The house at 195 Lord Street in East Perth has been catching the eye of passing motorists for 30 years.
The Record described it a decade ago as a deliberately homely place, chosen so that nobody walking through the front door would feel they had arrived at a clinic.
This year Pregnancy Assistance turns 30, and it is inviting Perth Catholics to come and give thanks.
The organisation will mark the anniversary with Mass at All Saints Church, Greenwood Parish, on Saturday 31 October, followed by lunch in the parish hall.
Perth Catholics, supporters, volunteers past and present, and the families the centre has walked alongside are all warmly invited.
An initiative of the now Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey, The Record reported in 2016 that he conceived the idea in 1995, that the centre was established the following year, and that its first chair, Brian Peachy, served until 2011.
The same report noted that hundreds of unpaid counsellors and volunteers had sustained the centre through its first two decades, staffing its rooms, caring for donated clothing, toys and baby furniture, and listening to those who came.
Marking the 20th anniversary, Archbishop Emeritus Hickey sent a video message describing what he had hoped the centre would be.
He called it “a place of freedom”, where women could find counsellors who understood their position and were willing to talk through every part of a difficult decision.
Three decades on, that remains the pattern of the work.
According to Pregnancy Assistance, the centre offers compassionate, practical and informative support to anyone affected by pregnancy or pregnancy loss, and its counsellors will walk with a woman through her pregnancy and support her in whatever way they can.
Support is also offered after loss of any kind, including abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy and IVF losses.
Services are free and confidential, open to all irrespective of religion, race or personal values, and that the organisation assists more than 1,200 women and their families each year.
In his homily for the 2025 Day of the Unborn Child Mass, an annual event led by Pregnancy Assistance, Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton described those who continue the mission as Pilgrims of Hope, offering themselves as companions to the women and men they accompany.
They meet them, he said, encourage them, offer practical assistance and pray for those facing a huge decision.
Their support continues, Bishop Sproxton added, “no matter the outcome”.
In an earlier homily at the Cathedral in March 2021, Bishop Sproxton drew on a Pregnancy Assistance newsletter to name what brings people to the door: unexpected pregnancy, abortion concerns, financial hardship, foetal anomaly, domestic violence, homelessness, isolation and loneliness, relationship breakdown, addiction, mental health, migration, and grief and loss.
None of these situations, he told the congregation, are often easily or quickly resolved.
Client accompaniment and compassion are essential, Bishop Sproxton said, as is being there regardless of the decisions that have been made.
Pregnancy Assistance Person-in-Charge Lisette Jas reinforced the spirit in which the centre works.
“When we act, we act with love and care for those in need,” Mrs Jas told The Record in 2024, encouraging anyone affected by pregnancy loss to make contact.
Registration for the Mass and lunch are essential by 5 September via https://30YearsofPA.eventbrite.com
Pregnancy Assistance is at 195 Lord Street, East Perth. Phone (08) 9328 2929 between 9am and 3.00pm, Monday to Friday. Visits are by appointment. For more information, or to donate, visit pregnancyassistance.org.au