1 Opening a new door: The herstory of 1975–2015 Opening a new door: The herstory of Beryl Women Inc. [1975–2015] © 2015 Beryl Women Inc. Permission is given for this book to be copied with acknowledgement to Beryl Women Inc. Editor: Farzana Choudhury Chapter writers: Jane Alver, Isabelle Burns, Farzana Choudhury, Rebekah Conway, Ishani Das, Amber O’Shea, Sarah Spottiswood, Maria Swyrydan, Elise Perry, Emma Shaw Copyeditors: Nicole Doughty, Chi Chi Huang, Johanna Parker Researchers: Julie Ayre, Rebekah Conway, Alice De Marchi, Julia Driver, Nicole Fogarty, Nikita Singh Oral historians: Julie Ayre, Isabelle Burns, Farzana Choudhury, Julia Driver, Ishani Das, Alice De Marchi, Monica Gill, Amber O’Shea, Elise Perry, 1975–2015 Maria Swyrydan, Rachel Wilkie, Bronwyn Wyatt Beryl works on Ngunnawal land Interview/surveys: Isabelle Burns, Priscilla Kan John, Marzieh Nowrouz Tafreshi ISBN 978-0-646-93374-0 Beryl Women Inc. PO Box 355, Dickson ACT 2602 Once you were my friend This book was funded by the ACT Office for Women, through the 2014–15 2 Participation (Women’s) Grants Program. Over and over again 3 You fogged all bad memories Beryl Women Inc. receives funding under the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA), and/or the National Partnership Agreement on beryl works on And took away the pain Homelessness, which are jointly funded by the ACT and Australian Governments. ngunnawal land Design: delene.com.au You seemed to help in my despair We wish to acknowledge the blotting out my mind Ngunnawal people as the traditional custodians of the Taking all that was land we work on. wrong in my life We pay our respects to the Elders then all the happiness both past, present and future I could find for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and Now I’m saying Goodbye to you hopes of Aboriginal Australia. I don’t need you anymore We remember that the land we work on, was and always will be Through the love and faith of others traditional Aboriginal land. I’ve opened that new door – Former resident, 1979 Plaque presented at the opening of the Canberra Women’s Refuge. hen a committee of Canberra Women’s Liberation (CWL) and WWomen’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) members met in mid-1974 at Bremer Street, Griffith to set up a women’s refuge we had little idea of the extent of domestic violence in Canberra. Inspired by the Sydney Women’s Commission of Inquiry into Violence against Women, and the subsequent squat to establish ‘Elsie’ as the first women’s refuge, the Canberra women began investigating the local need. We beavered away, approaching welfare organisations for information and were shaken to discover that even the most conservative considered there was a great need for a women’s shelter. So we approached the Federal Government, then administering the ACT directly, for a house and, in the process admirably outlined in the first chapter of this book, were eventually given access to one in Adams Place, Watson. Foreword The Refuge Committee, transforming into the Collective, asked Beryl Julia Ryan Henderson to open the Refuge on International Women’s Day 1975. Then in her late sixties, an active member of both CWL and WEL, Beryl had attended women’s suffrage meetings in England before World War I. For a while we considered calling our Adams Place house ‘Eve’s Place’ but the name did not stick, and in 1989 the Refuge took the appropriate name of ‘Beryl.’ The Refuge quickly grew out of the first modest house and has been re-housed several times, diversifying into separate locations, but providing for women 4 with children remained the prime focus of Beryl Women’s Refuge. 5 The first Collective set up a volunteer roster to staff the Refuge 24/7, the first in Australia to insist on training of volunteers in listening skills. We collected statistics, for both the Government and the Collective. These statistics began to track the enormity of the problems we were tackling and government began to listen. We asked for paid staff and over the years dedicated groups of staffers have worked at Beryl. Congratulations to the 23 women who researched and wrote this book, Woman sorting clothes in the lounge room of the Refuge, 1970s. documenting the Beryl story for the world. They are mostly volunteers from Source: ACT Heritage Library, Canberra Times Collection. the public service and they care about combating domestic violence and promoting gender equality. We, remnants of the first Refuge Collective, are pleased to pass them the torch. I arrived here absolutely terrified Veteran CWL and WEL members meet regularly at Tilley’s and watch with that my husband was going to follow me and anxiety the changes interstate, where hostile government policies are assault me again and get my two little boys. defunding and closing women’s refuges. In a nation where one woman per week, on average, is murdered by a close family member, we hope that I don’t know where I would have gone or what Beryl, founded and continuing on feminist principles, can endure for at least I would have done if I hadn’t been able to the next 40 years. stay at the Refuge. – Former resident, 1977 8 Beryl Women Inc. timeline 10 Introduction 20 Chapter 1: 1974–80 contents 34 Chapter 2: 1981–86 Toys in the backyard of the Refuge in Kingston, 4 November 1982. 