Celia believed that, “It is through working with the women that we will change the destiny of the children.”  To make effective change we must work with the whole family, not just the child. Celia felt this was the most important insight she could offer us before she died.

Adele and Celia worked for ten years helping matriarchs within ‘at risk’ families. She describes an occasion where Celia’s power to voice emotions was felt by a particularly challenged women.

Jacqui, under Celia’s guidance, ventured into social work with ‘at risk’ families, supporting the matriarchs with the power to make changes. Celia also helped her cope in her personal life as a solo mother.

Celia tells us that it is essential to work with the matriarchs of ‘at risk’ families to better help improve their children’s lives.  

Kathleen has been friends with Ces for several decades, since they were schoolgirls. Over the years she has researched for Celia on many of her projects. They spent many years with each other as their families grew up. Through their experiences, they began to understand the important roll the matriarch has to enhance their families wellbeing.

Briony tells of Celia’s insight, help and support, when she became both a mother and a step mother.

Celia had a deep understanding and empathy for women and was able to articulate clearly how many women felt. Adele talks about Celia’s use of this powerfulness.

While Celia drove her car all over NZ, between speaking engagements and meetings where she networked with various groups and individuals, she would sometimes record her thoughts to develop them into future action. In this recording Ces is constructing an opinion piece for a discussion paper on child abuse. She creates a scenario of two young…

Beks loves the specific use Lou’s Place makes of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. At Lou’s Place, they go beyond supporting the women in their basic physical needs, through to the pinnacle of the Hierarchy, finding the unique magic within each woman, supporting their souls purpose in life.

Beks talks about what Lou’s Place is, in Sydney, Australia. She visited it with Celia in 2014 and then again after her mother died. She is looking into the possibility of setting up a similar place, appropriate to women’s needs in NZ.