STORIES

JESS’S JOURNEY- A PATHWAY TO HOPE & STABILITY

Last year I finished the recovery program at Wagga Base Hospital after really struggling with my mental health. While I was in the program, I was surrounded by support and structure. I felt safe. There were people checking in on me every day and I wasn’t alone in it.

When I got out… things started to go downhill. I didn’t have that same support anymore, just my family, and I felt like I had nowhere to go during the day. The days felt long and heavy.

Then I found Sunflower House.

This is where I found safety again. I found support. I found daily check-ins from staff asking how I was feeling. Sometimes that meant a cup of tea, a chat, or even just a hug. It might sound simple, but when you’re struggling, that means everything.

I found new friendships with other participants. I found laughter again. I found people who understood what it feels like to live with anxiety and not feel safe in your own mind.

I really enjoy the weekly recovery discussions. They help me reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going. Mark runs wellbeing programs that focus on practical things, how to cope, how to set small goals, how to look after yourself properly. It’s steady and real. It helps me feel like I’m moving forward.

I also take part in the mindfulness sessions run by Lisa. That has helped me centre my focus when my thoughts start racing. It’s given me tools to calm myself down and stay present instead of spiralling. I didn’t realise how powerful just stopping and breathing properly could be.

The workers at Sunflower House go above and beyond for absolutely everyone. No one is treated differently. Everyone is welcomed. Everyone is made to feel like they belong and are part of something special.

In the past, I had numerous hospital attendances because I felt anxious or unsafe. I’ve had ambulance rides and mental health admissions. Since I started attending Sunflower House, I’ve had none. No ED visits. No ambulances. No admissions. For me, that says everything!

Sunflower House didn’t just give me somewhere to go. It gave me stability. It gave me connection. It gave me back a sense of hope and good mental health.

Jess

KEVIN’S JOURNEY - LIVING PROOF OF HOPE

I came to Sunflower House two and a half years ago after being discharged from the acute mental health unit. I needed to find a safe environment where I wouldn’t feel judged, something I had lived with for most of my mental health journey.

Living with schizophrenia surrounded me with a deep sense of isolation and anxiety. I’ve struggled with my mental health since my late teens. Life for me had been regular ED visits and hospital stays. It felt like a cycle that never really changed.

When I was younger, it was my mum who I leaned on for strength. She carried a lot of worry for me over the years. My illness affected her as much as it did me in many ways.

I admit I was hesitant and unsure what to expect when I walked through the doors of Sunflower House for the first time. But through the quiet encouragement of the staff and the welcoming atmosphere, I slowly began to feel like I had found a place where I belonged.

Sunflower House allowed me to settle in at my own pace. Some days that meant sitting quietly. Other days it meant connecting with people who truly understood what I was going through. For the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel alone.

With that steady support, my health began to stabilise, and my confidence gradually returned. I built meaningful relationships, became more involved, and started to believe that more was possible for me.

Today, I’m proud to work as a paid Peer Support Worker at Sunflower House, supporting others who are walking a path like mine. Sunflower House hasn’t just helped me manage my illness, it’s been a pathway to stabilising my health and rediscovering purpose, passion, and a sense of self-worth.

And for my mum, things have changed too. Instead of living with constant worry, she now lives with a sense of comfort. She knows I’m guided by people who genuinely care, supported by colleagues who encourage me and help me build a full and meaningful life. She’s not just relieved, she’s proud!

I’m very satisfied by the work we do here. I see people come in for the first time, just like I did, hesitant and wary of others. But as they return, week after week, you can see it. They begin to stand taller. They make friends. And that look of hesitation slowly fades.

Kevin

A CARER’S STORY

It took many years for our son to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and get the correct medication. Even after his health improved, there was nowhere for us to turn too, to help him have a life. He had no friends and no future to look forward to. 

When the two Mental Health forums were held in Wagga in 2002, we were very excited. Dr Ray King and Christine Huntsdale put the idea to the people of Wagga to try to get government funding to set up a mental health rehabilitation centre. At one of the forums, journalist Anne Deveson was a speaker. Her son had schizophrenia and had committed suicide. She said “there has got to be more for people with a mental illness than just taking their medication’’. It was as if the words had come out of my mouth. It was what I had always thought.

When Sunflower House opened, it was like a dream come true for our son and all our family. I have seen men and women thrive, just because they have  a purpose in life and a reason to get up in the morning. Sunflower House is the reason for this improvement in their lives. They are always made to feel welcome by the staff and other members.

