Grace’s Place a step closer to construction after negotiations begin to secure land at Doonside

WORK has started on building a $2.5 million centre for child victims of homicide at Doonside.

Homicide Victim Support Group executive director Martha Jabour.

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PRELIMINARY work has started on building a $2.5 million centre for child victims of homicide at Doonside.

Blacktown Council last week agreed to negotiate with Western Sydney Parklands to acquire land it owns on Eastern Rd for the construction of Grace’s Place.

If the negotiations are successful, the council will then lease the land to the support group for the purposes of building a trauma centre.

Named after murder victim Anita Cobby’s mother Grace Lynch, the centre will house 12 bedrooms for up to 12 children and 12 adult carers. It is expected to open in 2018.

It will provide respite and survival skills to family members, especially children, after homicide.

Homicide Victim Support Group executive director Martha Jabour said the council’s support meant the group could start preparation work including geotechnical surveys to begin construction.

“The wonderful thing is that everything the HVSG has asked of council to help us build Grace’s Place, they’ve come through with, and we just had the most amazing community support,” Ms Jabour said.

“We have a builder, a project manager, conveyancer and an architect all doing the work pro bono so it’s been the most amazing project to work on.”

Mrs Lynch and her husband, Gary, were the founding members of the support group, which started seven years after Anita was murdered and raped in Prospect after walking home from Blacktown train station in 1986.

“Grace was the matriarch of the group and I knew her very well,” Ms Jabour said.

“That was my wish, that the centre be named in her honour because she was inspirational.

“When mothers and fathers met Grace they felt if she could survive the murder of Anita and the horrible way she was killed, they felt they could cope with the murder of their children.”

“There’s nothing like it in the world.

“I’ve been running HVSG for 23 years and I saw there was a lot of respite places where adults could go but nothing for children.