International Women’s Day Address
Radiance – From Loss to Legacy
Happy International Women’s Day.
Today we celebrate women.
Not just for achievements or titles —
but for resilience.
For quiet strength.
For the way women hold families, workplaces and communities together — often without recognition.
Radiance exists because of women.
But my passion for this work began long before Radiance was created.
My Why
When I was 21, I lost my mum.
Two weeks before my beautiful baby boy was born.
Two weeks.
I was stepping into motherhood
while grieving the woman who had mothered me.
I was broken.
I remember holding my newborn and feeling overwhelming love —
and overwhelming grief.
The one person I wanted to call.
The one person I wanted beside me.
Wasn’t there.
That experience never leaves you.
It shaped how I see mothers.
It shaped how I understand vulnerability.
And it shaped why this work matters so deeply to me.
Because I know what it feels like to look okay on the outside
and be barely holding it together on the inside.
How Radiance Began
In 2016, here in Busselton, a local mother who had experienced postnatal psychosis made a generous donation from holding a clothes swap
When she went through her experience there was no perinatal mental health support in the Southwest.
No peer groups.
No local, community-based services.
She donated money and said:
“Please create something so no woman has to go through this alone.”
That donation became a grassroots pilot. The pilot commenced in 2017 right here in Busselton
No big launch Just heart and community Radiance was born.
From one woman turning her pain into purpose.
What Radiance Is Today
Radiance is a community-based, peer-led not-for-profit registered charity.
We now operate across four locations:
- Busselton
- Bunbury
- Collie
- Margaret River
We receive unspent funds through the Mental Health Commission, which supports the delivery of services in our region. But like many grassroots organisations, sustainability is an ongoing challenge.
We are still largely powered by volunteers. Women in our community who show up week after week.
Who balance families, work, responsibilities —
and still give their time to support other mothers Radiance runs on heart.
And I am incredibly proud of the women who keep it going.
The Gap We Saw
When we began running our peer support groups, we noticed something important.
Some mothers weren’t attending.
Not because they didn’t need support.
But because they were too vulnerable to leave their homes.
Too anxious. Too fragile. Too overwhelmed.
And I understood that deeply.
Because when you are barely coping, walking into a room full of people can feel impossible.
So we asked ourselves:
If they can’t come to us — why aren’t we going to them?
Outreach – Meeting Mothers Where They Are
Two years ago, with a $50,000 grant from 100 Women, we launched our Outreach Program.
We now provide one-on-one emotional support in-home.
We sit at kitchen tables. On lounge floors. Beside bassinets.
We listen.
We validate.
We hold space
We gently remind mothers they are not failing, they are not broken, they just need support and to be heard.
Sometimes the most powerful words we say are:
“You are not alone.”
This is early intervention.
This is prevention.
This is community care in action.
When we support a mother,
we strengthen a family.
When we strengthen families,
we strengthen communities.
Gratitude
Today’s event is a reflection of that community spirit.
We are incredibly grateful to Westpac for hosting this International Women’s Day fundraiser in support of Radiance.
When local businesses step forward like this, it sends a powerful message.
It says women’s mental health matters.
It says early support matters.
It says community matters.
And that ripple effect is extraordinary.
When financial institutions invest in women’s wellbeing,
they invest in generational strength.
So thank you for choosing to back this work.
Radiance is ready to grow.
We just need the right partners to grow with us.
If you believe no woman in the South West should face motherhood alone, we invite you to stand with us.
Continue supporting.
Continue advocating.
Continue believing that early, compassionate care matters.
Radiance began with one woman’s generosity.
It grew because women volunteered.
It continues because communities like this choose to care.
On this International Women’s Day —
let’s not just celebrate women.
Let’s back them.
Thank you.