Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month: Qld Honorees named

May each year is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention month in Queensland. The Communities Minister, Lindy Nelson-Carr has now named the honorees, who are:

• Individual: Mary Twaddle, from Townsville, for her dedication to preventing domestic and family violence on Palm Island

• Community Organisation (dual winners): The Normanton Stingers for their ‘Domestic Violence – It’s Not Out Game’ campaign; and Miles Regional Arts Council for a stage play about domestic violence in rural communities

• Government: Townsville City Council’s Women’s Advisory Committee for ‘Townsville Unmasked’, a two-day event held in November 2006 to raise awareness and identify practical violence-prevention strategies

• Partnership: Mareeba and Tablelands Violence Prevention Committee for the ‘Violence No Way’ campaign

• Indigenous: Wyalla Yarning Circle for a music CD encouraging positive change among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, titled ‘Myalla Boobaghun’, meaning ‘big talking women’.

Highly-Commended Certificates were also presented to:

• Individual: George Michael, the Cairns Distri ct Domestic Violence Coordinator for the Queensland Police Service, for enhancing responses to domestic and family violence in the region over the past three-and-a-half years

• Partnership (two certificate recipients): Gold Coast Centre Against Sexual Violence for Inspire Magazine, a magazine for young women aged 12-18; and Toowoomba’s Community Coordinated Response to Domestic and Family Violence for its 2007 awareness campaign.

Congratulations to all honorees!