Meet one inspiring Aussie…
An impulse l decision d ii gave Jules J l Allen All the most precious gift of all – a family
It’s rare to meet a woman who has played a vital role in raising 32 children. But Aussie supermum Jules Allen has done just that, raising her biological son Jay, 19, and fostering an astounding 31 children, three of whom have become a permanent part of her family.
The former Masterchef Australia contestant recalls being a vulnerable single mum who’d just escaped a volatile relationship and fled to Lennox Head, NSW, when she “fell into fostering” aged just 23.
“A good friend told me about a girl in foster care who was having a hard time. She asked me if I’d take her in, so I thought ‘why not?’, ”Jules recalls.
“The hilarious thing was she was 16, so there were only seven years between us. It was like the blind leading the blind.”
Little did Jules know her spontaneous decision would change her life forever. One foster child turned into two, and continued to multiply over the years, turning her once quiet two-bedroomtwo bedroom unit into a bustling household full of fun and laughter.
Some children have stayed for six months, others a year – and a few have never left. But selfless social worker Jules, now 42, has always given each and every one of them the one thing they desperately craved – unconditional love.
“My first child stayed a year, then another came, then the younger toddlers started coming in,” Jules, now an award-winning youth advocate, says.
“After I started working in child protection and became exposed to the number of kids coming into care and how few carers there were, I couldn’t turn them away.”
When asked what it means to her to be a mother mother, Jules says says, “I don’t think being a mother defines you, but having a mother does.
“It must’ve been my calling because I just kept on taking more and more children in.
“Either that or I was completely insane.”
After experiencing a troubled childhood herself, Jules developed a natural rapport with children, particularly teenagers.
In fact, it was a dare from her kids – Jay, Elisha, 24, India, 20, and 19-year-old Ishy – that saw Jules compete on Masterchef in 2013.
Although she didn’t make the finals, she used the show as a launch pad for her career in advocating for the rights of children from disruptive backgrounds.
She has since campaigned tirelesslyti to dispel society’s commonc misunderstandings about kidsk in care. “I want to smash the misconceptionm that foster childrenc are broken. They are just kidsk who are worthy of being met anda being loved,” she says.
Jules admits she has faced her fairf share of challenges as a mum.
“I won’t say it hasn’t been tought at times but the rewards are endless. The love I get back from every one of those kids makes me feel like the richest person in the world.”
While Mother’s Day has always been a special time of the year
for Jules,Jules the day will conjure conjuree up mixed emotions this year.
Just over a year has passed d since Jules lost her own mother, Ann, to Parkinson’s disease at age 72. 2.
“She was the most beautifulful mother and grandmother inn the world,” Jules says, tearily.
Jules relocated to Victoria to nurse her mum during her final 12 months. While there, she wasas also forced to watch her family homeome in the Wye River burn to the groundound in the Christmas Day bushfires, weeks before Ann passed away.
“Losing her hit all of the familyamily hard as we all helped nurse her through her final year.
“But I also see myself as lucky, because Mum and I had a ball having coffee dates, watching ing movies and sharing secrets s before we said our goodbyes.” es.”
Now her family have flownn the nest, and with two of her originalginal foster children parents themselves,mselves, Jules has put her maternal instincts aside to focus on inspirational speaking, guideded by the philosophy that “your greatest reatest adversity in life is your greatestest gift”.
Her message centres on accepting life’s challenges andnd using them as a springboard d for positive change – just as she did.
“I often look back on my fostering and wonder, ‘Oh my God, how did I do that?’ But t I did, and I wouldn’t change a thing!” ng!”
‘The love I get back from those kids makes me feel like the richest person in the world’