A Legacy of Courage, Compassion, and Change

The Story of Sandra Willson and the Origins of Guthrie House

When Sandra Willson walked out of prison in 1977, she carried more than a bag of clothes and the prison cat. She carried the weight of a lifetime in institutions and a vision for change. Unlike many of the women she had shared her sentence with, Sandra was supported by the Women Behind Bars movement, a collective of feminist, prison abolitionist and lesbian activists who had fought for her release. Her friends, however, weren’t so fortunate. Many returned to prison. Some died young. Sandra saw this stark reality and knew something had to change.

Born in Sydney in 1939, Sandra endured rejection and punishment throughout her life for being a lesbian. From the age of 14, she was institutionalised repeatedly for her same-sex relationships. Psychiatric hospitals labelled her sexuality a disorder, and she was subjected to behavioural interventions including electro-convulsive therapy. In 1959, following a series of traumatic events and sustained social rejection, she fatally shot a taxi driver. Sandra later described this act as a protest against the deep societal oppression she had experienced. She was found not guilty on the grounds of mental illness and detained at the Governor’s Pleasure, a sentence with no end date.

Despite being declared well by a psychiatric panel in 1970, she remained incarcerated until 1977. By then, Sandra had become the longest-serving woman prisoner in Australia, held for 18 years, far exceeding average sentences for similar charges. Her release came after intense public pressure from the Women Behind Bars campaign, who saw her case as symbolic of the systemic mistreatment of women and lesbians in the criminal legal system.

Sandra didn’t walk away from the system that had harmed her. She turned toward it. She used her experience to create something transformative.

In 1979, Sandra founded Guthrie House, named in honour of one of her fiercest advocates, Bessie Guthrie. Guthrie House became the first halfway house in New South Wales for women leaving prison. It offered more than shelter. It was built on compassion, respect and the belief that no woman should be left behind.

Sandra used her life to build something lasting:

• She understood the power of support.
Sandra knew firsthand how difficult it was to leave custody without a safe place to land. Many women face homelessness, poverty, disconnection from family and the stigma of incarceration. Guthrie House became her response to this injustice, a place where women could begin again, surrounded by care, dignity and the support they needed to rebuild their lives.

• She turned adversity into advocacy.
Sandra lobbied government departments, secured funding and used her voice to highlight the gaps in transitional support. She became a powerful advocate for women with experience of custody, particularly those facing the intersecting challenges of trauma, substance use and social exclusion.

• She created a home, not just a service.
Guthrie House was designed to be welcoming, inclusive and non-judgemental. It offered women the chance to recover, reconnect and reclaim their future with practical programs and emotional support.

• She built programs from lived experience.
While incarcerated, Sandra studied widely including 23 languages, and after her release, completed training in counselling with a focus on alcohol and other drugs. She drew on her experience and education to shape services that truly responded to women’s needs.

• She honoured those who stood beside her.
Naming the service after Bessie Guthrie acknowledged the role of solidarity and collective action. Sandra never forgot that her freedom was fought for, and she built Guthrie House so that other women wouldn’t have to walk that road alone.

• She became a changemaker.
Sandra went on to serve on multiple advisory committees, became a respected voice in drug and alcohol and prison reform networks, and even consulted for the television series Prisoner. From someone once silenced and institutionalised, she became a leader and mentor to many.

For the Women Walking Through Our Doors Today

If you are a woman leaving custody or involved in the criminal legal system and wondering what comes next, you are not alone. Guthrie House was built by someone who walked a similar path and believed that every woman deserves safety, connection and the chance to start again. You are welcome here.

Why This Story Still Matters

Sandra Willson passed away in 1999, but her legacy lives on in every woman who walks through the doors of Guthrie House.

We continue her work by:

• listening to and employing women with lived experience
• offering holistic, trauma-informed support for women leaving custody
• providing a culturally safe, inclusive environment, especially for First Nations women who make up the majority of our residents each year
• We advocate for systemic change and create long-term pathways for women who no longer use drugs to thrive in the community

Your Support Makes This Possible

Guthrie House has stood strong for more than 45 years. But the need has not gone away. Every year, women leave prison to face complex challenges with limited support. Thanks to people like you, Guthrie House continues to be a place of refuge, renewal and transformation.

When you support Guthrie House, you are not just funding a service.
You are investing in justice. You are honouring lived experience.
You are helping to carry forward a legacy of compassion, strength and change.