A fund-raising dinner marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Held on Saturday evening (25 November) at Manly Leagues Club, Pittwater Road, Brookvale, the ‘Light Up the Night’ gala dinner marked the first day of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
Attended by a number of those advocating for the victims of domestic violence, the gala dinner also attracted strong support from local politicians (image above L-R) including Davidson MP Matt Cross, Warringah MP Zali Steggall OAM, Wakehurst MP Michael Regan, Mackellar MP Dr Sophie Scamps, NSW Police Superintendent Danielle Emerton APM, Gabrielle Morrisey, Shirley Carmont, Northern Beaches Councillor Candy Bingham, Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins, Northern Beaches Citizen of the Year Rachael Leah Jackson, Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter Manager Narelle Hand, and Anona Le Page.
The ’16 days of activism against gender-based violence’ is an annual United Nations (UN) backed campaign that started on Saturday, 25 November, with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and lasts until Sunday, 10 December, Human Rights Day.
As part of the gala dinner, a silent reflection was held to acknowledge the 53-lives lost to domestic violence in the last year (main image). The work of local advocates for the victims of family and domestic violence were also recognised for their work in the field.
Awards given on the night:
- Legal Support Award (joint winners): Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service and Todd Darvas from Horizons Family Law Centre
- Support and Rights Award: Gabrielle Morrissey from Women & Children First
- Community Organisation Award: Link Wentworth Housing
- Service to Others Award: Jo Kemp from Streetside Medics
- Leadership Award: Robyn Stowe (image above, centre) from Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service
Special guest speaker at the gala ‘Light Up the Night’ event was Superintendent (Supt) Danielle Emerton APM (image above), who is Commander of the newly formed NSW Police Force Domestic Violence Register.
A 30-year veteran of the NSW Police Force, Supt Emerton explained the Domestic Violence Register was a response to a 2021 Auditor General review into the handling of domestic violence cases. As a result of the review, a number of recommendations were put to the NSW Parliament, and Supt Emerton has been tasked with their implementation.
Supt Emerton explained that NSW Police respond to over 114k calls for assistance each year related to domestic and family violence. She will implement changes in the way police officers handle cases when taking evidence from victims, how high-risk offenders are identified and dealt with, and more effective real-time communication with other agencies to assist victims.
The well-attended event drew a crowd of around 200 people and is understood to have raised over $12k from the night, which will go towards the Northern Beaches Domestic Violence Network, made up of 29 disparate groups.
At a recent in-store event held on Thursday evening, 16 November, Manly charity Op for Change also made a generous donation towards combatting domestic and family violence.
Op for Change Manager Melissa Burgess (image above, left) presented Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter Manager Narelle Hand (image above, right) with a $15k donation, generated from profits from the store.
Op for Change is a registered not-for-profit charity and has operated an op shop at Shop 2, 199 Pittwater Road, Manly, since July 2022. 100 percent of its store profits from the sale of pre-loved goods are donated to other charities. In February this year, they presented a $10k donation to Manly-based not-for-profit charity Community Northern Beaches.
In addition to the Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter, they have also been tirelessly fund-raising for other local charities, including MoWaNa Safe Space Northern Beaches, Avalon Youth Hub, and Monika’s Doggie Rescue.
Accepting the $15k donation on behalf of the Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter, Ms Hand (image above, centre) said the amount would fund an entire program for a whole year.
“It takes a village to run our service. Nobody ever wants to be homeless, and no one ever thinks they’re going to be homeless.
“If someone is in that situation, I’m proud that my service provides high quality accommodation that works side by side with someone in their recovery journey.
“We are doing our absolute utmost to make sure that people who come through our service do not return to homelessness.
“$15k is an incredible amount of money. That can go to running one of our empowerment programs for a year. That means every woman who comes through our service can experience that, and it’s something we don’t get funding for,” said Ms Hand.
Images: Northern Beaches Advocate
For confidential advice, support, and referrals related to domestic and family violence, contact: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), The NSW Domestic Violence Line (1800 65 64 63) or Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491).
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