In 2021, Anglicare opened an emergency relief hub in Bathurst in partnership with the local Anglican Church where the service is based – and already the hub is experiencing an influx of people needing assistance. Every week volunteers from the church and community are on board to assist, and include people from a wide range of backgrounds such as university students, retired nurses, and even a Professor from Iran. Parish Priest, James, also regularly drops in to provide pastoral care for clients.
“I really like the idea of a Christian tattoo parlour as a community development project,” says Rev’d James, whose heart for the community is as big as the Cathedral’s bell tower. Around 70 percent of clients are male and have spent time in the justice system, with many suffering from issues like acquired brain injuries, substance abuse, and periodic homelessness. As well as providing food and other material aid, coordinator Barry Porter and his team developed a colouring book of tattoo designs and pencils for clients to take home and use when they feel stressed or anxious.
Barry gives details on some of the clients he and the team assist in a normal week:
- “A Ngemba/Barkanji man, whose family I know well comes in. His mum is dying and he can’t fill out the NDIS forms. We do the forms with him, and offer him going pastoral care supports.
- One of our regulars, a homeless man whose wife died that week, comes to the Thursday Chaplaincy service and Linker meeting. He cannot get his housing sorted out. I tell him I will visit Housing NSW and write a letter of support for him.
- Another community member says that after 25 years in and out of jail, he is now his children’s only parent. He thanks us for the support and encouragement and says he will see us next week.
- We get a phone call. A man who has a 28 year back injury, who can’t work or drive because of his pain medication is locked down due to COVID out the back of nowhere. He lives a secluded life on a property in an inaccessible part of the region. It’s Wednesday and he hasn’t eaten a thing since Friday. He has no heating except his wood fire and he has run out of wood. It’s the coldest winter in six years. We intake the client at Bathurst and pack him non-perishable food for a week. We make our way in a 4WD through the bush with food and firewood for him.”
“We are so grateful for our volunteers, our interagency partners and for the support we get from Anglicare,” says Barry. “We’ve only just dipped a toe in the water. So much can be done here.”
