Media coverage - Herald Sun: Owen Craigie warns of gambling pitfalls

Be it horses, trots, greyhounds, poker machines or card games, you name it and former NRL star Owen Craigie used to punt on it. Hardcore.

For 12 years, Craigie wrestled the daily demons of a gambling addiction that ultimately cost him everything that he had earned from playing rugby league.

In total, he lost more than $1.5 million. Houses, relationships, friends, family - Craigie went all in and lost the lot. If ever rugby league needed a reminder about the damage gambling can do, this is it.

Broken to the point where he contemplated suicide, Craigie turned to psychologist Phillip Hilder and Gamblers Anonymous for help.

Slowly, he's confronted his addictive personality and the triggers behind it to the point where he has rebuilt his life to work as a gambling education officer for Mission Australia in Newcastle.

"The topic of gambling in Aboriginal communities is just as big as your drugs, alcohol, domestic violence and your sexual abuse.

"Back in the day, I'd gamble every day. When you've got an addiction and a disease, that's what you do. There's no line, there's no limits; reality is you've got a problem.

Described by Andrew Johns as "the most naturally talented player I played with", Craigie made his NRL debut as a schoolboy aged 16 and won a grand final with Newcastle when he was 18.

During his 10-year, 153-game NRL career with the Knights, the Wests Tigers and South Sydney, he pocketed more than $1.5 million in earnings.

In between training and game days, his life was built around TABs and pubs in Newcastle, Rozelle and Redfern, always chasing the next big collect.

These days, instead of rushing to his local every Saturday to settle in for an afternoon of punting, you will find Craigie preaching the value of education.

As part of Mission Australia's Gambling Smart project, he has travelled to 11 Aboriginal communities in the past eight months and has nine communities still to go.

As far north as Tweed Heads, as far south as Nowra, west to Brewarrina and then in the Sydney suburbs of Redfern, Mt Druitt and Campbelltown, Craigie talks about everything from the stolen generation and alcoholism to the awful habit of sniffing petrol and glue.

Read the full article here

New ACT problem gambling service
Last week Mission Australia officially opened its new office in Canberra from where it is providing the ACT’s nation leading Problem Gambling Support Service, which commenced on 1 July 2011.

This service is an Australian first, with a focus on both preventing gambling problems and supporting those currently experiencing problems.

Clients can access the support service in a number of ways including face-to-face and over the phone. The number is 1800 858 858.

Read more about the launch here

A creative space for young people

Mission Australia’s Clifton Adolescent and Family Support (CAFS) service in Sydney’s north-west is running a free creative group for young people living in the Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai and Ryde areas.

Beginning on 16 August and running every Tuesday for the following six weeks, Something Outta Space is designed to help 12 to 16-year-olds use creative tools to explore pressures like study, body image, family conflict, depression and stress - issues that our 2010 National Survey of Young Australians identified to be of concern to youth.

“The idea with Something Outta Space is that art frees you up from the inside out!” said CAFS Service Manager Nicola Hensler.

“No artistic talent is necessary, but we want local young people – or those with a connection to the area - to bring a willingness to have fun, explore and be themselves.”

The first session starts on 16 August at Level 1, 1 Coronation Street, Hornsby, and runs from 4pm to 6pm. To book please call (02) 9482 1366 and ask for our Youth Support Worker, Laura Glasby.

CAFS is an early intervention service that works holistically with young people in the city’s north-west aged who are aged from 12 to 24, as well as with their families or carers and existing services, to bring about positive change in their young lives.

Further reading:

• 'New program tackles top concern from our Youth Survey'
• Click the image below to view the Something Outta Space brochure

Former refugee proud to help new arrivals

Refugee Week is a celebration of the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.

Since the end of World War II, more than 750,000 refugees and others in humanitarian need have been resettled in Australia – among them Minoo Jizan.

