Weighing up a community’s needs
Jill Stark; 19/4/08
In a city where their connection to the land has all but been destroyed, it is a place Aborigines can call home. Behind the doors of an unassuming building in Fitzroy bustle the descendants of the Wurundjeri people, traditional owners of an area now famous for its bars and cafes. The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service in Nicholson Street has become a meeting place for some of the state’s most marginalised residents. They come to have their children immunised, to see a doctor or have a dental check-up. But staff shortages and growing demand are putting huge pressure on the service. When The Age visited the centre, Kyeema Lovett, 20, had travelled from an Aboriginal mission in Warrnambool to have her children Leilani, 2, and Ian, 1, seen by medical staff. For Ms Lovett — sister of Essendon forward Andrew Lovett — the three-hour journey was not an inconvenience. She says indigenous people come from all over the state because they trust the staff.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/weighing-up-a-communitys-needs/2008/04/18/1208025478635.html
Victoria’s Kooris battling a health crisis; Jill Stark; 19/4/08; http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/victorias-kooris-battling-a-health-crisis/2008/04/18/1208025478627.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, health