Looking back…

Neil Wiseman and Brett Jones (Past and present QCA PD facilitators)
This photo was taken at Relationships Australia (Spring Hill) on February 7, 2020.

I have created this Looking Back page for members to post any last thoughts. You also can participate by reflecting on the following questions:

Karen Belbin

My favourite QCA event was…hmm, there are so many to choose from that, like a good parent, I have no favourite because they have all been unique and enriching on some level, and all have contributed, in some way, to my knowledge of counselling, people and relationships.

The funniest moment was when… I was on the PD Subcommittee and opened the ‘expensive’ bottle of red wine that I’d purchased as a gift for the presenter who wasn’t charging a fee for his presentation. I put it out with the pre-presentation nibbles. Only when it was happily and swiftly being imbibed did I realise my mistake, leaving me with an ‘inexpensive’ bottle of red wine to give our presenter (who I was pretty sure would know the difference even if I didn’t!). I was embarrassed but the presenter was fabulous. He said he thought QCA must be one very well-off organisation to afford such glorious wine with nibbles! He passed on taking the inexpensive bottle of wine home with him though – it was clearly no replacement for the real thing.

I’ll never forget when… There was an accident outside Relationships Australia. It happened during nibbles while we were standing just inside the door to St Paul’s Terrace. A bike rider went flying through the air; he’d been hit by a car. People were amazing – four or five immediately got out of their cars and along with us they phoned the ambulance, maintained the safety of the site, directed traffic, comforted and calmed both the bike rider and car driver, made a path for emergency vehicles and then disappeared as quickly and quietly as they’d come.

One thing I learned…is how much I don’t know. And how many interesting people, therapies, approaches and beliefs can be in harmony if I listen with an open mind and allow myself to learn something new.

Florence Ee

My favourite QCA event was… “Loss as an integrating concept in adversity” presented by Judith Murray in September 2019. One of her PowerPoint slides had this quote “Never be afraid of science because good science will always validate good theory and good practice”.  I was inspired to be curious like a scientist in my daily life after Judith’s presentation.

The funniest moment was when… we had a QCA event held at a church on one Saturday, just as the PD session started, there was a choir practice in the next room.

I’ll never forget when…  Sometime in 2008, Catherine Gordon (previous QCA President) asked me if I knew anything about webpages and showed me the QCA homepage. I gave some suggestions and said that I was happy to assist with some minor IT/web support – It’s been 12 years now and I’m still making minor changes to the current website.

One thing I learned… that small changes can lead to bigger changes.

If you like to share your reflections on this page, please email Florence