Lucy is leaving Bonnie’s to work with asylum seekers at the Red Cross. She spoke to Kate on her last day. It’s going to be a bit of a wake-up call, leaving behind the women-centred work culture of Bonnie’s. It’s been such a supportive, friendly place to work, with a really strong sense of community. […]

Every Friday at Bonnie House and Mimosa, many of the families who are currently living in our accommodation get together in the kitchen where they have lots of fun learning new cooking skills and sharing delicious meals made from recipes across the world. We use the fresh produce we gratefully receive every week from OzHarvest […]

Our lovely Niamh is returning to Ireland to start her own family after two years working with families at Bonnie’s. She spoke to Moya about her training and work in the UK and what she’s learnt from her experience here in Australia. Working at Bonnie’s has made me realise that there are many different ways […]

There are a lot of men who believe passionately that violence against women and children is wrong but aren’t sure where to start to prevent it. How can good men make a difference? I’d say there are two main things for men to keep in mind. For right or wrong, men don’t get challenged for […]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the difference between what many people might think happens in a DV/Homelessness service and what actually happens. Where does our work with a woman and her family begin? And what does it involve? When a woman makes the decision to pack up the children and some basic essentials […]

Reading this, it struck me that that is exactly what we do at Bonnie’s – we believe the women who come to us. So often women in difficult situations are not believed, who are told they are “irrational”, “overreacting”, or, worse, “crazy”. How many women are disbelieved when their sadness and distress spills out? How […]

My mother might smile and say that I am the last person in the world who should be facilitating our Money Minded and Rent It Keep It workshops!  But here I am, side by side with the women we work with every day, exploring ways to better our financial circumstances. Personal finance is a confronting […]

Family is a documetary I wrote, directed and produced over a period of 5 years. It has just been accepted into the Respect Human Rights Film Festival in Belfast this March. Family is the story of two sisters whose fates are irrevocably entwined; Nina, a woman severely sexually-abused as a child and teenager by her […]

As a Community Worker, I often see women who are dealing with intense stress and trauma. They are often depressed and vulnerable. I try to remain present and to give each woman my complete attention. Lately, I have become curious about what brings joy and satisfaction to women during times of adversity. I began to […]

This year, Bonnie’s is 42 years old.  When we began in the 1970’s, our founders were young women, only in their 20s and 30s: some were students, some ‘city feminists’, some local women who simply saw the need for women’s safety in their community every day. They established this second-ever refuge completely off their own […]

An important focus at Bonnie’s is making sure that our families can provide nutritious meals so the children have the best chance in life to grow and thrive. We do this with one to one family support, and workers provide mentoring, and encouragement, to eat healthily. The mums who stay with us at our refuges are just […]

I am an Intake worker at Bonnies. I work out if we’re the best service for a woman, depending on her needs and how we can help. Nothing is straightforward. For example, I’ll always remember this woman… I was really proud of her. I saw her in an outreach capacity when I was at the […]