46 Chapter 3: 87–92 Source: ACT Heritage Library, Canberra Times Collection, Photographer: Jane Reid. 62 Chapter 4: 1993–98 6 76 Chapter 5: 1999–2004 7 86 Chapter 6: 2005–10 104 Chapter 7: 2011–15 Photo showing part of the purpose-built layout of the Refuge. 120 Acknowledgements 122 The women’s movement [The Refuge] made me feel like a person again. I feel like in Australia: A timeline I can cope on my own, which for many years I haven’t felt able to do … it just happened with the coordinators 124 References and roster women and women residents here – just chatting to them and listening to their problems and 130 Statement of Apology their plans and talking to them myself. and Reconciliation – Former resident, 1977 70s 80s 90s 00s 10s Office relocation to Consensus decision is OM Ainslie Shops made to change from a A W EN R IN O C O . Collective model of T • N S • E A M F E O Change from shared to governance to a committee T W Y , R R governance model (April) O independent properties E S F P E E C C OI T AND CH Grace Coe, Refuge $ The Refuge receives Multi Business Agreement The Canberra Women’s Refuge is Toora Single Women's Staff member is funding to operate an replacing the ACT Social officially Incorporated (12 March) Shelter is set up in named Canberra outreach program to and Community Services First meeting called of interested Canberra, to cater for The name change from A Half-way House, Woman of the Year Beryl receives a former clients, for 12 (SACS) Award women of the Canberra Women’s A two storey duplex is offered to women unaccompanied Canberra Women's to provide 1994 in recognition of $40,000 grant to run months Movement to establish emergency the Canberra Women’s Refuge by children, allowing Refuge Inc. to Beryl transitional housing her significant children-focused Robyn Martin and Sharon accommodation for women and after lobbying to the Government Beryl to focus upon Women's Refuge Inc. is for women and contribution to programs such as Grant from Calvary Williams share the children in the ACT. Canberra and support from ACT Members women with children lodged with the ACT children waiting for women, in particular children’s camps and Hospital to complement NAIDOC Community Women’s Refuge Committee is including Senator John Knight, escaping domestic Corporate Affairs priority housing is Aboriginal women, in computers, homework existing children’s Services Worker of the Office relocation to Beryl’s 40th birthday formed from that meeting (June) John Haslem and Ken Frey (May) violence (8 August) Commission (June) established the Canberra region and parenting classes program Year Award Weston Creek (8 March) 1974 1976 1983 1989 1991 1991 2001 2004 2007 2012 2015 8 9 1975 1979 1986 1991 1991 2002 2005 2008 2010 2013 p l o a o g y $ The Department of the Capital Territory The Refuge is renamed The Incest Centre (now Canberra Purpose built The Coordinator’s Statement of Apology Funding cuts of $80,000 Beryl's 35th birthday Office relocation to the grants the Canberra Women’s Refuge Beryl Women’s Refuge, Rape Crisis Centre) becomes centre is built and position becomes an and Reconciliation is Beryl’s 30th birthday results in the loss of a (8 March) Refuge site due to Committee the use of a three bedroom in honour of Beryl independent from the Canberra opened at Beryl identified Aboriginal made by the ACT Support Worker position funding cuts and to house in Watson, and $4,000 as an Henderson Women's Refuge (31 October) Women’s Refuge or Torres Strait Community Services Beryl Women’s Refuge Robyn Martin, ensure greater service establishment grant (March) Islander position, for Women, and a Inc. changes to the name Grant from the ACT Manager of Beryl provision although it was not banner forming part of Beryl Women Inc. Office for Women to Women Inc. is named Canberra Women's Refuge (now Beryl until 2005 that the of the apology (19 December) attend the First ACT Person of the Beryl has a third of its Women Inc.) opens officially and refuge position was filled by statement, to which International WOmen’s Year funding cut (2013–14) begins operation immediately (8 March) an Aboriginal woman women’s services in Beryl Women Inc.