ADAVIC Volunteers 1998- 2004
ADAVIC's office helpers do a wonderful job by taking the load off Anna - here is a little bit about each of them:
Celeste has been with us since January this year. She's studying Psychology (4th year) at Melbourne University and wants to become a psychologist. Her thesis is on anorexia nervosa. She has a cat named Xena and lives in the Northern Region. Her star sign is Scorpio.
Veronique came to us in September 2002. Like Celeste, she is also doing psychology (4th year) at Melbourne Uni. She was born in Mauritius and moved to Australia with her family in 1988. She lives with her family in the Eastern suburbs. She enjoys reading novels, catching up with friends, going for walks and likes exercising and keeping fit. She recently celebrated her 22nd birthday. Her star sign is Cancer.
Lisa started at ADAVIC in March this year. She recently finished a Business Systems Degree at Monash University. She wants to find work in the IT area. She has a dog named Dolly and lives with her family in the outer Eastern suburbs. She dislikes reading books and loves shopping till she drops. Her star sign is Scorpio.
Kaori is studying psychology and neuroscience at Melbourne University. She has been part of the team since early April. She lives in the outer Eastern suburbs with her family along with her dog Turbo and a hen. She was born in Japan and came out to Australia with her family when she was 3 years old. Her interests are eating and photography. She loves animals and in particular loves Anna's little princess Chrissie. Her birthday is coming up real soon and her star sign is Virgo.
Catherine is a third year psychology student studying at the Australian Catholic University and is doing a placement with ADAVIC. She comes from Hamilton, Victoria and currently lives in the Eastern suburbs. She has a dog called Toby whom she misses a lot. When she's not busy working and studying she enjoys sleeping and catching up with friends. Her star sign is Aries.
Lana started at ADAVIC in January this year. She immigrated from the Ukraine in 1992 and now lives with her parents, grandparents, sister and cat in the Southern suburbs. She goes to Monash Uni doing her third year, studying Arts/Science and hopes to become a counselling psychologist. She loves volleyball, reading, swimming and making jewellery. She recently celebrated her 21st Birthday. Her star sign is Cancer.
Shikkiah: I'm a 24-year-old student, completing my undergraduate Arts degree with a double major in psychology and professional writing. I thought I wanted to be a writer, then a teacher, then a psychologist, and now I don't know so I'm leaving the country. I'll be spending a year in Canada, perhaps teaching English for a few months in Taiwan, then coming home with a clearer sense of direction and purpose... or so I've been hoping for the last six years. I'm looking forward to getting back in touch with ADAVIC once I return and possibly being put to good use again. I've just finished telling Anna I'm a horrible nit-picking, practical, anal-retentive Virgo, but I think I can be fun occasionally. For the moment, all I want is to finish my exams and see Guy win Australian Idol. When that happens, my life will be happy. (I guess Shikkiah must be happy, because she got her wish!)
Kylie: I'm 21 years old, born and bred in good old Dandenong North and still living at home! My star sign is Aries, and like many Arians I'm outgoing and a chatterbox! I love my sport, especially basketball - I play two days a week and coach girls in basketball as well. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in psychology and education. By the time this is published I will have finished my fourth year in psychology at Deakin uni, then will complete my Masters in 2005 to become a Sports Psychologist! I also work at Jetty Surf as a retail assistant, and of course, volunteer at ADAVIC. I have a knack with computers and I'm an animal lover, with five cats and two dogs plus a fish!
OTHER VOLUNTEERS - Support Group Facilitators and members of the ADAVIC Committee.
Noel: Hi fellow readers!! I have reached a time where I may look back on my life with pleasure. My experiences in the past were a lot less demanding than one would experience these days. After World War 2 it was relatively easy to earn a living. I commenced employment in the Aircraft Industry, designing and manufacturing bits for piston and jet aircraft engines, finishing my career years later with The Royal Melbourne Hospital. I was born on Christmas Day, which means I am classified as a Goat; this may explain why I am occasionally fiercely stubborn, however, I do enjoy challenges and conversing with bright outgoing people and most of all I am inspired by mechanical problems and eagerly seek their solution. My greatest love is Joan my wife, followed by my three daughters, five granddaughters, three grandsons, Penny the pup, and of course Anna. When able, I fish, caravan, garden, explore ancestors' lives and most of all, enjoy my grandchildren.
Mae: I am one of the Brunswick Group facilitators and currently studying a Masters in Counselling Psychology. I've been interested in this area and have been slowly studying part time for lots of years now, and should finally finish in 2006. I work part time at a bar and restaurant doing office work, the chefs sharing lots of their secrets, which is great since I love cooking. I also enjoy reading, particularly murder mysteries,, watching movies and just getting together with my friends. My star sign is Taurus, and I exhibit a large number of the typical traits - I prefer the words persistent and dedicated to stubborn!
Cathleen: I've been involved with ADAVIC since 2000: first in the office and now on the committee. I studied Psychology in school and now work full time at Fry's Self Storage. I have a Maltese dog named Buddy and have just recently moved to Port Melbourne where I love to rollerblade and ride along the beach front. I spend most of my free time either doing Calisthenics or sewing my costumes. Any other free moments in my day are spent shopping or reading. I also love to travel and I'm looking forward to my next trip in January to New Zealand! My star sign is Leo.
Brien: I started with ADAVIC in October this year, helping Bev Aisbett with the "Working with It program", a program I participated in a couple of years ago. I live at Safety Beach on the Mornington Peninsula, where I divide my time between Naturopathy and Winemaking. I would like to develop a natural anxiety recovery program on the Mornington Peninsula. I enjoy sailing, swimming, gardening and living as relaxed a life as possible on the beautiful Peninsula. My star sign is Libra.
