From a Scarred Past to a Brighter Future
The Heart Of Healesville
Lesley Porters Road to Helping
Drive out of Melbourne City. Drive to the beautiful countryside of Yarra Valley. Hidden between the enchanted hills of Chum Creek you will find a small farm. On this little self-sustainable farm you will find a humble group of volunteers. These volunteers spend their days making life a little easier for young people in Victoria who are dealing with a variety of problems such as communication skills, anxiety and troubled upbringing . This organization is also called The Good Life Farm.
» The Good Life Farm « has one mission: to help young people who have fallen through the gaps in society or haven't been given a chance in life.
Coming from a tough childhood herself, the founder of The Good Life Farm, » Lesley Porter «, has dedicated her life to this non-profit organization. Since Lesley was a kid, she has been neglected and mistreated. At the age of merely 5 years old, Lesley and her family were in a terrible car crash. As the only survivor of the crash, she was left orphaned. Lesley was through several homes and experienced more abuse and neglect than any child should undergo. At the age of 11 years old Lesley finally found her salvation when she got a job mucking out stables at a holiday farm in Healesville.
“I would basically say this riding school saved my life”
Throughout her young life, Lesley has always had a connection with animals. She has trust in animals which she had never been able to feel towards the people surrounding her as a child. They gave her a life purpose and put her on the right path.
The love and support which Lesley found in animals is exactly what she wants to pass on to the children at Good Life Farm. The farm provides a holistic and therapeutic approach based on animal-assistance therapy. » The young people « learn important life skills through feeding and caring for the animals. Boundaries, confidence and work ethics are taught throughout a variety of creative
» day-to-day activities «.
Spending a day as a spectator at the Good Life Farm would send most people through a range of emotions, from saddening to truly inspiring. Oberserving the children at the Good Life Farm in the morning, it was not difficult to see that some of them had trust-related issues and struggled with opening up to people around them.
“Some of the stories are so horrific that it’s sometimes hard not to get overwhelmed by the sadness. Especially if you yourself get triggered.”
Yet, after a couple of hours of caring for the animals, laughing with the other children and talking with Lesley, it was clear to see some of the weight was being lifted from their young shoulders. Listening to their stories and witnessing this change was truly a moving experience.
“I think programs like the Good Life Farm will foster a connection in troubled youth. This connection - whether it is to others, animals or community - is vital in steering them away from a life of crime.”
Sophie Bansemer is studying justice and criminology at the Australian College of Applied Psychology. Every Monday Sophie now joins the team of volunteers at the Good Life Farm in the quest to make a difference for troubled children. Having studied the Australian Criminal System for 4 years, Sophie has witnessed the negligence that children in the system are met with.
