Weaving connection and compassion across Australia as we live, care, die and grieve together.
[PHOTO Steve Arnott, Harpreet Kalsi-Smith, Rob McKenzie, Prof Samar Aoun, His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM, Mrs Darrilyn Dawson, Dr Jo Doran, Dr Stephen Ginsborg]
On 27 March 2024, Compassionate Communities Australia (CCAus) was launched by the Western Australian Governor at Government House in Perth, with many national and international colleagues joining online. This launch marked a significant milestone for Compassionate Communities in Australia.
Prof Allan Kellehear, Founder of Compassionate Communities, said “CCAus is a significant international development….it is incredibly important in the history of public health and also in the history of hospice and palliative care in Australia…CCAus will be the pioneering organisation for the development of Compassionate Communities across Australia…it will ensure that the light stays on and burns brightly in Australia and beyond.”
This much-needed National Peak body brought together Professor Samar Aoun, Dr Stephen Ginsborg, Dr Joanne Doran, and Harpreet Kalsi-Smith joining forces to bring their unique perspective including research, palliative care, primary care, community development and personal experience.
In Professor Aoun’s speech at the launch, she shared, “this national not-for-profit organisation aims to become a hub of knowledge, skills and resources for community-led solutions that lead to social and systems change”.
Dr Joanne Doran spoke fondly about “a young patient with complex needs who is dying, but she was not complex to her community who came together with compassion and connection to enable her to continue to experience the joy of living ”.
Dr Stephen Ginsborg highlighted, “…that there is art to medicine, and that warmth, empathy and compassion may surpass the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug. The most powerful therapeutic tool that the doctor possesses is herself or himself”.
Harpreet Kalsi-Smith brought her personal experience as a consumer advocate and highlighted that “the heart of the work of compassionate communities primarily sits in community development”.
Zaki Dorkham, Kristy Constandine (CE Bunbury Cemetery Board),
Ben Kelly (CEO, Australasian Cemeteries & Crematoria Association)
Compassionate Communities Australia’s role will be to grow connectedness and compassion, working together with community, industry and the health sector, to create a supportive environment for those in need. To view the speeches made by the CCAus Directors go to https://studio.youtube.com/video/HD3SyIVAexA/edit
The speech made by Professor Kellehear can be viewed at https://youtu.be/mDzuJalGxgI
For more information go to:
www.compassionatecommunities.au
Thank you to Professor Samar Aoun for sharing this article with us.