Safe Man Safe Family bring their powerful stories to Mandurah

Used to regular bashings both at home and at school, Mr Tamati grew up to be a violent man who disciplined his children with a hose, a cord, a wooden spoon or a shoe.

However, in 1992 he decided to seek help to turn his life around through mentoring and counselling, and has been violence free since then. 

Mr Tamati is one of several non-violence advocates who share their powerful life stories to spread the Safe Man Safe Family message to mentor others. 

Safe Man Safe Family is a New Zealand-based not-for-profit which focuses on assisting domestic violence perpetrators in breaking the cycle of violence through powerful mentoring experiences. 

Organisation representatives Vic Tamati, Phil Pakeia and Tim Marshall visited Mandurah on Thursday afternoon to share the organisation’s approach to violence with local residents and service providers.  

The event, which was open to both residents and service providers, hoped to bring a breath of fresh air to the way organistions are dealing with violence in the region and break down the stereotypes surrounding seeking help.

The forum started with a traditional Maori welcome ceremony by the Wairua Tipuna me Waimarama Performing Arts group and members of the Maori community Kairo Nikora, Teina Chalmers and Kereama Chalmers.

Following the ceremony, local Noongar representative George Walley gave a Welcome to Country before representatives from Safe Man Safe Families shared their personal stories. 

The Safe Man Safe Family forum was the result of a partnership between local organisations Peel Youth Services, Peel Says No to Violence and Halo with motorbike group Iwi Riders, who brought Mr Tamati, Mr Pakeia and Mr Marshall to Perth as part of their Wannanga 2017 event.