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Last year I married my husband and joined his family, including my two step daughters! Even though we are not related by blood, I love my step daughters so much and feel so lucky to be part of their family.

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Happy International Day of Families and National Families Week!!!
I'm lucky enough to have many many families! My mum's, dad's, stepmum's, and stepdad's. Spread throughout Australia and China.
Then there's my lovely PhD family, and now the huge lab family and UNSW MRC!!
But this year, I will be embarking on a journey with the beginning of a new family - my family.
And I am ever so grateful for all the members of all the families that has brought smiles and laughter into my life!

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UNSW MHEDIC Families Network would like to invite you to celebrate and reflect on the significance and diversity of families. We know that families come in all forms, and we embrace family diversity and inclusion.

Please share a photo (if you are comfortable to do so) or an anecdote or story about your family.

All identifiable posts between 15th and 21st May 2023 will be entered into a lucky draw for one of two Westfield vouchers to spend with your family.

If you would like to enter a lucky draw, please include your full name in the post, so that we can reach out.

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I am from Northern Ireland, My partner is a Kiwi - our twins are a cheeky mix of us both! With 2 cats and a dog too we are a busy happy crew 😍 - Roslyn

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Pool fun with Brax (7), Dex (3) and Elara (2)

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This picture is of 5, but we are actually a family of 8. My husband and I have 3 beautiful children and 3 beautiful dogs. Our home is full of mayhem, love and laughs and we would not have it any other way! Forever grateful for the purpose that my family bring to my life.

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My family love to lick, walk and eat!

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Family is not defined and/or validated by a certain gender, number of members, or role/s. Family is a sacred loving space even in the midst of a storm. It is where you find shelter and safety.
I celebrate our little tribe. We might be made of only two: mother and daughter- but the light and love we hold for each other is powerful. We celebrate each other - We are family.
Chris G

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To me, family means where I feel the world's best comfort, trust, and inspiration.

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Happy International Day of Families to all! I have a small family which is like a treasure to me. Family gives me strong sense of belonging and makes me feel secure and valued. My children are becoming more independent, so we are trying different ways to spend time together. I also have an extended family (always like a party when we meet) who has been giving me a lot of support.

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Happy International Day of Families! Here is a picture of my family - my husband Christian and my two daughters Olivia and Millie. They mean the world to me and I am thankful for every day I get to spend with them!

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Happy Family Day to all! My husband and my two children (sorry they cannot pose for photos) are the greatest gifts of my life. They support me, love me and make me laugh (and cry!). I also have great joy of having close friends who are part of my 'family'. They are my joy and strongholds.

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Family to me is having an endless source of Netflix recommendations 😌 My parents are in Perth, and told me to watch the new Rebel Wilson movie because: it's a powerful, inspirational movie, and a will "[definitely] win Oscars". All-in-all if there's something that my family, my friends and my colleagues have instilled within me is that I should live life as if I didn't have any limits. I'm very grateful to have been around people who genuinely believed and wanted that for me. And I honestly am a sucker for inspirational movies...! Lots of love, Hemna.

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Family to me is about a strong sense of belonging. It often involves laughter and sharing precious moments which is why i chose this image of my 4 children (two sets of twins). Our extended family is large, close-knit and excitable, but not in Sydney so my immediate family of 6 is a tight unit. Our family extends to a wonderful, wide network of friends, neighbours, work colleagues who are all considered part of my extended family. Marianne Xx

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Family is an ever-changing experience for us. My wife and I have 2 biological kids, but have had more than 25 foster kids over the past 6 years. As you can see from the joy in this photo, my kids love to look after them - and the foster kids respond so well to love and attention. It is a constant reminder to us of the importance of family to provide love and stability - kids without the right support around them are so vulnerable. Jeff

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Family to me is about joy, about the why as well as the what. It is where I get strength and the most important thing to me. I have a very large extended family who are close, but our nuclear family moved interstate when the kids were small which has brought us much closer to each other. This is the greatest blessing of all

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Family is so important to me. This is just my own little family. My babies are now all grown up. I moved to Australia when I was a baby and also have family all over the world (always a good excuse to travel) but not many blood relatives in Australia. Made up for it by partnering with someone from a big family and then having 4 kids. Two of them have now moved away (one overseas) but we still speak almost every day. I am also really close to my kids' friends,  my work family who help me every day and my running family who support me every weekend. They all love me unconditionally as I do them. Adi

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I have a large family. I love this photo as we never remember to get a photo together. This photo includes all my immediate family: my parents, my sister and her 5 kids, and both our partners - all looking at the camera and all quiet! Teri from SoMS (one of 22 cousins :) )

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Happy International Day of Parents and Families to all. I am grateful to my parents, siblings and extended family for their unconditional love, preparing me somewhat for the wild journey that is parenting. My family fill my heart with love and my days with joy and commotion. Daina.

