The Mudgee Centacare office opened this week at 79 Market Street and offers first hand assistance five days a week with a back-up, 24-hour telephone counselling service.

Carole is the drought community development worker in Mudgee and is a member of Centacare’s drought support team.

She grew up in Mudgee and has lived here all her life.

“I see this job as a very exciting challenge.

“There are a number of areas in Mudgee where I will be working to offer assistance with major issues such as domestic violence.

“Many of these problems stem from the effects of the drought and it’s not just the country people who suffer.

“Having lived and worked on the land, I can relate to how this type of natural disaster can affect families.

“It impacts on town businesses and can have particularly devastating consequences for adolescents.

She said people often get to a point in their lives where they can’t see a way out and this triggers a range of issues down the line.

“An important part of my job is that it will not be confined to counselling sessions in the office.

“The program allows for regular visits to people’s homes where I can get a first hand impression of problems in their lives.

“I believe I will be seeing more people out of the office,” she said.

“We also offer video-link counselling so that a person in need can talk directly to a specialised counseller in Bathurst.

There is a growing need for facilities like Centacare with research released this week showing one person in Australia commits suicide every five hours.

Manager of community programs for Centacare, Bathurst, Terry Mayfield said Centacare identified Mudgee as being in need and the establishment of the office had been made possible through Commonwealth Government drought funding.

“There will be one full-time staff member as well as three visiting counsellors offering a range of professional services.

“They include anger management, parenting programs, education and skills training and self development options.

“In addition, referral services will operate to meet the individual needs of the client,” she said.

Ms O’Reilly added she would be arranging for guest speakers on a needs basis and would be visiting schools and working with parents to identify when problems were developing.

“Centacare also offers accreditation courses on drug and alcohol and mental health which may result in possible entry into employment or further education.

Centacare Mudgee is located at 4/79 Market Street. Telephone 63 72 7799