FDS Insight Magazine Nov - Dec 2022

4 alcohol use. Tony once again captivated the audience and the theatre was in silence when he shared his personal story and how he has paved the way for other families to be better supported in this at times tough journey. The day was a success thanks to Tess cementing professional relationships with services, the dedication of the QLD team working together and supporting each other and of course the support of Darling Downs Health. Darling Downs Health supported Tess leading up to the event and also kindly paid for the event hire at the Toowoomba TAFE. After a massive week I think we can say that Family Drug Support is alive and well in the Toowoomba community. Tess promises to continue to work passionately with families and services and welcomes members of the community who are impacted by their loved one’s substance use to reach out to FDS for support via our website and through their 1300 368 186 number. Letter from a past member to Tony hank you for your advice and supporting us at our time of need. Our son, now in his fifties, is alive and well and working full-time, thanks to your programs which we attended in Victoria about ten years ago. We followed your advice. Briefly, this is his history, in 1988 he was 17 years old and was one of three boys chosen in Victoria to do a motor mechanics apprenticeship with a well- known large organisation in Melbourne. We sought private board for him in Melbourne and found a couple in Pt. Melbourne. Within the first week he was raped in this house and never told us for 24 years. When he returned home to rural Victoria, to live and work, he broke up with his partner and lost his two children. After the trauma of the rape and the drugs, he lost his job and went feral and continued taking methamphetamines etc. Then he came home to us. He was a wreck and had nowhere to stay. A few months later we bought him a three bedroom brick veneer home in our town in 2012. We furnished it with good second hand furniture, a new TV set, a fridge and washing machine, and good op shop linen and towels. This gave him peace and quiet to recover, and we hoped and prayed for his recovery. About three weeks later, I purchased some food for him, especially meat, which he eventually began to eat. I felt that it was a good sign. He got a job about 3-4 months later and after several jobs, he is now in a job that he enjoys with some responsibility. He is a storeman and when there are no truck drivers, he drives trucks from rural Victoria to Melbourne. At home he mows his lawns and cleans his house etc. We are thankful. Thank you for everything. His father is 84 years old and in remission from cancer. I am 81 years old. Name withheld T