By Renee Wood
A Yarra Glen local has been announced as a Victoria Senior Australian of the Year nominee.
Clinical psychologist Dr Rob Gordon OAM has been recognised due to his significant work as a pioneer in disaster recovery, assisting people and communities who’ve been affected by traumatising events.
Dr Gordon said it’s a great honour and it’s very humbling to be nominated for the recognition.
“It’s very humbling really, I’ve found it to be very moving to do this work with disasters and meet people all over the country in difficult times and see what wonderful people work in communities all over the country. So the whole experience has been a very moving one,” he said.
The 76 year old has dedicated his career to supporting people through these difficult times ever since the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires.
Dr Gordon said he realised there was a need to work in this space after he first went to the Macedon area with a children’s hospital team following the fires.
“It became evident that nobody really knew what we should be doing with people after disasters – they don’t fit into the categories of people with mental illness or mental health problems, they’re normal people who’ve been hurt,” he said.
“They only really just introduced the idea of post traumatic stress disorder as a possible health problem, but I also saw that it’s much wider than just trauma, it’s about the whole community disruption and the stresses that go throughout the recovery system.”
Dr Gordon saw an opportunity to be involved in pioneering work in this field and set out to train and gain more experience and find out more about the lasting effects of trauma.
He built a body of knowledge in this field and developed a person-centred, trauma informed approach which has shaped the way organisations such as the Australian Red Cross, government agencies and other groups work with traumatised communities after disaster and loss.
Dr Gordon has been called upon in various other disasters including the Port Arthur massacre, the Bali bombings, floods and cyclones.
The clinical psychologist said there is a different approach to working with people who have been affected by this area of trauma.
When disasters strike, anyone can be affected and Dr Gordon said often many people don’t know how to cope or also have a delayed response to it, which is overwhelming.
“It’s not uncommon, for example, for people are only ready to start dealing with their experience after they’ve moved into their new house again, because they can’t afford to get side tracked into their own emotional state.
“Many people will present late for support…when you look at when they really need help, it’s often when they become completely exhausted by the tremendous over active activity that I’ve been involved in.
“So what I’ve learned is to help people understand their own state so they can make decisions about protecting their health, that usually means doing things more slowly and steadily.”
Dr Gordon believes education is key to assisting communities after the event and continues to work with organisations such as the Red Cross to provide the best care.
He conducts information sessions and professional development, plus he provides free, individual consults to those who have suffered significant personal loss after a disaster, working out of his Box Hill clinic.
Recently, Dr Gordon has been working with Yarra Ranges Council to assist in pandemic recovery.
“It’s been wonderful that councils organised opportunities for all the people that are most directly affected to come together and might get some kind of a talk about the whole recovery process and that often helps them understand things like the decisions right now for themselves.
Dr Gordon is among 130 people being recognised across all states and territories and the four Victorian award recipients will be announced on Tuesday 8 November.
