Remembering Kylie Katalinic
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Kylie Katalinic on Tuesday 25th February 2025. Kylie passed away surrounded by her family after a short battle with cancer. Kylie’s dedication to supporting others and her warm, bubbly personality left an indelible mark on everyone who had the privilege of working alongside her. Kylie had a deep passion for mental health advocacy and support, particularly in the construction industry. She joined the Construction Industry Drug and Alcohol Foundation (CIDAF) Committee of Management in 2012 and served for over a decade, bringing her energy, compassion, and determination to every aspect of her work. In 2016, Kylie was elected Secretary and later became President in 2020, where her leadership helped guide Foundation House through years of growth and change. Her love for Foundation House was unmatched. She believed deeply in its mission and worked tirelessly to ensure its services reached as many people as possible. From organising Safety Dinners to helping shape the FoundoBlue program, Kylie’s passion for supporting workers’ wellbeing shone through in everything she did. In 2024, her dedication was recognised when she was awarded the Foundation House Hero Award — a testament to her unwavering commitment to the Foundation’s work. Kylie’s legacy will live on through Foundation House and the countless lives she touched along the way. She will be remembered with deep respect and admiration by her colleagues, friends, and all who were lucky enough to know her. If you would like to donate to the CIDAF cause, please follow the link below [...]
Partner editorial – Spotlight on scams
Last year, Australians made over 600,000 scam reports and lost $2.7 billion1. Superannuation is often targeted by scammers as most working adults in Australia will have a super account containing a significant amount of money. As scams and cybercriminals get increasingly sophisticated, we must protect ourselves by staying informed and learning how to spot the signs of a scam to reduce the risk of falling prey. Here are a few ways scammers may try to access your super: Impersonation and phishing for personal details Scammers may impersonate trusted organisations such as a bank or super fund, contacting you via SMS-es, calls and emails, and request you to take action via the links they provide. Clicking on such links may take you to a fake webpage where they steal your login information when you attempt to log in to your account. A scammer could use that information to access your super account or myGov account to steal your personal information. They could then create another super account or a fake Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) in your name, then transfer the funds and withdraw them. Promises of high investment returns through an SMSF If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers may try to lure you into opening an SMSF through them, with false promises of high investment returns or unusual investment vehicles such as cryptocurrency. Such scammers may attempt to build trust over a period of time to convince you to open the SMSF and provide them with authority to [...]
Mental Health and COVID-19
Looking after your mental health and general wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak There are plenty of feelings of anxiety, worry, concern and sadness that individuals may experience during this time. This is an unprecedented event which may spark these feelings. This is a time to band together – apart. Maintaining social distancing, avoiding large gatherings and practicing only essential activities. At Foundation House we are committed to construction industry workers. We understand the current situation that the world is facing and are dedicated to assisting those in need. Finding a healthy balance It’s important to recognise that we are all faced with a magnitude of more negative information at the moment which can heighten feelings of fear, worry and anxiety. We believe that it is crucial to be informed regularly about COVID-19, but we also believe that it is useful to regulate the way media affects our lives. If it is becoming anxiety provoking every time you turn on the news or scroll through your phones – try and limit this time for both yourself and your family. Watch your alcohol and drug consumption! This may amp up when in isolation or quarantine as a coping mechanism and a way to help the 'time pass' - reach out instead. We don't need to turn to mood altering substances to change the way we feel. This is also a time to watch out for online gambling and gaming. There is plenty of support around that can assist if you struggle with this. Use reliable [...]
The Holidays Are Here…
Christmas and New Years can form critical make or break situations with many people - both in and out of recovery. Family dynamics, arguments, uncomfortable moments and even feelings of loneliness can affect anyone at anytime. But the question is, how do you engage in behaviours that align with who you want to be and how you want to act? How do you get through the holiday season without picking up a drink, a drug or having a bet? There are several ways to help yourself through this holiday season. Practicing mindfulness through guided meditation and deep breathing is one way that can help you be present in the moment and ‘ground yourself’ in times of stress or anxiety. Yoga and meditation at the hundreds of studios close to you. A great way to also ground yourself and be present in the moment Writing a daily plan. This is important to do around the big days like Christmas and New Years eve. Writing a daily plan will ensure that there is a course of action for your day and something to refer back on if you feel like you’re veering off track. Construct an exit plan! These sort of plans can be useful when you find yourself in the middle of a situation that feels uncomfortable. Gently remind yourself that "i need to look after my own needs". Keep it in the day! This is a simple way to keep your actions for the day. instead of saying, i’m not going to [...]
Foundo featured on VICE – Inside the construction industries substance abuse problem
Foundation House is helping tradies come to terms with mental health and addiction. Tommy sits in a room full of tradies and tells them all about how he used to drink methylated spirits with Coke. The mixer was to stop him throwing up blood; he’d keep a schooner of the concoction next to his bed at his parents’ house, where he lived at the time. Tommy was almost 40 then, and had been in and out of the construction industry for half his life. “I worked in construction, and I was a functioning addict from when I started when I was 18,” he explains. “At the start it was always pot. Ecstasy pills. Campbelltown coke. And then after that drinking came into it because it’s just part of the culture. “It’s construction: if you can’t drink you can’t be trusted and be part of it.” Tommy is a resident at the Foundation House rehabilitation centre, located in Sydney’s inner west. The 28-day residential program has been working with people like him for the past 18 years. A not-for-profit charity, Foundation House doesn’t get any government funding, but is instead supported by the construction industry itself. The centre receives a number of its referrals directly from the worksite via the Building Trade Group (BTG), through which they get most of their clientele. Sitting here on a Wednesday night, it’s hard not to think there’s something wrong with Australia’s construction industry culture. There are close to 80 men in this room: some of them alcoholics, some [...]