May 2015
Many thanks to WA Roller Derby who held an Open Scrimmage (Ward versus
WA) on Sunday, February 1 at 2:00 pm at The Rise in Maylands. It was attended by
113 people, with all profits raised ($336.35) going to the Pat Giles Centre.
We were lucky enough this month to
receive Easter donations of chocolate
from the following:
We have experienced a very busy start to
this year with many families securing
their own home. We have been able to
provide four new fridges and four new
washing machines to eight PGC families
through the generosity of the
community. Each of these eight families
also received a house full of secondhand furniture and essential household
items.
In addition we were able to assist a mum
and four children referred by the
Department of Child Protection and
Family Support with furniture and
household items.
PATRICIA GILES CENTRE
WINTER CLOTHES GIVE-AWAY
Thirty-two women, two men and
fourty-four children attended and
went home with new wardrobes
Contact details for the Patricia Giles Centre:
Tel: 9300 0340
Fax: 9300 2272
Email: [email protected]
Internet: patgilescentre.org.au
 Whitfords Church Mother’s Group.
 A lady who won an Easter basket and
has diabetes kindly donated it to PGC.
 Linda donated four large boxes of
chocolate.
 Community Vision Joondalup donated
two very large hampers of Easter eggs
and toys.
Many thanks to you all!
 Spiers centre and
 Iluka Homeowners’ Association donated
a selection of bags of Easter eggs.
Author Heather Joy Leane very kindly donated a
hundred new children’s books to the Pat Giles
Centre. Heather wrote Laugh again, Kinta! which is
about a young kookaburra who gets separated
from his family, finds himself on a journey and has
to remember how to laugh in order to find another
kookaburra in a strange, new place. Laugh again,
Kinta! is a story of remembering who you
are when everything around you
changes. It is suitable for children up to
the ages of eight or nine.
The Polka Dot Market was held at Claremont
Showgrounds at the end of April, and Kedy (C.E.O.)
and Amber (Refuge Manager) gave up two days of
their weekend to raise over $2000 to support
women and children.
GROUP WORK AT PGC
This term three groups will run at the Centre:
Circle of Security assists mothers of babies and
young children to be the best parents they can be
both physically and emotionally.
Parenting Over Violence provides women who are
experiencing abuse from their adolescent children
with support and strategies for dealing with what can
be extremely challenging and dangerous behaviours.
Breaking Free is a group for women who have
experienced domestic violence and offers education,
and support from others with similar experiences.
Tanya has been volunteering at PGC since January
2015 and has been an invaluable asset in the Women’s
Counselling Service. She is currently studying for a BA
in Psychology and Counselling at Edith Cowan
University, and hopes eventually to specialise in
Forensic Psychology which would involve reportwriting and appearing in court as an expert witness.
She also hopes to conduct research into aggression
and violence. Tanya brings a wealth of diverse
experience to PGC—prior to starting her studies she
worked on the mines as a Safety Manager, and before
that as a Safety Advisor. Both roles were extremely
challenging because they
involved a great deal of
dispute resolution. In
addition, Tanya experienced
rampant sexism, which did
not make her work any
easier. Eventually she left
the mines to start her own
recruiting company, and did
this for the next three
years. She enjoys martial
arts (Hapkido), walking her
dog Batman, and leather carving (she is self-taught!)
She also has an affinity with crows, and particularly
enjoys watching those who frequent the university
grounds! We are extremely grateful to Tanya for all her
help over the last few months, and hope to have a
long relationship with her!
CASH DONATIONS to the Patricia Giles Centre are always welcome, and can be targeted to any of the following unfunded
services we offer women and children.
ASSISTING WITH THE COST OF A TUTOR: To help women learn English OR to assist children who have fallen behind at
school.
WHITE GOODS: When families move into their own home assisting with either a new fridge or a new washing machine is
a wonderful support.
SAFE FAMILIES SAFE PETS: assisting in the cost of fostering and caring for a dog so a woman and her children can live
safely in a refuge knowing their beloved pet is safe.
BARK (Building Animal Relationships with Kids): A therapeutic six-week program for children who have been hurting
animals.
FAMILY CAMPS: A four-day camp held in the school holidays for children who have been exposed to Domestic Violence,
and their siblings and Mum. The camp is a mix of therapeutic, educational and fun activities for the children and parents.
SURVIVAL MONEY FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE NO INCOME: Some of our families have no access to
Centrelink payments. Securing full-time work whilst living in a refuge after experiencing trauma and abuse can be overwhelming, particularly when you don’t speak English. Financial assistance to provide food and pay medical bills for these
families is vital.
Our bank details for direct debits
are as follows:
Account name: Patricia Giles Centre
Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
BSB: 06 61 66 Account Number: 10188915