Our Vision

"Empowering individuals to create the personal change that
leads to social and emotional well being and re-engagement in the community".

Our Board

Barry Peach

Barry is the Chairman of the GROW Board and nominee for Victoria. Barry was first appointed to the Board in 2006 and brings a wealth of experience in business, especially in strategic governance, health and human services. Barry is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers and MBA from Deakin University. Barry is also the Chairman of Latrobe Health Services, a Director of Maryvale Private Hospital and an independent member of the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council Audit Committee in Victoria.

Colleen Hosking

Colleen is a partner at Ernst and Young and generously volunteers her time to support both the NSW and Queensland branches. Colleen has been a Board Member since 2008, and is the Honorary Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Audit Sub Committee.

	Steve Bailey Steve is a registered psychologist who has been working with people with dual disability and dual diagnosis for more than twenty-five years. Steve currently works as Manager of the Disability Service at Macquarie University and provides services to more than eight hundred students on campus to enable them to have an equal opportunity in their studies. Steve has been involved with the GROW Community at West Hoxton for almost five years. Steve is a Board Member of the Case Management Society of Australia and an Associate Member of the Australian Psychological Society.
	John MacIsaac is a Principal Mining Engineer with Golder Associates. He is the Board nominee for Western Australia and has participated in the Grow community since 2006. John is chairperson of the Grow WA Branch Management Team and joined the Board only recent, in 2011. John’s qualifications are MBA, Bachelor of Engineering (Mining), Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Practitioner Member accredited with the LEADR Association of Dispute Resolvers. John’s experience includes operations, project management, economic evaluation and design for the Australian and international minerals industry. Volunteer work includes member of the mediation panel for the Gosnells Community Legal Centre, coach for the Schools Conflict Resolution and Mediation competition and a guide at the Perth Observatory.
	Lance Skelton Lance has been in advertising for over 20 years, having worked at a senior level in creative departments of agencies in Perth, Singapore, Scotland and Malaysia. Away from advertising, Lance is a keen fisherman and can often be found in his little tinny on a shady bank of the Swan River chasing bream. Several years ago, a chance listening to a late night radio advertisement led Lance to become a ‘Grower’ in Perth, and met some wonderful people who helped him to work through some of life’s challenges at the time. Lance lives in the foothills of Perth, has two teenage children, and a golden retriever called Buster.
	Kathryn Harrison I have over 25 years experience working in the Community Services Sector, mainly in administration and management, and also in a self-employed financial consultancy role. In 1996 I graduated with a Commerce Degree majoring in accounting for the express purpose of working in the community sector. During my years in the sector I’ve worked with over 60 community organisations; setting up financial systems; training staff and committees; reviewing roles, responsibilities and staffing structures. I delivered the ATO GST training for the sector in 1999 and 2000. I’m self motivated with well developed communication skills, capable of building strong trust based relationships with management, stakeholders, staff, clients and colleagues. I have a strong commitment to the community sector and social justice and value the qualities of honesty, integrity, fairness and ethical commitment. I have offered my support to a number of Committee’s over time including taking on the role of Chairperson for the Youth Housing Project from 1990–1992; Treasurer for Young Women’s Place 1995–1998. I also held the role of Treasurer for the Queensland Council of Social Service Inc (QCOSS) from 2003-2004 and again from 2007-2009.

Our Origins

GROW is a peer support service of Australian origin which began in Sydney in April, 1957. It was originally known as Recovery. It began when a number of ex-psychiatric patients came together after attending A.A. meetings. Although they found these meetings helpful, they realised their problems were more specific and decided to form their own group. When these people in need began to get together to share their experience, understanding and knowledge, it put them on the road to recovery. It was a journey of learning and of sharing, of growing and of friendship, which started with a vision - a vision to inspire themselves, inspire others and as time went on - a vision of mental health for all.

The original group was known as Recovery because its main focus was recovery from mental illness. Right from the outset the early members resolved to develop their own personal resources to help them understand what mental health is, how it effects them, how to regain control over their lives and most importantly, how to keep it.

