Lydia Gah's story of survival is harrowing, but by telling it, she hopes to educate and save others

Australia Broadcast Center

a day ago

Lydia Gah has always appreciated the power of education to influence change. From a young age, she noticed that men and women were treated differently - girls and women often had to do the house and garden work, while boys and men were able to go to school and have an education. Lydia also didn't understand why men were able to speak on matters relating to women. It was her own curiosity for these answers, for these places of learning, and the influence of travellers in her remote village in Papua New Guinea that taught her the power of education.
This hunger for learning took her to her primary school when she was six years old at the "school that fell from the sky". Later, she went to university to study social work where she met her first husband. Lydia's experience of domestic violence in her first marriage is a story detailing 12 years of significant abuse. But this story is one she is using to educate others who may be experiencing something similar to have the courage to leave and live a thriving life. Lydia does this through her work not only as a counsellor in Cairns, but also through the teachings in her book, Survive and Thrive: My Courageous Journey out of Domestic Violence.
This week's episode of Stories From The Pacific is a repeat of the show broadcast on 1st May 2024