Table Of Contents

• Reunification Travel: "We'll Meet Again"
• Goodbye to Paul Carman
• A Christmas Family Reunion

 

Reunification Travel "...We'll Meet Again..." Ninety percent of former child migrants who have been assisted by C-BERSS to make a reunifcation trip to their country of origin, continue to keep in touch with their overseas family by letter and/or by phone once they return to Australia. C-BERSS Manager/Clinical Co-ordinator Zish Ziembinski says the high level of family contact maintained by former child migrants is one of the most gratifying findings of a survey recently conducted on the C-BERSS reunification service. About 50% of the 136 men who have so far been assisted by C-BERSS to make the trip back to the country in which they were born took the opportunity to feed back their impressions by responding to the survey. Most (or 84%) reported that they were "very pleased" to have undertaken their reunification trip and 80% felt they were "very well" prepared by C-BERSS beforehand. Mr Ziembinski says the survey results clearly show that the majority of C-BERSS clients not only very much appreciate and benefit from their reunification experience but that they are also very satisfied by the service offered by the staff of C-BERSS to help them prepare for meeting up with their family again. "Family reunification is both a difficult and sensitive process and that is why we encourage clients to come and discuss their preparation strategies with us beforehand. Clients consistently assess our staff's contribution in helping them prepare as being very positive." In helping former child migrants to prepare for their trip back to their country of origin, some of the things the men said they appreciated were: the provision of accurate information and explanation of what the trip would entail help in establishing contact with family before the trip help with practical issues (passports, car hire etc.) Reinification Travel Tips from Former Child Migrants: Make sure you're well prepared practically and emotionally before you go Establish your channels of communication before you leave and make sure you have a contact/base at your destination Talk through the issues at length and get support of your partner Be prepared for the unexpected (including the possibilities of a negative reception) Taking along gifts and souvenirs is a good way of breaking the ice So Near and Yet So Far You don't have to have been born overseas to lose contact with your family of origin, as Australian-born ex-resident Chris Caldwell (Castledare and Tardun) can testify. He is pictures above with his sister Gloria at their reunification in Tasmania. Read the full story here...

 

 

 

Goodbye and Thank You to Paul Carman We are sorry to see Paul Carman leave the Management Committee of C-BERS Services. Paul has made a significant contribution to the establishment of C-BERSS and has been a compassionate advocate for the ex-residents. He wrote the following message for inclusion in C-BERSS Ex-Press. "It is with considerable regret that, after a period of five years with C-BERSS and its predecessor ISERV, I will shortly be ceasing my involvement in the Management Committee. I have been privileged in assisting the development of a group of professionals who provide a broad range of services to a large number of ex-residents of Christian Brothers institutions and more recently to former students. Whilst I had some knowledge of the problems child migration to Australia had produced, I, like my other colleagues in C-BERS Services, have been terribly moved by the plight that so many ex-residents have faced. The development of services in an environment in which there are many differing voices has been a tremedous challenge to C-BERSS and one which, on feedback, is being met and will continue to be met. I believe one of the great strengths of the service is its total commitment to promoting and supporting the men who take advantage of its services and its ability to offer practical support and help to them. The recent reviews of services, whilst indicating areas that we need to develop have reassured me that C-BERSS remains a responsive and dynamic service capable of meeting the changing needs of the men it has been charged to serve. I believe that the service will continue with the duty entrusted to it which is to provide a financially accountable, but independent service dedicated to assisting men whose lives have been, in many cases, adversely affected by a range of experiences that have occurred in childhood. I could not end this without a sincere expression of thanks to the administrative and counselling staff of C-BERSS. I have the utmost respect for their professional commitment and clear sightedness. I have learnt a tremendous deal from my colleagues in the Management Committee, particularly Maria Harries, who has the rare ability to organise a professional service which is at all times ethically focused and equitable in its activities. I am indebted to my colleagues, Debra Rosser and David Plowman, and acknowledge their great contribution to the service. Finally, I must commend the leadership of the Holy Spirit Congregation of Christian Brothers for the commitment and trust that has allowed C-BERSS to fulfil its role in assisting and supporting ex-residents and former students." Paul Carman

 

 

 

