When I was a Bachelor of Ministry student at Alphacrucis College in Australia I became involved with Sounds of Silence, an initiative that raises awareness and funds towards World Vision’s anti-trafficking projects in the sub-Mekong region. During this time my eyes were opened to just how vicious and prolific human trafficking is. At the conclusion of my degree I made the exciting but scary decision to move to the Thai-Burma border to take up a …
I was born in South Africa and at 19 moved to Australia and got married. I have two amazing sons as a result of my marriage but at the age of 32 I found myself as a single parent. This was never part of the plan that I had for my life. I devoted the next 10 years to raising my two sons, and at times, working multiple jobs to provide for my boys. I …
With more than 20 years experience as a nurse, most recently as the Research Coordinator – Intensive Care at Wollongong Hospital, Bronwyn Johnson is very familiar with the world of medicine, disease and disability. But what happens when the practitioner becomes the patient? I meet Bronwyn in the living room of her suburban home. She greets me with a warm hug but there is weariness on her face that hints at the fact that she …
The first thing you notice about Shani is her smile. It is wide, warm & generous, a lot like the hug that immediately envelops you when you step into her shop, ‘Restor’d’. Against the backdrop of plush couches, warm timber cabinets, vintage lamps & glassware, Shani Smith has a way of making you feel like you’ve come home. ‘Homemaker’ is not a title that every woman is comfortable with but, in Shani Smith’s case, it …
My childhood was chaotic and marked by emotional and physical abuse. My father was unpredictable and controlling. I was a lonely child and would spend hours dressing up and pretending to be someone else. Unable to physically escape the instability of my home life I created an imaginary world where I was safe, happy and free. At 16 I was struggling with depression and battling an eating disorder. By the time I was 19 my battle with anorexia was out of control …
