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CONNEXION A Family and Community
Healing Network Written June 1995. Last Updated Aug, 2014. Connexion has been a functional matrix since the late 1960's. It was first
incorporated and registered in NSW as a not-for-profit benevolent
organisation in the later 1960's under the name Nexus Groups. Later this name
was changed to 'Connexion'. It has mutual support for survivors of
mental illness as a central focus as well as enabling and supporting
psycho-social self-help and mutual-help, especially among Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islanders, Australian South Sea Islanders, other oppressed
small minorities and resonant interculturals. While engaged pervasively in grassroots
self-help and mutual-help, Nexus Groups/Connexion is 'incorporated' for legal
and tax purposes. The group's constitution requires that while people with
'professional' backgrounds can participate, support and be supported, they
can only take a 'resource' role to the Board. They are expressly excluded
from being members of the Board. Connexion has loose informal links with a
number of other functional matrices including, UN-INMA, Mingles, and INMA Nexus. In the early 1970s, Connexion took on the
editing/printing/publishing role for the Aboriginal Human Relations
Newsletter. This publication immerged out of a series of Gatherings, attended by Aboriginals and Torres Strait
Islanders and others. The Gatherings were held at Armidale and Grafton in
North East NSW in the years 1971-1974. They were organised by Dr. Ned Iceton
of the University of New England. Ned was formally a doctor with the outback
Royal Flying Doctor Service which provides medical services to very remote
communities and people. Dr. Neville Yeomans, a psychiatrist, sociologist and
barrister, was the Gatherings' principal process enabler. The theme of these
Gatherings was 'Surviving Well in a Dominant World'. An almost complete collection of copies of
the Aboriginal Human Relations Newsletter from the 1970's has been placed in
the National Library in Canberra. These contain information about upcoming
Gatherings and other happenings, feedback about gatherings, and news and
articles from contributors right around Australia. A central theme of the
articles is information about healing ways and social actions that work. Many of the attendees have gone on to
making significant contributions to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Affairs. Eddy Mabo was one of the attendees. Eddie was instrumental in
getting the land doctrine of 'Terra Nullis' over ruled, hence opening up
legal avenues for Australian Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginals to have
their Native Land Title recognised. Professor Max Kamien wrote of these 1970s Gatherings
in his book, 'The Dark People of Bourke'. He speaks of one Bourke Aboriginal,
upon returning from the first Armidale Gathering, immediately starting up
regular Human Relations workshops modelled closely on that Armidale
Gathering. These Bourke Gatherings were instrumental in creating changes
towards increased wellbeing in the Bourke Aboriginal community. The Book 'Assimilation in Action - The
Armidale Story' by Sociologist Margaret-Ann Franklin, also makes extensive
references to the Armidale human relations Gatherings and their consequences
for the Armidale Aboriginal communities. Connexion also has a focus of providing a
framework for regular self-help gatherings in the Sydney and wider areas for
people to provide mutual support to each other in resolving life challenges. Connexion is one of many energies that can
be traced to the innovating action during the late 1950s at Australia's first
therapeutic community Fraser House. This community
was established as a separate 80 bed residential unit within the North Ryde
Psychiatric Clinic. Dr Yeomans was the founding director and psychiatrist of
Fraser House. The April 9, 1962, Daily Mirror Newspaper
contains an article about Fraser House entitled, 'NSW Lifts the Aboriginals'
Status - Freedom in North Ryde Clinic'. The follow are excerpts from this
article: 'Aboriginals mix freely with the white
patients in a special community unit at the North Ryde Psychiatric Centre.' 'It's the first time in NSW that Aboriginals
have been accepted with equality in a psychiatric unit. They share the same
wards and have the same privileges as the white patients.' 'Five aboriginal patients and one Indian
girl were patients at the centre.' 'Dr Neville Yeomans said, 'We have a plan
to transfer to the centre over a period of time all 50 patients who are now
patients in NSW mental hospitals (ed. - this did take place)." 'One Aboriginal who had been a patient at a
mental hospital for twenty two years had been completely rehabilitated after
a few months at the centre. He was now home with his family. We have found
that these Aboriginals want companionship and equality with white people.' 'At North Ryde, apartheid never raises its
ugly head. Aboriginals join in all activities of the centre. They have their
own beds among the white patients, they do a lot of work around the wards,
organize the discipline of the other patients and are an integral part of the
Centre routine.' Dr. Yeomans had created a process within
Fraser House whereby the residents themselves were the primary change agents.
The residents were involved in committees that could decide on virtually all
aspects relating to the running of the hospital. While staff were also on
committees, the residents always outnumbered them. Yeomans had a power of
veto which he rarely ever used. Refer ‘Self
Governance’ link in the Content list of Chapter Four It was more than a community therapy in
name. 'Community' was the therapy. The Unit was based pervasively on
self-help and mutual-help. This freed up all staff to take on enabling roles.
Yeomans drew upon his Fraser House experience in enabling the Armidale and
Grafton Gatherings. Connexion energy was involved in the NACADA, funded 1992 gathering in Far North Queensland
called, 'Developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Drug and Substance
Abuse Therapeutic Communities'. Connexion also supported the 1994, Small Island, Coastal and Estuarine People Gathering Celebration
which was funded by UNHRC in Geneva. Along with UN-INMA, Connexion became involved in 2001 in preparing
materials and photos for a UN-INMA briefing of delegates from UNICEF and
academic delegates from Universities in the SE ASIA Pacific Region attending
a gathering in Thailand which formed the 'SE Asia Pacific Psychosocial
Emergency Support Network'. The aim of this network is to evolve processes
whereby quick, effective and culturally appropriate psychosocial responses
can be made in response to man-made and natural disasters in the region. The
UN-INMA delegate was able to brief the other delegates on indigenous
grassroots psychosocial self-help and mutual-help which is spreading in the
region. Connexion also contributed energy to the
preparing of resources for the Healing Sharing Gatherings in July,
2001 funded by the Jessie Street Foundation. This set of Healing Sharing
Gatherings was attended by people from three conflict areas North of
Australia - East Timor, West Papua and Bougainville. Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islanders and other interculturals were also involved. Other Links: |