By Kyra Gillespie
Two community trailblazers have been recognised for their commitment to ending violence against women through the establishment of two inaugural community awards.
The awards were presented at the 2018 White Ribbon lunch, held at council headquarters on Thursday 24 July, to two men in recognition of their continued efforts in raising awareness and preventing men’s violence against women.
The inaugural Garry McQuillan Award was presented to Cardinia Shire Council’s Mark Howard for his commitment to ending family violence locally.
“This is a huge shock,” Mr Howard said, upon receiving the award.
“This is a cause that is close to my heart and I am proud to work for an organisation that is so behind ending violence against women.”
The Tony Fitzgerald Award, also the first of its kind, was awarded to Michael Wright, Outlook’s White Ribbon Ambassador and advocate for the prevention of violence against women with a disability.
“To be associated with someone like Tony is just amazing,” Mr Wright said.
Joined by Cardinia Shire Council, Outlook and community partners under Together We Can, the Cardinia White Ribbon event provided an opportunity for the community to reflect on the changes brought about by White Ribbon and initiatives like Together We Can.
The lunch event included a silent auction and raffle to raise funds for White Ribbon.
Special guest speaker for the formal proceedings was Carolyn Pethick, author and retired police officer, who will spoke about her experiences in the police force.
Her book, To Hell and Back – A Policewoman’s Story, is a memoir detailing her trials and tribulations working within the ranks of the Victoria Police Force from the early 1980’s to the present day.
Addressing the audience, Ms Pethick recounted numerous instances of harassment, false accusations and character assassinations that she experienced in the overwhelmingly male-dominated industry.
She lifted the veil on the blatant sexual discrimination, bullying and harassment that was an accepted part of police culture and the ‘boys club’ that was Victoria Police.
“I was a problem that they wanted to go away,” Carolyn Pethick said.
“The police force was their own worst enemy, because they made me strong.
“I wrote this book because I wanted people to know they’re not alone; to stand up for what you believe in, no matter how hard and to not give up.”
The event also saw the launch of Outlook’s new, plain-English resource and video for people with a disability and/or limited English to use when reporting violence or abuse, which is now available at the Pakenham centre.
The silent auction and raffle successfully raised a further $2615 to the event’s total fundraising efforts of $4469, which consisted of generous donations from local businesses and gold coin entry contributions.
All proceeds will go directly to the White Ribbon Australia.
