By Luke Voogt
Single mum Tara Knevitt has survived family violence and COVID-19 while raising her three children, working in childcare and studying.
No wonder her eldest daughter Tilly thinks she’s a super hero!
“She has to look after my brother, my sister and me, and she has to work and do all the stuff in the house,” the eight-year-old said.
“And mow the lawns. Mum isn’t scared of spiders or anything. And she doesn’t get angry.”
Tilly remembered her mum struggling to breath after Tara contracted coronavirus in July.
“My mum was very sick,” Tilly said.
Paramedics rushed Tara, who has asthma, to hospital on July 20.
“I went in because I had really bad shortness of breath,” the St Albans Park mum said.
“I couldn’t string two words together.”
Tara returned home the next day and spent several weeks isolating, not only from the outside world but her own children.
The family’s five-week isolation included a precautionary extra 14-days’ quarantine for the children.
“Because I ended up in hospital a week after I had the test done, they had to add week after it,” Tara explained.
Tara recovered without passing the coronavirus onto anyone, she said.
“The department sent me a big bunch of masks and gowns. It was a lot of screen time, Uber eats and people dropping things off to our door.
“I kind of just sucked it up and did what I had to do, although there were a lot of times where I had to sit by myself and have a bit of a cry.”
A family at the childcare centre where Tara was working was the source of her infection, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) later told her.
“I was told by DHHS it could have been as simple as me touching the door handle after they touched it and then I touched my face,” she said.
Tara has worked in aged care for 18 years and is currently studying a Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention.
“I’d like to work helping children and women fleeing from domestic violence,” she said.
“Unfortunately, I’ve experienced that myself so I just want to give back.
“I ended up having to flee with my two girls and an eight-week-old baby at the start of 2019.”
The man, now incarcerated, was Tara’s second abusive partner, both of who she preferred not to name.
“Their stories and what they chose to do with their lives won’t define my life or children’s life,” she said.
“I want my girls to be strong independent women who stand up for themselves, because I wasn’t.”
Tara was “super proud” of her playful, imaginative daughter’s winning entry in this year’s Bethany Superhero Awards.
An avid baker, bike rider, Minecraft player and trampoline enthusiast, Tilly initially created the poster honouring mum as a school project.
“I joke and say, ‘it’s about time I get some recognition’ but I was quite overwhelmed that she chose me and thinks so highly of me,” Tara said.
“Yep, I’ve been through the absolute ringer over the past few years and it’s made me the strong person that I am.”
Tilly won a signed Cats jumper, $500, a Sea All Dolphins Swim voucher and other locally-based prizes.
The awards’ 13 other finalists also won a range of prizes.
For help phone Bethany on 5278 8122 or Orange Door on 1800 312 820.