A Christmas Family Reunion For Australian born ex-resident Chris Caldwell (Castledare and Tardun) In 1994, Chris Caldwell decided it was time to follow his "long cherished" dream of finding and establishing connection with members of his family of origin. "I had such a strong curiosity and very strong desire to meet each of them face to face." November 1994 was a turning point in Chris Caldwell's life. It was, in his words, "a time to do a stocktake of my life" - to reassess and map out future directions. The previous decade had been marked by many changes both in his work situation and in his private life including a divorce. Putting together the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle From the time he left Tardun, Chris had had sporadic contact with his mother who lived in Bayswater. Six years ago he decided to establish a more consistent relationship with her. It was via this resumption of a relationship with his mother that he gradually started to put together the jigsaw pieces of his family's history. There was Bonnie, the second eldest sibling who lived in Osborne Park and had a kiosk at Perth Railway Station. He located her ten years ago. There was also a younger sister, Joyce, who had been a resident at St Joseph's Orphanage with whom he had an ongoing connection. The other siblings were flung throughout different cities and states in Australia. The Journey Begins On the 19th May 1996, he set off on a journey, which was to span 21 months - one that married his twin intentions of finding his family and exploring his country of birth - Australia. Hitching a caravan to his van he set out for his port of call, Kalgoorlie. There he met up with a brother, Stan and his wife Margaret. Stan had worked for many years as a signalman for the railways. Initially Stan appeared apprehensive about meeting Chris. However after the first meeting, the two stuck an easy rapport. Chris stayed in Kalgoorlie for six weeks before moving on to Leonora where he met up with a cousin who has a fish and chip shop there. From Leonora he took a detour to Esperance where he worked on a cattle property for three months before moving north of Esperance to help a farmer with harvesting for six weeks. Across The Nullarbor It was now time to trek across the Nullabor. On 19th December 1996 he arrived in Gulnare (a town 50kms north of Clare in South Australia). The contact here was the family of a close friend Barry Dillon. He spent Christmas at Gulnare with Barry's family and the following nine months working on a vineyard in Clare. During this period he established telephone contact with two brothers, Maurice who lived in Sydney, and Kevin who had settled in Brisbane. Back to Perth A lull in the work availability in Clare saw Chris fly back to WA to help an old Tardun friend John Hawkins with seeding for a seven-week stint. They worked for 42 days straight before Chris returned to Perth to witness the departure of old female friends and acquaintances from St Joseph's days on their "sentimental journey" back to the UK to meet up with long lost family there, on May 24 1997. The Journey Continues It was now back to Clare and work pruning the vines until September 1997. The next leg of the journey was Victoria. Here Chris met up with another friend from his Tardun days, Michael Travers. A 10-day stopover with Michael with a prelude to exploring country Victoria via Albury-Wodonga to Gundagi. During a month's work on an asparagus farm in Jugiong, a town 40 kms north of Gundagi, he set about trying to locate his sister, the youngest in the family, who was adopted out at birth. Through the agency of the Victorian Adoption Centre he found out that this sister had two teenage sons. He was disappointed that she decided she did not want contact with him or any other members of her birth family, but he respected her choice. The third eldest of the family, Maurice, who lives in the Blue Mountains was delighted to welcome Chris to his home. "They really rolled out the red carpet for me" was the way Chris described the ten days of hospitality he experienced with Maurice and his family. A highlight of the stay was when the two brothers teamed up in a local bowls competition and were runners-up! Chris Caldwell with his elder sister Gloria at their reunion in Tasmania On the Road Again (and Up in the Air) An avid country music lover, Chris travelled from the Blue Mountains in time for the country music festival in Tamworth. Four of the six weeks here saw him engaged in another novel line of work on poultry farms. By the end of January 1997, it was time for Chris to head north to Brisbane to meet up with his eldest brother, Kevin and from there he flew to Tasmania for three days to connect with an elder sister Gloria. The two had met only once, when Chris was four, at St Joseph's Orphanage. He recalls her standing near the pool in bathers and someone telling him that she was his sister. When they met again, Gloria recounted a fleeting memory of him as a sweet small boy with blue eyes and a smiling face. Completion After ten days in Brisbane with Kevin, Chris felt that he had satisfied his aim to meet all the family members it was possible to meet. It was time to head home. He drove back via Tamworth and Clare. In total he had spent 21 months away from Perth - a period that he describes as the most significant in his life. "I'm a more contented person now, I know my family, have on-going contact with each member. I have fulfilled a dream." Since his return Chris has bought the house his mother lived in Bayswater for 35 years. The process of slowly renovating it is a labour of love. "I have a strong sentimental attachment to my mother's home and intend to live there for the rest of my life". A Family Christmas Chris is heading east once again to spend Christmas 1998 with his sister Gloria and brother Kevin in Brisbane. This is the first Christmas in his life that Chris will spend with members of his family of originand he is excited by the prospect.

 

 

 

C-BERS Services is an independent agency, set up in 1995 to provide a broad range of services which may benefit men who previously lived at child-care institutions run by the Christian Brothers of Western Australia. Open weekdays between 8.30am and 4.30pm. Email welcome@cberss.org Web cberss.org Freecall 1800 621 805 Phone +61 [08] 9381 5422 Fax +61 [08] 9382 4114 Address 12 Alvan St, Subiaco WA 6008 Australia Post to PO Box 1172, Subiaco WA 6904, Australia

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This newsletter was created by Chris Nicholson [me@chrisnicholson.org] for C-BERSS [cberss.org]

 

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