Beyond DV: Carolyn Robinson’s Story

Article written by Lucy Stokes

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“I think it was set up from a very young age for me to understand the importance of giving back.”

Only years later would Carolyn realise those experiences were connected by more than service. Together, they were shaping the skills, resilience and perspective she would one day draw upon in ways she could never have anticipated. 

By the time her daughter experienced domestic violence in early 2017, Carolyn was already volunteering with Share the Dignity, supporting women experiencing homelessness and domestic violence. She understood the importance of showing up for people during difficult times. What she encountered while supporting her daughter through the court process, however, stayed with her. 

“I was really shocked that most of the women – the other women who were there each time we’d go to court – were there on their own.” 

She understands now why that was often the case. For many women, bringing family members or friends into the process could place loved ones at risk. At the time, though, all Carolyn could see were women navigating one of the most difficult periods of their lives without anyone beside them. 

The experience left her heartbroken, frustrated and searching for a way to create something positive from an incredibly painful chapter. 

“We were looking for a purpose. I think we needed a reason. The reason for us was to make something good out of this.” 

In 2017, Carolyn founded Beyond DV, a Brisbane-based charity built on a simple but powerful belief: surviving domestic violence should not be the end of the conversation. Women deserved support not only to escape violence, but to rebuild their lives afterwards. 

To make that vision a reality, Carolyn stepped away from a 35-year teaching career and committed herself to the organisation full-time, continuing to volunteer her own time without taking a wage. 

At the time, much of the domestic violence sector was focused on crisis response. Crisis support is essential and lifesaving, but when Carolyn began asking where recovery services fit into the picture, she found there was still significant work to be done. 

With just three volunteers, two small programs and little more than determination and lived experience to guide them, Beyond DV began its journey. 

“The key to what we’ve done is that we’ve just listened to people. We haven’t come in with a set idea in our mind. Everything we do is really based on what the clients tell us they need.” 

What women consistently described were the practical barriers that stood between surviving and truly moving forward. They were exhausted from repeating their stories to multiple services. They wanted support that recognised the realities of rebuilding a life while caring for children, managing legal matters, finding safe housing and restoring financial independence. 

Through those conversations, common themes began to emerge: social connection, housing, health and wellbeing, legal support, and financial recovery. 

Those themes became Beyond DV’s Five Pillars of Recovery — social, housing, health, legal support and financial rebuilding — a framework shaped not in boardrooms, but through listening to the women it was designed to serve.

Beyond DV’s first centre sits quietly among Brisbane parklands, a welcoming space that many women describe as a home away from home. Carolyn named it after her grandmother, one of her greatest supporters and a woman whose commitment to community helped shape the values she carries today. The name also happens to be her daughter’s middle name, honouring two strong women whose resilience continues to inspire the organisation’s work. 

“It still feels right every time I go there.” 

Since then, Beyond DV has expanded across Brisbane. 

Hannah’s Sanctuary, a nine-townhouse transitional housing project, provides families leaving domestic violence with a stable place to live while they rebuild. The HOPE Hub at Westfield Carindale offers a safe and accessible space where people can seek support for domestic violence or mental health concerns. This model is now being rolled out to three more shopping centres across Queensland.

The services delivered within those hubs continue to evolve as community needs change. Financial counselling, legal support, food relief and a range of other initiatives have been introduced in response to what women are experiencing in real time.  

“So it’s always evolving, depending on what the needs are.” 

Over time, Carolyn also became convinced that recovery was only part of the solution. Prevention needed equal attention. 

The Love & Learn relationship app helps young women recognise the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships. Ask A Mate, developed for boys and young men aged 13 to 18, uses the voices of AFL players, content creators and community figures to encourage conversations about respect, relationships and emotional wellbeing. In 2026, the national Ask A Mate Day campaign reached more than 3.5 million people in a single month. 

Then there is Dress to Express, now in its fourth year as part of Brisbane Fashion Festival. What began as a creative event has become a powerful statement of identity and freedom, bringing survivors, supporters and community members together for a walk from King George Square to Queen Street Mall. 

For many women who have experienced domestic violence, control extended to what they wore, how they styled their hair and even how they presented themselves in public. Dress to Express offers an opportunity to reclaim that choice while opening the door to broader conversations about respect, safety and recovery.  

