A chance encounter on a cruise ship led a British woman to pack her bags and move across the world, all because an Australian mother helped her escape an allegedly abusive partner.
Stacy Jane had been traveling with her ex-partner on a cruise around New Zealand in 2019 when she ran into the woman she now affectionately calls ‘Maussie’: her Australian mother.
The couple bonded instantly.
“My life changed when I met Maussie and his family,” Stacy Jane told the Channel Nine show. A current issue on Monday night.
She alleged she was in an abusive relationship at the time and told the show she was attacked on the last night of the cruise.
A chance meeting on a cruise ship forever changed the lives of ‘Maussie’ (left) and Stacy Jane (right) five years ago.
“I went back to the cabin, he opened the door, caught up with me and dragged me inside,” Stacy Jane recalled.
She fled the room and screamed for help. Without access to her phone or passport, she didn’t know what to do.
Maussie said her family was immediately told what had happened and searched for Stacy Jane safely.
“She was bruised, battered, disheveled, her evening dress torn, an absolute mess, shaking with fear and fear,” Maussie explained.
‘Stacy still had another week in Sydney… we all said, “we’ll take you home.”‘
The first words Maussie said to Stacy Jane were that this moment would be the beginning of her “new life.”
Maussie said her first instinct was to protect Stacy Jane because she was a mother.
Stacy Jane stayed with the loving Australian family for a week before returning to the UK and living in a shelter, staying in touch with her new friends in Australia.
“I said, ‘Honey, come home.’…I could hear the distress and the discomfort,” Maussie said.
Stacy Jane moved permanently to Australia with the help of the people she now calls family.
Five years later, Stacy Jane (left) considers ‘Maussie’ (right) her Australian mother.
She soon discovered that sewing helped her take her mind off things and took up making handbags, which helped with her mental health.
Those bags are now helping other domestic violence victims escape violent homes.
Today, Stacy Jane runs the company Escabags, which stocks essentials such as a SIM card, wet wipes and toiletries.
The free bags can be found nationwide at 1,600 locations, including police stations, community and health centers, and private businesses.
Some are also found in cafes and pubs.
Stacy Jane said none of this would have happened without the help of Maussie and her family.
“They took a chance on me and the ripple effect of that has been incredible,” he said.
For 24/7 confidential support, contact 1800 RESPECT.
British expat Stacy Jane (pictured) claimed her then-partner abused her during the cruise before a stranger Australian came to her rescue.