Not far from yacht clubs, shimmering beaches and five star resorts, a homeless woman had sought shelter from the summer heat and humidity. or signup to continue reading Crisis counsellor Jane Holmes found her beneath the Sundale Bridge on Queensland's Gold Coast, in agony. Lily quietly lifted her shirt to reveal severe chafing, having never been able to afford a bra.
"It was absolutely horrific, it really shook me to the core," Ms Holmes told AAP. "I couldn't believe in a first world country that is so wealthy we had a person in a situation where she couldn't afford a bra." Lily was the catalyst for Ms Holmes to launch the charity Support the Girls, which offers free bra fittings, underwear and menstrual products to women in rural and Indigenous communities.
A van dubbed Brabarella hits the road with volunteers and donated items on board, reaching more than 2000 women in regional Queensland and NSW each year. The organisation has partnered with BreastScreen NSW and Aboriginal health organisations to encourage more than 400 Indigenous women to have mammograms since last May. The program boosted screening rates from nine per cent to 74 per cent in some areas, providing scans and fittings in culturally safe environments that fostered conversation and compassion.
It took out the Exceptional Aboriginal Healthcare category at NSW Health's Murrumbidgee excellence awards on Friday night. It's crucial to reach Indigenous women, who are often highly reluctant to get checked, BreastScre.