From left to right – Judi Burstyner Chair, guest speaker Robyn Humphries original co-founder of Inner South Family and Friends, currently Director Clinical Operations (Mental Health), Monash Health, Judith Rafferty and Judy Carroll original members of ISFAF.
From left to right – Dr Sudeep Sareef, Programme Director AMAH, Sandra Keppich-Arnold, Director of Nursing AMAH, Judi Burstyner Chairperson ISFAF, Robyn Humphries, guest speaker, Judith Rafferty and Judy Carroll members ISFAF
From left to right – Judi Burstyner Chairperson, Robyn Humphries, guest speaker, Sandra Keppich-Arnold, Director of Nursing AMAH, Nina Taylor MP, Membr of the Legislative Council Southern Metropolitan, Dr Saraf Sudeep, Programme Director AMAH
Penny Lewisohn committee member (and previous Chairperson), Judi Burstyner Chairperson
Report from Judi Burstyner, Chairperson
2020-2021 has been a year of great highs for ISFAF and regrettably some truly terrible lows. Sadly, death is part of the normal ebb and flow of life, however it should not be ’normal’ that a young man is facilitated with other residents of a registered drug rehab organization to swim (while medicated) at a spot that is known to be dangerous and where others have drowned. It’s not normal that a young lady managing her life while studying at university should die and leave six siblings and family grieving, with each of their lives scarred forever. And it should not be normal that a loving mother loses her life at the hands of the son for whom she has sought help for decades, but her pleas have been ignored, or even worse, patronized. Our hearts are with these families from ISFAF and with many similar families because unfortunately these stories are not unusual and each of them reflects serious failures within our society and especially within our current mental health system. We mourn the loss of the young lives as well as the loss of our long-time members – Judy Bednar who worked tirelessly for the ISFAF committee for decades and Raya Berman a long-time member who sadly lost her brave fight against cancer in January 2021.
You can read the complete report by clicking on the link below:
Chairpersons Report AGM 13 July 2021
Invited Guests
| Birks | Susanne | AMAH | Manager, Community Programme, AMAH |
| Byrne | Elizabeth | Physiotherapist, Manager, Eldon Park | |
| Denborough (Dr) | Paul | AMAH | Director Alfred Child and Youth Mental Health Service and Headspace South East Melbourne |
| Grueva | Val | AMAH | Senior Clinician St Kilda Road Clinic, Nurse Manager |
| Holt | Jan | AMAH | Carer Consultant, Aged Programme AMAH |
| Incerti | Kate | CoPP | Team Leader Housing and Homelessness, Community Building and Inclusion, City of Port Phillip |
| Keppich-Arnold (Assoc.Prof) | Sandra | AMAH | Clinical Service Director/Diector of Nursing, AMAH, Clinical Associate Professor, Deakin University |
| Kuklych | Jacinta | AMAH | Family Carer Consultant.
Alfred Child and Youth Mental Health Service and Headspace YEPP |
| Lococco | Helen | Mercy Mental Health | Carer Consultant, Mercy Mental Health, Past Carer Consultant, AMAH. |
| Malic | Marija | AMAH | Mngr. Early Psychosis Programme, AMAH |
| Taylor | Nina | Vic Gov | Nina Taylor MP, Govt. Whip, Legislative Council, Member for Southern Metropolitan |
| O’Hanlon (Dr.) | Brendan | Bouverie Centre | Mngr, Mental Health Team, Bouverie Centre |
| Oxley | Julia | AMAH | Family Services Co-ordinator – Adult Community Program, AMAH |
| Peterson | Violeta | MiCare | Strategic Engagement Co-ordinator, MiCare, Past Carer Consultant, AMAH. |
| Petrakis (Dr) | Melissa | Tandem /Monash | Snr. Res. Fellow, St Vincent’s MH, Snr. Lecturer, Monash U, Chair, Tandem Board. |
| Piu | Marie | Tandem | CEO, Tandem |
| Saraf (Dr) | Sudeep | AMAH | Programme Dir. Alfred Mental and Addiction Health. |
| Toko | Maggie | MH Complaints Commission | Assistant Commissioner, Mental Health Complaints Commission. |
| Tsiros | Mary | AMAH, MH Complaints Commission | Family Carer Consultant, Adult Programme, AMAH, Member, Mental Health Complaints Commission Advisory Board. |
30th Annual General Meeting and Anniversary Celebration 13 July 2021
When we gathered at Uniting Prahran for our AGM and luncheon, we felt immensely proud and fortunate as well, to be able to celebrate our 30th Anniversary in style sandwiched between a series of Melbourne Covid19 ‘lockdowns’.
Judi Burstyner, our tireless convenor, had been able to track down and engage Robyn Humphries as guest speaker. She could not have been a more appropriate choice. As a youthful social worker at the Malvern Clinic in Glenferrie Road, Malvern, Robyn had the compassion and foresight thirty years ago to recognise the tremendous need families have for strong support from Mental Health services if they are to assist their loved one to recover their potential. Thirty years ago, Robyn’s insight was not generally shared by many others in her field. Her wisdom has since been recognised to become the vision of most services today but far too often they fall short. It is the measure of Robyn’s many skills, including empathy and initiative that she, supported by Monica Summers a psychiatric nurse, established a group to educate and inform family members at the Malvern Clinic, and has since then risen to a series of very senior positions within the mental health system.
Then known as Parents and Friends Support Group, but now called ‘Inner South Family and Friends’ (ISFAF), to give us a geographic location, the group has gone from strength to strength. Two very early members, Judy Carroll ISFAFs second Chairperson who remained as Chair for 12 years, and Judith Rafferty have been the glue that has held us together. Judith is still heavily engaged in maintaining our website and at the end of the AGM she received a presentation in warm recognition of her 30 years of continuous hard work.
To read the full report please click on the link below:
AGM and 30th Anniversary Celebration at Uniting 13 August 2021