TOUGH-TALKING GRANDMA IS A CARING QUEEN OF STREETS
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TOUGH talking and hard working, this Gold Coast grandma of four has been dubbed the mother Teresa of Southport streets.
Kathleen Vlasic, the Gold Coast co-ordinator of homeless support organisation Rosies, can almost always be found in the parks and shelters of the city ensuring there are hot showers, coffee, food and friendship available for all who need it.
The humble former Sydneysider decided to dedicate her retirement to the city’s less fortunate after her first visit to a Coast church.
“That morning they were seeking volunteers and honestly it felt like a calling – after that I have been here ever since,” she said.
“It is this work that makes me wake up every morning and realise how lucky I am. A lot of us go through life wishing we had this or that, but the friends I have met through my work have made me realise I am just lucky to have a warm bed to sleep in.”
Ms Vlasic has seen lives change through simple acts of kindness.
“I have met some amazing and strong people that are absolute darlings,” she said.
“Really it is just about being a friend. Society is so easy to judge and I think that is such a tragedy.
“You look at people and think you know them but really you can’t until you take the time to talk.
“More often than not they will blow you away.”
The Gold Coast Bulletin’s inaugural Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year campaign celebrates the city’s leading females.