NOTE: The following is a
transcript of the story of Kurrumin, the place that is
central to the life of Jackson, a very special little boy. It
is quite long, but if you take the time to read it, you will
know it is a beautiful story.
Introduction The Dream Thanks The Move The Future Thoughts
The Story of
Kurrumin - as told by Judie Stephens......
On Saturday 27 November 1996 events happened that changed the
fabric of our family and threw us into total disarray. My
daughter Amanda and her husband Jay were killed, leaving
behind three pre-school aged children: Matthew, 5 years old,
David, 3 years old, and Jackson, 3 months. Matthew and David
went to live with their paternal grandparents who wanted to
provide for them a life that was as close as possible to
normal and with the opportunity of being with their cousins
and in their own environment. Jackson, the baby, sustained a
closed-head injury at the time of the accident. It was said
that he may not survive. He lost mobility, he was deaf and
blind. And so, there was a long time at the hospital until he
was 6 months old, with daily visiting and overnight stays and
the challenge of putting things together.
Possibly the
last thing on my mind was where we’d live. I lived alone
in a comfortable suburban bungalow, 9 steps to go in, narrow
doorways, lacking in lighting and in fact I was in the middle
of major renovations. As a woman of 49, I built a spa in my
kitchen and other things that would really suit my lifestyle.
On Friday 13
May 1994 Jackson came home to "Tree-Tops", thanks
to the Sydney Children's Hospital who prescribed different
pieces of furniture and seating solutions that would be of
assistance. We lived there very happily for the first year or
so. Then as Jackson was slowly and steadily improving it
suddenly dawned upon me: it was dark - we needed more light;
the doorways were narrow - Jackson had nowhere to walk in his
walker. We put in a lift solution, but beside that there were
steep and treacherous stairs that could cause an accident.
There were many challenges.
Then I
started to dream. Indeed, I started to dream.
TOP
The Dream......
If I wanted
Jackson to truly recover, not only did we need a good
rehabilitation plan, we needed more space than the kitchen
and the side patio. So it was on Monday 27 May 1996 that I
went to speak with my business associate, Lend Lease Chairman
Stuart Hornery, and shared my dream with him. I told him that
I had purchased a level block of land in a beautiful position
on the Georges River in Sydney, and I wanted to do something
with it. I went away after he said he’d think about it,
and very quickly, support started coming. Things started
happening.
I was introduced to Doc Holliday from Lend Lease Property
Services, and was soon to be introduced to John Barbacetto,
Phil Riddell, Mark Sydney and Phillipa Sutton, architects and
engineers. And together, combining all our best ideas, we
looked at building a home that would allow Jackson to reach
his potential best, a home that was markedly different, that
suited the Australian environment, that provided wide
doorways, the best positioning, lighting, functionality and
also privacy. Jackson requires 24 hour care because of his
medical condition so that needed to be a part of the plan.
We worked
hard and tirelessly - almost a year on the design alone. In
fact, the design was possibly the greatest part of ensuring
that "Mission Possible" would succeed.
Then it came
time to do the building. The building took many more months
than anticipated and, as with many homes, today it still
evolves. But the time that it is taking to finish is allowing
me the opportunity to add even more improvements.
Kurrumin is
Aboriginal for "Reflections", and to me it means
being able to reflect upon what has happened in my life and
also on the direction of our future. Kurrumin, now and
tomorrow, will be shared with other differently-abled
children. A place where children and carers can come and
share our exterior, ramped, heated pool and our interior
hydrotherapy pool. This, and our level sensory garden, have
made an absolutely huge difference in making Kurrumin
accessible and a great place to live and share.
Jackson has
a walker that was designed by Kel Anderson. Kel has worked
tirelessly with many differently-abled people to assist them
with equipment. Not only has he assisted Jackson with his
walker, but there are many things he has made for our home
(both here and at our previous home).
My mentor
and close friend, Marinela Mendes, took the journey with me
from its inception, through to completion. Marinela works
with Lend Lease in the area of child care, and she was
absolutely committed to ensuring Kurrumin worked. And it
does.
Close to
completion we contemplated colour. Colour Response Technology
was employed and with that we chose colours that are healing,
colours that are restful. In Jackson’s sleeping area we
introduced colours that induce sleep and lower heartbeat. In
his play area there are colours of stimulation. My brief was
the colours under the sea. All the colours that are
incorporated come together. For example, our tiles are sandy
colours that flow down onto the beach. Our Australian
hardwood floor downstairs is symbolic of driftwood. The
carpet upstairs in the private area of our home is a
Bremworth, and it looks like seaweed. All the door handles,
where possible, are black, so that the visually impaired can
see them. They are at 1 metre height. Powerpoints are at
300mm from the floor.
Our home
doesn’t advertise disability, in fact it enhances
ability. Our window sills, at 600mm, enable someone in a
wheelchair to enjoy the water and the views without having
any of the pleasures of the Australian landscape denied. Our
neighbours here at Kurrumin have all been of great assistance
during the long time of building and are also kind and
understanding of our integration into the community.
Our kitchen
was designed and installed by Tony McNamara, of Kitchens by
Karingal. Each cupboard has a different sensory touch, colour
and aspect. Once again, it is in line with the theme of being
under the sea. Tony teamed up with Abet Pty. Ltd. to look at
the best products for the doors, and Abet looked at the best
paneling for the wheelchair bathrooms to ensure that if they
receive impact from wheelchairs they will not be damaged.
