Kelly Wilkinson death: Thousands raised from Gold Coast Domino’s Pizza restaurants fundraiser

Gold Coast pizza lovers have raised thousands of dollars for the family of Kelly Wilkinson. LATEST >>>

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GOLD Coast pizza lovers have raised thousands of dollars for the family of Kelly Wilkinson.

On Wednesday night Domino’s stores across the city participated in the “doughraiser” that saw $2 from every pizza sold on the day going to the mother of three’s family.

Line outside Domino's “doughraiser” at Pacific Pines. Picture: Emily Toxward

FAMILY’S HEARTRENDING TRIBUTE AT VIGIL FOR KELLY

The 26 stores were able to raise $45,000 thanks to the support from the public, who flocked to buy pizzas during the campaign.

Gold Coast franchisee Nicole van Jole and her husband Nathan, who own nine stores, along with fellow franchisee Tom Walker, created the fundraiser within a day.

The line outside Domino's “doughraiser” at Pacific Pines. Picture: Emily Toxward

COMMENT: TREAT DV ABUSERS LIKE TERRORISTS

“A couple of hours after I heard what happened I contacted my husband Nathan and he contacted Tom,” she said.

“We reached out to the rest of the 26 stores and within hours they had all jumped on board.

“We emailed Domino’s CEO Nick Knight that night and by the next morning he agreed head office would match our dollar per pizza offer.”

In pictures: Vigil for Kelly Wilkinson

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Kelly Wilkinson, 27, died last Tuesday when she was allegedly set alight in the backyard of her Arundel home about 6.40am.

Her estranged husband Brian Earl Johnston has been charged with murder, breaching a domestic violence order and breaching bail.

Gold Coasters flocked to Domino’s stores to raise funds and Mrs van Jole said while she was at the Pacific Pines store 384 pizzas were on the order screen.

“We can’t thank the public enough for their support. We had customers waiting a long time and thank them for their understanding and patients,” she said.

“You can’t anticipate how big it was going to be but the sheer volume of people who got involved is heartwarming.”

Between the fundraiser and donations from the three organisers $45,000 was raised and was given directly to Kelly Wilkinson’s family on Friday Morning.

‘CONTROLLED CHAOS’: INSIDE COAST’S DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE COURTROOMS

EACH morning the first level of the Southport courthouse is an exercise in controlled chaos.

This is the floor that houses the two domestic and family violence courtrooms.

It is where domestic violence orders are put in place, where perpetrators are to held account for breaches of those orders and where criminal acts involving domestic violence are heard.

It is a mezzanine floor and the waiting room can be seen from the lobby of the ground floor.

Every day the waiting room is packed.

That does not take into account the private waiting room, which provides a space for where domestic and family violence survivors can wait without coming face-to-face with their tormentors.

When the morning starts court staff direct people to where they need to go, support services offer comfort and lawyers see their clients.

Police prosecutors will get out of the lift with trolleys full of boxes oozing files needed for the day’s matters.

Those prosecutors require additional training to be able to appear on matters in the Domestic and Family Violence Court.

Inside each of the courtrooms a specialised magistrate presides over those matters. These magistrates will rarely sit in the general Southport Magistrates Court.

A majority of the matters will be heard behind closed doors, excluding the general public in order to give privacy to the domestic and family violence survivors.

The court will only open to hear criminal matters that feature the aggravation of domestic violence.

As the remaining of the magistrates courts begin to finish work for the day it is not unusual to still see a number of people waiting outside the courtrooms while the magistrates make their way through their huge workloads.

— Lea Emery

Follow @leae