 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
    | ||||
|
|
Helping handsNot everybody is chasing the almighty dollar. JUNE YU meets four Monash graduates whose aim in life is to help others A teenage drug addict earns money by prostituting himself on the street. A young couple flee their war-torn country with just the clothes on their backs. And a woman recovering from mental illness faces hard times after being shunned by society. Faced with such desperate needs, people in more fortunate positions sometimes find the dream of chasing the dollar fades, replaced by a desire to help others. As an arts/law student in the 1970s, Gary Sullivan joined Social Involvement (SIN), a student group that visited the poor, worked with the physically and mentally disabled, and assisted refugees. Along with others in the group, the aspiring lawyer helped highlight the "prison-like" conditions in children's institutions around Melbourne. "A couple of decades on, we’re seeing the same people from those old institutions living in the large public housing estates," says Mr Sullivan, now the supervising solicitor at Melbourne’s West Heidelberg Community Legal Service. His passion to support the underdog was sparked when he believed he was unfairly booted out of his rented student accommodation. He subsequently volunteered to work at the Tenants Union, where he helped coordinate a campaign that led to the Residential Tenancies Act in 1980. After completing his studies at Monash, Mr Sullivan chose to focus on social welfare, where he believed he could make a contribution. "I decided I didn't want to use my law degree to help developers set up companies to avoid tax – there's a way to practise law that has social benefits," he says. He has focused on running campaigns that address not only individual problems but also ongoing systemic causes of injustice, ranging from unfair evictions to abusive relationships. Father Mark Raper’s interest in Southeast Asian politics and history was piqued while he was studying at Monash during the late 1960s. A decade later and prompted by several crises, including the desperate plight of Vietnamese boat people, he became the Jesuit Refugee Service’s regional director for Asia. For the past 10 years, Father Raper has been the service's international director, based in Rome. The service, he explains, provides long-term help through education and self-help programs rather than emergency aid – although it does help in this way if it is needed. "Often we can stay in an area long after other agencies are withdrawing. For instance, we’re the only agency still working in the West Timor camps. We’re also still in Somalia helping rebuild the primary education system, and in the Congan refugees camps in Rwanda, and in Kosovo developing a program for children who lost limbs in the fighting," Father Raper says. Economics and politics graduate Peter Rushen took a more unusual path into social welfare – through the corporate sector.
In such a role, Mr Rushen knows he is treading a fine line, as many believe commercial concerns have no place in a church or welfare culture. But he believes Wesley needs to draw more revenue from the mission's own activities rather than the government. After spending more than 30 years at multinational energy company BP, he then moved into the public health service sector. "Many issues that apply to delivery of public health services also apply to welfare," Mr Rushen says. "Neither are profit-motivated organisations – they are case management organisations. They have a focus on delivering services as opposed to delivering products. "I recognised the need for business skills in this area … I believe the experience I gained in the commercial world will help me make a contribution to the community and the welfare sector." Like Peter Rushen, Debra Cazalet became involved in the field of social welfare after a variety of other jobs. She had been a teacher, traveller, counsellor, photographer and artist before becoming manager of Job Supply Personnel in Melbourne, where her team helps those with mental illness find employment. Ms Cazalet brings many perspectives to her work, but says it was her Monash degree in fine arts that enabled her to look beyond the obvious. "Art is not just about image, it’s about mystery and feeling behind the image – mental illness is still largely a mystery; sometimes it’s one step forward and two steps backwards," she says. "Like an artist, you need the capacity to tolerate uncertainty and develop a sensitivity if you are going to work successfully with people recovering from mental illness." Monash currently offers several courses for people interested in working in social welfare. The School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences offers the Bachelor of Social Welfare and the Diploma in Arts (Social Welfare), while the School of Public Policy offers the Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work. Peter Rushen Monash qualifications: Bachelor of Economics, 1971 Current position: Wesley Central Mission's director of corporate development Career summary: Started as an undergraduate trainee at BP, where he spent more than 30 years working in business process engineering, human resources management, finance and marketing, and business development; worked in government service and at the CSIRO and public health service before joining Wesley Central Mission in early 2000. Mark Raper Monash qualifications: Bachelor of Arts, 1969 Current position: Visiting Jesuit Chair at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, as part of a sabbatical after 20 years of refugee service Career summary: Worked with a Melbourne-based social research institute; served other non-government organisations working with migrants or refugees; went to East Timor on behalf of the Australian Council for Overseas Aid; Jesuit Refugee Service's regional director for Asia during the 1980s, then appointed international director of the service (based in Rome). Debra Cazalet Monash qualifications: Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art), 1991 Current position: Manager of Job Supply Personnel (Prahran Mission) Career summary: Taught at Melbourne High School; farm worker; travelled overseas; customer service officer; ran a photographic business in Western Australia; worked in research, training and marketing. Gary Sullivan Monash qualifications: Bachelor of Arts, 1978; Bachelor of Laws, 1980 Current position: West Heidelberg Community Legal Service supervising solicitor Career summary: Involved in a social action group at Monash University; worked at a Victorian law practice from 1979, specialising in poverty; joined the West Heidelberg Community Legal Service in 1982, and became supervising solicitor in 1985; appointed commissioner to the Law Reform Commission in the 1980s; named Children and Young Person's Lawyer of the Year by the National Children's and Youth Law Centre in 2000. ACTION: For more information about courses in social welfare, conatct +61 3 9903 1120. |
As Wesley Central Mission's director of corporate development, Mr
Rushen is responsible for Wesley's corporate business support, which
includes finance, human resources management, property management,
marketing and fundraising, and its commercial arms.