To heat our
pool, we looked at the Raypak product, a very quick heating
system, based on gas. In Australia we have natural gas, so it
is great to be able to use our own products.
TOP
Thankyou......
The Lend
Lease and Civil and Civic teams worked closely and looked at
all aspects of the environment. Windows were placed to catch
optimum light and warmth. We can be in any section of the
house and there is privacy. Jackson is turned and assisted
during the night but this does not disturb others in the
home. Clever design provides areas for Jackson to pursue his
daily activities, like any little 5 year old boy. We assist
with his play, listen to what he wants, attend to his
mealtimes, toilet timing, bathing, hydrotherapy. Each section
of the house is specifically designed for the right activity.
When Jackson is in his hydrotherapy pool, we can observe from
the kitchen how he is going with his program - the same
applies to his play areas, so Jackson can also have privacy
and time to reflect and contemplate.
Those who
helped us and deserve a great vote of thanks include Mrs.
Helen Lunn of the Royal Blind Society here in Sydney. She and
her team worked on systems that would assist the visually
impaired at Kurrumin. Then there is Greg Cooper of
Cooper’s Pools who has spent many months with me on the
design and functionality of our pools. He assists with the
maintenance and the ongoing challenges that occur with two
pools which are shared by people and which must be kept
absolutely sanitized and always available for use.
Security
and observation cameras for Jackson and his rehabilitation
systems were looked at by ADT and great solutions were
reached. Hunter Douglas looked very closely at our blinds and
our needs, and they too came up with some great ideas to
ensure privacy without sacrificing the light. Of course there
was Jean Rosewall, the Environmental Manager from Kogarah
Municipal Council, who gave her valued expert advice,
ensuring that we considered the environmental aspects.
Our
home’s acoustics are brilliant. Music is a very
important part of our lives, and Jackson’s preference
has turned to classical, especially Mozart, and he loves the
3 Tenors and children's songs and stories.
TOP
The Move......
We (Jackson
and I, along with our "extended family":
Jackson’s budgie Prettyboy (given to him by his
girlfriend Emma), our dog Samantha, and David’s cat
Simba) moved to our new home on Saturday, 27 June 1998, and
was that a challenge! The painting wasn’t completed, the
carpet wasn’t down, there were no window furnishings. I
felt it was time. We had an absolutely wonderful gas heater
called Ambience: natural gas, flueless. It was a
revolutionary new gas fire that kept us warm through that
cold winter and cleaned the air as it burnt. So here we were
- then we started. Carpet, painting, window furnishings, and
things slowly and systematically fell into place.
With all this
happening around us, you might wonder about maintenance.
Large houses do require more maintenance. The people that
have been the main players here have been Kel Anderson, who
designed the walker - he has designed furnishings and
assisted us with the maintenance of these things over the
years - and Peter Stephens, Jackson’s Grandfather, who
comes weekly to play with him and to assist us with what
needs to be done.
It is
extremely important that people who have disabilities have
equipment and housing that works because if a wheelchair or a
door or a tap fail, that can cause chaos and confusion, much
more than it does for we able bodied people. So once again we
are blessed.
What are we
doing now? As I said earlier, we are sharing Kurrumin with
those that are differently-abled - in particular, children.
This is a place where we can all rest and enjoy and recharge
our energies for what is ahead.
My world
seems now to be involved in Law Reform and, of course most of
all, being a part of a family, and my absolute focus is on
Jackson and his brothers Matthew and David.
TOP
The Future......
I see Jackson healed
completely, lacking in nothing. I know that we have provided
for Jackson a very special place on this planet where his
disability becomes less and what he can do becomes more. Our
focus is on what he can do and for any children that come
here to share our home, the same applies. So we will continue
sharing Kurrumin’s space with those who will benefit.
TOP
My
thoughts......
Most of us are supposed to be mythical, and Mr. or Ms.
Average. One of the most unsettling things about some
architecture is that it is built for a nonexistent
population. Buildings and open spaces often only cater for
the physically fit 30 year olds, who are of typical age,
height and weight. In fact, there is not many of us who are
in that position for very long. Stairs, protruding
thresholds, revolving doors and narrow entrances, can turn
buildings into frustrating obstacle events.
The aged,
parents with prams, wheelchair users, pregnant women, and
people with disabilities are challenged daily. Individuals,
Governments and architects should all look at making the
environment work. Every building that is built in the future
should have wheelchair accessibility. We are going to live
longer and become older. Over the past centuries, many
architects have taken advantage of the ability of human
beings to tolerate discomfort, inconvenience and sometimes
even danger. Well now is the time to change that. We need now
to look at all the individuals who will be using a house,
from womb to the tomb, with disability or without, that they
can move easily around their homes and public buildings. We
do not want barriers between those who can move easily and
those who cannot. If we make our homes and public buildings
more accessible life will be so much easier.
Transportation
and seating are of paramount importance whether it is moving
into a vehicle, or a wheelchair. Access should be level and
ramped.
Let us
globally consider the challenge of disability and ageing. We
all need to recognise our responsibilities to the needs of
all citizens and I applaud Lend Lease and the work that they
are doing in design, to break down the barriers of a user
unfriendly environment. I would like to thank all the people
who have been a part of Kurrumin’s design, planning and
building, and those who make this such a special place by
sharing Kurrumin with us.
