National Carers Week runs from Sunday 12 to Saturday 18 October and is a time when we recognise, celebrate, and raise awareness of the incredible contributions of unpaid carers everywhere.
So – who are our carers? They’re the everyday people living in our communities who give freely of their time to provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends. According to the most recent Census data, there are three million unpaid carers in Australia – that’s one in every eight Australians.
To mark Carers Week 2025, we caught up with Kylie Gatto Brown. Kylie is a Griffith-based Carer Gateway Peer Support Partner whose lived experience of providing care for her daughter informs the work she does supporting unpaid carers every single day.
A bit of background
For Kylie, family is everything, and no matter the hurdles life has thrown her way, she considers herself lucky. She lives with her husband Brett and her daughter Zalia (20), who has Phenylketonuria (PKU). PKU is a genetic disorder usually detected in newborns through the routine heel-prick test.
With PKU, the body cannot properly process the amino acid phenylalanine, which is found in most proteins. This inability to break down phenylalanine leads to a toxic buildup in the blood and tissues, which, if left untreated, can cause brain damage.
“I had Zalia later in life. I’d always wanted children, and I was so lucky to have my daughter.
With PKU, she can’t eat anything with high protein. Her diet is very, very strict. Everything is weighed. It mainly consists of vegetables and special foods that I order in a prescribed formula.”
Zalia was only a couple of days old when she was diagnosed with the condition.
“We had to go straight to Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney. At first, we were so worried about everything, but when we saw what some of the other children at the hospital were going through, we realised we were lucky.”
Later, they found that there had been some damage to Zalia’s brain, and she has since been diagnosed with a developmental delay, autism and ADHD.
“But she’s very smart, very independent, and very strong-willed – and that will get her through life.
But it has been a journey.”
Early Career
Kylie was only 15 when she left school.
“It was a decision I came to regret. In those days, you could leave school once you turned 15, so long as you had a job to go to. I’d lined up a position and started working – but I soon realised it would have been better to stay at school.”
Kylie decided to enrol at TAFE to complete her HSC and then went on to pursue a career in accounting.
“I had always wanted to be a social worker, but I was quite good at maths, so when I first left school, I got a job doing bookkeeping. It was all manual back then, and I enjoyed it. I ended up working in that field – bookkeeping, accounts, and accounting – for about thirty years.”
After the company Kylie worked for merged with a larger multinational firm, the workplace began to change. She was no longer assigned the long-standing clients she had built strong relationships with over the years, and with those ties gone, Kylie realised there was nothing holding her back from finally pursuing her dreams.
“I said, right, it’s time to follow my passion. It’s time to go.”
Initially, Kylie considered becoming a Teacher’s Aide.
“I was interested in working with those young people who seem to get left behind. They have the capacity to do well, but they need a little more time, a little more one-on-one support.”
But then she saw the Carer Gateway Peer Support Partner position advertised and, after giving it some thought, decided to throw her hat in the ring.
“I was just ecstatic when I was offered the role – and I haven’t looked back.”
LiveBetter Carer Gateway
Kylie’s role at Carer Gateway involves supporting carers by facilitating face-to-face and online peer support groups and activities. Her lived experience of caring helps shape her approach to supporting others, because although no two carers have the same story or experience, there is always a common thread connecting them.
“We [carers] all know what it’s like to be a carer, the ups and downs, the challenges. We have that understanding, that empathy – we get it.
“I’ve had to jump a lot of hurdles. I’ve had to become an advocate for my daughter. I understand what it’s like to navigate things like the NDIS. Just accessing supports or services in regional areas can be challenging…and knowing that there is some help out there and being able to help other carers access that help can be so rewarding.”
Today, Kylie feels as though she’s truly landed on her feet. She made a career change that she never expected to make, at what many might consider a late age.
“I’ve just turned 60. In hindsight, I should have made a change a long time ago. But I feel like I’m in the right spot now. I have such a passion for helping people – it just warms my heart. We’re making a difference here, we’re helping people.”
Quick Questions
1. What is the best thing about your work?
“Supporting people.”
2. What is the most challenging thing about your work?
“Not being able to reach every single carer out there to let them know they can find support through Carer Gateway.”
3. Top Tip for work-life balance
“Leave work at work – and home at home.”
4. What keeps you going, getting up and doing it all again, each day?
“Knowing that I can help somebody and make a real difference.”
5. Hopes for the future?
“Hopefully, still supporting and helping people and making a difference.”
6. If there was one piece of advice you could give to others who are starting in the community sector, what would it be?
“If you’re passionate about supporting and helping people, go for it. Because it’s just so rewarding. If it’s what you want to do, do it.”
If you’re one of Australia’s 3 million unpaid carers, you can access practical advice and support by contacting Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737.
