NEWCASTLE – When you’re awake at night, do you ever think about the children who are out on the streets with no one to care for them?
Do you ever wonder about the child next door being beaten for not brushing his teeth? Do the cries of abused women ever torment you?
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Many of us are afraid to acknowledge these realities that plague society. There are, however, those who take a stand against women and child abuse. Mary Dobbie is one of these outstanding individuals.
In 1975, Mrs Dobbie immigrated to South Africa from Scotland and found employment as a customer service manager at a supermarket in Newcastle.
As the company was always involved in social projects, Mrs Dobbie seized the opportunity to ingratiate herself with the community.
She was a member of St John’s and did charity work for A Place of Safety for Women and Children of Crime. When the organisation closed down due to a lack of funds, Mrs Dobbie decided to open a similar organisation and requested funding from the supermarket where she worked.
She was triumphant in her efforts, which lead to the birth of the Newcastle Crisis Centre in 1997.
“Back then, we were not registered and the centre was run by a few immigrants. One of the women passed away and the other moved overseas, so when I retired I stepped in full time and we got the centre running as an NGO in 2005,” explained Mrs Dobbie.
She works closely with the Department of Social Development and Child Welfare and she has successfully created a safe haven for hundreds of women and children over the last 19 years.
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“Working here has made me so much stronger. I’ve become more compassionate, more understanding and non-judgmental,” said Mrs Dobbie.
Throughout her career, she has relied on her inner strength to address life’s challenges.
Mrs Dobbie considers her greatest achievement to be keeping the doors of the Crisis Centre open for so many years, despite the fact that it’s run on a month to month basis.
“It has all been a challenge, but what a challenge it has been.” Mrs Dobbie lives by the principle, ‘for every good deed you do, two come back to you,’ and because of this she has established herself as a pillar of strength in the community.
This astonishing mother of three believes her children and grandchildren have helped her to understand and aid many of the victims with empathy.
After her husband’s death, Mrs Dobbie had the option to relocate, but she stayed to continue her compassionate, hard work. “Being actively involved in the community has kept me young and I am so fortunate to have this place because I love people,” she said.
Although the Newcastle public has been fantastic and supportive of her endeavours, Mrs Dobbie believes the community needs to be more involved because there is a great need for a place of safety in our community, and crime does not have a preference.
“If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living has not been in vain,” is the motto that has motivated Mrs Dobbie throughout her life. Even though she hates saying goodbye to children she grows to love, the success stories have made her job worth it.