A member of the Mandean community, Ms Jizan left Iran 10 years ago and moved to Sydney with her family. Keen to adapt to her adopted homeland and build a new life, she spent her first years in Australia improving her English language skills.

“I remember how hard it was for me and my family to live in Australia because we did not know English and especially Australian life,” she recalls.

“I tried hard to learn English – I would read newspapers, watch TV, have lots of conversations with people and practise by writing shopping lists and letters…. I was never embarrassed to ask questions and I that helped me succeed.”

Ms Jizan is now a volunteer tutor with Mission Australia’s Home Tutor Scheme and Enhancement Program in Sydney. As part of her role, she visits students’ homes once a week and tutors them in English and also provides information about community services that can assist the resettlement process.

"I would really like to thank the Home Tutor Scheme for giving me this opportunity and allowing me to make life easier for migrants and refugees,” Ms Jizan said. “It’s also made me more interested in learning other languages like Arabic, and Afghani, which makes it easier for me to communicate with learners.”

Mission Australia Team Leader Mina Zolfaghari said approximately a third of the Home Tutor Scheme’s students were refugees, mainly from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last year 80 per cent of people who participated in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship program in the west and south-west of Sydney were women, and the dominant first language was Arabic.

“It’s so rewarding to see former refugees like Minoo giving a helping hand to others who are trying to establish a new life in Australia,” Ms Zolfaghari said.

As of 1 July, Mission Australia will recruit and train volunteer Home Tutors to teach English in the following regions of Sydney: Blacktown, the Outer West, Central West, Fairfield/Cabramatta, inner Sydney (including the CBD), eastern and southern Sydney, Inner West, Canterbury/Bankstown and Liverpool.

For more information please call (02) 9635 1543 or email zolfagharim@missionaustralia.com.au

Taste of Reconciliation dinner

Mission Australia kicked off Reconciliation Week last Wednesday, with our second annual Taste of Reconciliation dinner, held at the Sofitel Melbourne.

The night provided a chance for Melbourne's business community to celebrate Aboriginal culture, discuss ways to provide real opportunities for Aboriginal Australians and sample the native flavours of Charcoal Lane – our social enterprise restaurant in Fitzroy.

The event, held on the eve of Reconciliation Week was a huge success, attracting over 250 attendees including Elders and members of Victoria's Aboriginal community and leaders from government, corporate and not-for-profit sectors.

Throughout the evening guests heard from Hon Minister Jeanette Powell, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and Stephen Roberts, Chief Country Officer and CEO Institutional Clients Group, Citi Australia and New Zealand, who provided keynote speeches.

In addition, Rueben Berg from Aboriginal Affairs Victoria coordinated a 'Thought Leaders' panel, which included a speech from Toby Hall, CEO of Mission Australia.

Guests were also entertained during the event by the music of James Williams, CEO of 3KnD Radio – Melbourne’s first Indigenous radio station.

Mission Australia would like to thank the Victoria Government (Aboriginal Affairs Victoria), Reconciliation Australia, Sofitel Melbourne, Accor, Citi and Red Letter Management.

Mission Australia encourages all its supporters, staff and volunteers to participate in this important week by taking part in activities in your community or simply reflecting on what this week is all about.

Visit Mission Australia's Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island resources page for our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), the latest indigenous news, current affairs and policy updates.

Further reading:

• Previous MA news - Charcoal Lane
• Previous MA news - Reconciliation

Reconciliation Week

Today is National Sorry Day, which heralds the start of Reconciliation Week. This year’s theme is recognition.

Reconciliation Australia wants us to think about what it means to feel recognised, and how valuable that is for our self-esteem and our ability to recognise the best in others.

Recognition is important to all of us, of course. It is crucial for Indigenous Australians, whose existence and rights as traditional owners have been overlooked in history – and who continue to struggle for justice and equality today.

As the first Australian charity to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan, this is a topic close to our heart as an organisation and this vital national conversation will help us create a fairer Australia for all.

