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Western Women’s Legal Support – Alicia

Western NSW Community Legal Centre — Western Women's Legal Support

Alicia Rowles, Solicitor

Tile with a photograph of Alicia and text "A day in the life with Alicia"
Quote: For people living in regional and remote areas, some of the biggest barriers to justice are the lack of services, lack of knowledge about the services that are available, lack of transport to get to appointments, access to working phones and fear of attending appointments because of the perception that others might find out they’ve sought help.
Image of Alicia in front of a court, with text "I'm Alicia, I’m a solicitor at Western Women’s Legal Support and here are a few days in my life."
I woke up early to pack for a very full outreach week. Last minute, of course, because apparently that is just who I am. I headed into the office to collect the work car and officially kicked off the adventure. First stop was Peak Hill, a one-hour drive away, where I was pulled up by Police for a random breath test (all clear) and then picked up my outreach buddy, Lee, our Community Engagement Officer.
Image of Alicia in front of a big sign saying PARKES, with text "Next stop: Parkes, home of the big dish and Elvis festival."
Image of Alicia with two other people at the library, with text "We arrived just before 10am, said a quick hello to the Parkes Library team and jumped straight into two back-to-back appointments."
While I was with clients, Lee hit the road to deliver flyers, catch up with service providers and connect with the community. After a very welcome sneaky lunch, we travelled another hour and half to Condoblin, the hometown of Shannon Noll.
Image of Alicia in an appointment, with text My afternoon appointments were held at Central West Family Support Group, who kindly welcome me each month."
One client came in face-to-face, while the next could not attend. A quick change of plans meant I could call her instead and make sure she received support without waiting another month. We squeezed in a quick look at Condo’s famous ute display, featuring 20 utes painted by talented outback artists. We finished the day with dinner at the local bowling club, a lot of laughs and some well-earned sleep.
Image of Alicia in a cafe with some coffee, with text "We started the morning with a quick bakery stop for breakfast and hot chocolate. "
Outreach runs on legal knowledge and baked goods! Headed to beautiful Lake Cargeligo, where there were no new client appointments this month. We used the time to visit local services connect with the community and follow up with existing clients.
Image of Alicia in front of the Lake Cargelligo sign by the lake, with text "Naturally we stopped to admire the lake, watch the pelicans and grab a delicious bagel from the coffee van."
Then it was back in the car for the hour-and-a-half drive to West Wyalong. After a quick lunch, I held two back-to-back appointments at Sureway. Both ran overtime, showing just how important it is to have the opportunity to talk things through properly. We checked into the Country Lodge Motor Inn, where I worked on my file notes so future me would be grateful.
Image of Alicia in a green dress smiling at the camera standing by a road, with text "Lee and I headed out for dinner and had a quick drive around town before getting some rest."
Image of a lake with trees, with text "The end of outreach was approaching, but there was no slowing down yet. We left West Wyalong and made the hour-and-a-half drive to Forbes, our final stop."
I arrived at CatholicCare Wilcannia Forbes and immediately launched into three back-to-back client appointments from 10:30am to 1:30pm. While I saw clients, Lee met with local service providers, discussed issues affecting their communities and started arranging future community legal education sessions. Again, outreach was working on two fronts: providing advice now and building pathways for people to access support in the future. After three appointments I was exhausted. Thankfully an emergency snack helped me find enough energy for the two-hour drive home.
Image of a door with painted walls surrounding it, with text "I dropped Lee back in Peak Hill, refuelled the car, gave it a clean for the next solicitor and finally headed home. "
Image of Alicia with horses in a paddock, with text "I arrived physically exhausted but genuinely energised."
Outreach is always a powerful reminder that face-to-face legal support remains incredibly valuable, particularly for people in regional and rural communities. The kilometres are real but so is the difference this work can make.
Image of Alicia in front of a display of boomerangs, with text "After three days on the road, more than 700 kilometres of travel and nine clients, day four brought me back to my beloved cubicle."
The pace was slower, but the work was not. I finalised my appointment notes, completed follow-up tasks and debriefed with my team about what I had seen and heard during outreach. There is something comforting about returning to familiar surroundings and a team that understands both the work and the weight that sometimes comes with it. I had one client not make it to their appointment today, which gave me a rare pocket of time to power through the absolute truckload of follow-up work waiting after outreach.
Image of some grain silos with text "Lee and I shared lunch together, caught up properly and appreciated a day without having to calculate everything in driving time."
Image of Alicia in front of a car painted as a vegemite jar, with text "Day five was a special one because it was my birthday. The team celebrated with cake and their traditional birthday circle, where everyone takes a turn saying what they love about the birthday person."
Those who know me will understand that standing in the middle of a kindness circle is somehow more uncomfortable than travelling 700 kilometres for work. Still, my team were incredibly generous, and it was a lovely reminder of how lucky I am to work alongside such thoughtful people We handle some incredibly serious matters in our specialist domestic, family and sexual violence legal unit. The work can be heavy, but our team looks after one another. They check in, particularly after outreach, and make the difficult days feel a little less difficult.
Image of rocks with a metal sculpture, with text "My bosses gave me an early mark, so I headed to the airport and flew to Sydney to celebrate with my family over the weekend. The best part? The flight took just one hour. That was roughly the same length as my shortest driving stint during outreach – what a luxury."
Quote: The best part about my work is being able to assist people who need help but can’t afford it and watching clients escape bad situations and slowly regain control over their lives.