Artists from across the Central Coast are invited to submit their ideas for painting, drawing, sculpture and artwork in any medium that explore what the future of women’s health could look like in our region.
The exhibition will form part of CCCWHC’s year-long celebration of five decades of women supporting women and will invite the community to reflect on the Centre’s history while imagining what is possible for the next 50 years.
CCCWHC Head of Communications & Partnerships, Alison McLeod, says the exhibition is an opportunity to bring the community’s creativity and vision into the Centre’s 50-year story.
“For 50 years, CCCWHC has shaped, supported and championed women’s health. This exhibition gives us an opportunity to celebrate this remarkable legacy while asking a really important question: what do we want the future of women’s health to look like?” says Alison.
“We want to see the imagination, creativity and diversity of our local arts community reflected in that future. Whether you are an established artist, an emerging creative or a student with a powerful idea you want to bring to life, we encourage you to put forward your vision.
“This is more than an art exhibition. It is an invitation to be part of the next chapter of women’s health on the Central Coast.”
Artists are asked to submit their artwork or concept idea for selection by 5pm Friday 25 September 2026 via our Artist Submission Form. Successful applicants will be notified the following week, with final artworks to be submitted by Friday 9 October 2026.
The exhibition, A History of Care: A Future of Impact, will be featured at Gosford Regional Library, Donnison Street, Gosford, from 19 October to 22 November 2026.
Visitors will be taken on a journey through CCCWHC’s five decades of history, featuring a timeline of the Centre’s work, historic photographs and artefacts, interviews with women who have been involved with the Centre over the past 50 years, and the selected artworks exploring the future of women’s health.
The exhibition will celebrate the women, community members, health professionals, volunteers, supporters and advocates who have helped build the Centre’s legacy of care, while creating space for the community to imagine a future where every woman has access to the health, safety, support and opportunities she deserves.
Local artists are encouraged to get involved and help CCCWHC bring its vision for the next 50 years to life.
Artist submissions close: 5pm, Friday 25 September 2026
Final artworks due: 5pm, Friday 9 October 2026
Exhibition: 19 October – 22 November 2026
Venue: Gosford Regional Library, Donnison Street, Gosford
21 August 2026 – With perinatal depression and anxiety (PNDA) impacting an estimated 1,751** parents in the Central Coast of New South Wales each year, a local service officially opens to support families from pre-conception through to early infancy. Gidget House Wyoming at Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre offers free* GP-referred, psychological therapy sessions to parents.
Gidget House Wyoming at Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre is one of 21 Gidget Houses located in regional NSW, building on Gidget Foundation Australia’s commitment to expanding its services to support parents by providing timely and accessible care.
Offering a blend of face-to-face and telehealth psychological support, the service officially opens as data reveals more than a quarter (28.4%) of parents in regional NSW have struggled with perinatal mental health symptoms but did not seek support.
Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch MP, will officially open Gidget House Wyoming at Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre on Friday, 21 August, welcoming the arrival of the first Gidget House location on the Central Coast.
Liesl Tesch MP says, “Too many families experience perinatal anxiety, depression and emotional distress, often without access to the specialised care they need close to home. The opening of Gidget House Wyoming at Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre is a significant step forward in ensuring local families can access free*, compassionate and evidence-based perinatal mental health support when they need it most.
“Supporting the wellbeing of parents is an investment in the wellbeing of children, families and our entire community. I am proud to welcome Gidget House to the Central Coast and congratulate everyone involved in making this important service a reality.”
With approximately 100,000 parents experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety (PNDA) annually in Australia, one in five mothers and one in ten fathers are impacted, underscoring the need for increased access to specialised perinatal mental health services across the country.
Now in its 25th year, Gidget Foundation Australia has supported more than 18,000 families through the delivery of over 138,000 free* appointments across 48 Gidget House locations nationally.
CEO of Gidget Foundation Australia, Arabella Gibson, says the official opening of Gidget House Wyoming at Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre is another step forward in the organisation’s ongoing commitment to supporting parents in regional areas.
“Gidget House Wyoming at Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre marks the fifth regional location we’ve opened across Australia this year.
“For parents living in regional areas, distance can be a barrier to accessing perinatal mental health support. By establishing our first Gidget House on the Central Coast, we're supporting the mental health of families in the area from pre-conception through to early infancy with accessible, timely and specialised care.”
Building upon Gidget Foundation Australia’s long history of collaboration and partnership, Gidget House Wyoming operates within Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre, which has been providing vital physical and mental healthcare support to women and children since 1976.
Sara Foster, CEO of Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre, says that its collaboration with Gidget Foundation Australia is crucial for supporting parents in the local area.
“The Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre is the region's largest and longest-serving provider of holistic, trauma-informed women's healthcare. With more than 6,000 women accessing our services over the past year, our Centre is uniquely positioned to identify and respond to the health and wellbeing needs of women across our region. Through partnerships with organisations such as Gidget Foundation Australia, we can extend this support into areas of specialised care, including perinatal mental health.
“These partnerships are critical in ensuring women experiencing challenges during pregnancy or the post-partum period including the impacts of trauma, anxiety, depression or domestic and family violence, are not left to navigate these challenges alone. We’re so pleased to partner with Gidget Foundation Australia to extend the services we provide to women in perinatal care.”
Gidget Foundation Australia and its partners acknowledge the significant challenges faced by families, from pre-conception to early infancy and are committed to ensuring families receive accessible, timely and specialised perinatal mental health care when they need it most.
