Toowoomba joins nation’s fight against gender-based violence

Hundreds of Toowoomba residents marched alongside the rest of the nation to draw vital attention to the gender violence crisis in the community and broader Australia.

No More! National Rally Against Violence march in Canberra, as 29 Women have been killed as a result of violence by men already this year. : NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Hundreds of Toowoomba residents marched alongside the rest of the nation to draw vital attention to the gender violence crisis in the community and broader Australia.

The annual Domestic and Family Violence Remembrance Day March and candle lighting ceremony was hosted by Domestic Violence Action Centre and Toowoomba Together Inc.

Chair of Toowoomba Together Tony Rehn said it was heartening to see a huge turnout at the 2024 march on Wednesday, May 1, especially a large number of secondary education providers and their students.

“We haven’t seen a turnout like that for some time,” he said.

Former QPS Sergeant Tony Rehn. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“I would never say that we can’t re-educate anybody, but we have a better chance at building a stronger child than we have repairing a broken adult.

“Part of the message Together Toowoomba is trying to get across is about gendered equality, health, respect, healthy relationships – it’s not just about what we don’t want, it’s about what we do want to replace that with and if young people are hearing those messages then we have a very good chance of breaking the cycle for the next generation.”

In the lead-up to the event, Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald said he was looking forward to helping spread “a powerful message of support, hope and resilience to those affected” by family and domestic violence.

“TRC Councillors and our CEO also signed up to the Not Now, Not Ever, Together. pledge a short four months ago in December 2023.

“Tragically, so far in 2024, there have been 27 violent deaths of women in Australia.

“I stand alongside my elected colleagues in doing what we can locally to raise awareness, make a difference, create change and support our CEO and the organisation to be a leading employer for others to follow,” Mayor McDonald said.

AT the weekend, thousands gathered across the nation for the national rally against gender based violence. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Mr Rehn, a former Darling Downs police officer, said he’s long been involved in the space and that everyone has a right to “basic human justice and respect” and through his charity worked he hoped to build a better Toowoomba.

“From coercive control right through to the other end of physical assault, no one deserves any of that – it has to stop,” he said.

“The bottom line is I want to leave this community a little bit better for my kids and their kids because I have a grandson on the way and I’m pretty excited about that,” he said.

“I’d like to think by the time he’s a teenager that he will understand the relationship of gender equality, that he will be a strong and admirable man.

“The way we are going to solve this problem is together, that’s why we called ourselves what we are, everyone has a part to play.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Originally published as Toowoomba joins nation’s fight against gender-based violence