September 13th, 2025Sue Grattan giving back
Founder of Circa Heritage and Lifestyle Property, Sue Gratton, is now spending a quietly carved-out portion of her time, not only transacting property sales for her vendors and purchasers, but finding an avenue to, in some small way, assist women in crisis.
Sue feels she is now in a place in her life where she can follow a long-held dream to help others, realising now that you don’t need to be a billionaire, which she is not, to begin to make a difference, and for her, like many, this issue has its personal connection.
“I am not sure any of us haven’t been touched by this in some way, shape or form, I have been in the past when I was significantly younger, and therefore, it has always been something I knew that one day I would want to try to do what I could in this space.
“I always thought that once I was in a position to help, that I would, but I never felt I was in that position, until now.”
This all changed when she was asked to attend an event held by TEN, an organisation led by 10 senior influential women in the property and construction industry with a mandate to connect and empower women to create meaningful impact. In 2019 TEN’s first fund-raising Charity Gala Lunch raised $250,000 for Housing All Australians to fund pop-up shelters to house women over 55 escaping domestic violence.
Its second Charity Gala Lunch raised over $630,000 for the Lighthouse Foundation to expand and improve a home for girls and young women escaping forced marriage and domestic slavery in Melbourne.
“I think my assistance alone, raised over $10,000 for the May 2025 luncheon, purely by my contacting people I had previously sold properties to, or for, who had fabulous accommodation attached to their property, and asking them if they might be open to donating a night or two to support this worthy cause.
“Properties were as far flung as Wedge House on King Island and Planetrees Estate in Stanley. I approached one of the golf courses on King Island, who were fabulous enough to donate rounds of golf, and even the newly renovated gastro pub in Stanley to provide a lovely meal for the lucky guests of Planetrees. The valuable lesson here was that it didn’t need me to have endless disposable dollars in the bank, but that with the right mindset, contacts and long-standing relationships built, effectively I didn’t have to be a multi-millionaire to fulfil one of my long-held dreams of helping women in crisis.”
Serendipity was at play it seems and Sue was asked next to sponsor the luncheon for Conversations That Matter: Voices for Change in June, which looked at: the financial barriers women face when navigating family violence; caregiving; legal systems; rebuilding independence; how policy, systems, and support services can better reflect the complexity of women’s lives; and the role of financial capability, advocacy, and community leadership in creating long-term safety and equity.
Money was also raised for Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre – 24/7 support for Victorians, through a silent auction with all proceeds going directly to support their work with women and children impacted by family violence.
Sue said she was committed to continuing to work for women’s causes and felt privileged to be in a position to do so, not because of a necessarily deep pocket of money, but with time, enthusiasm, connections, and energy.
“I lived overseas for many years and often felt I would never be able to give back but now fate has delivered me the opportunity to do just that, and to continue to take part in many other initiatives, that all have the goal of aiming to find ways for women to find places to live and thrive and succeed safely.
“Hopefully other like-minded people, if they are in the position to and where they can, will also make a difference to this but also to any cause across our society that stirs a sense of connection to and desire for support and change.”
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Contributed
