We would be honoured for you to join us on Thursday 26th February 2026, as we open a milestone year for Mary’s House Services at our Hope Lives Here luncheon.

A year that marks a decade of safety, support and hope for women and children escaping domestic and family violence since opening the doors of our refuge.

For ten years, our work has been powered by community belief. People and partners who chose to act, give, advocate, and hold firm in saying no to domestic and family violence and yes to safety, hope and new possibilities for our clients.

You are part of that story, and we would be delighted to welcome you to this special event.

Venue: Shangri-La Hotel, The Rocks, Sydney
Date: Thursday 26 February 2026
Time: 12.15pm – 3.30pm
Individual Ticket: $260
Table of 12: $2,800

On this afternoon, we will bring our community together; supporters, partners, neighbours to champion a future free from domestic and family violence.

You will hear powerful reflections from our frontline practitioners, sharing what Mary’s House Services has achieved and what still drives us every day.

Their stories carry resilience, clarity and the quiet courage that has built and sustained Mary’s House from its earliest days.

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This Christmas, Mary’s House Services continues to provide critical care and safety for women and children victim- survivors of domestic and family violence escaping to Sydney’s northern suburbs and from the immediate surrounds. At a time when they are at their most vulnerable, in fear and requiring our compassion, expertise and hope for the future – we ask you please, help us to help them.

By purchasing a ticket for our Christmas raffle, you’re not only entering the draw to win one of several beautiful prizes generously donated by local friends and supporters of Mary’s House Services, but you’re also directly contributing to the essential support we provide at our refuge and community outreach centre to countless women and their families.

While many of us gather to celebrate the season with loved ones, there are women and children in our community who are instead seeking safety, healing, and a new beginning. Your support is a chance to help make their Christmas season brighter and bring the hope of a fresh start.

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

Raffle is drawn on 19th December 2025.

Winners announced on socials and our website and advised by phone and email. Prizes available for immediate collection. * 1st and 3rd prizes are subject to availability.

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What an incredible day we had at the Mary’s House Walk 2025! Students, community service clubs, sports teams, corporate partners, families, frontline services, and representatives from all levels of government joined the inimitable Mary’s House volunteers to raise their voices for safety and hope.

We couldn’t have done it without you, thank you!

Record Numbers

A record number of 1,350 individuals came together to show how much they care, standing in solidarity with women and children escaping domestic and family violence in our community. The importance in this number must never be underestimated, recognition of the women and children who need us now know their community supports them.

Just days before the Walk, we received a call from a generous donor who shared that “safety for women and children is not a privilege, it’s a right.”

This donor not only pledged to match every dollar raised by registered walkers but went even further, increasing their gift to an extraordinary $40,000.

So, our total tally today is a history making $218,000.

To everyone who walked, volunteered, donated, raised funds, provided in kind support, or spoke up to say no to domestic and family violence, thank you.

Stepping Out and Standing Up

Mary’s House Chair, Helen Conway, opened Sunday’s event, extending a warm welcome and giving special thanks to our Walk partners Ord Minnett and Holding Redlich. Helen also acknowledged our long term corporate partner, The Mater Hospital, for their continued support.

This year, the Rotary Clubs of the Bradfield Community region collaborated to add a wonderful new element to the day, providing a free sausage sizzle, tea and coffee stand, and fruit for walkers. We’re deeply grateful to all the volunteer Rotarians who made it happen, and to the Rydge’s Hotel North Sydney for generously donating all food and refreshments.

We were entertained by the NSW Police Band, who again volunteered their time, while our talented volunteer face painters brought colour and smiles to the crowd.

We’d also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our good mates HMAS Waterhen, the North Sydney Bears, and the SES, for their support, and behind the scenes pro bono media promotions, marketing expertise, visual identity, printing and all whose contribution helped bring our message to life in the community.

Your professionalism, creativity, and generosity of spirit play a huge role in how Mary’s House Services connects with and inspires so many to join us.

