1963


 

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Children & Families 

A property adjoining the Brotherhood offices in Brunswick Street was purchased to give children an "adventure playground" as well as the Creative Leisure Centre (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.8).

 

For the first time and in conjunction with the Wangaratta Apex Club the BSL youth leaders organised a camp for boys from the inner suburbs at the Wangaratta Apex Club's camp at the Oxley Reserve, 10 miles from Wangaratta (Brotherhood Action, March 1972 (No.196) p.3).

 

Increasing requests for the Brotherhood to provide holidays for children resulted in needing to supplement the Leisure Centre camps with a number of private placements.  "The question of holiday care for children of working mothers has never really been faced by us or any other agency in Melbourne, as the camps and the day centres only offer limited help. … It is interesting that the Brotherhood is seen as providing this stop-gap service, and we have had requests from many of the public hospitals and from clinics of the Mental Hygiene Department." (BSL 1964, Annual Report, p.6)

 

Community Issues 

BSL staff who formed a CAA Group supported two CAA projects with their contributions plus donations made to the BSL for CAA.  They contributed towards a tractor for the farm of a leprosy rehabilitation colony and financed two travel grants for young Australians to live and work in youth work in India (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.20).

 

In October 1963, the BSL was part of an interim committee that produced a draft proposal for "An Agency For Homeless Men", comprising of: Melbourne City Council; Criminology Department of Melbourne University; Independent Church; Central Methodist Mission; Brotherhood of St Laurence; Alexander Clinic; Presbyterian Scots Church Mission; Red Cross Social Work Service; Society of St Vincent de Paul; Alcoholism Foundation; Melbourne City Mission; Citizens Welfare Service; Victorian Council of Social Services, Victorian Employers Federation ((Middendorp C 2006, Hanover : an overview 1964-2004).

 

The document was written up by Connie Benn of the Citizens Welfare Service of Victoria. The objective was to humanize and improve the effectiveness of services to the homeless with a real sense of specialization. The proposal was accepted and the interim committee swiftly became a committee of management.  Hanover Street in Fitzroy provided a name for the fledgling agency along with a venue. A building at number 85 was kindly provided by the Methodist Combined Mission. In December 1963, money was found to employ Alan Jordan as the centre’s social worker (a wage of £1,400 per annum). Financial support came from the Brotherhood of St Laurence, North Melbourne Mission, Central Mission, Collins Street Independent Church and the Methodist Combined Mission – a total of £4,000. The Hanover Centre would be operational from 1 January 1964 (Middendorp C 2006, Hanover : an overview 1964-2004, p.4-5).

 

Fundraising & Resources 

Formation of the 23rd Brotherhood Auxiliary, a country group at Harrietville.

 

Miss Rawlins, the Auxiliary Organiser and broadcaster for seven years, retired (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.26).

 

1963 - Fete of Brotherhood of St Laurence Auxiliary Parkdale at the Parkdale Life Saving Club.
Pipe Major Glenn Dudley, Father Christmas and Drum Sergeant Sandy Gardiner.
Source: Leader Collection

 

Material & Financial support 

A record amount of financial aid and grocery orders was given out through the Social Service Bureau (£4,597), in part because "Victoria remains the only State that does not accept responsibility for helping people immediately their earnings cease and the Voluntary Agencies are expected to carry this burden.  Of 896 cases seen in the Bureau during the year, 213 were waiting Social Service benefits". The record amount of £4,597 contrasts, for example, with the amount of £2,887 given in 1960-1961. (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.13)

 

Christmas toy sale idea "is gladly accepted by our families and will be a regular part of Christmas, completely replacing toy parcels except for country people".  Seven sales held in 1963 were attended by 250 families compared with 170 families in 1962 (BSL 1964, Annual Report, p.5).

 

The Victorian Government introduced Emergency Relief, administered by the Social Welfare Department.  Until November 1963, Victoria had been the only State failing to recognise a family’s right to official help in an emergency.  However, the amount of relief per family per year was limited to £10 (where rent could be £7/10/- per week).  Consequently, agencies still had a major burden to carry (The Brotherhood News, March 1964 (No.164) p.5BSL 1964, Annual Report, p.5).

 

Older People 

Carinya "hospital for frail aged" at Box Hill opened.

 

Organisational aspects (BSL) 

 

BSL Annual Report 1964

 

Elaine Martin joined the BSL as the first social worker appointed in a research capacity and begins work on a major study of the housing problem of low income families.  The aim of the study was "to give a qualitative picture of the kinds of accommodation which some families are obliged to occupy, the choice available to them, the effect of living in overcrowded, obsolete housing, and the impact of high rents" (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.7).

"More than 100 families have been interviewed, and information has also been obtained from estate agents, Government agencies and other social welfare organisation.  The sample group of families includes some deserted wives who face special problems. The second stage of the study is a consideration of the Commonwealth and Victorian policy relation to low-income families and will include a number of recommendations which will emerge from the research project." (Magree C (ed.) 1993, Looking forward, looking back, p.13).

 

Social Worker Vivienne McCutcheon, in a part-time position, undertook "a brief survey of Fitzroy, the nature of its population and its welfare services … to provide some factual guidance" to the Brotherhood in planning for the development of its own services (since the planning needs to be closely related to what goes on in the immediate environment) (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.14).

 

Figures collected by the Social Service Bureau from March-August 1963 show that Fitzroy is the single suburb from which the largest group of clients come, but the BSL is also reaching many in the outer Eastern suburbs (eg Canterbury, Blackburn, Jordanville etc) and in the new northern housing areas (e.g Preston, Reservoir) (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.14).

 

An occupational therapist, Margaret Woodhouse, appointed to the Coolibah staff in February, worked on a report dealing with all aspects of need in the Coolibah and the local community (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.18).

 

Publications

 

Young People 

Work parties from the Youth Centre assisted in cleaning up a property at Bunyip to be used for weekend camps (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.10).

 

Community Service Groups helped with maintenance and developmental work. Teams came from Melbourne, Caulfield and Brighton Grammar Schools, Wesley College, Haileybury College, the Young Anglican Fellowship of St Oswald's, Glen Iris, and the Powerhouse auxiliary (BSL 1963, Annual Report, p.20, 30-1).