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I have a large family and we welcome all comers so celebrations and holidays always involve dozens of people. Families are important, whether we are are born into them or create our own. They teach us tolerance, patience and show us the power of love and support. Rebecca

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My idea of family has grown with me throughout the years. From being dependent and looking to parents and siblings for guidance and safety, to finding my family outside of blood ties. My idea of family has grown with international moves and the realisation that my family of origin cannot be replaced, but the world is full of kind, generous souls that make you know family is all around. My idea of family has grown - literally - in my uterus! As well as the many fur babies that I have partnered with on this journey.

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I grew up in Malaysia with a big extended family - both my parents have nine siblings so our family gatherings were massive and loud! Things are little different now with my close-knit family of four in Sydney but we do try to visit home as much as we can. To me, family means support, understanding and love - and this extends to our communities and colleagues!
Mei

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My extended family is large, complex, multigenerational and way too hard to explain in a few sentences! I have friends that are also family to me, and I like to think there are many more who will come into my life that I do not know yet.  Like most families, we have experienced great joy and devastating loss. Everyone in my family loves animals and our pets are very much part of our lives. So much so that pet and human names are very often mixed up 😊. I am glad to have my family.

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I like to think I am part of many families, all of which enrich my life in different ways! I'm lucky to be a parent, but have also lost a child, had elderly neighbours who I deeply treasured, and raised a very needy cavoodle, so know that celebrating being a parent or family can be multifaceted. So celebrate your tribes, whoever they are, we all live under that same blue sky! Zoe Terpening - Strategy & Precincts

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Family is... the rock that steadies me in a messy life. I am fortunate to belong to a large family, most in South Africa.  But I have the privilege of awesome people in Sydney that have become 'family' to the four of us + a bordoodle. I  know too the loss of a child, but also the absolute joy of enjoying the people my kids are becoming.  My family is my strength and weakness :)
Nalini.

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2022 FACULTY WEBINAR -MONDAY@12PM- JOIN TO HEAR HOW COLLEAGUES DO FAMILY

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2022 FACULTY WEBINAR -MONDAY@12PM- JOIN TO HEAR HOW COLLEAGUES DO FAMILY

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THE PANEL
Mei Lee (she/her) is the Education & Student Experience Manager at UNSW Medicine & Health. She is a first-generation migrant from Malaysia with two young children, Declan (6yo) and Elvin (3yo). Mei enjoys a good outdoor picnic with her family on the weekends where they will explore different parks and beaches around Sydney.

Jeff Holst (he/him) is a cancer researcher in the School of Medical Sciences and School of Clinical Medicine at UNSW. He and his wife Belinda have two biological children, Emily (11 yo) and Zac (9 yo). Jeff and his family have been doing crisis and short-term foster care for the past 6 years, caring for more than 25 children for periods from 2 nights up to 18 months.

Tim Dobbins (he/him) is a biostatistician in the School of Population Health, and one of two dads to two young girls, Bonnie (aged 7) and Ginger (aged 5). While Tim's rainbow family is a little different to other families, their day-to-day activities are much the same: juggling work, school, after school activities, and exploring the parks and swimming pools around Sydney. Discussions about family, and the wonderful people who are a part of their lives are a common and happy occurrence in their household.

Kemi Wright (she/her) is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences in UNSW Medicine & Health. She recently relocated to Sydney from Perth, Western Australia leaving behind her parents, brother, 3 nephews and 3 nieces. Family time now looks slightly different but thanks to technology we stay in touch with regular Facetimes and phone calls. My Sydney family is made up of good friends and my 9-year-old German shepherd (Mali), usually spending the weekend checking out new restaurants or hiking through a national park.

Stacie Powell (she/her) is a PhD student at UNSW Medicine and Health with The George Institute for Global Health.  She was born and raised in Texas, USA. Her partner (he/him) is Sri Lankan Tamil and they have a beautiful child, aged 9. The whole family is bossed around by their two cats, Betty and Boris.

Susana Vaz Nery is from The Kirby Institute.

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Perspectives on International Day of Families Webinar

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Join us for a panel discussion to celebrate the International Day of Families

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Work-Family Support Series
This year, there will be a series of webinars on practical strategies to support family wellbeing.

Next upcoming webinar:
15 June @ 1-2pm

‘Managing Kids Screen Time: Strategies for Safe technology use’

You can register here.