Rebuilding lives

Home is a place where one should feel safe, loved and free to show their true colours. It is a place where families should find their feet and grow together.

That’s the picture 44-year-old Diana Connell had in her mind after moving from New Zealand to Australia to run a dairy farm with her husband and two young children 15 years ago. Life of intense drought eventually brought the family to their knees.

“Being from New Zealand, we couldn’t get any government support. Eventually, we had to sell the farm and just broke even,” said Diana. “Shortly after, I also fell ill with cancer.”

A mother requiring intense medical treatments and a father undergoing a period of major career readjustment, now working for another property owner on their turf and on their terms – the strain was enormous. 

“He couldn’t handle the pressure, it really got to him. Eventually, he turned to family violence,” said Diana.

Diana puts his behaviour down to mental illness and she tried to keep the family together, but when her husband turned his aggression to their son she acted.

“My husband ended up kicking us out. We had nothing, we didn’t even have a car. The next day I rang a friend who came and got us. Then I rang the police to help us get a car and my son’s school uniform. There were lots of things we just weren’t prepared for,” said Diana.

Diana and her son lived out of the car for three weeks and used the facilities at a local fast food restaurant.

“I cried every day. I was not with it at all at this stage. It was so hard,” she said.

It was then that Vinnies stepped in to help.

“They helped to find us secure accommodation, they helped with protection orders, they even gave me the basics like food vouchers and helped to pay utility bills,” said Diana.

Two years on, Diana has now managed to navigate the court system and to fund a proper separation from her
estranged husband with the support of Vinnies volunteers.

“They are just so caring, I’m so grateful for their support,” said Diana.

She is even back studying social work at university too – determined to give back.