yes, it took some courage.
but i had been sober for quite a while by then, so i could do the speaking with people with a bit more detachment.
it didn't really matter to me what some stranger might think when s/he looked at me and knew me to be an alcoholic.
i knew that i don't drink and that i'm doing something positive by working to get this meeting going.
this would have been very different early on in sobriety, and i couldn't have done it at all during the first few months. too vulnerable. left-over shame. not enough solid footing in sobriety yet.
if you can get hold of the ex-rehab people, maybe one of them will be sober and interested in starting something like that?here in Vancouver we actually have a LR meeting right inside a treatment centre.
as far as LR is concerned, a minimum of 6 months abstinence is required to convene a meeting.
don't know about SMART requirements.
Melbourne is a big city, so there is a good chance that there are others who are interested in what you're looking for.