DVassist was founded in 2017 by Fleur McDonald, a best-selling author and advocate for rural communities, in an effort to address the critical lack of resources for family and domestic violence in regional Australia.
In her extensive travels, Fleur recognised a critical gap in regional services – prompting her to create an organisation that addresses the unique needs of people living outside the metropolitan area who seek advice and practical help for family and domestic violence.
The initiative started with Breaking the Silence, an online information directory connecting people in regional, rural and remote areas with important FDV services.
Fleur has always had a strong affinity with the land and regional communities. Raised in South Australia, she has worked as a jillaroo for more than 20 years, including on the family farm where she grew up and her 3200-hectare property in Esperance.
Now known as the ‘Queen of Rural Crime’, she has written 25 fiction novels, amassing sales of more than 870,000 books and cementing her reputation as one of the most prolific writers of her genre.
These days, Fleur spends much of her year behind the wheel traversing our big country, scouting inspiration and potential storylines for future books, and connecting with regional communities as a guest speaker about her life as a writer, farmer and passionate advocate against family and domestic violence.
Fleur resigned from DVassist in 2019, but remains dedicated to turning the tide on the scourge of family and domestic violence.
Fleur’s leadership and advocacy have also been widely recognised. She was a WA finalist in the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award (2017), the first female Co-Director of Prickle Farm for her local Rotary Club, and in 2023 was a recipient of a Graduate of Excellence Award from Marcus Oldham College, where she studied farm management.