The theme of recognition is also timely. The Federal Government recently established a panel to consider amending the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within it, and we may all have the chance to vote in a referendum on this issue in the near future.

Mission Australia kicked off Reconciliation Week last night with our second annual Taste of Reconciliation dinner, held at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins. The night provided a chance for Melbourne's business community to celebrate Aboriginal culture, discuss ways to provide real opportunities for Aboriginal Australians and sample the native flavours of Charcoal Lane - our social enterprise restaurant in Fitzroy.

Mission Australia encourages all its supporters, staff and volunteers to participate in this important week by taking part in activities in your community or simply reflecting on what this week is all about.

Further reading:

• Previous MA news - Charcoal Lane
• Previous MA news - Reconciliation
  

Mission Australia wins PwC Transparency Award

Mission Australia’s high standard of reporting and public accountability was recognised with a prestigious PwC Transparency Award (in the greater than $20m revenue category) at an event in Sydney last night.

It is the first time Mission Australia has won the award for the quality and transparency of reporting in the not-for-profit (NFP) sector.

CEO Toby Hall, said the award was welcome recognition for the organisation’s long-term efforts in this area.

“Over the last few years there’s been a debate in Australia – and rightfully so – about the need for the NFP sector to increase its levels of transparency and accountability,” Mr Hall said. “Mission Australia has been fully committed to that process, across the organisation but in particular through its reporting. This award is very welcome recognition of that commitment.

“There’s no question that the public is increasingly cynical about charities and the NFP sector’s use of grants and donations. To combat that it’s our responsibility to provide evidence we are prudent and responsible managers of the funds we receive from governments, corporate partners and the donating public,” he added.

“The NFP sector contributes $43 billion to the country’s GDP, it’s only right and proper that across the board we lift our efforts. Without greater transparency it’s the NFP sector itself – and ultimately the causes and issues it represents – that will ultimately be the losers. If the public doubts the accountability of charities, they’ll donate less.”

This year the awards were expanded to encourage participation by a wider breadth of organisations. Camp Quality won the PwC Transparency Award in the category for organisations with between a $5m to $20m revenue category.

Spokesperson for the Jury, Rupert Myer, who is Chairman of The Myer Family Company Ltd said Mission Australia‘s very comprehensive annual report embodies a high regard for transparency and full disclosure on programs and activities.

“The usefulness of information presented, especially considering the difficulty of explaining such a complex organisation to a wide range of stakeholders, made them the worthy winner of this year‘s PwC Transparency Award in the category for organisations with greater than $20m revenue,” he said.

After receiving the award from Graham Meyer, CEO for the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Mr Hall encouraged other NFPs to create Reconciliation Action Plans to help increase opportunities for Aboriginal Australians.

The Jury was presented with a shortlist containing three worthy and diverse finalists in each category – and the final decisions were very close.

Oxfam and Opportunity International were the runners-up in their respective categories, while Plan International won the Most Improved Award.

Now in their fourth year, the PwC Transparency Awards are undertaken in collaboration with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (the Institute) and the Centre for Social Impact (CSI)

Last night the CSI’s Peter Shergold said the need for strong disclosure was becoming increasingly important:

“As NFPs focus increasingly on measuring the social impact of their activities, and as new forms of social enterprise develop, the need for a strong disclosure regime becomes more vital,” he said.

“Government funders, philanthropists and social investors now expect that the financial performance, governance arrangements and risk management strategy of NFPs will be reported in a transparent manner.”

Above photo (L to R):  Mr Shergold, Mr Meyer, Mr Hall, Tim Morris-Smith (CFO for MA), Rick Millen (PwC Foundation) and Mr Myer

Find out more about the awards here.

You can view Mission Australia’s Annual Report 2010 here.

Visit Mission Australia's Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island resources page for our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), the latest indigenous news, current affairs and policy updates.

