Simone Patterson, Founder, CEO and Social Worker of the Sanctuary has long held a passion for helping those less fortunate, disadvantaged or disabled. To pursue this dream she completed her Bachelor of Social Work and became a Counsellor, whilst also working with a number of welfare agencies doing case management, outside home care, and myriads of other welfare work. In December 2015 Simone attended the Allison Baden-Clay rally and was deeply moved by the plight of women affected by Domestic Violence. At a time when the numbers of women dying or being severely injured through Domestic Violence have been increasing, she was concerned that not enough was being done by Governments to deal with the issue and decided to do something herself. Simone purchased a property on the southern Gold Coast and began the journey of transforming it into a refuge for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence. The Sanctuary was established in 2016 as a private charitable venture (Retreat For Kids Inc, Reg. number: CH2895) by Simone. Today the Sanctuary is privately funded and rely’s heavily on the generous donations and support from the community at large. Whilst the incidence of domestic violence has not abated, the number of refuges on the Gold Coast has decreased. Simone wants to increase the capacity of The Sanctuary to cater for those women and children left in the void.