Vanessa Fowler has personal experience of the devastating consequences of family and domestic violence. Her sister, Allison Baden-Clay, was murdered by husband Gerard Baden-Clay in 2012.
Turning her grief into a force for good, Vanessa established the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation in 2014 to share Allison’s story and educate people about family and domestic violence. The Foundation also began Strive to Be Kind Day, held each July to foster positive behaviour.
She also founded Allison’s Gift, a national training workshop program created to educate the community to recognise the signs of family and domestic violence and give people the skills to assist friends or loved ones in abusive relationships.
Vanessa was appointed co-chair of the Queensland Government’s Domestic and Family Violence Protection Council in 2021 and has been recognised with numerous awards, including an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2021.