Sarah Nickson: Committed to the community

This year marks two incredible milestones for Sarah Nickson.

It’s been 10 years since she made the big move from Melbourne to Kalgoorlie, and five years with Hope Community Services (HOPE), where she now serves as Regional Manager of our Goldfields North team.

Relocating across the country was a huge change for Sarah, however she quickly immersed herself in the Goldfields life. Her commitment to the community was evident from day one.

“Before I started paid work I volunteered at the local charity op shop Monica’s Place, I would go in and take photos of the items and start posting them to the Facebook page to generate interest,” she recalls.

Later she worked as a child support worker, and then as a reintegration support worker, supporting prisoners to reintegrate with the community. This role saw her working closely with the remote communities across the Ngaanyatjarra lands.

Mara Pirni Healing Place

In 2020, Sarah stepped into a role of Manager of Mara Pirni Healing Service – WAs first regional family and domestic violence and abuse (FDVA) hub.

With just five weeks to launch the service, she led with purpose, creating a welcoming space where women and children could access critical supports. From legal advocacy to early childhood services, Mara Pirni was designed to offer holistic care.

“We really were working for scratch, I was having to map out the service model and pathways as we went. There was no precedent to work off,” she recalls.

Working with other other FDVA hub partners, Sarah encouraged collaboration over competition, asking them to “leave their egos and logos at the door” to ensure clients were at the heart of every decision.

Sarah knew that the ultimate success of the hub would come down to the relationships it could establish with the community, so she actively encouraged her team to develop new and different ideas that would bring the community into the hub.

Community engagement and events are now a cornerstone of the hub, which now hosts morning teas, art exhibitions and the Kalgoorlie 16 Days in WA Colour Run – which is now an annual community event.

“FDVA can be a tough space to work in but when you work with a team of people filled with compassion, integrity, and genuine care, and see the incredible outcomes that can result, these are the things that keep you up at night and gets you out of bed in the morning,” she says.

Stepping up

Now as Regional Manager of the Goldfields North team, Sarah oversees a range of services including Goldfields Community Alcohol and Drug Services (GCADS), youth justice, headspace Kalgoorlie, integrated team care programs. She also still works closely with the Mara Pirni team.

Her vision has driven several innovative initiatives across the region, including the Goldfields Suicide Prevention Project and the Love Bites respectful relationships program for young people.

She’s also been central to the establishment of the Kalgoorlie NAIDOC Youth Ball, a huge annual event that celebrates the young First Nations people in the community.

“Back in 2023”, I got in touch with 3% [Aboriginal rap super group] to see if they would come across to perform at the ball,” she said.

“They hadn’t performed live as a group yet, so that ball was their first performance. It was a huge moment – it was great to be able to give those young people an experience that many would never be able to pay for themselves.”

Whether its managing crisis events like power outages or taking on new responsibilities to fill a staffing gap, Sarah is always willing to jump in and work to ensure the best outcome for her team, clients and community.

Even outside of work, she’s still working for her community, as Treasurer of the Golden Community Mile, a group that stage community events like Christmas in the Park.

Sarah Nickson is more than a manager. She is a leader, an advocate, and a champion for the