Mental illness affects the whole family, not just the person with the illness. We saw our son become the man he was meant to be, not only because he is on medication, but because he has friends and a life worth living. 

The people who helped establish Sunflower House and the staff who help the members run it now, have helped to change many lives for the better.

BILL’S STORY

My name is Bill and my journey began the day I found myself outside the front door of Sunflower House. I was feeling very low and depressed and I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I was thinking about leaving when I heard a voice asking me to come inside. I didn’t know what to do and I just stood there. Lisa came and opened the screen door and asked me to come inside and sit down. I kept looking down at the floor. She asked me to look at her when we were talking but I just kept looking at the floor because I was feeling so low. She told me that her name was Lisa. She said to go home and come back later so I could have time to think about joining the program. Over the weekend, I was thinking about what she said to me and the one thing that made me turn up to Sunflower House the next week was that she made me feel welcome.

Since that Tuesday, I have never looked back. I do have my ups and downs, I see a psychologist and I have been seeing her for about three years. The members of Sunflower House are really great people and I like being around them. One of my jobs at Sunflower House is to hose the garden and I have been doing this everyday for about two years. I also like the self-esteem group which helps me a lot. But the one thing that gave me the most enjoyment, purpose and helped build my self-esteem is when they started an art group. At first, I thought to myself, ‘I can’t paint’, but how wrong I was. I really started to enjoy my art. I found a talent I didn’t know I even had. I even started taking my art work and doing some at home. My paintings have been in an art exhibition and I have been invited to join the Wagga Art Society!! 

If there was one thing I thought I could never do, it would be speaking in public! During the opening of the art exhibition, Mary asked me to say a speech on behalf of the members of Sunflower House art group - at the Riverina Community College in Murray St. I said ‘ýes!’ This wasn’t easy. If I had been asked to do this six months ago I would not have been able to do it, but through my art, I feel that I can ‘’conquer the world’’ because when I paint it takes away all those things I don’t like to think about. It has a very calming effect on me. Since I have been painting at home, I have taken down all the old pictures I had and out up my own artwork. If Sunflower House never bought in the art group, I would never have known I have a talent for art. But I am not the only one. Everyone in the group loves painting and we talk about each others paintings and I think that is a good thing.

I can use my imagination when I paint. I see a picture in my head, what I want to do, and put it on a canvas. So, all my paintings are one off and I wouldn’t be the same person if it wasn’t for my art.

STEPHEN’S STORY

My first introduction to Sunflower House was backed in 2007 when the building was in a derelict state and squatters were living there over the years. With the help of wonderful people like Dr Ray King and Christine Huntsdale and many organisations including Rotary Clubs and the students of the Wagga TAFE, the building was renovated.

Christine Huntsdale asked the members to choose the variations colours of the rooms. Myself and other members chose the colours. This was important to us as it made us feel that Sunflower House belonged to us. Sister Barbara, my mother and myself were involved in the setting up of the kitchen and clean up after the builders were finished. My family also looked after the yard before members moved in.

When Sunflower House first opened we had activities such as cooking with Sister Barbara, walking, kite flying, craft and fishing. There were trips away to Broken Bay and Canberra. I have made good friends, something we never had a chance to do before. 

DAVID’S STORY

When I was first asked by a member if I would like to have a go at doing art I said ‘no thanks’. But she did not let go of the subject and I finally gave into her.

My first attempt at painting was of a sunset on a small canvas  and it was done in water colours. Well, everyone said it was good and that I should stick with it. The house then put on an art program for us and it was run by Stuart Wallace. Well, from there I really went into the art of painting and enjoyed the pleasure it gave to me. Stuart said, ‘I really showed potential’, and asked if I would be interested in joining his own art classes that he runs? I said ‘do you really think I am that good?’ He said, ‘yes!’ I had a bit of a think about it all and said ‘yes, I will give it a  go’. I joined Stuart’s art group called Lakeside Art Group and I attend there every Monday morning to do art. I love painting landscapes and have painted three so far, all of different scenes. They are all painted in oils, which I like to paint with. When I am doing my art work it makes me relaxed and I feel good in myself about what I have achieved. It has really proven to me that we all have a little hidden talent somewhere inside us and it just needs to be opened up for all to see.

So, from doing an art program through Sunflower House, I have now become an artist at a private art class… Who would have ever thought?!