Teressa Visits the Australian Red Cross

Thursday, March 20, 2014 – 6:15 p.m. Mt. Waverly time

By Teressa Jackson

Today, I had my final vocational day at the Australian Red Cross. I spent the morning in “Induction”, which we would call New Hire Orientation at home. It was interesting to hear about some of the human resources aspects of a not-for-profit organization in another country. Like our orientation at Rauch, theirs runs over the course of three days. The staff was very nice and welcoming to me, and interested to hear about my organization and my trip.

In an interesting connection, Chris, Red Cross’ Human Resources Director, was actually on a GSE trip to Denmark 27 years ago. I really enjoyed his perspective as he thanked the employees for making the “conscious decision” to work at the organization. He stated that an average person works at the agency for three years, and their average salary is $60,000 – so they see each person as a $180,000 investment and want to make that investment as meaningful as possible for all parties.

I enjoyed learning about some of the benefits offered to the Red Cross’ 3,000 staff. Just a few include:

• Study leave (they receive up to 10 days off for studying/coursework).
• 4 weeks holiday leave, and can “purchase” up to an additional 4 weeks.
• Up to a year of parental leave, with six weeks of that time paid for employees who have been there for a year or more.
• 10 days carers leave.
• Up to $16,050 of their salary can be used to pay for expenses such as a home loan, health insurance, and a car before tax.
• At the Red Cross’ discretion, employees may receive “Recognition Leave” at the holidays, where they will get extra time off at no cost to them. 

I later met with Bev Patterson, the National Training & Resources Coordinator of International Humanitarian Law. Bev explained the Red Cross' role in helping to ensure that parties abide by the Geneva Conventions, and I really enjoyed her passion for her work. She also made a great effort to try to guess Indiana's location correctly, including drawing me a rather impressive map. 

The Australian Red Cross has a budget of around one billion dollars. Half of that is a government contract for blood services, and the other half supports humanitarian services. Fundraising supplements the humanitarian services budget, and their 50 marketing, fundraising, and communications (MF&C) staff raise around $70 million in philanthropic dollars yearly. I was interested to learn that their MF&C department includes a division devoted to business improvement and benchmarking.

Tomorrow, I head to Bendigo for the Rotary District Conference, my grand finale prior to heading back to the homeland. 

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Around the Bay in a Day

Thursday, March 20, 2014 – 5:45 p.m. Mt. Waverly time

By Teressa Jackson

Wednesday’s program was a trip “Around the Bay in a Day”. We began our journey with a trip down the highway to Geelong. In Geelong, we enjoyed the scenery of the waterfront while munching on some biscuits (cookies), blueberry muffins, and coffee. I was especially taken by the charm of the Baywalk Bollards, which were created by local artist Jan Mitchell. The painted sculptures represent local history and identities.

After Geelong, we continued our journey to Queenscliff, where we grabbed a portable lunch from Rolling Pin Bakery, home of “Australia’s Best Pies”. I enjoyed a vegetarian pastie that was filled with a spiced mix of potatoes, carrots, and celery; and a Bundaberg ginger beer. Armed with our fortifications, our group boarded the Queenscliff-Sorrento Ferry for a 40-minute cruise from the Bellarine Peninsula to the Mornington Peninsula. Although they are often seen on this trip, the dolphins were apparently engaged elsewhere. It was still a lovely way to spend a lunch hour, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

We disembarked at Sorrento and drove through the lively and beautiful town to a gorgeous beach area. I couldn’t resist feeling some sand between my toes, and got a bit of a surprise when the powerful surf splashed me. It was well worth it, though. After a brief time there, we drove to Fort Nepean, where we took a short hike to another beautiful beach.

Before heading back to the city, we headed up to the highest peak on the peninsula, Arthur’s Seat. There were some spectacular views, and some haze… that turned out to be one of Australia’s pesky fires. We never learned the source, but certainly smelled it!

