Founder of Community Outreach Illawarra Barb Atkins has an uncanny ability to galvanise the community. Photo: Region.
Scientists are still working on how to clone Barbara (Barb) Atkins – until then, the Illawarra proudly claims the one and only version.
The legendary Thirroul philanthropist has now launched her own charity to formalise what she’s been doing for years.
Community Outreach Illawarra – the region’s newest registered charity – focuses on helping survivors of domestic violence by furnishing empty homes and connecting women with vital services.
Referrals come from organisations like Supported Accommodation & Homelessness Services Shoalhaven Illawarra (SAHSSI), Women Illawarra, Illawarra Aboriginal Corporation, Care South and even concerned locals. From there, Barb springs into action, putting the call out for preloved goods, from fridges to bath towels, clothing to cutlery.
The charity itself is still in its infancy – incorporation papers signed, tax-deductible status pending and a website half-built.
But Barb’s impact is anything but new. For years, she’s been a familiar force on Facebook, with posts rallying the community for manpower, vehicle power and household goods.
Illawarra community pages are full of her requests and the flood of responses.
“I think everyone’s gotten used to the posts. I usually have a request filled within two hours,” she says.
“People tell me, ‘I’ve been watching for months and finally have something you need’. Some even keep things in their garage ‘in case Barb needs it’.”
This year Barb was named Keira Local Woman of the Year, recognising decades of service that began at age 12 with an Illawarra children’s group called the Rainbows.
Together with her fellow Rainbows, a young Barb performed at local nursing homes and helped feed children with spina bifida in hospitals.
More recently, Barb worked as Volunteer Outreach Coordinator at Bulli Community Centre, supporting disadvantaged residents.
The launch of Community Outreach Illawarra, however, has let her hone in on what she sees as her greatest calling — helping women escaping domestic violence.
“They’re at their most vulnerable and often they can’t work out in their minds what’s next,” she says. “They’re usually on their own, and they rarely have a friend with a ute.”
The charity currently serves from North Wollongong to Helensburgh, though calls come from all over — and it’s not in Barb’s nature to turn anyone away.
“We had one woman on a Friday at 4 pm, just before a long weekend, when all the community services were closed.
“She and her five children – the youngest just one – had been given a house in Lake Illawarra, but it was empty and freezing,” Barb recalls.
“Luckily one volunteer with a ute hadn’t left for the weekend. We filled his ute and my car to the brim with mattresses, doonas, food and a heater — all community donations — and got them to her that night.”
Beyond household goods, Barb connects families with essential services such as free legal advice from CAW Legal owner Cheryl Williams.
Cheryl, who also volunteers for Women’s Legal Centre in Canberra and as a duty lawyer for domestic violence for Wollongong and Port Kembla courts, says “Ask Barb” has become a catchphrase within the community.
“Everybody knows Barb,” she says. “Within this community, it’s ‘Ask Barb, Barb will connect, Barb will do’.”
Still, Barb stresses Community Outreach Illawarra is not a one-woman show. The charity needs more volunteers with utes, vans and trucks to deliver goods, as well as storage space to keep them.
“We test and tag all electrical devices to ensure they’re safe, but I’m hoping council will provide a large warehouse-style building where we can also run fridges and washing machines connected to water, to make sure they’re operating fully,” Barb says.
In the meantime, she’ll keep doing what she does best.
“It’s heartening to put the call out and see how the community comes together, and it’s amazing watching the transformation in the people we help,” she says.
“People escaping domestic violence are often so shell-shocked they can’t see their next move.
“We answer their immediate needs and suddenly they’re smiling, talking about the future.
“Long-term that helps their mental health, keeps them out of emergency care and relieves pressure on the health system. Plus, it diverts goods from landfill. It’s win, win, win.”
