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14 years ago a proud mother with 3 small children – struggling in an oppressed country in Africa, made the difficult decision to leave her 3 young children in the care of people she trusted within her local community and travel to Australia, with hopes for a better life for them all.
After arriving in Australia “Mavis” met and married a man who she mistook to be her knight in shining armour and together they had a child. Her husband was abusive and as Mavis could not read or write, he had asked her to sign documents she presumed were related to her legal residency, but were more likely related to the debt he was accruing on their behalf.
In 2001 Mavis and her young son were referred to St Michael’s Family Centre – who provide accommodation, counseling and education programs to women and children who are homeless, affected by domestic violence, or other personal and financial obstacles.
St Michael’s Family Centre supported Mavis through the immigration and residency process, whilst caring for, supporting and educating she and her young son. They remained under the direct care of St Michael’s Family Centre, an organisation with a 110 year history, for 4 years.
In 2005 after 7 years apart, Mavis realised her dream of bringing her three other children out from Africa to live with her in Australia. It was an emotional and momentous occasion, after a long process assisted by St Michael’s Family Centre. Many of the staff who were employed during this time are still here today and will never forget the enormous emotion and excitement they shared with Mavis and her family.
Since this time all of Mavis’s children have completed (or are attending) school and her daughter graduated from a Sydney High School with top marks and is now studying nursing at university. Mavis herself has held a part-time job caring for the elderly, for the same employer for many years now and she and her 4 children are all proud Australian citizens.
Next month Mavis will again marry, this time to a lovely man she has been dating for several years and many of the staff at our centre will attend. One of these will be Carol Harding, who is honoured to have been asked by Mavis to give her away, on her wedding day.
Carol has worked in Family Support at St Michael’s Family Centre for twenty years and works passionately on behalf of clients like Mavis to help build their confidence, independence and stability, restore their faith, all toward a brighter future. Carol is herself an inspiring woman, with ten children of her own, three of whom were siblings adopted by she and her husband as toddlers.
Mavis and her family are one of over 500 families St Michael’s Family Centre has supported since the 1980’s. Many of them were born and bred in Sydney. Between 1902 and 1982 the centre was home to over 4,000 children, having been originally founded by (current owners) The Sisters of Mercy Parramatta, as an orphanage.
St Michael’s Family Centre has created a beautiful looking 2012 calendar themed “Colour my world” to raise funds to support their ongoing work. To preview or purchase the calendar visit www.colourmyworldcalendar.com.au (as we are now in February, when you order 1 calendar they will send you 2).
Claire Gordon, is a mother of 2 children and the Fundraising Coordinator for St Michael’s Family Centre, a 110 year old not-for-profit organisation supporting homeless women and their children, in Sydney.
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