This reflection has been co-written by Quest Facilitator, Kate Syzmanski, and Partnerships Manager, Candice Piper. Together, they recently travelled through regional NSW to deliver Your Life Matters workshops in six towns. What follows is their shared account of those experiences — the courage and honesty of the people they met, the challenges voiced, and the moments of humour and hope that emerged along the way...
Over the past few weeks, we’ve had the privilege of delivering Your Life Matters workshops in six regional towns — Mullumbimby, Lismore, Grafton, Inverell, Tenterfield and Armidale. Kate facilitated and Candice supported the space — and together, we sat in rooms where courage met trauma and grief, where challenge sat alongside honesty and humour.
We came away with full hearts and full cups… and a renewed awareness of just how hard it is for people in regional communities to get the support they need.
Stories of Strength, Humour and Honesty
We hit the road kicking things off in Mullumbimby, winding through Lismore, and landing in Grafton. Each workshop brought its own stories and strengths. People shared their lived experience of disasters, disability, caring roles, mental ill health, and more. There was deep wisdom, fierce love, and no shortage of dry humour — like Ian’s line in Mullumbimby:
“The beauty of a messy house is that if a burglar turned up, they’d think it’s already been burgled!”
We laughed together, and there were tears as well — honest, emotional moments that stayed with us. We held space for conversations that don’t always get spoken aloud — the kind that ripple long after the workshop ends.
We had some memorable moments on the road, but one that stands out is our drive into Grafton - which felt like time travel through snow. We waded through a hailstorm so intense it blanketed the roads and sports fields in what looked like snow—despite a brisk 15°C outside the car!
Challenges Facing Rural Communities
The challenges were clear — and they were shared.
From the Northern Rivers to the New England region, we heard about isolation, suicide risk, burnout, housing shortages, flood anxiety, domestic violence, addiction, lack of access to doctors or mental health services, and deep financial strain. People spoke of whole communities left to suffer in silence. One woman in Inverell said:
“You have to advocate for yourself constantly. It’s exhausting.”
We heard about the tension between locals and newcomers, the invisibility of carers, and the stigma that still surrounds mental health. In Armidale, someone joked:
“If you have a completely clear mind, you must be dead.”
It made us laugh — but it also said something very real about how heavy people’s mental load is, just getting through the day. We also heard from people who found immediate relevance in the workshop content:
“This is going to be so helpful for me – I’m always talking my daughter off the emotional ledge. I can see how I can start dropping this into our conversations.”
Moments of Connection and Hope
But amidst the hardship, there was something else.
There was still connection. Still generosity. Still hope — even if fragile. A thread that ran through the groups, stitched together by listening, by kindness, and by the simple act of being present with one another.
In Grafton, a woman reflected:
“It was a new concept, realising that I could communicate with myself differently — that I can speak to myself with the kindness I use for others.”
In Tenterfield, Damien had lost his dad just six weeks earlier. He told us the workshop was “so helpful… so cup-filling.” And Genevieve shared a ritual that brought the room to stillness:
“Before bed, my partner and I each say three things we’re grateful for. It’s how we end the day.”
These moments mattered. So did the shared reminders in the ‘Symptoms of Stress and What Helps’ session — like the healing power of time outdoors, and the quiet resilience found in small acts of daily self-care and self-love. Chris summed it up beautifully when he said:
“I don’t ever want to lose the wonder for the beauty of the natural environment where I live.”
What we witnessed was not just struggle — it was people finding ways to keep going, often against the odds.
It revealed itself in the quiet persistence of carers navigating impossible systems, in parents doing their best to raise children without the safety nets so many take for granted, and in neighbours who continue to show up for one another even when formal supports are absent.
That’s why these workshops matter — they help bring people back into themselves. Back to a place of calm, curiosity, and compassion. We spoke about nervous system regulation, trauma, epigenetics, and brain health. About the power of breath, gratitude, and connection. About forgiveness. About how we can’t change other people, or the system — but we can change how we respond to the world around us.
We are not just human doings — we are human beings.
Gratitude for Our Partners and Community
On the ground, we had support from the ever-wonderful Bec with Carers NSW in Mullumbimby, Diane in Lismore, and Allan in Grafton. Their local knowledge, kindness, and practical help brought so much ease to every workshop and built real bridges with the community.
Damien from Carers NSW was a force of nature in Inverell and Tenterfield—mobilising carers, coordinating attendance, and generally making magic happen. In Armidale, the lovely Janelle picked up the torch again, having supported us months earlier in Tamworth. Together, they created such a strong, supportive vibe in every room.
The tour was also supported by the thoughtful, compassionate presence of Simone, Gabrielle and Wende from the Women’s Resilience Centre (WRC), a national support service dedicated to helping women recover from domestic abuse and trauma. (womensresiliencecentre.org.au)
Big thanks also to local organisations like Compassionate Friends, Country Women’s Association, Tenterfield Social Development Committee Inc, Lions Clubs, Rotary and various community libraries.
The August workshops seemed like a blur—in the best way—with two trips, lots of sky shots, and heartfelt collaboration across two very different regions.
To everyone who came, whether you found the words to share your story, offered encouragement to others, or simply sat in the room and let your presence be part of the collective strength — thank you.
— Kate and Candice
Support for those in regional areas
As a charity, we rely on income from donations from people like you to subsidise the cost of attendance at our residential programs and to facilitate our free community outreach workshops in regional communities.
By donating to Quest, you’re helping other people grow through their biggest challenges. This, in turn, ripples out to create a more compassionate society that supports and encourages each of its members.
Your donation will help people on limited incomes or people in need of respite after a natural disaster by helping to cover the cost of their attendance at one of our programs. Donations will also be used to deliver more community workshops in regional areas for those who can't travel to Bundanoon.
Thank you for your consideration and support.
Petrea King
CEO and Founder
Quest for Life Foundation
Upcoming residential program dates
Browse our Events Schedule for specific program information and dates.
