On Sunday, the refuge marks 45 years of service to the Canberra community. It started in 1975 after a group of about 12 women formed "the Refuge Committee" to establish a place for women escaping violence in Canberra. At the time, the term "domestic violence" didn't exist, and the problem was rarely talked about. Instead, women beaten by their husbands were referred to by the deeply conservative society as "battered women".

The history of Beryl Women's Refuge is outlined in a book called Opening a new door: The Herstory of Beryl Women Inc.

In the book, one of the refuge founders Pamela Oldmeadow said she joined the fight for a safe place after attending a forum in Sydney where she heard women talking about how they used makeup to hide the bruises on their necks and faces after being beaten by their partners, to pretend it didn't happen.

She recalled one of the first meetings of the Canberra group, held with other community groups who had expressed an interest in joining forces. She said a genuinely serious question asked at the meeting was who would mow the lawns of the refuge if they didn't have a man to help run it.

Forty-five years later, Robyn Martin said it's been a busy few months, so much so they haven't planned anything specific for the anniversary.

Ms Martin will celebrate her own milestone with the service in April - 20 years working at Beryl. She joined as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support worker in 2000, and was promoted to the helm in 2005.

"We've got more demand for the service than we can meet," Ms Martin said. "That's right across the ACT though, not just Beryl."

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She said the increased awareness about domestic and family violence and the many different forms it can take has meant the service is constantly fully subscribed.

"We're not in a position to assist every single person who is looking for accommodation," she said.

"If you've had a conversation with the woman and she's told you her story, it's really hard [to turn her away]. You wonder where that person will go, if they will remain in a domestic violence relationship, or if they're on the the street you worry about their safety," Ms Martin said.

"The women who contact us, they're women that are sleeping in their cars with kids, or sleeping in a shed somewhere which better than being on the street but still an unsafe environment. Particularly with the winters we have, it's cold."

She said women are becoming more aware of their own circumstances, and they're questioning things more now than ever.

"What domestic violence looks like has changed. It's always been there but it has got a name now," she said.

"Women are looking at that and thinking, 'this is what my life is. I don't want to live this life'."

Ms Martin said she hopes Beryl can access additional funding to provide the much-needed service to women and children of Canberra.