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1965

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Saved by Louise Segafredo
on July 15, 2010 at 2:27:15 pm
 

 

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1961 1962196319641965 1966196719681969

 

Children & Families 

Reassessment of the work and direction of the Social Service Bureau leads to decision to continue working with individual low income families, to consider the needs of those families on a larger scale and to develop ways and means of increasing co-operation with the clergy  [1]

Future_Work_Social_Service_Bureau_1965-3.pdf 

 

The Social Service Bureau, beginning in October, brought together a group of mothers who had been coming to the Bureau for some years for financial aid to help them through recurrent crises caused by unemployment or sickness.  Individual casework had been unsuccessful and it was hoped that from the group experience "increased warmth and self esteem in the mothers would have a beneficial effect on the whole family".  [2]

 

The Creative Leisure Centre, catering for children from five to 15 years, opened each night after school from 3.30 to five, for morning and afternoon periods during school holidays and on two evenings a week for teenagers.   [3]

 

Community Issues 

High Living research project on high-rise public housing continued.

 

Criticism of Victorian Government policy on resettlement of aborigine families from Lake Tyers settlement by David Scott written up in the March 1965 edition of Brotherhood notes.  [4]

 

Father Tucker headed The Lara Movement a group "made up largely of lay people of various Christian denominations.  Their main object is to try to ascertain how the Christian religion can be more closely related with things of everyday life and especially in regard to the perilous state of the world at the present time."  The group launched a petition urging negotiation with North Vietnam[5]

 

Fundraising & Resources 

The Forgotten People Appeal raised a total of £51,000 [6]

 

Fundraising Button Days were held on October 1-2 in provincial centres in Victoria (including Albury, Hamilton, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Morwell and Yallourn), December 3 in the city of Melbourne and December 4 in the suburbs, along with stalls.  The intent was to raise £12,000 to swell the proceeds from the Forgotten People Appeal which did not reach the target of £75,000, raising £51,000.   More than 2,500 helpers were expected, with 350 (city), 1,500 (suburbs), 300 (outer suburbs) and 500 (country) promised beforehand.  [7]

 

To start the year’s activities at the Cheltenham-Mordialloc Auxiliary, each member was given a £1 note and asked to "make it grow" for the Brotherhood.  Members used many ingenious schemes to help along the "make it grow" campaign.  [8]

 

The BSL’s annual market fair held in October in the Lower Melbourne Town Hall raised £1,240 and the Carrum Downs fair had record takings of £650.  [9]

 

The Salvage Division opened a second-hand furniture-theatre-bookshop at 145 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.  Read about it from March 1965.  [10]

 

Parcels of clothing sent to the Brotherhood averaged 100 per week (sent free by rail) but the record was shattered in the month of November with 642 parcels of clothing from as far afield as Oaklands (NSW), Nhill, Mildura, Yarrawonga and Bairnsdale.  [11]

 

Material & Financial support 

The Christmas Toy Sale at Fitzroy was held with six sessions providing 180 families with the opportunity to buy toys for 560 children  [12]

 

Older People 

Extensions to Keble Court commenced, adding 12 flats. [13][]

 

A printing industry was established at St Laurence Park, Lara, with residents printing such things as envelopes and circulars for the Brotherhood. The aim was to provide creative activity for the residents to fill in their leisure hours and both women and men were involved.   [14]

 

Organisational aspects (BSL) 

Janet Paterson, BSL's Senior Social Worker, became the BSL's first Director of Research & Social Action [15]

 

A block of land was purchased in Palmer Street, Fitzroy.  "This adjoins the existing Brotherhood land and so lends itself to future expansion.  At present it is in use as a car park for the Brotherhood vehicles." [16]

 

Service summary at 1965 - the Brotherhood of St Laurence provided:

  • Independence, security and activities for 220 elderly residents at its housing centres
  • Professional nursing care for 20 frail old people at Carinya
  • Professional social workers to counsel and assist some 800 families each year
  • An after-school leisure centre for 50 children in Fitzroy
  • The Coolibah Club for 150 age pensioners
  • Holidays for 150 elderly or handicapped people each year at its holiday home ("Morven")
  • A Youth Club for 150 young people
  • A program of research into community problems
  • Avalon conference centre at Lara  [17][] 

