'I'M STANDING UP TO ALL THE BULLIES'

Rachael was the victim of a vicious online attack by members of her local community

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Life hasn't been easy for Sydney mum Rachael Jackson. She's a survivor of domestic violence, a single mum of three including a child with a disability, and she's faced a diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

But amid all this, in 2023 Rachael won a Citizen of the Year award for her community work in her Northern Sydney community and advocating for others in need.

"I moved to Australia 28 years ago from the UK, so I have no family here to support me," Rachael tells Woman's Day. "Because of my own lived experience and challenges, I speak up on social issues like affordable housing and loneliness. I know people go through trauma every day and they don't always get the help they need and if I can help someone, I will.

"My way of coping with adversity is to help make someone else's world a better place, even if it's just buying them a coffee.”

But just months after her volunteer work was recognised, Rachael began facing backlash.

In September 2024 she had begun raising concerns about the lack of affordable housing for people like herself in the wealthy beachside area where she lives and local residents were up in arms.

INTIMIDATION & ABUSE

Posters on local community Facebook groups decided Rachael was a scammer and pretending to be unwell.