PRECEDE: When Joy O’Callaghan moved to Whittlesea, she was seeking connection and purpose. What she found at the VIEW club was strength in numbers and an avenue to help others. With clubs in Whittlesea, Sunbury, Taylors Lakes, Keilor, Craigieburn, and Melton, VIEW is creating safe spaces for women to give back and be heard. Tom Ingleton spoke with Joy about friendship, community and the momentous power of women supporting women.
For many women, community isn’t something they stumble across.
They seek it out – sometimes in the quiet moments after a big life change, sometimes in the wake of a growing sense of isolation.
When Joy O’Callaghan walked into her first meeting at VIEW Whittlesea, she was nervous – not because she was new to the organisation, but because she didn’t know a soul.
“Although I had been a member of VIEW previously, I still felt a little nervous but excited to be joining another club knowing that I would not know anyone in the club,” Joy recalled.
“It certainly didn’t take long to make friends – the members were all extremely welcoming and so friendly.”
Joy had recently moved to the area, and after many years as a VIEW member elsewhere, she craved the connection she had once known.
“I missed the friendship and the interaction with other like-minded women, to make a difference to underprivileged children by raising funds for the Smith Family Learning for Life program.”
VIEW– an acronym for Voice, Interests and Education of Women – isn’t just a club.
It’s a lifeline, a safe space, and a purposeful movement that’s quietly empowering women across Australia, one meeting at a time.
And in Whittlesea, it’s truly blossoming.
The local branch began with just 25 members. One year on, numbers have doubled.
“That growth showed us there really was a need,” Ms O’Callaghan said.
“Women wanted to come together, enjoy each other’s company, and share in the VIEW motto. We have interesting speakers, outings, coffee mornings – it gives our members food for thought and the opportunity to access education. Without that, many students wouldn’t have the tools they need to become well-educated young people in this ever-changing world.”
The Smith Family Learning for Life program provides long-term educational support for children in need.
VIEW clubs like Whittlesea’s, fund-raise to sponsor students through their schooling and the results speak for themselves.
“As we are a new club with two Learning For Life students, and have just applied for two more, we haven’t yet seen direct impact from those we sponsor. But we hear from the Smith Family about students reaching Year 12, gaining apprenticeships, and even going on to university to become engineers and doctors. That’s the reward of being part of VIEW.”
It’s not just the students who benefit. Joy has found her own sense of purpose and recognition.
“During our first year of operation, I was asked to be vice president, which was a real honour for me. This is now my second year in the role, and I have the pleasure and privilege of communicating with our Learning for Life students.”
But beyond the titles and fundraising, Joy speaks passionately about the unspoken role VIEW plays in women’s emotional support and mental well-being.
This support is vital, especially considering the broader mental health challenges facing women and girls in Australia.
According to the National Mental Health Commission, around one in six women in Australia will experience depression, and one in three will experience anxiety during their lifetime.
Postpartum depression impacts one in six women during their first year after birth.
Women also experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders at higher rates than men.
In this context, clubs like VIEW are not just about charity or companionship – they’re an essential social lifeline.
“Mental health support is incredibly important,” Joy said.
“While we don’t run formal sessions on it, we do sometimes have guest speakers who bring up the topic. And any member who wants to talk is encouraged to find someone they’re comfortable with. It’s a completely safe environment– no judgement, just support.”
As Australia reckons with a national crisis of violence against women, safe community spaces like VIEW are more crucial than ever.
“It is extremely important that clubs such as VIEW make it known that they are safe spaces,” Joy stated firmly.
“We will always be here to listen, value them, and protect them. And if needed, we can assist them in finding the right avenues to feel safe and supported.”
There have been moments where women have opened up in confidence, sharing personal experiences they might never have voiced elsewhere.
It’s not at meetings, Joy notes, but in those quieter conversations, over coffee, during a walk, or after an event, that trust is built and hearts are heard.
“There’s a real power in volunteering,” Joy reflected.
“‘Pay it forward’, as they say. If you can give back or belong to a group that helps the community, that’s a remarkable achievement– and it can be so vital for a woman’s well-being.”
For Joy O’Callaghan, that first step into the room wasn’t just the start of another club meeting – it was the start of something life-changing.
And for many more women in Whittlesea and the wider north-west, it might just be too.
Asked what she’d say to another woman feeling isolated, uncertain whether to reach out, Joy doesn’t hesitate.
“We would just emphasise how safe the VIEW club environment is, and how non-judgemental. Women with doubts can just come along– there are no expectations. Don’t struggle and feel isolated. Join with other women who may have felt like you and have now found a new purpose.”
