When Andrea Broadfoot was punched in the face by the father of her then six-month-old twins, she did not know it could be described as family or domestic violence.
Despite describing herself as a strong and empowered woman, Ms Broadfoot said the fact it happened without warning had left her in shock, with shame and embarrassment as added baggage.
It was not until she joined the board at Yarredi Services, a specialist and family violence counselling network, that she came to the realisation.
"There would be a whole lot of people like me who don't name it as family or domestic violence, and wouldn't have a place to go and seek support."
However, Ms Broadfoot hopes that women will know they have extra support in Port Lincoln now that a new Women's Wellbeing and Safety Centre has been launched.
The hub is part of a state-first network to assist at-risk women in regional areas gain better access to help from professionals.
The centre will provide a counselling centre, play therapy room and a main meeting room where women can meet with police and have access to computers.
"If something's not feeling right in your relationship, or you have that feeling in your gut that you're not being treated well, we're looking at coercive control and being gaslighted, it's important that we know that there's services to help," Ms Broadfoot said.
Four years in the making
The centre has been in the works for four years, and Kristen Lawler, project officer with Yarredi Services, has been working hard to get it up and running.
"People usually end up having to tell their story multiple times; that often re-traumatises people. Hopefully this centre will reduce that stress and trauma.
"The idea of the centre is that it's a one-stop shop; people don't have to go to various places to report domestic violence."
Police will have 24-hour access to the facility and have been positively involved in the opening.
'It will save lives'
Michelle Lensink, the Minister for Human Services, launched the centre, the final of 10 hub openings across regional South Australia.
"We know that domestic violence is very prevalent in all of our communities, so we need people to access information they need, whether it's a crisis or a form of other assistance.
"We need to have things in people's communities so they can get help when they need it instead of potentially having to wait for when they have a trip to Adelaide."