 

Presentations & Publications 

Wide acceptance and demand led to the reprinting of the report High Rents and Low Incomes: Housing Problems of Low Income Families (Elaine Martin). [18][]

 

Refugees & Settlement 

The European Australian Christian Fellowship (later to become the Ecumenical Migration Centre) moved from the BSL premises to North Carlton (November) [19][]

 

Young People 

Mr Graeme Bull was given leave from his role as supervisor of the Youth Centre to take up the 2-year full-time course for Professional Youth Leaders run by the Victorian Social Welfare Department. [[20][]

 

Informal pre-natal classes were run for several youth club members who were soon to become parents, showing the BSL that much more could be done in the way of helping girls at this stage of their lives.  [21]

 

Fitzroy Police & Citizen's Association decided to re-form their old youth club (closed in 1962-1963), with the BSL’s Youth Department directly involved in the Interim Committee of Management. 

[22]


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Footnotes

  1. The Brotherhood News March 1965 (No.168) p.4 [Future_Work_Social_Service_Bureau_1965-3.pdf]
  2. See the item "Bureau forms special group" in The Brotherhood News September 1966 (no.174) p.5
  3. The Brotherhood News December 1965 (No.171) p.3
  4. David Scott, "Comment on Aborigines", The Brotherhood News March 1965 (No.168) p.2 (no numbering) [Comment_on_Aborigines_1965-3.pdf]
  5. The Brotherhood News September 1965 (No.170) p.1. See "Church group urges Vietnam talks", The Age, 6 July 1965 p.15 8 December 2009.
  6. BSL Annual Report 1964-1965 p.4
  7. The Brotherhood News June 1965 (No.169) p.5
  8. The Brotherhood News June 1965 (No.169) p.5. According to Thelma Tuxen (former Auxiliaries coordinator), this was a tactic used initially by Father Tucker.
  9. The Brotherhood News December 1965 (No.170) p.4
  10. The Brotherhood News December 1965 (No.170) p.5 [BSL_Shop_145BrunswickStreet_1965-12.pdf]. These premises became the home of the Fitzroy & Carlton Community Credit Cooperative in the late 1990s.
  11. "Country Areas Help Brotherhood", The Brotherhood News March 1966 (No.172) p.2
  12. The Brotherhood News December 1966 (no.175) p.2
  13. BSL Annual Report 1964-1965 p.8 "In the selection of tenants from the long waiting list, priority is given to age pensioners who have no other resources. Consideration is also given to applicants who have lived most of their lives in Brunswick or surrounding districts and are anxious to remain in this area. The services charges at Keble Court are: 28/- for a single pensioner receiving the basic pension and the supplementary rent allowance."
  14. "Printing Plant Helps at St. Laurence Park", The Brotherhood News June 1965 (No.169) p.5
  15. BSL Annual Report 1964-1965 p.3 and "Janet Paterson is going away" in Brotherhood Action December 1969 (No.187) p.9. Also Janet Paterson in Catherine Magree (ed.) "Looking forward, looking back: The Brotherhood's role in changing views of poverty" 1993 p.4 (BSL Library 362.506094 BRO)
  16. BSL Annual Report 1964-1965 p.12
  17. Internal BSL history document The Rev G.K. Tucker and the Brotherhood of St Laurence 1965 [Tucker_&_BSL_HistoryDoc_1965.pdf
  18. BSL Annual Report 1964-1965 p.3
  19. The "European Christian Fellowship" was formed in 1961. Michele Langfield "Espresso bar to EMC - A thirty-Year History of the Ecumenical Migration Centre", p.7 (BSL Library 362.840945 LAN)
  20. BSL Annual Report 1964-1965 p.6
  21. The classes were run by Mrs Anne Hollingworth, a physiotherapist specialising in ante- and post-natal care. See The Brotherhood News September 1965 (No.170) p.4
  22. The Brotherhood News June 1965 (No.169) p.4

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