Caritas Australia has helped more than 16,000 people across Australia find peace of mind, through its partner-supported programme Red Dust Healing.
Barry is a Gamilaroi man originally from western NSW, who has transformed his life.
Barry remembers his early years as a time of enormous hardship, fraught with poverty and despair. He did not have a stable home or support network and his upbringing by grandparents all contributed to his vulnerable position.
Barry became a father in his late teens, suddenly facing responsibilities for which he was not ready. He began to drink heavily, mimicking behaviour he had witnessed previously.
“I became an alcoholic from about 17 unknowingly, binge-drinking on weekends when I wasn’t working.” Barry said.
“I was still holding onto some of that stuff of being abandoned, losing brothers and sisters, grief and loss. I was masking that all with alcohol, instead of dealing with it.”
Thankfully, Barry and others like him, had the opportunity to participate in Red Dust Healing – a cultural healing program encouraging participants to examine their own personal hurt and allowing healing from within.
A 2018 evaluation of the Red Dust Healing program highlighted how it enhanced peoples’ ability to express their emotions, make better choices and consequently changes in their lives. Additionally, the programme taught interpersonal skills to bring about conflict resolution giving participants a reinvigorated sense of cultural and spiritual identity.
“I don’t think I’d be where I am today without the programme,” Barry affirmed.
“It’s taught me to deal with my problems and addictions. I can’t change what I’ve lived through; I can just make myself a better person today.”
Today, Barry facilitates Red Dust Healing workshops and works as a mental health professional at a regional hospital. By reconnecting with his culture and finding his purpose, he has also become a role model for his daughters and the wider community.
“Red Dust is basically everything to me. It empowers me, gives me tools for everyday problems and coping mechanisms,” Barry added.
“It has also had a positive ripple effect. With me changing, I can change my children’s lives and my grandchildren’s and so on.”
Please make a generous donation today, and help more people like Barry access the life changing support that Red Dust Healing provides.
To donate to Project Compassion, visit Caritas Australia’s website: www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion or call 1800 024 413.