The Garden Shelter is one of several hospitality programs run by Cana Communities. Each Wednesday at the Shelter men experiencing homelessness are welcomed as guests for the night. A table is set for supper, and mattresses are made up with fresh linen and blankets.
Ms Madden recounts the story of her being called to the leadership role. “Sister Anne [Jordan], the Director of Cana, asked me to come an hour early to my first shift as a volunteer. When I arrived she told me that I was the Co-ordinator! I don’t know what she saw in me, but she thought I could do it. How do you say no to a nun? I joke that I was lassoed by Sister Anne’s lasso!”
Fellow volunteers are effusive in praise of Ms Madden. One describes her as “down-to-earth, honest, genuine”. Another says: “Regina comes early every week to help get things ready, and she stays to make sure that everybody is okay – that means a lot to all of us. She is committed and easy to relate to. She makes it enjoyable to be involved.”
Guests, too, describe her in glowing terms as “approachable”, “respectful”, and “friendly”.
Regina Madden was born in Tamworth where she grew up on a sheep and cattle farm. Farm-work came naturally to her, though she’s no big fan of country music. “The thing I loved about living on the land was the absolute freedom,” she says. “The feeling that there’s work to do and that we’ve got all day to do it. There’s also the sense of being close to life and death. It’s still in my blood, I guess. It always will be.”
An only child, Ms Madden looks back on a happy and adventurous childhood. She attended New England Girls’ and Rose Bay Convent schools, before a short stint in Switzerland. “I was excused early from a ‘finishing school’ there,” she laughs. “My mother was not impressed that I didn’t finish! It just wasn’t my scene. I was a square peg in a round hole!”
Reflecting on the experience, Ms Madden composes the following: “The sun was shining, the snowfields were glistening, and the ski slopes were calling!” She was 17 years old at the time, curious and independent.
Various rural enterprises in the Tamworth district kept her busy – as a primary producer, wool exporter and investor – before selling the family property and settling in Sydney about 15 years ago. She has thoroughly enjoyed living in the eastern suburbs, and in Manly for a short while. “Home is where your friends are,” she says. “I enjoy hosting dinners and gathering people together.”
“Something I love about the city is having a network of good friends, people who are open to different things; different influences and experiences.”
Speaking about Cana Communities, Ms Madden sees that the whole community is important, the guests and volunteers, the visitors and those with a religious vocation. “We all need to give and to receive,” she says. “That’s what makes us fully human. Men living on the street have value, they add value to society. Everyone has value.”
On Sunday May 3, Cana will celebrate 40 years with a gathering in Redfern Park. The celebration will begin at 11am. There will be a book launch, prayers and singing, and a community lunch. Everyone is invited.
“It will be a real celebration,” Ms Madden says. “I’d be keen to meet anyone who might be interested to learn about Cana – or to volunteer with Cana. There are several houses and programs, courses … and many wonderful characters to meet!”
