Community members gathered at Mewburn Gardens on Friday to participate in the 2018 Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March.
The eighth annual event was a reminder of the ongoing impact of domestic violence in the Peel region and a call for prevention and protection for survivors and those who experience pain and trauma.
Hundreds of people walked in memory of loved ones lost as a result of domestic homicide.
Former mayor and Peel Development Commission chairwoman Paddi Creevey emceed the ceremony with a song from the Halls Head College Choir to get the event underway.
George Walley performed an original on his acoustic guitar and did a Welcome To Country before Mandurah mayor Rhys Williams spoke to the crowd about the need for Mandurah to work together to combat violence in our region.
“One of the things about my job is I get to see Mandurah at it’s best every single day… get to talk to people who are positively contributing to making this place work, and there’s a lot of them – that’s our truth.
“But there’s another truth and it’s a truth that I can’t reconcile and that’s that we have one of the highest rates of domestic and family violence of any community in the state and in the country. And I don’t know what to do about it.
“We are only ever going to be as strong as those most vulnerable in this place.
“It is our collective responsibility as members of this community and citizens of this place to contribute to overcoming this devastation.”
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Dr Sue Fyfe of the Peel Says No To Violence alliance also addressed the crowd, thanking them for their commitment to the cause.
“Whilst this is a day full of sadness, it is also a day where we can look at the courage and the hope for the future,” she said.
“Our aim is to have a community in the Peel region where family and partner relationships are based on equality and respect and are free of violence.
Audiences then heard from survivor and advocate Sharon Dann, who recounted her personal story of trauma, capturing the hearts of listeners and inspiring hope.
“The love affair with my husband was both intoxicating and toxic,” she said.
“I would go to bed wondering whether or not I would wake up – if he would kill me or leave me so badly injured that I would prefer to be dead.
“I wondered if he would kill my children to punish me – at what point do I tell my kids’ school not to let their dad pick them up for fear of him doing something to them?
“My story, whilst individual, is not unique.”
After hearing from Pat Thomas House Refuge chief Jill Robinson and Allambee Counselling executive officer Nicole Lambert, walkers embarked on the silent march to Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, accompanied by a police escort.
On Thursday night, the Mandurah Bridge turned orange in support of the march.
The ZONTA International Club of Peel and City of Mandurah organised the lighting of the Bridge as part of a worldwide initiative to colour the world orange during November and December to raise awareness of ZONTA International’s support across the globe to eliminate violence against women.
- Are you experiencing domestic violence? Call police on 000 in an emergency or 131 444 to report an incident.
- For counselling or support services call the free 24 hour Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline on 1800 007 339.