As The Glen Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre continues to work towards getting The Glen for Women up and running at Wyong Creek, its Chairperson, Coral Hennessy, has reflected on the centre’s 26 year legacy of changing lives.
“26 years ago, my brother Cyril had a vision of a rehabilitation centre to help people who were not bad people, they were just sick.
“As a former parole officer, Cyril wanted to give people hope and then opportunity to turn their life around.
“After the loss of my nephew Glen (Cyril’s son), Cyril’s passion, vision and decisions, together with a plan and hard work, has helped over 3,500 men live better lives,” Hennessy said.
“The world was quite a different place back then.
“A technologist might tell you there was no social media and mobile phones.
“An economist will tell you we’ve had a long run of economic growth.
“A demographer will tell you that our population is ageing, more people are living in cities now and that we have more data than ever.
“Society changes slowly and The Glen has successfully navigated through the change and not only survived but thrived.
“From our point of view, what have we seen over the past 26 years?
“Aboriginal incarceration has doubled, out-of-home care has increased, with Aboriginal children being 9.8 times more likely to be placed in out of home care.
“Stress, mental health issues and suicides have increased.
“Aboriginal people are six times more likely to commit suicide than non-Aboriginal people.
“Substance abuse issues are more and more evident in our society, and more people need help.
“Our clients at The Glen are coming in younger and younger.
“This has changed the way we deliver programs and even the activities we deliver.
“Some might say that we’re more ‘technologically connected’ than ever.
“Others might say that we’re more disconnected than ever, from our communities, our families, our purpose and our culture.
“But the fact is that The Glen is still receiving hundreds of phone calls per week and over 100 applications per month.
“People are putting their hand up for help.
“The need is as relevant today as it was 26 years ago.
“The decisions we make today will shape what The Glen will look like tomorrow and for many years to come.
“The decisions we make will determine how we’ll best support thousands more men and now women over the next 26 years, and until we are no longer needed,” Hennessy said.
Source:
Website, Jul 14
Coral Hennessy, The Glen