NEW BUILDING
PIM is still on the hunt for a new building, 155 Langridge Street sold in May and we moved in July. We've come very close but to date, no cigar. Currently all courses are being held in the "PIM Wing", my consulting rooms at Simpson Street, East Melbourne. However until we find a venue, the MPS's Theatre of Spontaneity nights are postponed.
WORKSHOP
The 4-Day October Intensive, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th October is almost full, we have one place available as I write and this will be the first workshop of this length of time in our history. Several MPS members from overseas are attending, Jun Maeda from Japan and Magdalene Jeyarathnam from India. Magdalene is working toward her Psychodrama-Assistant Certification, and Jun his Psychodrama-Directorship.
TALKS
Jun Maeda and I are presenting a talk on the effects of the earthquake and tsunami on the Japanese people, that hit the East Coast of Japan in 2011, at the University of Melbourne, Anthropology Department on Tuesday 7 October from 4 - 6 p.m with refreshments, as part of a project that is being exhibited over several weeks and organised by Hannah Gould and others on the Great Kanto Earthquake early in the 20th Century.
Currently we are planning an informal evening on Wednesday 8 October, from 7-9 p.m with Magdalene. Magdalene Jayarathnam works as a counsellor with varied issues and populations, one of her interests is the LGBT populations in Chennai that she has worked with - adult children and their struggle with their parents, on coming out. In India, the family structure is such that no matter how old one is, the family has a huge hold over each person. Because of that, in many cases, the young person leaves the country and also because the Indian law criminalises same sex attractions. Therefore Magdalene works through videoconference with the families who live in India and the young person who lives in the US or some part of Europe. Also, the concept of family is very different among the transgender popluation in India particularly the Male to Female transgendered women, they form their own family groups called "Zamath" which is very fascinating.
There will be a small donation of $10.00 for this event, which includes a light supper of coffee, tea and cake.
PEOPLE
Katrina Gaskin is returning to Australia in 2015 with her partner Fred and we are naturally very delighted. I am sure though that the New Zealand folk will miss her very much. Linda Harrington and Bob Cummings are moving from Yarck to Yarra Glen, and I heard the latter is the best suburb to live in Melbourne, cleaner and greener among other things. Helen Fryer will be coming over to Melbourne in November, for some Practicum Assessments. Ted Bugarski and I have been doing a lot of travelling this year and I have been presenting workshops in India, China, the UK and Japan. Through this work people are getting to know Australia more and what we do here in psychodrama.
We have several new overseas MPS members and there is a growing interest in our new e-Journal, "The Mirror". Thank you to all the people who have written and said how much and what they enjoyed about it. Thanks to the contributors and thanks too for the team of MPS people who grew the idea so that it flowered, and especially to Ted, the e-Journal Editor.
I know this year has presented many changes for us all and like all of the things we've gone through in our lives we will (and are) come through these. I think of the words of a little poem which my God-Mother, Gwen Russell, wrote in my Autograph Book when I was eight years old:
Life is mainly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's troubles,
Courage in your own.
Best wishes in your work and life,
Sue Daniel
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