Conflict is a normal part of life. Issues with communication and misunderstandings are often a source of conflict, as are differences in expectations, opinions, beliefs and values. However conflict is very different to domestic violence, in which there is a deliberate abuse of power and control over another person. An example of everyday conflict might […]

Many people put exercise high on their list of resolutions for the New Year after over-indulging on fruit mince pies over the holiday season! We all know that exercise is good for our bodies but what many of us don’t realise is that exercise is also very important for our mental health. One in five […]

In an average week in Australia, at least one woman is killed by her partner or former partner. As part of the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, held at the beginning of December, Bonnie Support Services organised Liverpool’s first ever candlelight vigil to remember the 45 women who lost their lives by […]

Ten courageous local women, who have done it tough, recently jumped at the chance to take part in a free TAFE course, with the support of Bonnie’s and our industry partners, the Liverpool Women’s Health Centre and the Liverpool Women’s Resource Centre. The seven-week Introduction to Community Services course was offered to clients of our […]

From December to early January many cultures around the world have traditional celebrations. For most of human history, people have celebrated around the December solstice – the longest (southern hemisphere) or shortest (northern hemisphere) day of the year. The summer and winter solstices are still a time of celebration for many people.  There are also […]

I was talking to a woman recently, who had been in and out of an abusive relationship. She said it took her many years to understand why she kept returning to her husband. But in the end she began to see that the trauma and abuse she had experienced were connected to the cultural messages […]

‘If you don’t laugh, you will cry.’ This is something I probably repeat to myself on a daily basis. I’m lucky to share my office with two people who I can laugh and joke with very comfortably. They see me on my good days and my bad days. Sometimes, on a difficult day, a simple […]

One of my colleagues at Bonnie’s, Babs, has two children aged 9 and 5 and a shift-working husband… Babs is a Family Worker and, like many parents juggling multiple commitments, she is a hardworking woman prone to giving herself a hard time. A few months ago, Babs arrived at work, upset, after a chaotic and […]

In the field of domestic and family violence work, we refer to people who CHOOSE to use violence as a form of power and control over others as perpetrators. Because it is a choice. A perpetrator of domestic/family violence is 100% responsible for their choice to use violence and abuse against others. It can be […]

I come from Vietnam. When I sit around the table with my family there, we talk about the day-to-day struggles faced by the poor, such as finding work and health care. In a world where many people’s basic needs are not being met, who has time to talk about feminism? Many of the women we […]

I came to Bonnie’s as a temp having been retrenched.  I thought I only needed work but the universe taught me otherwise, that I needed the refuge of Bonnie’s too and how wonderful Bonnie’s is at supporting all who walk through its doors. Many who have been retrenched will know the ‘your job no longer […]

Who We Are A poem by Milk Crate Theatre Participant, Pauline Trenerry ​ We are hoarders, hiders, helpers, keepers of knowledge. Experts in cheap meals, low fares/no fares, St Vinnies, Missionbeat, the Salvos. Multitudes who parties ignore Chained to Centrelink, psychiatrists, social services held in boxes labelled Bludgers, Disabled, The Unemployed Moved on, pissed on, […]