By BRIDGET SCOTT
THE glamour of the occasion couldn’t hide the dark reality that is family violence when Windermere hosted an awareness-raising cocktail party last week.
In the lead-up to November’s White Ribbon campaign, the Casey-based organisation brought together about 50 women for its inaugural Sip in Style function at Mon Bijou Penthouse in Flinders Lane.
The evening was designed to highlight the services offered by Windermere, which is just one of the Casey organisations that are on the front line of helping families afflicted by family violence.
The guest speakers were two women with very different life experiences: international model and jewellery designer Samantha Wills and domestic violence survivor Carla Gagliardi.
Ms Gagliardi lost her home and her job after her former fiance assaulted her and left her hospitalised.
Ms Gagliardi hailed Windermere as a “shining light” in her life after her own traumatic experience with domestic violence.
“Imagine the sanctuary where you lived and were once happy is gone,” she said.
“Your home is tainted with horror and it is too distressful to return.”
She said her and her son’s life changed forever on the night her former fiance brutally assaulted her.
After the attack Ms Gagliardi lost her home and her job as she spent months recovering in hospital.
Her son was also subjected to the ordeal and will be presented with a bravery award later this year for dialling triple zero after his mother was beaten – effectively saving her life.
With no family and friends nearby at the time she wondered what would become of her and her son.
“We were, basically, homeless,” she said.
“That’s when the work of Windermere came in.”
Windermere worked with Ms Gagliardi and allowed her to live in its ‘safe house’ until she got back on her feet.
“Windermere provided us with a furnished house, temporary but stable enough to give me time,” she said.
“It had simple things such as a fridge, couch, washing machine and, most importantly, a bed – that was the big one.”
Ms Gagliardi said she “does not know what would have become of my son and I” if it was not for Windermere.
“They turned what could have become an absolute nightmare into a positive way forward,” she said.
An emotional Lynette Buoy, chief executive officer of Windermere, thanked Ms Gagliardi for sharing her story and marvelled at her progress.
“This is an example of why we do these sorts of things,” she said.
“To help people when they need it.”
Ms Gagliardi and her son are now on the path to a new life thanks to Windermere’s help and support.
Another speaker, Samantha Wills, shared her story of success building an international jewellery design business.
Ms Wills took her jewellery from humble beginnings at a Sunday market to now adorning the likes of A-list celebrities Drew Barrymore, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.
Ms Wills said that as a young adult growing up in Port Macquarie “she didn’t fathom that you could make a living out of doing something creative”.
As her business grew she found herself hosting jewellery parties at friends’ homes several nights a week.
She said that after the parties she would visit neighbours to and see if they wanted to purchase her home-made creations – cash only.
After her name become more widely known, Ms Wills quit her retail job and made it her mission to “create a brand that had a story to tell”.
Ms Wills said she was a strong advocate for women’s issues and donated several pieces of jewellery as raffle prizes.
Lynette Buoy said family violence statistics were startling.
“One person dies every week across Australia as a result of family violence,” she said.
“We feel this is just too much.”
She spoke about a range of Windermere’s early intervention programs and other services available to the victims of domestic violence.
“We are working in schools around gender equity, challenging stereotypes, which happen as a result of being around family violence,” she said.
“We also support kids, provide counselling and more.”
Next week the News launches its 2014 White Ribbon campaign with a moving story on Carla Gagliardi’s brave fight to reclaim her life.
