It’s the time of the year when Australia honours its members who set an example for others to follow. For the Brimbank City Council, this person is Despina Havelas, who was named Citizen of the Year for her work for children with autism and their families.

The mother of an autistic boy, Despina Havelas set up the Autism Angels organisation, to help others who share her experience of fighting all kinds of adversity in dealing with her child’s condition.

This has resulted in an impressive support network for parents and carers of children in the autism spectrum, linking them to available services, while at the same time raising awareness of autism in the broader community through regular fundraising events such as picnics and dinner dances.

In the past decade, Autism Angels has raised more than $85,000 for families living with autism, and has received more than $50,000 in support from the government in the last six years.

“I’ve been chasing politicians for all these years,” says Despina, laughing. “And I love it! It’s my favourite activity”.

She comes across as someone with a go-getter attitude who doesn’t hold back. She wouldn’t have succeeded in her goals otherwise. But she’s quick to point out that politicians are not her enemy – at least, not anymore:

“The surprising thing for me is that I’ve met politicians and service providers who are genuinely interested in introducing policies that will change things for the better.”

Despina describes a change of attitude from the lawmakers and officials towards people with special needs, stating that things are much better now than they were 15 years ago. To what does she attribute this shift?

“More often than not they’re personally touched; they have either a friend or a family member living with disability,” she says. Perhaps it also has to do with the increasing number of children in the autism spectrum diagnosed each year in Australia and worldwide.

FAMILIES ARE PART OF THE EQUATION

Whatever the reason, Despina is there to grasp the opportunity and send her message to those who are willing to listen, which is simply to let them know that parents should be included in the discussion.

“Up to now, the focus, when we were talking about policies, was on the person with the disability; it is important for parents and carers to be included,” she says, suggesting a holistic approach to a situation that affects not only individuals in the autism spectrum (or any other disability) but also their siblings, parents and carers.

“Families are part of the equation,” she says, and the needs of everyone involved have to be met. Her organisation has done exactly that. Established in 2009, Autism Angels has been acting as a drop-in centre for autistic children when parents are under strain, but it has since grown to become a key factor in the development of various autism services around Brimbank, not least of which are Early Intervention Workshops. Among her achievements, as an active member of the Brimbank community is the creation of the first all-abilities park, an inclusive facility that people with disabilities can enjoy.

Despina has also been successfully lobbying for the increase of respite care provided by the city, persuading the city to put more hours to it. She also plays a key role in the Brimbank Disability Expo, is a member of the board of the Autism State Plan, and is chairperson of the Brimbank Disability Network Group.

As the announcement of her award states, “she is a supreme example of a committed, passionate and generous member of the Brimbank community” – and it seems that she won’t stop chasing politicians anytime soon.