A number of people were shocked that the issue is so prevalent in our small country town, others were raising their concern at the lack of male leaders in our community who were not at the White Ribbon Day event at the Tin Shed Brewery, and they asked how do we start to change this issue in our town if the male leaders of our town don’t stand up against it at a public awareness event.

Others wanted to say thank you – thank you for raising this issue and shining a light on the fact that today families, women, children and men in our town are affected by domestic violence.  

While I have been having these conversations in our community I have also been busy at the community centre preparing for our Christmas programs of the giving trees, hampers and Christmas lunch, as well as working to close Project Bounce Forward, our flood recovery program.

And it stuck me we never know what others are living with, what reality is for them: be it no money for food or gifts, be it anger that they can not control, be it fear of someone they love.

And I think in a way we don’t need to. We simply need to find the compassion to care for others despite their story, despite their pain and despite their faults.

Over the past year I have had the unbelievable, humbling opportunity of working with and support my community through its recovery.

In many ways this will be part of my future work with community forever more. As I reflect on this time I know it has taught me many things – some of which I am yet to realise I’m sure.

But this is true – our community is extraordinary, it is passionate, it is strong and it cares. So for this reason alone I am very hopefully for our community – for its today and for its tomorrow, despite knowing that we have people who feel scared, unsafe, alone and hungry because our community, when we come together, can accomplish amazing things if we chose to see that we can make a difference and we see that we have a role to play that change.