This was the sixth breakfast supported by a grant from Australia Post but the 7th in total. There was a big roll-up for breakfast and the first to be sold-out. Eric, Greg and Jennifer did a great job of welcoming the guests. The event was chaired by Mary Errey and moderated by Court Sayer-Roberts. First up was Sue Horan, who spoke about the trauma of losing two much-loved husbands. After Buster’s accident, she found difficulty in accomplishing tasks and getting out. Eventually she forced herself to take on something new (chaser-bin driving) where she met Ken, husband number 2. After two years, however, Ken was diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer and died relatively quickly. Despite being bereft once again, and having some difficult family situations, Sue realised that she needed to accept help from friends and family. She also took on a new challenge (truck driving) and has moved on with her life.  Geraldine Higgins left school in Year 8 (functionally illiterate) and had 3 children by the time she was 21. She has been in a long-term relationship with her children’s father - Eric Ingram. She also now has 10 grandchildren. Although suffering sexual abuse as a child, Geraldine sees herself as a survivor, not a victim. She eventually taught herself to read via speech to text on the mobile phone, became a board member of the Leeton Land Council and now has long term employment at Intereach. She has faced many problems in her life, including bouts of depression but hers was a story of survival. Emma Fisher is a proud social worker and founder of Grow – Social Work Services and Consulting. Grow sprecialises in partnering with organisations, businesses and community groups to enhance health and wellbeing, primarily through informative presentations and workshops. She talked about supporting mental health in the workplace. She led a breathing exercise and led the breathing-bubble game. This was an excellent morning. It was uplifting and focused on overcoming adversity. Court Sayer-Roberts led some very insightful discussions. |
