Hey all, so many of you know me as Dark, Dream or just Liz.

As many of you know, I've been on the job hunt for almost a year now. Some successful, some not so much. 2026 brought a chance for a new start. Jhye (my partner of 9 years in April) being told he can do a course for a security role paid for by Workforce Australia, only to be told about 2 days ago that they no longer will pay for the course as its not in their capability

Me? I was supposed to start a role on the 19th of January and now that's not looking likely because I've heard nothing from either the recruitment company so that's looking unlikely.

To top things off for the start of 2026, my car has decided (yes yes, I know, car troubles again!) to overheat and screw up big time. RAC were utterly freaking useless to the point that I received a quote to fix stuff that was within what I can afford. Fast forward about 3 hours later after they came and had a look and the quote was double the price.

So I am, yet again, without a car to do what I need to for the children and my ex husband. I don't like asking for help in the slightest, but I just want one year to go right and to not have too much issue (or to be kicked while we're down) - Because of this, we can't even do anything for my daughters 14th birthday that's coming up next week too.

For the past 5 years, we have had the worst luck within the family and we just need some help right now.

You really don't have to donate in the slightest - but if you do, the funds will be going towards getting my car fixed and serviced so I don't feel like a hopeless failure.

*Edit* Some FAQs that might pop up when viewing this fundraiser

* Why don't you get a loan?

I've got bad credit, and have spent the majority of the day applying for said loans. All have been knocked back. I can't apply for a credit card because again, bad credit. I have no family I can ask to help.

* Why don't you get a job like everyone else?

As mentioned above, I was supposed to start a new job on the 19th of Jan but have heard nothing from them. Unfortunately, I need my car before then and am trying to raise the funds before Jhye comes back from NSW. I know it's highly unlikely that this will happen (unless some miracle happens) but I have to be hopeful.

* What is this 'family bad luck' you speak of?

This has been the story of our last 5 years - for those who don't know us personally.

In 2021, Jhye was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer

In 2022, I lost my grandmother to Covid - dealing with this while Jhye was going through his cancer treatments really hit hard. The only shining light in this year was that he was cleared mid-late 2022 of cancer but we always have the worry that it will return

In 2023, I very suddenly lost my father to a cardiac arrest. When I say suddenly, he had gone to work that morning, finished up and got home at 1pm and 2 hours later, he was gone.

In 2024, I lost my best friend to a very rare case of ovarian cancer 1 yr and 10 days after losing my father. I also found out that my role at my previous job was being made redundant and was offered a volunteer redundancy. I took the offer thinking that I had enough experience in a lot of different roles that it would mean I would not be unemployed for long

In 2025, I said goodbye to my best friend on only the second day of the new year, my redundancy came into effect in May, I have applied for over 900 jobs, attended 56 interviews and am at bubkiss right now in terms of job prospects. I also, at the tender age of 40, broke a bone for the first time in my life. I broke my right ankle in June 2025 and it has not been the same since. This is another big reason why I need my car up and running again.

* Why are you asking for more than what the repairs will cost?

I don't want this stuff happening again, so the reason for the additional funds is so they can do a full diagnostic on what else could happen in the near future and to cover GoFundMe fees.

I was quoted $700 for the repair of the part that is needed including labor and a top up of coolant fluid. They also said they could do a 'health check' on the car for an additional $150 to bring to attention whatever else may need fixing sooner rather than later.

If you think I'm taking you for a ride, google 'Cost of Thermostat Housing Unit Replacement pricing' - this will give you a good idea of the pricing and how I'm not taking anyone for a ride (even the mechanics I used said that would be the absolute lowest they can go)

* Why do you need the fix done so quickly?

There are a multitude of reasons.

I was car less for over 2 years. I bought the car off my ex husband and his wife on a payment plan. In that 2 years, my ex husband and ex in laws ran around a lot of me regarding the kids. It's now my turn to pay them back with keeping the car going.

I have to pick Jhye up from the airport (he went back to NSW to attend a family wedding, paid for by a family member) on the 14th of January at 11:50pm. If I'm not able to get it fixed before then, we have to catch public transport at almost 1am and I'm not entirely sure that there is even public transport in my area at that time. Plus, as previously mentioned, my ankle is not what it used to be and I can't walk on it longer than a few hundred meters.

I also have a non-verbal autistic child (16) who relies heavily on keeping his routine of going for a drive every day. The two years I had no car was hell because he would not cooperate if I said we couldn't go for a drive. This excuse is not a cop out because if you have or know of people who have children high on the spectrum like my son is, you'd understand that this isn't entitlement, it's routine.

* Why not use Afterpay?

I had a small limit on my Afterpay and $60 in my bank account to pay for what we thought was the issue. When he mentioned that it's double the price and then some, that plan got thrown right out of the window.

So yes, I've have legitimately exhausted every single option that I can think of, including charity organizations in the local area.|

*Why not sell some of your belongings?

We legitimately do not owe a lot, and nothing worth of value that can be sold. We have our computers that we use to Job Search and we have consoles that we still use. That is about as much in terms of valuable items that we have. We don't even own a couch, we only have two arm chairs!

Thank you for reading the additional FAQs