into his work. Helping at all of their events both on the day and during the lead up to them. Every month at Aldi in Corio he can be found holding a BBQ sausage sizzle raising money for the Geelong Irish Society. In addition to that, Tony also contributes greatly to the wider Geelong community.

Over the last 15 years he’s been regularly visiting retirement villages and nursing homes, playing the bodhrán (pictured here) and singing with his group, entertaining the residents not only with his musical talents but also with his enthusiastic and charming personality. He spends a tremendous amount of time and energy promoting Irish culture in Geelong.

Continue reading “Geelong Irish Society, Tony” →

Speaking at the #HumansinGeelongExpo on Sunday 8^th October, Deakin Waterfront, at 2:30 pm is local Hero trainer, Rotarian and co-founder of Hero Town Geelong, Sylvia Gray. Find the group at Exhibition Site 36. The mission for Hero Town is to empower locals to enact positive change for themselves, for others and for their community. Sylvia, co-founder Atticus Gray and the Hero Town team were featured on Humans in Geelong at the end of 2015, during the Hero Round Table with renowned social psychologist Dr. Phillip Zimbardo. Hero Town has continued to grow remarkably since then.

“Our incredible team of volunteers has focused on refining and delivering Hero Training,” Sylvia enthuses. Ellie Jacques, another of Hero Town’s outstanding Hero Trainers, developed the module on the Hero’s Journey. Along with Tameeka York and Karli Mynott, the three have developed a school curriculum to feature the Hero’s Journey, Mindset and Social Resilience. Hero Town was also delighted to bring on Simon Dwyer as a Mindfulness trainer for another course in mindset and mindfulness.

Continue reading “Hero Town Geelong, Sylvia” →

Sarah Kenworthy is our 2pm guest speaker at our Expo. With a strong laugh, a big smile and an even bigger heart, it is no surprise that Sarah Kenworthy is so deserving of the Victorian Young Achiever Award in 2016. I sat down with Sarah to discuss her achievements and humanitarian work in Mannya, Uganda. Here, she volunteered in the health centre delivering babies, administering injections, travelling to remote villages and looking after the patients there. With the help of St. Bernard’s Belmont and the Cotton On Foundation, Sarah travelled to Uganda to work towards her dream of helping people in third world countries with her medical expertise.

While talking with Sarah, I found it astonishing how much these people lack that we in Australia take for granted. The children need to walk several kilometres for the only source of water, which is dirty; they have to go to bed as soon as dark falls as they have no lights; and the animals need to live inside in order to keep them safe and warm. Uganda has an alarmingly high maternity morality rate and many children die before reaching the age of five. In Uganda, patients must pay to see a doctor, meaning that they often cannot afford treatment that we would receive through free healthcare programs. On one occasion, a pregnant woman came into the clinic where Sarah worked with a urinary tract infection that she could not afford to have treated, and she cried when she could not afford a $1 item. “I realised how blessed we are in Australia,” Sarah says.

Continue reading “Young Achiever Award, Sarah” →

We are honoured to announce that the Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University, Professor Jane den Hollander AO will be officially opening the #humansingeelongexpo at 10am on Sunday 8^th of October in the Courtyard at Deakin Waterfront Geelong.

Professor Jane den Hollander AO has been Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University since July, 2010.  At Deakin, Professor den Hollander introduced LIVE the future, an aspiration for Deakin to drive the digital frontier in higher education, harnessing the power, opportunity and reach of new and emerging technologies in all that it does.

Professor den Hollander holds a BSc (Honours) First Class in Zoology and a Master of Science degree from Wits University, Johannesburg.  Her PhD is from the University of Wales, Cardiff.

Continue reading “Deakin University, Professor Jane den Hollander AO” →

Today is ‘Are you OK?’ Day. ‘My passion for mental health in the community comes from being a young person with a lived experience of mental illness, so it was my journey to sort out who I was. What I learnt was how important all my art was to my recovery. Then through working in the mental health and disability sector and seeing how valuable art is as a mode of communication, I’ve discovered that anything that makes ourselves ‘sing’ – art and music, gardening, cooking – is so fantastic for our mental health and well-being.’

Surfcoast resident, Jules Haddock, is committed to Mental Health Education in the Geelong region. She is the initiator and driving force behind the Art of the Minds Festival, a variety of events taking place on the Surfcoast during Mental Health Week in October. The theme of the festival is ‘Hope’.  Jules has just been acknowledged as a semi-finalist in the Victorian Regional Achievement Leadership Awards for this project.

Continue reading “Art of the Minds Festival, Jules” →

‘Following my sudden (and shock) diagnosis of stage 3 brain cancer in 2016 after a random seizure, I was recovering in bed in the Alfred Hospital, wondering how my death would have been explained to my two children should I not have been fortunate enough to wake up. I quickly researched what resources were available, and couldn’t find anything that my young children could comprehend.’ We hear from Scott Bennett, author of ‘My Daddy’s Important New Job’.

‘Following the diagnosis and treatment plans, I set about writing them a book that explains death in a non-confrontational manner, that is easy to understand from a 2 and 4 year old’s perspective and that they could look for their loved ones in everyday occurrences.

Continue reading “My Daddy’s Important New Job, Scott” →