Angelina
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Angelina has a cognitive disability and has been a client of state funded disability services her whole life.
Angelina was involved in a train accident in the 1980s, when she was in her 30s.
She and her friend, Bishop, were crossing a river railway bridge. When they saw the train coming Angelina jumped off the bridge, but the riverbed below was dry. She sustained significant pelvic injuries and was in hospital for a number of months. Bishop was hit by the train and died.
Angelina met her advocate, Jen, for the first time in the early 2000s. She asked Jen about Bishop over and over again. Jen saw her every week and all Angelina would talk about was the accident and her friend.
‘[Angelina was] very clear about her grief,’ Jen told the Royal Commission.
‘No-one in that whole period of time had sought out the information about her friend and where he had been buried, nor had they done anything about grief counselling.’
Angelina wanted to see where Bishop was buried.
Jen drove Angelina to the area where the accident happened and Angelina identified the rail bridge. They went to the local library and found a newspaper article about the accident. They discovered Bishop’s surname and found where he was buried. Angelina and Jen went to the cemetery and visited Bishop’s memorial plaque.
Jen said that ‘knowing where he was and that she could visit him if she wanted to’ helped Angelina recover from her trauma, and she never mentioned Bishop in the same way again.
Not long after this, Angelina was able to move into her own home. She says she is ‘very proud’ of her independence. She has a strong connection with her neighbours and cares about her community.
She walks to her favourite café every day and the people in the area know her and help her out.
If Angelina sees a path that is broken, or cracked because of tree roots, she reports the damage to the council. Several paths have been repaired because of her.
One of the roads she crosses every day is very busy. For pedestrians to get to the traffic island ‘it’s a bit like dodging traffic’. Angelina met with a man from the transport department and showed him the problem. There are now pedestrian lights at the intersection. She is happy that children and old people can cross the road safely.
Angelina also managed to get a covering installed over the taxi stand at the local shops. She told the local council and shop management that people shouldn’t have to wait in the hot sun, cold wind and rain. Everybody tried to fob her off, but she was insistent and succeeded.
Angelina goes on a road trip every year with Jen and ‘loves discovering new places’.
‘I love quandong jam, lattes, sushi, egg and bacon sandwiches ... and would like to ride a camel one day.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.