World · East Asia & Pacific · 3 hrs ago
Reverend Bill Crews gave runaway Lois Billedo a home at 12
At 12, Lois Billedo ran away from home in Sydney after her mother did not believe her when she said her mother's boyfriend had molested her.
Reverend Bill Crews met her while handing out food at Town Hall and offered her a place to stay at a church in Ashfield, where she lived for three years.
When Billedo became pregnant at 15, Crews helped her find a home and prepare for the baby, despite threats from a relative and the baby's father leaving her.
He later helped her get a house in Riverwood, and she continued to turn to him for support.
Their bond has lasted nearly 40 years, and Billedo asked Crews to officiate at her wedding in 2023.
She has recently started working towards becoming a support worker for people experiencing homelessness, and asked to use his office to print policy documents for her studies.
Reverend Bill Crews gave 12-year-old runaway Lois Billedo a place to stay in Sydney.
Billedo says she had run away after her mother did not believe her allegations that her mother’s boyfriend was molesting her.
She lived for three years at the Uniting Church in Ashfield, where Crews gave her a place to sleep.
When Billedo became pregnant at 15, Crews helped her find a place to live and supported her through the pregnancy.
The pair remain close, and Billedo asked Crews to officiate at her wedding in 2023.
- Who
- Lois Billedo and Reverend Bill Crews.
- What
- Crews gave Billedo, a runaway, a place to stay and supported her as she grew up.
- When
- Billedo was 12 when they first met; she was 49 at the time of the article.
- Where
- Sydney, including the Uniting Church in Ashfield.
- Why
- Billedo says she ran away because her mother did not believe her allegations of molestation by her boyfriend.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Billedo moved from New Zealand to Sydney and ran away after her mother’s boyfriend came with them.
Other street kids told Billedo that Father Bill handed out food at Town Hall, and she met Crews.
Billedo lived at the Uniting Church in Ashfield.
Billedo became pregnant, and Crews helped her find a studio apartment.
Billedo asked Crews to officiate at her wedding.
- Billedo’s age when she met Crews
- 12
- Crews’s age at the time of the article
- 82
- Church where Billedo stayed
- Uniting Church in Ashfield
- Length of Billedo’s stay at the church
- Three years
- Wedding year
- 2023
What people are saying
He’s like my dad.
I knew I could rely on Father Bill after that; if I needed him, he’d come.
Her success in life is all her doing.
She was more vulnerable than most of them, so I felt I had to look after her.