Category: Older Adults

Congratulations Anneke Deutsch OAM

King’s Birthday Honours 2023 | J-Wire

MEDAL [OAM] OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

Anneke DEUTSCH, Daylesford VIC 3460

For service to the community through a range of roles.

Matrix Guild of Victoria

  • Housing Convenor, and Housing and Aged Care Spokeswoman, since 2015.
  • Committee Member, c2007-2018.
  • President, 2018.
  • Past Secretary.

Older Women in Cohousing Inc (WINC)

  • Co-Founder and President, since 2016.

Hepburn Renewable Energy Association/Sustainable Hepburn Association (later know as Hepburn Community Wind Park Co-operative Ltd)

  • Community Organiser, Solar Panel Bulk Buy Project.
  • Founding Member, c2005.

Additional roles

  • Member, LGBTI Aged Care Advisory Committee, Hepburn Health Service, since 2012.
  • Member, Organising Committee, National Lesbian Cultural Celebration and Conference in Daylesford, 1998.
  • Volunteer and/or Organiser, Women’s Ball and LesFest, ChillOut Festival, Daylesford, 1990s.
  • Panellist, The Making Homes series, MPavillion – Architecture Commission.

There was a time in the not-too-distant past, when a woman could not get a bank loan on her own without a man to sign for her and a father could be granted custody of his children simply because their mother was a lesbian.

“In the past I had to be closeted if I wanted to keep my job” Anneke Deutsch told J-Wire.

While these days life is more open and accepting for lesbians, the largest marginalised group in Australia are still older women.

Anneke Deutsch founded Matrix Guild of Victoria in 1972 as a charity to help older lesbians. She is proud that WINC –  older women in Cohousing – has bought land in rural Victoria where it is hoped they will be able to build 32 dwellings.

She explained that cohousing can mean common facilities like community gardens and a different range of mixed tenure, a different way of giving ownership to women of limited means.

[Official record]

City of Glen Eira embraces LGBTIQ inclusion in its care for older adults

Aleph Melbourne congratulates the City of Glen Eira for embracing same-sex attracted, intersex, and gender diverse (SSA/I/GD) people in its Positive Ageing Strategy 2015-2020 [PDF].

In July 2015 Aleph Melbourne responded to a call for feedback on the draft strategy, which at that time had no inclusive language on SSA/I/GD issues.  Our submission, with valuable input from gerontologist Dr Jo Harrison, along with the endorsements of Jewish Care and the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, offered a number of recommendations to the strategy.

Aleph Melbourne convenor Michael Barnett also met in person with council staff to discuss these recommendations and how they would benefit those SSA/I/GD people living in the City of Glen Eira.

The professionalism and sensitivity of the staff at Glen Eira was exemplary and every step of the way was heartening.

In addition to the council approving the strategy on March 15 2016 they simultaneously released their Older Adults Guide to Glen Eira [PDF].  This is a beautiful resource packed with helpful information.  It also contains a number of resources for SSA/I/GD people and a magnificent photo of a same-sex couple.

Thank you very much City of Glen Eira for providing support and giving a face to an historically neglected and previously invisible segment of your community.  This step forward is most deeply appreciated and will hopefully go a long way to improving the quality of life of these people and their families.