Swimming for change: Dianne’s fight to help Canberra’s homeless women

Posted on 24 November, 2022

Taking place this Sunday 27 November at the Next Gen swimming pool, Dianne Deane is using her 70th birthday as a path for change—swimming 70 lengths for homeless women in Canberra who, so often, don’t have the option of getting out of the pool.

The idea for this inspiring swim began mid-lap. Dianne describes the water that day as particularly disarming, with a cold, wet, and uncomfortable feeling of isolation impossible to ignore. But it was in this space that Dianne’s mind wandered to Canberra’s Streets, where a gentle voice guided her towards that poignant realisation that lives at the heart of ’70 for 70′: “This is what homelessness feels like.”

“It started less than 18 months ago, just before my 70th birthday, and swimming in the pool at NextGen, which I can’t praise enough. It’s an awesome institution,” she says.

“I was swimming, feeling a bit sorry for myself—and then it’s like somebody tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘this is what it’s like being homeless’. And I thought, but I can go home to a wonderful family and the house and friends, and I’m so lucky…So, I thought, why I don’t I try and swim 70 lengths and raise money at the same time?”

After having her epiphany in the pool, Dianne’s journey to better understanding the homeless began—and while the results were at times confronting, they led her to Catholic Care MacKillop House.

With 20 rooms and six houses for domestic violence victims, this shelter is more than just a home: it’s a safe space of dignity, community, and support needed to begin rebuilding their lives.

“I wanted to support homeless women in Canberra because I had read about how horrible domestic violence is Australia-wide about. And then, I discovered that women over 50’s were the largest growing homeless cohort. That’s huge!” says Dianne.

“I did another web search and found Catholic Care MacKillop House, a shelter that is just starting out in Canberra. So, I settled on them—but bear in mind, there were a lot of other equally as important causes also.”

This Sunday, Catholic Care will be there during Dianne’s ’70 for 70′ not only collect all tax-deductible donations directly, but to also cheer her on as she attempts 70 lengths for the first time—marking an impressive feat in her swimming journey. But as Dianne explains, it hasn’t always been easy.

Swimming was something she discovered later in life, a slow and ever-evolving journey that has brought with it a myriad of challenges that she has found a way to overcome. And as she pushes the limits of her own body, she hopes that with each difficult stroke, the lives of Canberra’s homeless women will become that little bit easier.

“I’m a very slow swimmer, and I wouldn’t say that I’m not a good swimmer. And I have never swam 1750, I’ve only swam 1600 twice. And I deliberately haven’t swum that far because I want to put that effort into making it a personal best”, says Dianne.

But the inspiring abilities for ’70 for 70′ don’t stop there.  Reflecting on the significance of her 70 birthday, Dianne wants all women to feel empowered to resist the limitations that can so often come with age.

They say it’s ‘just a number,’ a sentiment Dianne is proving vehemently true.

“It came as a bit of an afterthought. I’ve had a few instances lately where I thought, ‘I’ve been totally ignored by this company or that company’. They have treated me like an idiot because I’m older, and they’ve totally ignored me because I’m older. And that’s really stung,” she says.

“But to be able to do this and get support has been life-affirming. And yes, I’m now 71, but I can still do something, I can still contribute to society.”

As Dianne prepares to take on the biggest swim of her life, she encourages Canberran’s to not only come to the NextGen this Sunday and show their support,  but to find themselves open to those ‘taps on your shoulder moments’ and begin to see those experiencing homelessness without stigma—but rather as humans who, like all of us, are in need of a warm towel to hold into.

“I want people to think about just how fortunate we really are and, at the same time, understand that people who are homeless haven’t necessarily made that choice, that’s just the way life has turned out for them. If this event makes other people think about homelessness differently, that would be great.”