Message from the Chairperson - Mrs Sally Goold "CATSIN's New Millennium Journey to Success" When CATSIN was first conceptualised as an organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses, there may have been some questions as to its intrinsic worth as well as its ability to remain relevant in a constantly changing environment. CATSIN has, however, taken on all of its challenges and has proven its sustainability and staying power. Since those early days CATSIN has grown from strength to strength, not only by way of its membership numbers, but also in its acceptance as a strong and highly credible voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses within the general health community. From CATSIN's embryonic start has grown an organisation with a clear vision, an achievable mission and a true passion for promoting the ideals, objectives and benefits of cultural care within the community. Last year CATSIN designed and developed its first Strategic Plan which we called - "Tracks to our Dreaming". This year we have developed our first integrated Business and Marketing Plan. With our vision and mission as guiding lights and our enthusiastic members to propel our Business and Marketing Plans, we hope to achieve many of our identified goals and objectives. During the months ahead, we as an organisation, will have to work closely together to realise our true potential. It will be the successes that emanate from these challenges that will establish CATSIN as a long term, credible and valuable player and contributor in the health community. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of those individuals and organisations who have positively and passionately contributed to making CATSIN what it is today and what it will be in the future.
Preamble These recommendations were developed at meetings in 1997 and 1998. Participants came from varied nursing contexts, as experienced and recently graduated nurses in public health, mental health, homeless youth, aged care, midwifery, community development, community health, domiciliary nursing, substance use/abuse, women's health, maternal and child health, paediatrics, and from primary, secondary and tertiary health settings. Many participants have previous experience in education, administration, business management, project management, implementation of social welfare and social justice initiatives and with development of curricula for nurses, AHWs, community development workers, outreach workers. Participants came from large and small organisations with varied funding arrangements, from rural, remote, regional, suburban and inner urban areas, from across the country. We are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples before we are nurses. We are first nations people and intend to maintain our cultural heritage. We recognise that we are on a lifelong journey with cultural obligations and commitment to our communities. We challenge the western health model in which nurses live and work, as this model promotes separation, hierarchy and power struggles; it denies the emotional, social, spiritual and political aspects of health in our holistic way. The philosophy that promotes all peoples as equal, or to be treated the same, denies difference and cultural identity. Justice and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history is a requirement of reconciliation. All facilities of nursing need to re-examine their models, nursing philosophy and nursing practice. We are the experts in our own health and believe our experience and world view challenges these models. Non-indigenous nurses can learn and benefit from our experience. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses are forced to live a "double life". This living between two worlds and two cultures causes internal conflict. We see this as a continuation of the assimilation process and support all measures to reverse or challenge this process. 
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