‘A PHONE CALL SAVED ME FROM LIFE ON THE STREETS'

When rental prices skyrocketed, Mary faced living in her car

- Ruth McCarthy

It is a testament to Mary Dadd’s character that although she has been through tough times – facing homelessness and the reality of having to sleep in her car – she is still able to smile.

“Optimism and hope have always been life-savers for me,” Mary, 57, tells Woman’s Day.

After moving from Papua New Guinea to Sydney in 1986, at the tender age of 22, Mary secured work as a secretary before meeting her husband and going on to have five beautiful children.

Moving into her in-laws’ home down the south coast of NSW, Mary gave up work to bring up her children and while money was tight, Mary and her husband – who worked as a community carer – ensured their family didn’t go without.

Sadly, though, circumstances changed when they divorced in 2018. “I moved into a two-bedroom rental with my youngest son, who was finishing high school and daughter, who had just started work,” she says. “I worked part-time as a cleaner.”