Donation for Allawah Cottage

Gunnedah’s Allawah Cottage recently received a donation from Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) at its Gunnedah provisioning centre to aid in the costs of housing domestic violence survivors.

The Gunnedah domestic violence charity is an initiative of Jobs Australia Enterprises which temporarily houses women, children and their pets.

It received a donation of $2000 through ARTC’s annual community giving campaign.

Tracey Reid is the development coordinator social enterprises at Jobs Australia and was there on behalf of Allawah Cottage.

“It is an all too alarming statistic that individuals living in country areas are 24 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of domestic violence than their city counterparts,” she said.

“Allawah Cottage opened in February 2022 to support women and children in such circumstances.

“It’s thanks to generous donations and support from local businesses such as ARTC, that we can continue carrying out our mission of supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence.

“We are very grateful.”

The donation will aid in covering the general costs such as formula and pet food.

“Unfortunately, the need for the cottage is in high demand,” she said. 

The need for crisis accommodation is growing, with Allawah accommodating people from Gunnedah and outside it.

ARTC group executive Hunter Valley Wayne Johnson mentioned the company’s wish to help in the community. 

“At ARTC we have a strong focus on empowering our people to connect with the local communities in which they live, work and visit. ARTC’s Gunnedah Provisioning Centre is proud to support such a worthy local initiative,” he said.

“Nearly all of our Hunter Valley team live and work locally in communities right along the railway line from Newcastle to Muswellbrook, to Gunnedah, up to Moree and out to Dubbo.”