To St John Ambulance for providing medical assistance, thankfully not required on the day, you are the best.

Behind the scenes, a team helped make the event possible from raffle ticket sellers, photographers, and videographer to the Wallbridge crew, whose tireless work ensured the day ran seamlessly. Days like this are only possible when we all come together.

The Next Generation

To the teachers, parents, and students from the many schools who joined us, thank you. Your presence and advocacy remind us that while the statistics on domestic and family violence remain confronting, awareness and action among younger generations are vital for lasting change.

To every donor who supported a friend, family member, colleague, or team, again your generosity helps ensure that every woman and child in our care feels seen, supported, and recognised by their community.

Together, you said no to domestic and family violence and yes to safety and hope.

DONATIONS ARE STILL OPEN

You can support the Walk and add to its success.

SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER 2026

Mark your calendars now. We can’t wait to walk beside you again next year!
Together, we’ll continue to support more women and children in need and ensure that safety and hope are within everyone’s reach.

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Congratulations to our Mary’s House Walk raffle prize winners and thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, your support means we are able to offer safety, hope and critical care to victim survivors of domestic and family violence. Thank you for supporting our work. Thank you also to our committed and generous prize donors who make our raffles possible.

WINNERS

• 1st Prize: Suzy T
• 2nd Prize: Rorie
• 3rd Prize: Robin K

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Using a symbolic framework titled Dreams and Lemons, our art therapy clients expressed their emotions, hopes, and challenges through watercolour and pastel artworks.

In this approach, bubbles became symbols for dreams and aspirations; representing things that are beautiful, hopeful, and floating upwards, yet also potentially fragile and temporary. Lemons, on the other hand, symbolised life’s disappointments and difficulties; the “sour” experiences that can be challenging to process.

The group, guided by a trauma-informed art therapist, explored the relationship between their dreams (bubbles) and their struggles (lemons), reflecting on how disappointments affect aspirations, or how dreams can persist despite difficulties. This gentle but powerful symbolism created a space where complex emotions could be expressed without the need for words, allowing women to connect with one another through shared understanding.

Art as a bridge for connection

For many in the group, art therapy offers a way to externalise internal experiences, to take feelings that are often overwhelming and give them shape, colour, and texture. By making the intangible visible, participants could step back, reflect, and engage in supportive conversations with others in the room.

The contrast between the lightness of bubbles and the tartness of lemons became a metaphor for the full spectrum of human experience, joy and sorrow, hope and hardship, growth and loss, and the resilience it takes to hold all of these at once.

A safe space for creativity and healing

During the Mary’s House Services art therapy sessions, there is no expectation of artistic skill, only an openness to explore. This freedom allows each participant to use imagery in a way that feels right for them: some filled their bubbles with vibrant patterns, symbols, and memories; others left space and lightness to represent possibility. Lemons appeared as both subtle motifs and bold statements, each telling its own story.

Through this process, the group discovered common threads, the shared challenges of navigating life after trauma, but also the shared hopes for safety, joy, and renewal.

Honouring the work

All women involved have given their consent for their artworks to be shared. These pieces are more than creative exercises, they are visual stories of courage, self-reflection, and community connection.

We honour and thank each woman for her willingness to share a piece of her journey, and we acknowledge the strength it takes to explore and express the complex interplay of dreams and lemons.

If you would like to learn more about our community programs, or how you can support them, please visit our Mary’s House Community Programs page.

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By Melissa Mantle
August 14, 2025

Read the original article on The North Shore Lorikeet

“The long and the short of it is that there is not enough crisis accommodation anywhere in NSW, let alone metropolitan Sydney.”

If you live on the North Shore, you’ve probably seen posters with Mary’s House logos on the backs of bathroom doors, usually at libraries and in bars. But who are they, and what exactly do they do?

The North Shore Lorikeet met with Mary’s House CEO Yvette Vignando on a brisk Thursday morning to find out.