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The Glen & Wellington Secondary College

Thursday, March 20, 2014 – 5:35 p.m. Mt. Waverly time

By Teressa Jackson

We began our day with a visit to The Glen Shopping Centre on Tuesday. For the most part, shopping malls here look quite similar to their American counterparts, with one notable exception – they almost always feature a grocery store. The Australians have told me that no one would visit them if they didn’t.

After The Glen, we visited Wellington Secondary College, which we would call a middle/high school. J Wellington is predominantly populated by Australian students of Asian descent. They also attract a number of foreign students from countries like China, who pay the public school for the opportunity to attend. I thought this was an interesting concept. We saw students in a variety of settings, including a cooking class (making sushi) and what we would call wood shop class.

Our fourth and final team presentation before the conference was well attended, with just under 100 present. In a different fashion from other presentations we have given, we were seated with the District Governor, Merv Ericson. We enjoyed the opportunity to chat with Merv, as well as the other Rotarians present. I was also pleased to have the familiar faces of two of my host families present – Warren and Noela and Gordon and Sandra.

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Wesley College & National Gardens Cranbourne

Thursday, March 20, 2014 – 5:20 p.m. Mt. Waverly time

By Teressa Jackson

Our day on Monday began at Wesley College, a private school serving students in kindergarten (our preschool) through grade 12. Wesley has beautiful grounds, and we were able to hear about their reforms in their watering and planting programs to cope with the drought. Their grounds manager had studied at Ohio State University and had many kind words about the hospitality our country showed toward him during his time there.

We also learned about Wesley’s program to reach out to theindigenous community. They have an affiliated school in Western Australia where indigenous children can receive an education. As part of this program, they can also spend a portion of the year in Melbourne on the main campus. Students from the Melbourne area can also visit the indigenous school for a time.

After Wesley, we visited the National Gardens at Cranbourne. The gardens were presented in a very artful manner, and in a few years I’m sure they will be spectacular, as the park is still relatively new. We enjoyed a ride on the “people mover” and then a walk through the gardens and up to a lookout area. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

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A Relaxing Weekend for Teressa

Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 12:30 p.m. Melbourne time (on the road to Mt. Waverly)

By Teressa Jackson

Saturday morning, I awakened early and packed my bags to head for my fourth and final home stay. John and Claire drove me to Mt. Waverly to the home of Sandra and Gordon Pyke. Upon arrival, I said my goodbyes to my lovely hosts and then packed a small bag as we were headed to Queenscliff for the weekend. Queenscliff is located south of Geelong, and is full of lovely Victorian architecture and quaint shops.

We dropped our things off at Gordon and Sandra’s beach house, then had a delightful lunch in a café overlooking the water. Feeling rejuvenated, we walked to the top of an overlook, did some shopping in town, walked around a lighthouse area, and toured the historic Fort Queenscliff that once guarded the entrance to Melbourne’s bay. We had some very strong winds and a bit of rain, but it was still a fun afternoon.

After a rest in the beach house, we headed back our for a delicious dinner at the Queenscliff Inn. I drank a local Queenscliff Ale, and my mushroom ravioli were buttery and delightful. Sated, we put our comfy clothes on and watched a classic Australian comedy, The Castle. It was quite funny, and reminded me a bit of National Lampoon’s Vacation meets Napoleon Dynamite.

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Teressa & Tonya Visit Melba Support Services & Wesley Fire and Clay

Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 12:10 p.m. Australia time (on Prince’s Highway to Mt. Waverly)

By Teressa Jackson

Thursday afternoon, Tonya, Margie, and I visited Melba Support Services. The familiar story of parents in pursuit of services was part of Melba’s history as well. The 40-year-old organization serves adults with physical and/or intellectual disabilities and/or autism. They were the first organization in Australia accredited in Person-Centered Excellence, and are very focused on the individual wants and needs of their clientele.