“Fashion gets people in, and then you can have those serious conversations.” 

For much of Beyond DV’s journey, ongoing government funding was not part of the equation. Instead, the organisation grew through the trust Carolyn built within the community and the partnerships that emerged from it, with businesses, community groups and individuals contributing their time, expertise and resources to help women rebuild their lives. 

Much of Beyond DV has been powered by the community that railed around it. Businesses, organisations and individuals have contributed their time, expertise and resources, often discovering that skills they never considered relevant could make a meaningful difference.  

There is the hair salon that has volunteered its services for eight years, helping women prepare for job interviews. A pharmacy donates beauty products that most of the women would not be able to afford. Designers help women rebuild wardrobes following the significant life upheaval by providing brand new clothes. One carpet supplier attended the Sprignfield hub and shared that he had always wanted to support domestic violence survivors but never thought he had anything to offer. He completed the entire flooring project free of charge and later offered to do the same for future hubs. 

A very generous Brisbane developer cold-called Carolyn in 2021 and offered to build a $6 million complex of nine townhouses for Beyond DV to manage, to provide transitional housing for the families they support. Small Steps 4 Hannah would also come on board as a partner in this life-changing project.

One of the partnerships Carolyn remembers most fondly began with a young app developer who started his company from his bedroom, who she cold-called to request assistance to bring Ask A Mate to life, which he ultimately did, building the whole App on a pro bono basis.  

Then there is the Brisbane Lions.  

The relationship began years earlier when Carolyn and her husband opened their home to young players who had relocated to Brisbane and needed support while settling into a new city. Weekly dinners became a tradition and friendships were formed. By the final gathering before COVID lockdowns, eleven players were sitting around the family table.   

Over time, those friendships developed into a meaningful partnership with Beyond DV. 

“I think because they realised — particularly because I work as a volunteer — that we’re in it for the right reasons.” 

Despite everything the organisation has achieved, Carolyn often jokes that her ultimate goal is to put Beyond DV out of business.  

For her, success would mean a future where services like Beyond DV are no longer needed.  

That commitment to long-term change led her to help establish and now chair the Australian Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery Alliance. The Alliance connects organisations across Australia working in recovery, creating opportunities to share knowledge, support one another and strengthen a sector that can often feel isolated.  

Today, Beyond DV’s advocacy work is being recognised nationally. Its campaign supporting a domestic violence disclosure scheme, which would allow women access to information about a partner’s history of violence, is gaining momentum through the lived experiences and voices of Beyond DV clients.  

“A lot of women will say to me, ‘We don’t have the platform that you have, you are our voice.'” 

Looking back now, Carolyn can see the thread running through it all. The experiences that shaped her, the challenges her family endured, the countless hours spent volunteering and the relationships built along the way were never isolated chapters. Together, they prepared her for this work. 

When she talks about Beyond DV, she rarely returns to milestones or achievements. Instead, she speaks about the women who have rebuilt their lives, the communities that have come together to support them and the belief that even the most difficult experiences can be transformed into something meaningful.  

“Something good had to come out of it. We couldn’t have gone through it for nothing.”  

That belief has guided every stage of Beyond DV’s journey, from its earliest days with three volunteers to the network of support services, housing initiatives and prevention programs it has become today. Yet Carolyn is quick to point out that none of it happened because of one person. It was built by volunteers, community partners and people willing to contribute whatever skills they had to offer.  

Her advice to anyone considering volunteering reflects the philosophy that has shaped her entire life.  

“You might think your skills or experience wouldn’t be useful, but that’s so far from the truth. Once you get the opportunity to volunteer, it snowballs. You realise it’s not just about what the organisation gains from you — it’s what you get out of it yourself.”  

For Carolyn, volunteering was never about finding the perfect opportunity or possessing a particular set of qualifications. It was about showing up, helping where she could and trusting that even small contributions have the power to create change.  

What began with a young girl helping alongside her father at church has become a lifetime devoted to service, community and creating opportunities for others to rebuild. Through Beyond DV, that commitment continues to shape lives every day, demonstrating the extraordinary impact that can grow from a simple decision to give back.