Ocean Grove’s Lyndie Freestone, 65, was inducted into the 2024 Victorian Honour Roll of Women on October 16 for her work with high-risk and homeless young people. She speaks with Jena Carr about what the award means to her and what she enjoys about working with young people.
Ocean Grove’s Lyndie Freestone has spent 30 years giving back to the community and helping high-risk and homeless young people.
The 65-year-old’s interest in promoting mental health in children and young people started close to 40 years ago while she was travelling overseas.
“I interacted with Save the Children in Africa and learned a lot from them when I was on a trip over there,” she said.
“The people were so generous and humble, which really grounded me…and that experience changed my whole understanding of life and the world.
“When I came back, I knew that there was something I needed to do, and a friend of my sister’s, who was a psychiatric nurse, said that I should be a psychiatric nurse.
“So, I started off in adult psychiatry and then realised I wanted to specialise with children and youth and went off into that pathway.”
This experience launched Lyndie into public health and volunteer service roles, including piloting the first outreach mental health service for high-risk and homeless youth and Barwon Health North Child and Family service.
She also helped develop the first dedicated adolescent mental health service for the Barwon Southwestern Region and provided counselling to young people suffering from chronic illnesses.
“I’ve been very blessed and feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to be in the forefront of program developments across the region,” she said.
“I feel like the nonna (grandmother) as I’m one person, and it takes a team to build an organisation, just like it takes a team to raise a child.
“I’m very lucky that I love what I do…and I continue learning from a lot of people across many different roles while bringing what I learnt into the mental health perspective.
“I have worked alongside the Salvation Army, and that’s where I learned a lot while being out of an office, on the ground, and on the street.
“I also worked with Susan Barton from the Lighthouse Foundation for about 10 years in a voluntary capacity, which is an amazing organisation that provides long term accommodation for high risk and homeless youth.”
Lyndie also volunteers and supports Surf Life Saving in Ocean Grove and at a statewide level.
“Surf Life Saving is for everybody, and it is about creating a connection and a sense of belonging,” she said.
“I worked in the hard end of mental health a lot and I see surf life saving as a preventative mental health measure as it holds those old-fashioned values of a community hub.
“It doesn’t cost an arm and leg for kids to get on their bike or the board and get out on the water…and when things get big and busy, it’s nice to get back to sand, water and volunteering.
“There’s a particular type of person that volunteers as well, so when we bring our young people through, we’re teaching them how to give back to the community, and that helps them grow a lot.
“It gives them an alternative place to be and it’s healthy to be outside and in the fresh air. They also get upskilled in first aid and CPR and all that sort of stuff.”
Lyndie was among 21 women inducted into the 2024 Victorian Honour Roll of Women’s Local Champion Category for helping children, young people and families.
She said receiving the award felt “a bit surreal” and was glad to share the honour with her daughter during the awards ceremony on October 16 at Arts Centre Melbourne.
“I was a bit blown away. I certainly wasn’t expecting it and it’s certainly not something you seek out, so I was a little bit in awe,” she said.
“One of the lovely things is that my colleagues put it together, so that was really nice. I feel very honoured and humbled by it, and it’s been quite an amazing experience.
“My daughter, who’s turning 22, was at the awards ceremony with me, which made it incredibly special. It was a life event we’ve shared that will be with us for a very long time.
“We were having this really funny conversation before the ceremony when we walked along Southbank as I went through all her achievements.
“I’m going, ‘You’re a bit like your mother, you don’t like singing your own praises. Are you aware of all your achievements?’, and she said, ‘But this is about you, not about me’.
“So, we began arguing over whose turn it was to celebrate each other…I’m very lucky to have a very special relationship with her, which made the night such a beautiful experience.”
Being “honest and not promising stuff you can’t do” are important factors to consider when working with young people, according to Lyndie.
“It’s amazing that if you follow their lead, they will often lead you to where you need to go,” she said.
“Just try to be sincere and listen because many adults don’t listen. They ask lots of questions, but they don’t listen. So, it’s just being able to sit there and be present.
“I’m learning all the time…and you’re constantly listening to the feedback you get while trying to adjust because you can be well-meaning and still miss the point.
“I encourage anyone who may be struggling to reach out to someone as a beginning point, and then, if you don’t feel confident linking with services yourself, that person might be able to help you.”
The Victorian Honour Roll of Women program worked to increase the visibility of women, including trans-women and gender-diverse people, as role models and leaders to counter restrictive and harmful gender norms.
More than 750 women from across the state have been inducted since the program started in 2001 for contributions to fields like science, art, environment, law, social justice, research, health, media and education.
