Mel Thomas 'MY LIFE IS purpose-led'

THIS SYDNEY SUPERWOMAN IS ON A MISSION TO HELP STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

- Jodie Wolf

For Sydney mum Mel Thomas, violence had always been part of her life, having grown up in a household with an alcoholic, abusive father, then falling into a violent relationship in her teens. “I remember holding my first daughter and saying to my mum, ‘I’ve been having nightmares my whole life about drowning.’ Mum said, ‘Well, that’s because your dad threw you into a pool when you were a baby,’” recalls Mel. “I looked at my daughter and thought, ‘What the hell was going on for my dad to assault my mother and his kids?’”

That was the catalyst for Mel wanting to do something. She says, “All I could see was news stories of women and girls that had been abused and killed. I couldn’t unsee it.” In 2013, Mel took action to help break the cycle of domestic violence.

Taking her 20 years of self-defence training and passion to help young girls like her two daughters, she reached out to Surf Life Saving Australia, who agreed to “give her a hand” in setting up the KYUP! Project, which teaches girls self- defence skills. Speaking with experts in policing, psychology and martial arts was essential in reaching her goal, and with the backing of friends “it started to take on a life of its own”.