From the very beginning the animating principle or spirit of the groups was caring friendship and mutual help. It was their goal to find solutions by using their own personal resources and to pool these resources to help themselves and one another to rebuild their lives. They also resolved to preserve their experience and record whatever they found to be successful or helpful for their recovery and this has culminated in a continually growing body of shared wisdom known today as the GROW Program. This Program teaches one how to change negative thinking and behaviour, how to think by reason rather than by feelings and imagination and how to develop whole relationships

This experience of finding mental health together (one of GROW's wisdom's is mental health can't be taught - it has to be learned together) produced an elaborate Program of personal growth, a carefully structured Group Method, a vigorous Caring and Sharing Community and eventually a Legal and Organisational Structure.

As Recovery became better known it started to attract people who whilst not identifying with a mental illness, nevertheless, were struggling with serious life problems and who recognized in themselves a need for personal growth and connection with others facing similar issues. Recovery therefore changed its name to GROW in 1975 to reflect this need for prevention and personal growth. Consequently, approximately 30 - 40% of the current participants is made up of people who do not have a diagnosis of mental illness. So from Recovery's humble beginnings in 1957 GROW has become an international mental health movement meeting the needs of thousands of people each week, with groups dotted across Australian suburbs and towns and overseas.

Links to GROW International

Our Patrons

Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia

BA. LLB (Qld). Hon LLD (Macquarie). Hon DLitt (Charles Sturt). Hon DUniv (Griffith). Hon DU (QUT). Hon LLD (Qld). Hon DUniv (JCU). Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) (Syd).

Quentin Bryce was born in Brisbane in 1942 and spent her early years in Ilfracombe, a small town in Central Western Queensland. In 1965, she graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from The University of Queensland and, in the same year, was admitted to the Queensland Bar. She has since enjoyed a rich and distinguished career as an academic, lawyer, community and human rights advocate, senior public officer, university college principal, and vice-regal representative in Queensland, and now Australia.

Quentin Bryce’s contribution to advancing human rights and equality, the rights of women and children, and the welfare of the family was recognised in her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2003.

On 5 September 2008 Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia’s twenty-fifth Governor-General. As the first woman to take up the office, she remains a pioneer in contemporary Australian society, and yet one who brings more than forty years of experience in reform, community building and leadership to the role.

GROW is incredibly fortunate to have Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia as our national patron.

Our Founder

CON KEOGH, FOUNDER OF GROW, DIES AT AGE 90

Cornelius (Con) Brendan Keogh, founder of GROW, died on 24 November 2011, in Marrickville, New South Wales, after several years of declining health. Born on July 13, 1921, Keogh was 90 years old. conkeogh

Father Con Keogh and small number of others who had also experienced mental health problems, developed the idea of a special group to work together, specifically on the problems related to recovery from mental illness. He was thus a member of the first Grow group (or Recovery as it was then called), which met at Hurstville, Sydney, on April 27, 1957.

The wisdom they gained in helping each other to overcome life’s challenges and recover from mental illness was carefully recorded and forms the basis of our unique Grow program.

His mental breakdown came in 1954 and he was certified insane, hospitalized for several months. During his hospitalisation, he endured regular shock treatment with no anaesthesia, which he said left him “shattered, unable to remember, and still very disturbed, stunned and mortally afraid”. At that time there was incredible stigma around mental illness and community services, particularly those that focused on recovery from mental illness, we non existent.

Con Keogh remained a prominent leader of Grow in Australia and advocate for people with mental illness for over 40 years. He was instrumental in taking Grow’s Program to the USA, New Zealand and Ireland. In 2004, Father Con was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community here and overseas through Grow.

Today there are nearly 600 Grow Groups in the world including Australia and many thousands of people have regained their lives through participation in the Grow Program. It’s an outstanding legacy! We are fortunate in deed to be continuing his pioneering work. For more information, please call 1800 558 268.