Media release: Good business can be a laughing matter

Any comedian will tell you comedy can be hard work. Adelaide’s Ben Darsow found a novel way to make it a bit easier.

The up-and-coming stand-up comedian from Plympton honed both his business and his performance skills with support from Mission Australia’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)* and started 2011 with a diary booked solid through to June.

“The program made it clear to me that developing as a performer and managing the business side of being a performer were very different tasks and reinforced the importance of focussing attention on both of them,” he said.

“It was a real transition phase. I moved from performing as a hobby for pocket money to being able to sustain a new mortgage and a suitable lifestyle solely off being a professional stand-up comedian.

“The mentoring and interaction with other fresh business owners really helped me with my marketing, admin and decision making about my professional direction and I feel worlds ahead of where I was 12 months ago.”

Immediately after completing the program Ben was able to quit his casual job and start a new work schedule that will include performances at this year’s Adelaide Fringe (his show, ‘No Such Thing as Normal,’ will be performed at Sugar nightclub on Rundle Streeet, Adelaide).

“Given the idea of the program is to help people progress past needing other sources of income that was uncannily fitting,” he said.

NEIS is funded by the Australian Government to help job seekers successfully set up their own small businesses. Participants receive payments for a year, are assigned a mentor and assisted to develop management skills and a business plan.

“It is one of the most successful labour market programs in Australia because it teaches people to avoid the pitfalls that cause so many new small businesses to fail in the first year,” said Mission Australia’s Warren Silverston.

“Most people don’t think of someone in the creative or performing arts when they think of successful small businesses but the arts add millions of dollars to the Australian economy every year and employ thousands of people.

“There’s no reason people with a creative gift like Ben’s can’t learn to turn their passion into a livelihood. NEIS’s role was to provide the support, guidance and expertise to assist them to make a go of it and channel their talent in a targeted and professional way.”

Reviews suggest Ben has the comedy skills to match his new business prowess. He’s been called “a genuinely funny bugger” (The Advertiser) and his material has been labelled as “hilarious and self deprecating; comedy gold” (Melbourne International Comedy Festival).

For more information, please contact Renae Sullivan at Rann Communication on (08) 8211 7771 or visit Ben’s website at www.bendarsow.com; or ring Ben on 0417 875 043.

*Mission Australia’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) is funded by the Australian Government to help job seekers set up their own successful small businesses. Around 900 people participate in NEIS through Mission Australia every year in every state and territory

Early Christmas cheer for Sydney's homeless community

Christmas will arrive a little earlier for around 100 homeless and disadvantaged Sydneysiders this year when AGL throws its annual Christmas lunch at the Mission Australia Centre today.

Volunteers from AGL – including CEO, Michael Fraser – will put on a well-deserved Christmas lunch with all the trimmings for those doing it tough living in Sydney’s inner city. From catering through to gifts, and even providing the entertainment, AGL volunteers will unleash their Christmas cheer to celebrate the festive season.

With the event now in its seventh year Michael Fraser said AGL and its staff were committed to making a difference in disadvantaged communities using a combination of their expertise and enthusiasm.

“It’s been a tough year but none more so for the individuals who’ll be sharing this Christmas event with us. It’s one of the high points of our year to spend time at the Mission Australia Centre and it brings home the real meaning of Christmas to everyone involved,” he said.

“AGL is a close partner of Mission Australia’s and we sincerely welcome the commitment and contribution of its staff,” said Mission Australia’s CEO, Toby Hall.

“This is a great example of the way corporates can help strengthen communities.”

The first service of its kind built in Australia, the Mission Australia Centre (MAC) moves beyond traditional crisis accommodation to meet the needs of a new generation of homeless people.

Rather than the short-term and 'one-size fits all' approach often associated with crisis shelters, the MAC specialises its care, encourages independent living, allows clients stays of up to three months and offers a range of services (eg: dental, GP, education, computer skills, counselling, employment) to help people back on their feet long-term.