Meet Blue Knot’s ambassadors and supporters – Sarah Monahan, Torita Blake, and Rose Parker. We thank them for their commitment in helping us to help survivors heal.
Ambassadors and Supporters
Sarah Monahan
Sarah Monahan was a prolific Australian child actress best known for her role as Jenny in Hey Dad. Sarah’s credits also include Sons and Daughters, Home and Away and close to over 100 print and TV ads.
Sarah’s role in Hey Dad began when she was 7 years old and for 8 years Sarah worked alongside her abuser. During her time on screen, Sarah was the primary income earner for her family after her father passed away before Hey Dad debuted.
In March 2010, Sarah spoke out about her experience of sexual abuse while working on Hey Dad, in Woman’s Day magazine, which led to the extensive coverage on A Current Affair.
Sarah was the face of a very public trial which led to the conviction and sentencing of her onscreen father. He was convicted of the sexual abuse of three different victims, while many others also came forward.
Sarah has spoken openly about the experience she and some of her onscreen colleagues faced when trying to speak up at the time of the offenses. The power imbalance was extraordinary and yet, despite the brutal impact and accusations of ‘attention-seeking’ and ‘trial by the media’, Sarah continued to fight to prevent abuse occurring to anyone else. She has authored a book, titled Allegedly, writing about her childhood and her experiences.
Sarah’s experiences in Australia made it very difficult for her to continue to live there, and she moved to America with her husband. During her time in America, Sarah served in the Texas State Guard, focusing on Humanitarian missions, trained in leadership and team building and was a facilitator for Venturing; a branch of Scouting, and is COPE certified.
Upon her perpetrator’s parole, he was deported to the UK. Sarah found it possible to return to live in Australia. Alongside her husband and her dog Teddy, Sarah is living a free and fulfilling life, and she continues to be an advocate for children and women’s rights.
Torita Blake
Torita Blake is a proud Indigenous woman from the Dunghutti people, a two-time Paralympian and a two-time medallist at the Para World Athletics Champion. A member of the Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Council.
Torita has lived and living experience of complex trauma from very early in her life, when she was barely a month old and was a victim of family violence where suffered severe brain injuries, a broken rib and collarbone. Since that time Torita has lived with only 10% of eyesight, mild cerebral palsy and epilepsy. It was not until she was 18 years of age that she discovered that her disability was a result of this domestic violence. Her stepfather who perpetrated the violence was later jailed for 12 years for the childhood sexual abuse of Torita.
Torita works through her complex trauma most days and has been a powerhouse in her own life competing at her first Paralympics at 17, only a year after beginning her athletics career. After finding out her abuser was in a new relationship with a woman who had young children Torita went on to report her stepfather and spent four years of court dates until he was found guilty and sentenced.
Having achieved so many incredible things in her life and overcoming many barriers, Torita still faces daily challenges; moments where she doesn’t want to get out bed, where she doesn’t want to socialise with others. She understands complex trauma and is grateful for her friends, family and Alfie her service dog who help her in those difficult moments.
Rose Parker
Rose Parker is an Occupational Therapist who has worked in private practice in the area of chronic pain management, for over 25 years.
She has been instrumental in establishing some of the first interdisciplinary private practice clinics in Western Australia that provide comprehensive and coordinated allied health services to people living with persistent pain syndromes using a model that combines physical and psychological recovery.
She is a singer, songwriter guitarist who has recorded 4 albums with The Velvet Janes, and toured Australia and the USA in the folk and blues scene, clubs and festivals.
She is a survivor of childhood trauma, abuse and neglect, being placed in institutional care at the age of 3 and remaining in the care of the state until the age of 18. She lived in 2 children’s homes and 4 foster homes due to her mother’s severe mental illness and her father’s chronic alcoholism
Rose gave evidence at the 2003 Senate Inquiry into the incidence of abuse in state run organisations which was then used to launch the redress scheme in the state of WA providing compensation to over 10000 survivors in 2010/11.
She continues to advocate for survivors on a daily basis, speaking and singing to educate and raise awareness regarding recovery and survival beyond abuse and neglect. Rose has found her person who has taught her she can trust people and she uses her experiences to support others through recovery.
