The Lodge

In answer to Messyfish's comment: For the last 2 years I've been working at a place called Edward Eagar Lodge. A homeless shelter for men and women that's situated on Bourke Street at Taylor Square (one of Sydney's less salubrious areas). It's a 5 storey, 76 bed, 24 hour facility. We also have a day centre where people who 'sleep rough' or live in boarding houses etc can come and have a shower, do their washing and eat a hot meal. As some people say 'it's a step below Matthew Talbot' and if you know Matthew Talbot you can probably picture what it might be like.

Police raids, drug overdoses, fights, psychoses, suicides, verbal and physical abuse are all in a days work there. But, as happened to me today, so is a client telling you they love you, signing a tattered card and giving it to me for my birthday, designing a tattoo just for me, sharing their half eaten pastry, giving me a ratty old bracelet and telling me they made it just for me and smiling a toothless smile.

I really am going to miss the place but I have an absolute storehouse of stories. My friend Lou at Pearshaped said I should write some of these stories down. I have a huge number of photos and some sketches but I know the memories will fade so I might just do that.

Now I'm moving on to a service that helps people with mental illness in their own communities. I really enjoy working with mental illness and will probably continue doing so for quite a while I'd say. Those people are much more interesting than plants!!