In Praise of Social Work Practice

Abstract

Several weeks ago an esteemed American social worker (Georgia Travis), who had been a Fullbright Scholar in Sydney 25 years ago, made a return visit. A small group of now mainly retired Sydney social workers gave a welcoming party to a respected friend and colleague. About a dozen people were there, including Norma Parker, Mary McLelland and Millie Mills. I was privileged to be invited and the occasion was particularly interesting and important for me for two reasons. First, I had the opportunity to meet a number of important contributors to the development of Australian social work, and second, I was looking for ideas and insights for this paper.