Report From the Field
Several Perth Co-Counsellors have been there (in my country towns) ahead of me -- Rod Mitchell was teaching fundamentals to Aboriginal students in Kalgoorlie when I visited my Quaker/Aboriginal friends who also want to learn more. Marg Fay is living and working in Esperence for a year, and people are noticing and wanting to know more about this 'older and bolder' woman. We may be able to run parents' groups at the much-underused community centre. She's in a good position to meet and influence the people who will take the RC theory and run with it, and I hope to be able to support her from regular visits from outside and occasional weekend workshops.
I've almost decided to spend the next year in and around Denmark with weekly visits to Albany and regular Kalgoorlie, Esperence, and Dannuys/Bridgetown rounds. Having a base helps with ongoing community building in these two places, and I plan to just make the rounds of the people I know as well as the many I'll meet. Giving a Community leader an intensive seems to work well, if only in the closeness/support area. From what I've observed, it helps a leader hang in there while the initial interest wears off and they decide whether to become serious about changing their lives. Also, I find people enjoy it very much if we use it as a time to introduce new methods of counselling, e.g. 'How good are you?' or 'Why do you love me?' and I counsel the counsellor. The multiplied attention of the whole day makes for an encouraging level of discharge. I've asked others to report back on their experiences of having one.
Margaret Whittle
Youngs Siding, Western Australia, Australia