On the lower North Shore, Mary’s House accommodates four women and their children fleeing domestic violence every night: that’s almost 16,000 nights of safe accommodation since they opened their doors in late 2016.

Most of their services are funded by community philanthropy and corporate donations.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m being melodramatic when I say to a donor: your donation is helping us save lives,” Yvette, who has had a wide-ranging career including legal practice, told the North Shore Lorikeet. “But the statistics show this is not hyperbole.”

In the last year, Mary’s House had to deny 118 women refuge due to “no vacancy”. According to Yvette, that number is increasing.

Community origins

The story of Mary’s House starts a decade ago when community members – including Our Lady of the Way Parish and other church groups – came together in recognition of the critical gap in services for women and children escaping family violence on the North Shore.

Now, Mary’s House is full almost every night of the year.

“The long and the short of it is that there is not enough crisis accommodation anywhere in NSW, let alone metropolitan Sydney.”

Yvette points to the Coroners Court domestic violence death review as proof “beyond any doubt” that it’s when a woman attempts to leave an abusive relationship she is at most risk of physical harm and homicide.

“Which is why services like Mary’s House are life saving services,” she said.

“Women can call us confidentially and say: I am wanting to leave this relationship, I don’t know how to do it safely, I don’t know where I’m going to live, I won’t have any money.”

Services like Mary’s House also work to break the cycle of abuse.

“If the safe parent can leave that abusive relationship early, then her children are less likely to grow up with that trauma and become future victims or perpetrators themselves,” she said.

“That’s where the government doesn’t quite get it.”

“They talk about primary prevention — like men’s behaviour change programs — which is very important, but [our data] paints a very different picture of where the government should be investing.”

A range of services on offer

Mary’s House offers various different, often complementary, services.

There is the refuge itself, which provides accommodation to on average nineteen women and their children a year for up to three months.

There are also therapeutic and wellbeing programs, case work done by family violence specialist social workers, and a housing coordination service which assists women to find transitional or permanent housing.

An auxiliary service they now provide is a “technology sweep” for technology-facilitated abuse.

“Tracking devices have been found in school calculators and in teddy bears,” Yvette said.

“The rates are astronomical”

Statistics from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show the North Sydney, Northern Beaches and Mosman LGAs have among the highest rates of alcohol-fuelled domestic violence incidents in Sydney.

According to Yvette, the reality is likely much worse.

“When you factor in that the women we work with haven’t ever talked to the police, the rates are astronomical.

“It’s widely known across the sector and by the government that the data we have is the tip of the iceberg.”

More transparency needed from government

Though the Prime Minster has declared family violence a national crisis, Yvette says it’s not being invested in as if it actually was one.

In its last budget, the NSW government announced it had allocated funds for improving its data collection strategy.

“We’re still waiting to hear what that means, what it looks like, and how long it’s going to take,” said Yvette, pointing to insufficient pressure on the government from both the data and the voting public.

“While I think individual politicians care deeply about this issue, and we have a national plan to eliminate violence against women and children, no state or territory government has outlined a budget for it.

“So we as the sector, and we the public, can’t go to the NSW or federal government and hold them to account.”

More funding needed

Mary’s House was recently granted a budget for casework services from the NSW government.

“We’re incredibly grateful … but [this] cannot cover the need across the northern suburbs of Sydney,” Yvette says.

“We remain almost entirely dependent on our community for our funds.”

Every October the organisation holds Mary’s House Walk, their major fundraising event. It takes place this year on October 26th.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available 24/7 by calling 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

If you are concerned you are in an abusive relationship, the social workers at Mary’s House can offer you advice, referrals, and support. You do not have to live on the North Shore or even Sydney to access their services.

Mary’s House Services can be reached on 1800 002 111 and the line is open 9-5, five days a week.

If you are experiencing an emergency, call 000.

