In May 2024, Veronica* was struggling with drug addiction and domestic violence. Her third child was removed just minutes after birth.
Today, she is drug-free, safe, and employed, and has been reunited with her youngest son, with her middle child soon to be with her as well.
Residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre The Farm at Galong helped her turn her life around with a 12-month program of holistic healing and life skills acquisition with the aim of preventing recidivism and restoring families.
For some women, entering The Farm is simply an alternative to prison. But Veronica said she entered willingly, motivated by the prospect of being reunited with her son.
Having done short-term rehabs before unsuccessfully, she jumped at the chance.
“My motivation was quite high, and I knew that I needed it for myself as well,” she told The Catholic Weekly.
“I knew what I was walking into, so I don’t think I was scared or anything like that.”
Veronica said the days within the Galong residence are very regimented, beginning at seven o’clock in the morning and ending at eight o’clock at night.
During those hours, which begin in its Catholic chapel for an opportunity of prayer or quiet time, the women are expected to have meals together, do farm work, study, and attend a morning meeting run by one of the residents.
She said the busy schedule leaves a “fair bit” of time for relaxing, boardgames, chatting – and being bored.
But there’s a method to the madness, says Veronica, as boredom is one of the biggest causes of relapse. Learning to deal with it is vital.
“When you do leave and out into the big world, you’re able to be able to sit with that boredom and you’re not going to go pick up with anything.”
The Farm founder Kate Cleary, a social worker by profession, transformed a dilapidated former Mercy convent to run the program since 2017.
As the resident CEO she has helped dozens of women and their families break free of harmful cycles of addiction and develop a greater appreciation of their dignity and the value of each human person. She says this is her life’s vocation.
It is bearing real fruit, as well as secular recognition. The humble 2026 New South Wales local hero nominee was also a 2025 finalist for NSW Regional Woman of the Year and NSW volunteer of the year in 2024.
The women who attend The Farm often come from unstable backgrounds with histories of substance abuse, domestic violence, and incarceration. There they learn to function in a controlled drug-free environment before returning to normal life.
Cleary says over the seven years the 12-month program has been in action it has developed a “firmer structure and direction” for the participants.
“Over the years we’ve made it stricter. We’ve brought them into a new culture. They don’t have mobile phones; they’re not allowed to contact their families until at least six weeks into the program; they’re bunkered down from seven o’clock in the morning to about eight o’clock at night,” she said.
“They’re working through self-understanding, self-awareness, and how you get along with your fellow man.”
She said the women are placed into a community with a few others who are in a similar situation and they “have to learn to live with each other” and be held accountable for their actions.
“I’m very pleased to report that over time, we’ve had a great success rate,” she said. “If they stay on for the 12 months, they start to understand a lot more about themselves, which leads them to a deeper, real recovery.”
Cleary likes to keep the numbers at The Farm small, with four women and one child in the facility at present.
As most of the women in the program are mothers and children up to the age of 12 are allowed to stay in the facility, with strict rules around childminding and physical contact.
Cleary said the women who attend The Farm had been “stripped of everything,” including being separated from their children, and must learn to do things for themselves and by themselves again.
The regime isn’t easy – the program starts out tough and gets stricter as the months pass.
The Farm has a zero-tolerance policy for illicit substances. There is random and weekly drug testing; being caught using drugs results in an immediate expulsion from the program.
“They come in here dependent, not just on drugs but on systems, on people,” Cleary said. “Then they decide, as they come in here, ‘oh hang on, I can do this.’”
Support from The Farm comes in the form of specialised therapists who mentor the residents on parenting techniques, help with forms, and child psychology among others. Staff train the clients in domestic violence awareness, child protection, relapse prevention and financial management.
Cleary said the women start with small projects. They keep their own areas clean and are responsible for themselves, and eventually move into supervisory roles involving management of other clients and larger areas in the building. Upon completion of the program they may even, like Veronica be offered a paid position.
Current resident Robin* is halfway through the program. She says that it has already boosted her confidence and self-control.
She says that the year-long structure of The Farm is “just amazing for women”. “I didn’t apply for any other rehab. I just thought that’s the place I want to go,” she said.
She said the program has helped her attain a Certificate III in legal studies, and she has embarked on getting a Certificate IV, saying study is her favourite thing about The Farm.
Things weren’t always like this for Robin. She once was a homeowner and had a family. Then things went downhill. The Farm, its support team, and her studies are helping her to remember what she is capable of.
“These are people that care about you and your worth and value,” she said. “I don’t think it would be achievable without that.”
The Farm accepts tax-deductible donations. Details at thefarmingalong.com.au/donate.
*Names have been changed for anonymity.
