WHEN the police have to raise money for domestic violence services, you know it’s really needed.
With an estimated 40 per cent of police time being spent on domestic violence incidents, the specialist domestic violence police know intimately how underfunded the services are which offer women help when suffering violence or fleeing from it.
Blacktown domestic violence liaison officer Genelle Warne took matters into her own hands and contacted Hawksbury police and organised a raceday at Hawkesbury racecourse in June to raise funds for the Women’s Cottage in Richmond, and women’s services in Blacktown and Mt Druitt.
A third of the money raised — $16,000 — has now been given to the Cottage, the Hawkesbury’s frontline in the domestic violence trenches.
The Gazette spoke to Cottage manager Sharon Payne last week about the windfall.
‘‘The police know how stretched we are and that we’re underfunded,’’ she said.
‘‘And I’m blown away by how much people in the community step up to help. Barrel 58 up at Kurmond also raised funds for us on their opening night, and recently two women walked in and gave us $400 to put into our Gabrielle Fund [named after a Hawkesbury woman who died in 1991 from domestic violence]. They said ‘we want to leave this for the women’. It’s wonderful to see how much caring and compassion and ‘will to do something’ is out there when people are aware.’’
Ms Payne has the world-weary air of someone who constantly has to make ‘not enough’ go around, and has allocated the ‘Say No to Domestic Violence Raceday’ money with great care.
The lion’s share will go to the Cottage’s Gabrielle Fund.
It is for immediate needs for those who have taken flight from their home and have no money.
Capped at $100 a client, it pays for items such as train tickets or birth certificates or if the perpetrator moves out, changing locks.
Several more thousand will go to the Emergency Relief funds which pay for items such as nappies, toiletries, and food for clients in crisis.
Some will also be for a very popular nineweek course the Cottage runs: ‘Managing Difficult Emotions’ which will now be able to be run in February.
It has a waiting list already, teaching women how to handle anger, grief, anxiety and depression.
The course aims to get women back in control of their feelings, leading to greater confidence.
‘‘It’s especially good for trauma survivors,’’ Sharon said.
‘‘Part of it is teaching self-care. We ask them what they’re going to do for selfcare each week as they are intrinsically worth it.’’
The last items on the spend list are some Christmas presents for clients, a security camera for the Cottage and an outdoor setting of a table and cane chairs with cushions for the Cottage’s backyard, to replace the very mouldy chairs currently in use.
The $16K will go to: ■ Gabrielle Fund ■ Emergency relief ■ Emotions course ■ Christmas presents for clients ■ Security camera ■ Outdoor setting.
The Women’s Cottage is desperate for sponsorship to open extra hours as it currently closes for three afternoons a week despite a higher than average rate of domestic violence in our area. To find out more call 4578 4190.
