Grandmother Turns Facebook Group Into Lifeline for Town

A grandmother's desperate search for help has blossomed into a community movement that's keeping an entire Australian town connected.

In 2013, Sue Murdoch gained custody of her grandson, who was struggling with autism and trauma, in Lithgow, a former coal-mining town in the Blue Mountains. With limited local support services, she started a Facebook group to share her journey navigating therapy waitlists and school systems.

She quickly realized she wasn't alone. Other caregivers, many of them grandmothers raising grandchildren, began reaching out with similar struggles.

Twelve years later, that online support group has transformed into Nanna's Touch Community Connections, a volunteer-run charity that delivers home-cooked meals, checks on isolated residents, and provides a listening ear to those slipping through the cracks. The group is run mainly by local women who understand what their neighbors are going through.

Lithgow's transformation from thriving industrial hub to struggling town has left deep wounds. At its peak, more than a dozen coal mines operated alongside two power stations that supplied electricity to over a million homes. Today, only three mines remain, and the last power station is scheduled to close by 2040.

Eight years ago, the economic uncertainty became a crisis when several young men took their own lives. The losses exposed a critical shortage of mental health services in the area.

The tragedy motivated Murdoch to train in suicide prevention. "Being a local, a lot of people know me and trust me," she said. "They know I won't be gone the next time they turn around and need assistance."

Financial insecurity remains a daily reality for many families in the region. Most are either unemployed or earning low wages, with basic needs like food becoming increasingly difficult to meet.

The Ripple Effect

Sarah Burton, who visits the centre weekly with her mother, says the impact goes far beyond meals. "You come here for the community, meet new people. You make new friends," she said. "All the staff here are incredibly friendly and loving, and they think about you too. And that makes you feel like you're loved and cared for."

The group's success mirrors a growing need across Australia. A 2023 survey found one in three Australians between 18 and 90 report feeling lonely, with isolation increasing since COVID-19.

A recent parliamentary inquiry in New South Wales recommended making it easier for grassroots organizations like Nanna's Touch to access funding. Murdoch knows her work is far from finished, but she remains hopeful about her community's future.

For some residents in Lithgow, this grandmother's mission is the difference between isolation and connection, between going hungry and having a warm meal, between despair and hope.