For more information about Gidget Foundation Australia, Gidget House and the services the organisation provides, visit gidgetfoundation.org.au.
* The cost of services provided through Gidget House are funded through Medicare bulk billing. There are no out of pocket costs for up to 10 individual psychological therapy sessions per calendar year. A referral from a GP and a mental health treatment plan are required.
** Based on 3,525 births pa in Central Coast NSW (ABS, Births Australia 2024)
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in joining our Board.
We currently have a number of positions available on our Board and welcome applications from people with a wide range of professional backgrounds.
We are looking for women with experience in a range of areas including:
1. People & Culture
2. Strategic growth, partnerships & philanthropy
3. Cybersecurity and digital transformation
4. Accounting, finance, or audit
Previous experience serving on a Board, particularly as a Non-Executive Director or Board Chair, will be highly regarded.
However, if you bring different expertise and share our commitment to advancing gender equity and improving the wellbeing outcomes for women & children on the Coast, we encourage you to apply. Diversity of skills and perspectives is vital to the strength and success of our Board.
In the Board Information Pack, you will find the Position Description, a link to our 2027 Strategic Plan, and our Code of Conduct to help you understand the role and our organisational priorities.
To apply for nomination as a Director, candidates must submit:
1. A Cover Letter explaining how your skills align with and support the delivery of CCCWHC’s Strategic Plan and mission.
2. Statement of Relevant Skills and Experience or Curriculum Vitae (CV).
3. Signed Eligibility Declaration confirming compliance with ACNC and ASIC disqualification criteria.
4. Signed Declaration confirming:
• You hold (or will obtain prior to appointment) a current Working with Children Check.
• You have no criminal record that would make you ineligible to serve as a Director.
Applications close on Sunday 20 September at 5pm, and can be sent to board@ccwh.org.au
Board Recruitment Information Pack
Note: names have been changed for privacy and confidentiality
Megan is a 44 year old mother of two sons (7 years and 10 years). Megan's youngest son is diagnosed with Autism level 2. Megan was born and raised in Peru and her first language is Spanish. English is Megan’s second language, which she speaks well but sometimes struggles to understand when the topic is more complex in nature, such as legal information.
Megan married an Australian man named Robert and moved to Australia to be with him, leaving all her family and friends behind in Peru to start a new life. Once in Australia, Robert kept Megan isolated and financially dependant on him. When they had their two children, Megan was made to do most, if not all, of the parenting work. Robert would refuse to care for the children so Megan could work, keeping Megan more isolated and financially vulnerable.
After coming to realise that what she was experiencing was domestic and family violence, Megan tried to leave Robert but found it impossible to do without support. Megan reached out to Women’s Health Centre to get the support she needed to leave.
The Women’s Health Centre Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence program supported Megan to, firstly prepare to leave her husband. This meant getting all her ducks in a row such as ensuring Megan had the financial resources to leave and set up a new home, securing accommodation to go, getting the right legal information and advice, and making a plan for moving out that minimised risk of harm to Megan and her children. Women’s Health Caseworker supported Megan by providing culturally appropriate support, information and resources in her first language of Spanish as much as possible and ensuring that Megan had the option of an interpreter whenever needed.
Women’s Health Caseworker supported Megan to apply for a women’s and children’s refuge and for social housing for more permanent accommodation. Megan and her boys were provided a place in the refuge. Because Megan had done a lot of preparation by this stage, she was more confidently and safely able to leave as soon as the refuge vacancy became available. Megan was approved for special domestic violence funding to help her and her children set up a new future free of violence. The family is now waiting for a social housing property which can take some time but Megan reports feeling much more relaxed, happy and safer now she is away from her husband. Megan has also noticed positive changes in her son’s as well, noting that they seem more relaxed and play more now, which they were too scared to do before.
With the support of Women’s Health, Megan applied for and was approved for Victims Services and Leaving Violence Program funding. Megan will use this money to help set up a new home for her and her boys. When finding out she was approved for the money, Megan said that it was a huge relief because she was worrying about how she would afford everything when she left.
Megan is a very intelligent and capable woman. She did a lot of work prior to coming to Women’s Health Centre to try to leave her husband but the barriers to leaving seemed too big to overcome on her own so Megan used her courage and strength to ask for support. Megan and her children are now living in a temporary but safe and comfortable home free of domestic violence, while they wait for their forever home.
2026 Honorary Life Membership Nominations Now Open!
The Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre (CCCWHC) has a new process for nominating Honorary Life Members to our organisation.
Honorary Life Membership is the highest honour CCCWHC can bestow. It recognises individuals who have made an outstanding and exceptional contribution to our organisation’s mission of creating safe and healthy futures for women on the Central Coast.
This recognition may be awarded for either:
All nominations must be submitted using the form below and be endorsed by two (2) nominators who are current CCCWHC members.
Assessment and Approval Process
Timing
Nominations open three (3) months prior to the CCCWHC Annual General Meeting (AGM) and close on Friday 16 October, to allow time for consideration at the last Ordinary Board Meeting before the AGM.
Recognition and Announcement
2026 Honorary Life Memberships will be announced at CCCWHC’s AGM on Thursday 5 November 2026.
Each awarded Honorary Life Member will receive the following:
For questions regarding Honorary Life Membership please contact board@ccwh.org.au
Ph: 02 4324 2533
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feedback@ccwh.org.au
Mail: PO Box 2010 Gosford NSW 2250
