The farm cultivating positive change

The idyllic surroundings of The Farm in Galong, NSW, provide the perfect setting for women in recovery from addiction to heal their minds and bodies and prepare for a brighter future. It is here amongst the gum trees and rolling hills that women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction are given the tools to turn their lives around, with the aim of being reunited with their children who have been removed from their care.

The 12-month live-in program encourages participants to reflect on past behaviours and triggers, then move forward on a different pathway with the support of case managers, psychologists, financial counsellors and parenting therapists. As they work through the program the women take on greater responsibility, becoming mentors and supervisors for new arrivals.

The women spend time working in the gardens of the three-hectare property and undertake study that will lead to employment. Advocacy is provided in their interactions with child protection authorities, with the goal of having their children – who have been removed previously due to addiction, domestic violence or incarceration – reunited with them.

“We call it trauma-informed boot camp,” says Kate Cleary, CEO of The Farm and founder of the program which she acknowledges can be tough for some.

“These women have been through a lot however, unless they can change behaviours, they will never get out of this cycle. They are going to be mothers, so they need to put the work in towards change. We want them to be set up for success. A job, a house and a support network are the three things that will strengthen them against relapse.”

Running The Farm is a far cry from her previous life as a teacher in Melbourne, but Kate believes this is where she is being called to served.

Her journey to Galong included a lengthy stop-over in Canberra where she spent four years with the Missionaries of God’s Love Sisters. As part of her mission, she worked closely with vulnerable women who in her words, “were not doing well”.

“I was shocked to see how they were living,” Kate says. “The thing that struck me most was that these people had their children taken from them. All had drug and alcohol issues but also intense grief responses from the removal of their children and they were using drugs and alcohol to manage the grief.”

After discerning her future, Kate left her community and went “freelance”, continuing to support women suffering addiction who were often in jails or brothels.

“I was trying to sort out needs that were not being met and the chief one was their children had been removed. They would spiral into depression because of that and get into worse and worse situations,” she explains.

At one point she remarked to a jail employee that the needs were so great she really needed to live with these women 24/7 to make a difference. This was more an expression of frustration than any sort of plan, but they mentioned there was an empty convent at Galong – and ‘why not have a look at it?’. So she started thinking about this seriously.

The former Mercy convent was in a state of disrepair when Kate visited it in 2016. The task ahead was daunting, but Kate felt she could make a go of it – with a lot of help!

Her first port of call was a visit to the nearby St Clements Retreat Centre, which is run by the Redemptorists. There she was put in contact with Ron Natoli, a Sydney builder who offered to help restore the convent pro-bono. So enamoured with the objectives of The Farm, Ron is now chair of the board.

The pieces continued to fall into place, with funding coming from the Snow Foundation in Canberra and other philanthropic donors. It seemed that it was God’s work and that he was providing for it. Kate set about writing a program to support the women and in 2019, The Farm opened its doors.

Since then, nearly 60 women have been part of the program at The Farm and almost all have been successful in the restoration of their children.

Named the NSW Volunteer of the Year in 2024, it is clear others outside the not-for-profit organisation appreciate Kate’s vision and work. For Kate, who lives with the women 24/7, there is great joy seeing their growth over the year, especially when they are reunited with their children.

The women who join the program are forever grateful and as one woman shared, living at The Farm probably saved her life. Her heartwarming account sums up the sentiments of so many who have been given a second chance:

‘After my children were taken, I fell into a deep depression and my drug use got wildly out of control. The more I used drugs the darker my world became. Everyone around me was dying and I knew if I didn’t get out of this soon, I would be next.

‘I was so desperate to escape that I slept on the ground outside the detox at the hospital begging them to let me in. I tried many times in detox, admitted myself to many different rehabs, but kept falling. Though I had many relapses, I never gave up because I didn’t want to live like this – not for myself, not for my family, not for my kids.

‘I finally completed a full week of detox and began my journey to The Farm in Galong. The Farm has been very different from other rehabs. Most centres focus solely on the drug use, but here I was able to focus on the reason why I used, here I was able to unpack my trauma and start healing.

‘I learnt responsibility, I learnt forgiveness, I learnt to live again, to cope with life without drugs. I learnt how to change my behaviours, to have normal interactions with other people, to be part of a community.

‘I lost the feeling of being alone that I had always felt and found a sense of belonging. I did this while feeling loved, cared for, and safe. I felt confident to share my vision for life with others, without judgement of me, only understanding and never-ending support. But most importantly, I found hope…’.

For more information go to thefarmingalong.com.au; phone 02 6386 7275 or email admin@galongfarm.org

Images courtesy Patrick Lee.

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