History of Relationships Australia
By 1947, marriages became casualties of World War II. The task became clear, focusing on how to repair the damage to families and how to guide husbands and wives towards the mutual understanding, care and support that their wedding vows committed.
Political and religious leaders in the late 1940 looked overseas for inspiration on how to protect marriages in Australia.
London provided one model where the newly established National Marriage Guidance Council had 400 voluntary trained counsellors working in 80 branches across the United Kingdom.
The founding of Marriage Guidance Councils in Australia can be attributed to two pioneers – the Reverend W G Coughlan and the Reverend E P Blamires. In his historical notes of the first decade, Blamires speaks of the urgent need felt in 1946 by many responsible people in Australia, both church and state, to respond to the steep rise in divorce and marital troubles that arose under war conditions.
Reverend Coughlan wrote in a letter to London in 1948 that stated:
‘I believe we shall be able, if you stand by us and support our plans, to get in time half-a-dozen solid Councils, each with a Centre and all of them working to substantially the same Constitution and lined to each other by bonds of common outlook and ambition... We aim at a national set up.’
The first national conference of councils was held in Melbourne in 1952, and in 1953 the National Marriage Guidance Council of Australia (NMGCA) was formed. The purpose for forming a national body was:
‘To enable each participating council to pursue its work with greater effectiveness. To inaugurate, if possible, a national organisation for interstate collaboration and united approach to governments and other bodies’.
The first government funding to NMGCA began in 1956.
From the start, the national gold standards were marriage and relationship counselling and education; setting professional standards; and training and accreditation. There was also concern about the impact of immigration on marriage and family living. In 1963/1964, about a third of counselling cases involved a partner born outside Australia. From the early days of 1956, the NMGCA was instrumental in promoting collaboration across the developing marriage guidance sector.
A 1968 report by the NMGCA National Secretary, after visiting counselling staff across the country, described ‘a recognisable common quality of spirit and skill that distinguishes them as having been trained within the Marriage Guidance Council framework’.
The name National Marriage Guidance Council of Australia was retained until 1994, when it was changed to Relationships Australia Incorporated. This was a change of both name and concept, responding to social shifts which brought more fluid arrangements into couple and family life.
In 2008, client lists include same-sex couples, people from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
In 60 years, we have advanced from exclusively providing marriage guidance to providing multi-dimensional counselling, mediation, education and healing across a broad canvas of personal and professional relationships.
History of Relationships Australia (SA)
A special long-lasting ‘marriage’ alliance has given newspaper readers more than half a century of helpful discussion on relationships.
In 1957, the Marriage Guidance Council of South Australia began supporting a weekly column called ‘Family Forum’ in The Adelaide Advertiser.
The initial aim was to help resolve personal issues and give information about the new concept of marriage counselling.
The column, still published today, has provided a mirror to Australia’s social issues for over 51 years. Early days saw enquiries about adoption and abortion. With the 1960’s came discussion on balancing demands of work and family.
The ‘Family Form’ editor, Bonte Swincer, said many parents were worried about their children leaving home. ‘But these days,’ she said, ‘more are concerned with children returning home after having left’.
When the column started, Bonte wanted to be part of the ‘Family Forum’ team but was told that only a married woman was ‘qualified’ to work on such a column. Eight months later, returning from her honeymoon, she was qualified.
She continued working at The Advertiser full-time for 10 years until leaving to have her first child. Before her daughter Catherine’s first birthday, she received a telegram inviting her to rejoin the column as editor.
40 years later, Bonte still meets with a panel of specialised forum members at Relationships Australia (SA) every Friday, to help resolve readers’ personal issues.
‘I am the luckiest person. There is nowhere else I’d rather be on a Friday,’ she said.
In 2001, Relationships Australia (SA) merged with COPE (Centre of Personal Education). This facilitated the development of the Australian Institute of Social Relations which has become one of Australia's largest providers of community services education.
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