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This week, we proudly join in celebrating National Volunteer Week, a poignant occasion that highlights the invaluable contributions of individuals and groups who selflessly dedicate their time, skills, and passion to enrich our communities. This year’s theme, ‘Connecting Communities’, resonates deeply with Mary’s House Services, an organisation deeply rooted in community support and empowerment.

Mary’s House Services stands as a testament to the power of community spirit. Built by the community, for the community, our organisation is supported by the unwavering commitment and generosity of our volunteers and pro-bono partners. These remarkable individuals play a pivotal role in every aspect of our mission, providing support to women and children affected by domestic and family violence.

Connecting Communities is not just a theme for us – it is a daily practice. Through our volunteer programs, we foster meaningful connections that transcend barriers and empower individuals to rebuild their lives with dignity and strength. Whether it’s assisting with organising community events, bolstering our fundraising initiatives or offering administrative support, each volunteer role contributes to our collective impact. Our volunteers embody our core values of respect, compassion, generosity, hope and safety.

As we reflect on the significance of National Volunteer Week, we extend our deepest gratitude to each volunteer and pro-bono partner who stands with us in solidarity. Your dedication is a testament to the power of kindness and compassion, and we are immensely grateful for everything you do.

If you would like to volunteer with Mary’s House Services and become part of our community-driven mission, we invite you to explore opportunities on our Volunteer page. Your support makes a real difference in the lives of those we serve.

Join us in celebrating our volunteers and partners who embody the spirit of ‘Connecting Communities’ every day. Together, we are building a brighter future for all.

Thank you for everything you give. Thank you for your energy. And thank you for your unwavering commitment to the safety of women and children.

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Thursday, 15 May 2025

Mary’s House Services is honoured to welcome Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia as the official Patron of Mary’s House Services.

Her Excellency’s unwavering commitment to gender inclusion, equality, and the values of kindness, care, and respect powerfully aligns with the mission of Mary’s House Services – to support women and children to live free from domestic and family violence and abuse.

This patronage marks a significant milestone in our nine-year journey and is a proud moment for our organisation. We are honoured that Her Excellency has chosen to stand with us in our vision for a safer, more compassionate community. Her Excellency’s dedication to social justice and community leadership resonates deeply with our purpose, and serving as Patron will help amplify the voices of our clients – women and children courageously seeking safety, dignity, and healing.

Importantly, Her Excellency’s support will help shine a light on the critical, often unseen work of Mary’s House Services – from crisis accommodation to wraparound support for women and children at various stages of recovery from domestic and family violence.

Since opening our doors on November 4, 2016, we have been sustained by the generosity and belief of our local community. The patronage of Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General is a powerful symbol of that support and a catalyst for even greater impact as we move forward together.

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Congratulations to our Mothers Day raffle prize winners and thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, your support means we are able to offer safety, hope and critical care to victim survivors of domestic and family violence. Thank you for supporting our work. Thank you also to our committed and generous prize donors who make our raffles possible.

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The interview follows a recent data breach from The NSW Department of Communities and Justice, resulting in approximately 9,000 court documents being downloaded, which raised urgent questions about how personal information is protected across the sector. For women escaping abuse, privacy isn’t just important—it can be lifesaving.

Yvette spoke candidly about the impact such breaches can have on the safety of victim-survivors. She reinforced Mary’s House Services’ unwavering commitment to safeguarding our clients’ privacy and ensuring our systems and partnerships are focused on keeping women and children safe.

Beyond discussing cybersecurity, the interview also shed light on the ongoing crisis of domestic and family violence in Australia and the role services like ours play in providing refuge, support, and a path forward for those in need.

“When trust is broken in the system, it can discourage women from seeking help. That’s something we absolutely cannot afford,” Yvette said.

Watch the full SBS interview here:

At Mary’s House, we stand firmly with those impacted by both violence and system failures—and we remain committed to creating safe, confidential, and trauma-informed spaces for every woman who walks through our doors.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or family violence, please know that support is available.

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