Melba has a variety of programs, including group and individual day services and community living. They created a bakery that sells its goods by the name of Able Bakehouse. Selling just 18 packs of their delicious treats a week pays for the service (we got treated to them, and they were wonderful!), and 45-50 participants are involved in its operation in some way, from chopping to mixing to baking to packaging to selling.

As we’ve seen over and over, Melba is heavily reliant on volunteer support, and most of their 265 workers are part-time or casual (what we’d call PRN), with full-time workers being a small minority. Sixty volunteers are regularly involved in agency programming, and are led by a full-time volunteer coordinator. 

Our last vocational stop on Thursday was at Wesley Fire & Clay. The operation employs adults with disabilities in ceramics-related work. They formerly focused primarily on utilitarian ceramics such as tiles, but have moved on to more artistic endeavors. Participants make beautiful birdbaths, painted decorative objects, and other items. The program is seen as a path to open employment at other venues, but many participants enjoy working there long-term. Tonya and I were excited to see all the beautiful work they were doing, and couldn’t help but make a few purchases to take home with us.

Margi then took us for a special treat to visit Yarra Valley Chocolaterie. This amazing facility produces some beautiful and delicious chocolates, and we couldn’t resist making a few purchases there as well. After the hard work of decision making, we refreshed ourselves with some honeycomb ice cream on the veranda.

I arrived home at 6 p.m., but my day was far from over. I freshened up and we headed back up the mountain to John’s wine club dinner, where around sixty people feasted on a delectable five courses of food and wine pairings. The kitchen was incredibly attentive to the request for my vegetarian meal, and I enjoyed myself fully. We had great conversation, and many people went out of their way to talk to the American woman. J I did receive a bit of teasing from one attendee who had never been to America and insisted that it was impossible that I didn’t drive a pickup truck or own a “big puffer coat”. We didn’t arrive home until midnight, and I was to leave for a new home at 8:30 a.m. What a day and night!

Teressa & Tonya Visit EACH & Knoxbrooke, Inc.

Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 11:50 a.m. Geelong time (on the road to Mt. Waverly)

By Teressa Jackson

Tonya and I spent a vocational day together on Friday. We began our day at Eastern Access Community Health (EACH), a not-for-profit providing care to a variety of constituents including early intervention and kindergarten (preschool) for children; drug and alcohol, financial, gambling, and bush fire recovery counseling; employment placement for people with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, and much more.

Through mergers, EACH has grown substantially over the past several years, to a budget size of around $45 million today. Like most of the disability services we’ve visited, they are transitioning to Individual Support Packages (ISPs) focused on providing more choice for participants in directing their care.

After EACH, Russell, our morning driver, took us to Knoxbrooke, Inc., where Margi, our afternoon host, was waiting. Knoxbrooke has a variety of services, and the site we visited provides employment for 85 individuals with disabilities and 36 non-disabled staff in the setting of a nursery and gardening center. They have a large commercial operation with 200 customers and a sales team that works to connect the program with national buyers.

Individuals with disabilities who work at Knoxbrooke are paid a productivity-based wage based on an assessment done by the Commonwealth (federal government). The average productivity rate of an employee is 25%, and individuals can earn around $180 per week before they begin to put their other disability benefits in jeopardy. Most individuals with disabilities work around 18 hours per week. In addition to employment, participants receive training on horticulture. 

The weather has had a drastic impact on Knoxbrooke’s horticulture operation, but thankfully they have been able to increase sales by 32% over last year. Overall, their budget is around 30% government and 70% commercial.

Like Rauch and New Hope Services, Knoxbrooke was begun by parents of children with disabilities, and has grown from there. As a smaller size organization, operations have become increasingly difficult in recent years, and they have persevered as many agencies have merged and consolidated.

I especially enjoyed a bit of teasing I witnessed between the horticulture program director and a participant. The participant was looking forward to the impending start of the Australian Rules Football season, and the two were obviously cheering for opposing teams. It was an interaction I have witnessed at my place of employment so many times, the only difference being the sport. We truly are more similar than we are different.