The EkkA Cloakroom for 2008

The operation of the EkkA Cloakroom is one of the Schizophrenia Fellowship’s largest and most successful annual projects and it is on once again this year from 7 to 16 August at the RNA Showgrounds.

Come down and see Fellowship staff members and our dedicated group of volunteers hard at work during this year's Show.

Look out for the RNA Wrap Up in the October edition of the SFQ Newsletter.

To learn more about volunteering for the EkkA Cloakroom in 2009 visit our volunteers page or contact us at the office for more information.


Testimonial from a past volunteer

Once again I had the opportunity to participate as a volunteer in this fund raising venture, which has become a very valuable activity for the Fellowship over the years. It is one of the few fund raising activities that the sufferers can be involved in, and their contribution is essential to its operation.

The cloakroom just doesn’t happen without much planning and preparation by a very small, dedicated group led by Judy Leary and assisted by her daughter Cheryl and Debbi from the office at Arthur Street. I’m sure there are many more family members behind the scene who give of their time. Judy has the task of organising the rosters for 10 days of the show, which in itself is no mean feat as she depends on the response of consumers, carers and those rare people we find in every community willing to help in a voluntary way. Contacting some of these helpers is not easy, but somehow each year the required numbers report for duty. Well done all involved.

In the past few years the same faces have regularly appeared with very few if any new ones joining in. While this indicates the regulars are satisfied with the opportunity to help out and be rewarded for their efforts in a small way, they are growing older and feeling the strain of more shifts and longer hours. They perform tasks, which are found to be within their ability, and do so with an attitude many of us would envy. The spirit of comradeship and cooperation is evident among these members who come from very varied backgrounds. For many, it is the only opportunity they have of working at a meaningful job for the whole year. Constraints of workplace health and safety make it almost impossible to find sympathetic employers willing to employ them. This combined with the inflexible rules and demands placed upon them by Centrelink in relationship to their disability pensions makes it almost impossible for them to be gainfully employed for any length of time. It is a pleasure to work with them and enjoy their company. I have the greatest admiration for them. The trust, honesty and enthusiasm they practice while working in the cloakroom is a credit to them. The Fellowship should be rightly proud of their efforts.

While the majority of workers at the cloakroom are consumers it is necessary for some carers to be rostered on to ensure the smooth operation of the procedure and to interact with the clientele. It is in this area that we are thin on numbers. Carers are working longer shifts and doing more shifts to overcome this shortfall. Up to 6 volunteers from Suncorp assisted during some sessions and their efforts were most appreciated by all concerned. Their interaction with the consumers was one of patience and understanding. Most expressed thanks for being able to donate their time by working with the consumers, allowing them to further appreciate the difficulties facing the consumers in their everyday lives. Perhaps the greatest benefit gained by them was further recognition of schizophrenia as a problem in our society. A grateful thanks to all Suncorp volunteers who attended; and to Suncorp management who granted them their time off.

Last but not least, thanks must be given to the RNA for their continued support to the Schizophrenia Fellowship for granting us the cloakroom and its operation during show time. Many things have changed at the Show, but the cloakroom still plays an important role in a visit to the show. Each year sees the return of the show goers, young and old laden with their coats and jumpers and only too thankful to leave them in our care until needed. Most belongings are now cloaked in plastic bags although we still offer a coat hanging service. The introduction of a one size large zippered bag has made the storage of those many cumbersome show bags more efficient and cut down our retrieval time. RNA members are offered a free cloaking service and many have expressed an appreciation of this to us. A record is kept of the members’ use of this service, as we are conscious of our role and obligation to the RNA. Most members taking advantage of the cloakroom services are in praise of it. A BIG THANKS to the RNA for their contribution and cooperation in making this all possible.

With all these acknowledgements to those who have been involved it might still mean little to the vast majority of you, of how the Cloakroom operates. It uses three shifts of up to twelve persons a shift to enable an efficient service to be provided. This means, if the work is to be shared around our consumers, carers and volunteers a considerable number of personnel are required. This daunting task to organise is undertaken by Judy, our Cloakroom coordinator, a job she has done for several years. With the workforce required it has been necessary to approach outside organisations for assistance. The assistance has been forthcoming, but it would be good to think that there’s sufficient drive within our Fellowship to increase our numbers at the Cloakroom.

Thanks to all concerned for a job well done.

 

John