Mother to Many

The Gentle Power of Vivien Hanrahan saw her as a finalist in the Mother of All Mothers award this year.

Vivien Hanrahan doesn’t walk into a room to take up space—she walks in to hold it.

At 76, she’s still teaching hospitality to young people in Mackay, sewing costumes for local theatre productions, and volunteering for community causes that make life softer, safer, and more connected for others. She’s part mentor, part mother, part quiet revolution—and the kind of woman whose presence leaves a mark long after she’s gone.

Vivien migrated to Australia from the Philippines in 1984, with a background in nursing, a young daughter, and a fierce belief in the power of education and work ethic. Her first job here was unpaid. Her first community was built from scratch. And her first win was simply being seen—being heard—in a place that didn’t yet know her story.

That didn’t stop her from writing it anyway.

Today, Vivien is known as “Lola” (grandmother) or “Ate” (big sister) within the Filipino community in Mackay. She’s helped countless new migrants navigate employment, language, systems, and loneliness—often by giving furniture from her own home or walking alongside them until they felt at home in theirs. She’s been a linchpin in multicultural festivals, Zonta Club fundraisers, and youth mentoring programs. And somehow, in between it all, she still finds time to cook dinner for her family once a week and fuss over her cat Effie and her rescue dog Sonny.

Vivien’s belief is simple, but powerful:

“You may still fail. And this is reality. But you just cannot give up… Like baking a cake—if it flops, you change the recipe. Add a little more of this, a little less of that. Try again. And sometimes, it comes out better than you ever imagined.”

Her life has been just that—a series of tweaks, leaps, and re-inventions, all driven by the same core values: give what you can, do what you must, and love without boundaries.

Vivien was a finalist in The Just Saying Project’s Mother of All Mothers Award 2025, and it’s not hard to see why. She has spent decades nurturing more than just her own children. She’s nurtured a whole community. She’s stitched together cultures, generations, and hearts—with grace, gumption, and a steady hand.

And as her daughter says, through proud tears:

“She is always there to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. I wouldn’t even touch the surface of what this woman has done for our region. But I can say this—she is the true Mother of All Mothers.”