Some of you will be aware Michael and I undertook a project recently to bring a film called Canvas to the big screen in Wellington at the Mental Illness Summit, and Premiers in Nelson and Greymouth and we brought the Director/Writer Joseph Greco from America along with it!  The film was based on Joe's own experiences growing up with his mother who suffered from Schizophrenia and tells the story of a boy whose mother developed paranoid schizophrenia, from a child's perspective. 
Mental health planners have only recently begun trying to understand and address the needs of children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) and we hoped that sharing this story would inspire others to share their stories, which is a step towards understanding the needs of this diverse group of young carers. 
We were grateful to all our panellists who bravely shared some of their experiences as COPMI, and to panellist Sonja Worthington from West Coast DHB.  Sonja currently works with children who have parents with a mental illness and has done extensive research in this area.   I have set up an e-mailing list of people interested in COPMI  so that relevant information can be passed on.  Please contact me at the SF office if you would like to be on the email list.
We are delighted to have sold 50 DVD's to various SF Branches and other organisations around NZ, and I know many are already planning to show it during next years Schizophrenia Awareness week - ensuring Joe's story will continue to educate and inspire for some time yet. 
While we were limited to numbers at the premier viewing, anyone who would like to see the movie  is welcome to borrow the DVD from our library at SF Nelson.  Katherine Ryan also interviewed Joe on Radio NZ Nine to Noon show .  You can borrow the CD of the interview from us too, or you can download the  interview http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/programme_archive
We do want to especially thank Springhill Trust/Frimley Foundation for supporting this event - without them it would not have happened.  Also John Furtak and Frankie from the Suter theatre and Katrina Kahilli from Suter Cafe for going the extra mile to help us, Gary and Valley Neale from Brightwater Vineyards for supplying the wine and AID Distribution Ltd for helping us buy in the DVD's.    And lastly, a huge thank you to Joe Greco for travelling out to NZ to be with us to share his story. 

Susan O'Connell
Adminstrator/Coordinator
SF Nelson