Megan: Some people would find the idea of working with cat food almost every day a pretty horrible one. But that's what I do as a day job - think up and manage cat food marketing campaigns. Luckily, I love cats. I have two: Ella and Fred. Ella looks like a little black bat and is fiercely independent. Fred is a huge gentle tabby. My work colleagues tease me about my cats, but they don't know what they're missing. I also love movies, books and trashy magazines like New Weekly - especially the "Stars without Makeup" issues. I have a big crush on Jeremy Northam (slightly obscure English actor), who usually appears in films about nineteenth century poets pretending to have depression. My boyfriend doesn't mind because he has a crush on Uma Thurman!
Frank: I am an ADAVIC committee member. I'm married to Natalie with two teenage boys, Greg and Adrian, two dogs, Sheba and Freddy, 17 goldfish (no names yet): the whole catastrophe (apologies to Zorba). We live in Wheelers Hill, which is nice and green and close to Jells Park. I'm self-employed, working in the credit reporting industry (please don't check my credit rating!!!) for the past 30 years. I enjoy cycling: when I'm riding the tracks and trails of Melbourne, I'm in heaven. My 53-year-old legs have taken me hundreds of kilometres across country and around the bay. My dream is to cycle and camp around Europe.
Eva: What can I say that most of you don't already know? I'm 32 years young and have been involved with ADAVIC for nearly five years. In my spare time, which I don't have much of lately, I like reading, writing, yoga, pilates, meditation, and music. I love spending time in nature, going for long walks or sitting by the shore and writing. And then there's the wild side, where I like to go out, let my hair down and dance the night away, or hustle a few people on the pool tables. At present I work for a telecommunications company where I'm the National Sales Support Coordinator. I also have a part time job as a waitress (the tips are very good). I am also studying for my Advanced Diploma in Counselling; eventually I would like to work full time in the field.
Danny: I'm a 26-year-old Taurean born in Rochester, Victoria, in the Year of the Snake. I grew up in Swan Hill and moved to Melbourne to start university at Deakin, Burwood (now the Melbourne campus). While growing up in the country I was often referred to as a 'city boy' since I grew up in town, wasn't real keen on local sports and couldn't drive a tractor, but I definitely have a love for the fresh air, calm and sense of community of a country town. I think my generally laid-back attitude is a relic of my country upbringing. Up until May this year I was facilitating the Kew support group for around three years. I've also spent the last two and a half years working in the PACE Clinic, a part of ORYGEN Youth Health. PACE works with young adults and teenagers who are deemed to be at risk of developing a psychotic disorder (ie. schizophrenia) and is trying to determine if early intervention and treatment can intervene, as well as discover just how psychosis can come about and what it is (a lot of what Schizophrenia is remains a mystery). I've recently decided not to renew my contract at PACE though, and will be travelling to Eastern Europe early next year to see snow capped streets and peaks in Prague and Romania.
Roshan: What can I say about myself? I thought I'd write something witty, funny and inspiring, so one begs the question, why on earth did I write this instead?! When people ask me what nationality I am, I basically raise an eyebrow and reply "I don't know!" I'll let you make up your own mind...and mine. I was born in England, moved to Malaysia when I was a few months old then moved to 'the land of green and gold' when I was 13. My mum is Czech and my dad is Malaysian. I have almost finished my Mechatronics degree (never heard of it? You're not the first) at Melbourne University but not without doing two years of Science first. Tell me you knew what you wanted to do when you were 17! I love going to the movies and am dying to see Revolutions after exams. I also play tennis and tinker a lot with computers. In case you were wondering I'm a Goat or a Monkey. No I'm not being strange - it's my star sign (depending where you're from). Being from Malaysia you have to love the food. You cannot go past a good chicken rice ...or perhaps 3, with a cool ice coffee to top it off.
Ravneel: What makes me me? I am 25, I have a BA in psychology and am doing a P.Grad.Dip. in Young People's Mental Health at the moment. I work as a Disability Support Worker. I also do volunteer work not only for ADAVIC, but for another organisation as a telephone counsellor, and also for the RFV with their PALs program. Other than all of the career related stuff, I love spending time with my friends and family. I enjoy cooking (as long as no one else is in the kitchen - I'm known as a kitchen Nazi), dancing and reading (I'm a Paulo Coelho freak - my favourite author). I have a cocker spaniel whom I love dearly and who gets annoyed and gives me attitude when I neglect him.
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"Our fluffiest volunteer for ADAVIC is Buddy, a 3-year-old maltese dog. He particularly likes to bury the quarterly newsletter and always cuddles on Cathleen's lap when she is doing the ADAVIC accounts. Buddy wishes all of the ADAVIC readers a safe and happy Christmas and New Year." |
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Hi there.my name is Chrissie (named after
Christmas) when I was discovered in a Milk Bar in Carnegie.
I am Anna's little princess. I am older than Buddy, but
a lady never discloses her age. I also volunteer at ADAVIC
- it only takes me a hop, skip and jump from the lounge
room to the office. You know I am really annoyed that
I am never mentioned in the ADAVIC Team because I put
a lot of work into the office by entertaining the office
girls. The girls are great because I get a lot of cuddles
especially from Catherine and Kylie who just let me run
around wild when 'you know who' is not around. Well I
better get back into my comfortable basket and get some
sleep as I had a hard day in the office today! |
