We Did It Together
Anawim Women’s Refuge 1977-2007
Ruah Community Services recently celebrated the launch of its non-fiction publication We Did It Together. Written by historian and author Christine Choo, the book documents the birth of Anawim Aboriginal Women’s Refuge and its evolution into Ruah’s Kambarang Aboriginal Women’s Refuge in 2007.
Owned and operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, Anawim was the first refuge in Western Australia that offered a safe place for Aboriginal women to have respite from life on the streets, from violence, or when needing care in times of sickness.
Following the organisation’s 25th anniversary in 2003, Anawim obtained two grants to research and write its history. Interviews with former Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal workers, volunteers, and supporters were conducted and recorded, with utmost care to follow ethical principles with cultural sensitivity. A small number of former residents were also interviewed, whose courage in sharing their stories and associated trauma must be acknowledged.
We Did It Together was released in 2026 and documents the history of Anawim until 2007, when it was transferred to Ruah Community Services and later renamed Kambarang Aboriginal Women’s Refuge. The book reflects on the spirit of reconciliation through the partnership of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people who walked and worked together to establish this safe space. In 2027, it will be 50 years since the foundation for the refuge’s establishment began.
We Did It Together can be found at most local libraries. Reconciliation WA has a few copies of the book available for loan.
