“Jason” wondered what was going on when he saw his new neighbour, “Esther”, blacking out the windows of the garage under her house.

Then he saw Esther and a ponytailed male friend moving stainless steel utensils and piping into the garage. He was mortified – the neighbours were cultivating drugs next door to his family!

Esther started to receive hate notes, dog droppings on the doorstep and slogans painted on the driveway. When Jason’s nine-year-old called Esther’s three-year-old daughter “Honeydew” names, Esther sought help from the Chamber Magistrate, who referred her to the local Community Justice Centre (CJC).

The Community Justice Centre arranged a mediation between Esther and Jason. In the mediation it transpired that Esther was a photographer and was converting the garage into a darkroom.

As is often the case, Jason had tried to communicate indirectly through behaviours rather than discussing the matter directly with Esther. Mediation at a CJC helps people like Jason and Esther to talk directly to each other about particular problems at the time and can also demonstrate more effective techniques for communicating in the future.

CJCs provide a range of alternative dispute resolution services across NSW, including mediation, conflict management, resolving workplace disputes, and facilitated meetings. These services are free to anyone who requests them, and interpreters are provided as needed.

The conflicts may relate to neighbourhood disputes, civil and small claims, some family matters and any other issues that do not involve violence or criminal matters.

CJC mediators are selected to reflect the demographics of the community they work in. They are trained and accredited by the CJC and work on a casual basis as required. They live around NSW and can provide a service to all parts of NSW and all communities.

The CJCs are funded by the NSW Attorney General’s Department and have four regional offices. Each office works to develop relationships with key referrers in their local area, including local courts and non-government organisations.

For more information or to contact your local CJC, phone (02) 9790 0656 (Sydney Region), (02) 4228 0433 (Southern Region), (02) 4925 0333 (Northern Region) or (02) 4732 1933 (Western Region).