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Phoenix House is a joint initiative utilizing
the corporate infrastructure of the Community
Development Group Ltd, and the experience of
burns survivor Steven Fennell.
After receiving major burns in a house fire in
Brisbane in 1980, Steven travelled to Tasmania
(as the weather better suited his recovery).
After an initial recovery, Steven moved to
Melbourne where he began his involvement in the
self-help group (B.E.E.S) the Burns Emergency and
Emotional Support Group founded in 1988 in
Melbourne, and some 14 years later, Steven
continues to work with Burns Victims here in
Brisbane.
Nobody can say I know how you feel unless they
have been burned themselves. People who have
personally suffered the trauma of a Burn Injury
can provide some of the best motivation for
persevering with exercise, skin grafting
operations, pain management, ‘Jobst
suits’ etc. Phoenix House is grateful for
the services and enthusiasm of burns survivor
Steven Fennell.
Steven is an Australian contact with the worlds
largest burns self-help organization, the Phoenix
Society in the USA.
The Charter of Phoenix House aims to help people
who have been burned and offer practicable
assistance with information to enable the
families to better cope with the traumas that
follow burn accidents.
Phoenix House strives to provide personal contact
and other such support, inasmuch as to assist in
the coping of other disabilities that burn
Victims and their families face, without
reference to race, politics, or religion.
Phoenix House plans to expand its Community based
assistance and is looking to build an
accommodation and activity centre which will
predominantly be available to recovering burns
victims.
Phoenix House is situated on Macleay Island (also
known as the Emerald Isle) the second largest of
the Southern Moreton Bay Islands. Island
facilities include telephone, power, town water,
doctor, ambulance, pre-school and primary,
chemist, gold club, bowling club, boat club. It
is only a short trip by fast Water Taxi from
Redland Bay to Macleay Island where Guests and
Visitors of Phoenix House are picked up at the
jetty.
The accommodation and activity centre would be an
extension of the existing dwelling, with a
self-contained living area and access to a ½
acre of land. From Phoenix House there is a view
of the water, and there is always an opportunity
to fish and relax. There are approximately 200
species of birds and a pair of tame peacock and
peahen are often sited around the neighbourhood.
The planned building (extension) to Phoenix House
intends to provide burns victims with a relaxing
and pollution free environment., with daily
practical positive reinforcements to help cope
with the perceived social stigma of permanent and
often disfiguring scaring after major surgery.
Current services and activities of Phoenix House
include: -
Education programs geared towards the Community
to provide a better understanding of the effects
of burns, and the physical, psychological and
emotional stresses that victims incur.
Provide resource material and information to
people making inquires concerning the physical
and psychologist damage of burns.
Psychological services in Brisbane are available
to referrals from Phoenix House.
Hospital and home visits ( by other burns
survivers) can also be arranged on request to the
co-ordinator.
Referral to specialist Solicitors trained in
personal injury compensation claims can be
arranged.
Phoenix House seeks to amalgamate and co-ordinate
with other like-minded organizations; to grow to
be a leader in the area of post burns recovery. |
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