Herstory

The North Queensland Combined Women's Services Inc. (NQCWS), more commonly known as the Women’s Centre, like so many other community agencies, grew from women’s need and commitment to bring about social change.

Before the 1970’s women in violent relationships were often trapped, with no safe alternative to turn to. There were no refuges to provide safety, no supporting parent’s benefits to allow a small amount of financial independence and certainly no legislation claiming to offer police protection. Those who sought help usually did so through charitable organisations or doctors, however this often lead to a cycle of victim blaming and silencing women. Women were often told not to antagonise their partners, to pay more attention to their role as the dutiful wife and were frequently prescribed valium and serapax to ease the commonly developed conditions of depression, fear, pain and isolation.

By the second wave of feminism, women began to speak out about their position within society and their experiences of violence, whether it be domestic violence, incest, rape, child sexual assault or sexual harassment. While at this time there were no recognised services for these women, by the early 1970’s, refuges for women and their children were in the early stages of development.

The mid 1970’s saw some very small changes in attitude towards women’s rights to a life free from physical, emotional, financial and sexual abuse, while many women started to share their experiences and were questioning the system.

By 1975 in Townsville, a group of women had already established a refuge and in 1978 a Rape Crisis Service was being offered from the Townsville General Hospital. However, these changes did not yet include financial assistance. As a result, these services existed only through voluntary efforts of committed women and relied solely on fundraising ventures.

By the early 1980’s some money had started filtering down from Government departments, however this resulted in a one step forward, two steps back effect, as this supplied money was not ample enough to provide the appropriate and sufficient services for women in crisis.

NQCWS began functioning in August of 1984 as the Townsville Women’s Information Centre. This service was unfunded at this early stage and existed solely through voluntary efforts. Women offered their time to facilitate support groups, provide counselling and organise social gatherings.  These women also generously contributed financially towards the many costs of operating such a service.

By this time Townsville General Hospital had withdrawn from offering their Rape Crisis Service and as a result, this service was relocated to the same building as the Information Centre. Although its aim was to provide a service which would be available to all women whenever they require it, the Women’s Information Centre was totally dependent on volunteers who had other work commitments and as such, could only be open for limited periods during the week. However, despite these limitations, the women were able to organise educational programs designed to target community awareness around the extent of sexual abuse and domestic violence. In effect, as community awareness increased, so did the influx of women requiring support, information and shelter referral.

Around the same time, the Federal Government was no longer able to ignore the inequality of welfare between individual States. Therefore, it set up a Special Purpose Program and put pressure on the States to provide some assistance to homeless through a Supported Assistance Accommodation Program (SAAP).

With funding under this new program, the States were now encouraged to match dollar for dollar, what the Federal Government provided, or were to forfeit their share of the money. More importantly the Commonwealth retained control over these allocations by designating where the money was to be spent, thus holding the States accountable.

Towards the end of 1985 the Townsville Women's Information Centre, Townsville Rape Crisis Service Inc. and the Townsville Women’s Shelter Inc., combined to put forward a submission for funding under SAAP to operate a 24 hour crisis counselling, information and referral service for the women of North Queensland.

January 1986 brought success with this submission and the North Queensland Combined Women’s Services began officially operating in February. In February 1990 NQCWS had cause to celebrate incorporation, as it became a legal entity responsible for its own finances and administration. As a result, NQCWS has developed and grown to become a service in its own right, and is a tribute to the dedication and energy of the many women who continued to believe in and support the philosophy of the organisation.

Additional funding was received under the Women's Health Sexual Assault Program, in 1992 and again in 2000 for a Women’s Health Centre. The Townsville Sexual Assault Support Service (SASS) operates as a part the North Queensland Combined Women’s Services Inc. With this, SASS aims to provide a feminist counselling and support service for women survivors of sexual assault. This service also aims at raising public awareness of rape and incest in order to encourage human service organisations to be more responsive to the needs of adult and child survivors of sexual assault.

The Women's Centre continues to play a leading role in providing essential services to women of Townsville and the hinterland. The Centre is commonly faced with the challenge of appropriate funding and resources being far stretched. In a political climate that puts funding to welfare services, especially women’s services under threat, the Women's Centre continues to successfully provide crisis services, counselling, community education, training, and support groups for women in the community.

The Women's Centre holds central its responsibility towards changing the injustices in society, uprooting patriarchy and the resulting inequalities and violence towards women. The Centre also looks at raising community awareness of issues that affect all women and the violence and abuse they are currently facing from loved ones, social institutions and organisations.

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