Kaete Walker

A work in very slow progress, but here goes…

1. Professional background and studies.

My professional background over the years has, predominately, been that of a community mental health nurse. Variously also having been, first to last: in the very beginning of my working career, for three years a trainee clerk, firstly with a local city council, later with a local university; a trainee psychiatric nurse; a community psychiatric nurse (several times over, in various localities); a hospital based psychiatric nurse in the UK; a trainee general nurse; a general nurse working in emergency and acute care; a welfare officer, pursuant the 1958 and 1991 NSW Mental Health Acts; a co-ordinator of a rural mental health service in the NSW South West health region; a university tutor and clinical supervisor; a clinical nurse consultant specialising in psychiatry; a part time TAFE teacher; a project officer developing, and overseeing, a hospital based support programme for relatives of persons having mental illness; a co-ordinator in a non govt rehabilitation service for persons having mental illness; a national secretary, and executive member,  the Bicycle Federation of Australia;  a secretary, and co-convenor, Rainbow Visions Hunter Inc; a Transgender project worker, inner Sydney; and again, a part time TAFE teacher (in the course, Cert IV Mental Health Non Clinical).

For the last three years, I’ve worked in a NSW area health service, as a registered nurse providing counselling, therapy, and case management services, to persons having acute mental health issues. It’s a position I very much enjoy doing, for I perceive it’s one that can potentially very much make a major difference to those whom in society are so often marginalised and discriminated.

In respect to the academic and other studies I’ve been involved in over the last many years, undergraduate, and post graduate, official and unofficial – and, as, for instance, in nursing, social welfare, education and training, social policy, theology, and gender studies- what has been of very most benefit taught, I think, has been that of the importance of critical thinking. The importance of looking beyond that which is perceived the immediately obvious.

2. Personal background.

In addition my professional experience, as above, I’ve also had the experience of myself being a survivor of the suicides of two close relatives and, before that, two friends- one of whom was an artist, and the other of whom at the time a colleague. This personal experience gives me somewhat a unique perspective, I expect. The suicides took a long time to recover from and, as I reflect back now, I think it was interesting the dynamics of coping which I then had. If one can possibly avoid the experience of suicide, yours and/or your relatives/friends, then I very highly recommend that you do so.

My current immediate close family consists of: a) my daughter, currently a university student in Sydney; b) my mother, 84 years of age, and more than quite energetic and spritely; c) my sister, three years younger than I, a primary school teacher based in Wollongong, and her husband; and, d) three eldest nieces. All of whom, I feel very immensely proud.

My parents arrived in Australia, four months prior to my own birth, in 1951. Born in the UK, they had emigrated to Australia for reasons of obtaining better employment and lifestyle prospects. I rather suspect it must have been more than very hard for them to detach from their own families of origin and to come to a country so distant geographic. My father initially took up a position in a small village to the west of Newcastle, NSW, as a coal mine surveyor. Later, he went on, when I was in my early teens, to become a coal mine manager, later a mining superintendent, and several years later still, after I and my other sibs had left home, the mining company’s CEO. After official retirement, for several years he retained positions on various boards associated with the industry. My mother gave birth in Australia to four children, of whom three now survive. Active on various school related and other committees, she was pivotal in the education and care of her own and other’s children, and was then, as she still is, a very nurturing and caring person, loyal to her friends and family, alike, and, to all who know her, more than a wonderful inspiration.

3. Where I live.

Friend and I live in east Newcastle, NSW, Australia. We live close to several wonderful beaches, major shopping centres, to rail, and other, transport links, and to each our own close relatives and friends. There are others not nearly so fortunate as we, and not so fortunate as you yourself may be, too. Please spare a thought, and help such people, however, and wherever, you may be able to do so.

4. My current Interests

Family and friends are strong interests to me, and very strong sources of enjoyment. In addition, away from work some of my other interests being: bicycle riding; maintaining various email lists of one sort or another; listening to music, particularly classical music; doing meditation; reading poetry; having a general interest in the meanings, origins and usuage of words; and sociology/social theory.

kind wishes,

Kaete