Trigger warning: mentions of extreme domestic violence

Christine Stevens, 71, has one hell of a story to tell.

Married at 16 years old in 1967, Christine endured horrific domestic violence inflicted by her then husband for more than 20 years.

“I didn’t know he was a drinker and an alcoholic and a gambler, so it was alright for a while and then things started getting really bad,” she said.

“Every time he was drinking, he would come home and take it out on me.

“Then I went on to have seven girls. So, it was really hard on the girls as well to live in that situation where he was always hitting me.”

Christine described one harrowing story of her ex-husband holding a gun to her head while threatening to kill her. She told her eldest daughter, who was around 15 or 16 at the time, to call the police.

He then used the gun to smash her on the head.   

While the police were frequently called to her house and would arrest her ex-husband, he was periodically released from custody and consistently found her and her children – and the abuse continued.

The horrific violence caused her to have scars over her body. 

Christine fled from town to town, attempting to escape her ex-husband’s abuse, but he would continue to find and harass her for decades. After eventually moving to Canberra, she thankfully never saw him again.

Christine has story, after story, after story, of the years of domestic violence that plagued her early life.

But today, she shares them on stage with This Is My Brave Australia (TIMBA), ensuring that trauma survivors and those suffering with mental health issues know they’re not alone.

This Is My Brave Australia

For people living with trauma and mental health issues, talking to others about your struggles can be very healing – and could even save a life.

This Canberra Day Appeal, Christine’s plea to Canberrans is to consider donating to TIMBA, so other people like her can feel the freedom of sharing their stories.

She was introduced to the organisation through her granddaughter when she took her to a psychologist appointment.

When the psychologist began asking Christine questions about her own life, she suggested she would be a great participant for TIMBA.

Christine condensed her story into a five-minute monologue and auditioned for the organisers, thinking she wouldn’t succeed.

“There was dead silence in the room, like absolute dead silence, and I’m thinking ‘oh my god, they didn’t like it, I’m not going to be on’,” Christine said.

“Tim sort of looked at me and he goes, ‘you’re in’. He said, ‘do you think you could do that in front of 100 people?’ And I said ‘yes, I do’.”

Australian executive officer of TIMBA, Tim Daly, is passionate about breaking down the stigma attached to people who live with a mental illness.

“It [TIMBA] is really needed in the community – definitely. There’s not enough services for people with mental health in Canberra, especially things like this where you can tell your story,” Christine said.  

“It was a big thing for me to be able to get that off my chest and actually tell other people what he was like, and what I went through, and what my kids went through.

“They should just definitely do it [donate]. It’s great. And Tim’s a great person and he does so much and yes, they definitely should donate to This Is My Brave. Definitely.”

TIMBA is one of 14 charities which operate in the Canberra region that will receive proceeds from the 2023 Canberra Day Appeal.

Visit thisismybraveaustralia.com to find out more, or visit handsacrosscanberra.org.au to donate to the Canberra Day Appeal.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, you can call or visit the website of:

• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732
• Canberra Rape Crisis Centre: 02 6247 2525
• Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT: 02 6280 0900
• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• In an emergency, call 000

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