Frost Centre I was about a year into study.
even thinking about them.
Disconnected and feeling isolated, I day-dreamed about a
beautiful, peaceful place where Aboriginal women who'd
started studying in prison, like me, or who had discovered an
artistic bent while inside, as many do, could go after release
and continue their studies or hone their craft in a safe,
supportive and cultural environment.
After a while I finally got a job and moved back home to be
closer to my ageing mother. After a rough patch where I lost this
job and found myself homeless again, I finally found my feet and
landed back where I'd spent the most significant part of my life.
On a trip down `memory lane' one day, I visited an important
Aboriginal site. In that place there had once been a women's
refuge. It was where my son was born and he and I had fled
there once to escape his violent father. Far from being the
scene of unhappy memories though, I'd gone there because
I remembered a sense of peace and wellbeing while I'd
lived there - and when I saw it again, I realised why - it was
the retreat from my daydreams! It had everything! Large,
sprawling grounds, exhibition spaces, studio and office
spaces and even still, after all these years, some residential
spaces upstairs. It was perfect and my imagination went into
overdrive.
I've since made some enquiries and it looks like at least
some of the building might be available for a purpose such
as I propose. What I'd really like to see though is the entire
building turned back to the community and as a place for
women exiting prison.
A place like this -that develops wellbeing and economic
sustainability for women exiting prison. These are the
very things that promote rehabilitation and reintegration.
If we are serious about Closing the Gap and reducing the
extraordinarily high representation of Aboriginal women
in our prisons, projects like my vision are what the justice
system needs to be investing in not more prisons.