Latest statistics from The Cancer Council’s data collection tell us that one in three Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 75. In Australia alone, 150k people were diagnosed with a type of cancer in 2021. Every year 5000 Australian mums with children under 13 receive the devastating news they have cancer.

We all know the impact of cancer is huge in our community and that cancer not only affects the patient but also the extended family who help care for their loved one. The stress, logistics and financial strain of a loved one going through treatment processes can make for a very unpleasant and disconnecting time in a family’s life. Our mission is to provide some ease, ‘a break’ from this situation and allow these families a moment to take a step back to reconnect with their loved ones. We believe this is a key ingredient for recovery. Alongside medical treatment, Caring for the mental health and wellbeing of the patient and their surrounding support group is crucial.

Homely Retreats is a registered charity and is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR1).

Aside from the common denominators of regular charity operations, we operate a little differently to most. We see ourselves as a highly valuable community project. As well as supporting our community, we believe that involving locals in the act of caring for their fellow Tasmanians is important. We love visiting schools across the state to spread the word about our services and to engage with students by empowering them to organise their own activity or fundraiser to support a local cause. Often in a school, half of the entire student pool may raise their hands to the question ‘do you know someone who has had cancer?’

We don’t have big fancy corporate offices or fancy cars – We do what we say we do! Every dollar that is donated goes directly to the operation of ‘providing respite and support’ for our clients.

We are a new-age type of charity with more volunteers than employees and less talk and more action.

It is through the kindness and generosity of our Tasmanian public that Homely Retreats has been able to positively impact the lives of hundreds of our fellow Tasmanians in need.

Our aim is to find a ‘Jay’ (a passionate Australian with a mission to support others) in each state across Australia- who will head the Homely Retreats respite and support services for thousands more families. We truly believe that each community holds an important role in providing the support for their neighbours in need. Sometimes a little help is all we need to get through the roughest times in our lives and save our family from falling apart.

We look forward to spreading the compassion of our cause across our beautiful country – together!