Happy Chat Stanthorpe using artistic expression to help heal minds
A hidden gem in Stanthorpe has become a sanctuary for participants of a community support group, who have found healing and a sense of peace through art expression.
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The not so subtle grip of workplace burnout felt all too tight for Happy Chat participant Jenny.
With mental health support services limited in the Granite Belt region, Jenny’s road to recovery wasn’t always smooth.
Engaging in what available supports she could access, she ultimately felt they weren’t making a difference.
Jenny had previously heard of Happy Chat’s support group and worked up the courage to start participating in the weekly sessions.
“Each Tuesday we make a meal from the food box we receive from FoodAssist, with just whatever has been supplied,” she said.
“I was in charge of making lunch this week and we had BLT’s, which are my favourite.
“I’ve been a participant for about three or four years and I honestly wouldn’t be here without it, I’d probably be in the ground.”
The mental health support group introduced pottery workshops at the beginning of the year as a way to bring the participants and wider Stanthorpe community together.
Artist and counsellor Jenni Gill is the driving force behind the workshops, wanting to provide participants with an outlet to express themselves creatively and give them a sense of community.
Proposing the idea ‘Totems of Hope’, Ms Gill envisioned the totems would inspire participants and give them a creative avenue to self-expression.
“The thing is that it’s not an art class, and it’s not art therapy but it is therapeutic, and they do learn new skills,” she said.
“It’s all about the process, not the end product.”
Ms Gill graciously and humbly volunteers her time each week to conduct the Wednesday pottery sessions.
The rising costs of living saw Happy Chat participant Bryce priced out of his Stanthorpe rental in 2022.
Bryce’s weekly rent skyrocketed in less than a year from $225 to $375, leaving him to face the grim reality of homelessness.
Before joining Happy Chat’s support group, Bryce’s agoraphobia often left him confined and isolated from the outside world and contributed to his decision to live out on the land.
“Last year I could barely leave my house and now I’m here (at Happy Chat) every week,” he said.
“It’s been the best experience (being part of Happy Chat) and I think (the totems) will be great for the community.”
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterised by a specific fear of certain places or situations that induces anxiety and panic attacks.
Slowly but surely Bryce, with the help of Happy Chat and its volunteers, has been able to reintegrate and become a social butterfly in the group’s community.
“I actually have clay out on my block of land, which is how I came to meet Kath and Jenni,” he said.
“I’d come into town to donate some to the pottery club and we got chatting and that’s how I found out about Happy Chat and the workshop.”
For Happy Chat participant Megan, her father and support person Laurie, the experience has been life changing.
Megan also felt the blow of the rising costs of living, moving from Brisbane last year for the peace and serenity offered by the Granite Belt.
“It’s given me something to look forward to (pottery class) and creating the totems reminds me there’s better days to come,” she said.
Megan’s late mother Anna worked in Stanthorpe Hospital’s mental health unit and is how she came to learn of Happy Chat support group.
From the outside looking in Megan’s father Laurie has observed not only his daughter’s life transform, but the lives of other participants.
“Watching everyone just come out of their shells and the difference (Happy Chat) has made in their lives is so rewarding,” he said.
Quite the artist himself, Laurie curated with the help of like-minded community members a vibrant mural for the hospital’s mental health unit in memory of his late wife Anna.
“It was her ultimate wish to bring colour to the mental health unit, she always thought it would help to brighten the patients,” he said.
The group have also been hard at work creating totems which will feature in the centre of Stanthorpe, providing a communal place of serenity and admiration for all.
Happy Chat’s ‘Totems of Hope’ pottery exhibit will officially open at Whistle Stop Community Gardens on October 12.
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Originally published as Happy Chat Stanthorpe using artistic expression to help heal minds
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