Impact of family violence felt locally and across Australia

LEONGATHA’S Candlelight Vigil marking National Family Violence Remembrance Day on Wednesday was driven indoors by rain with attendees hearing damning statistics and the reminder that those numbers are not just figures but people’s lives.

A couple of local police were among the attendees, with Sentinel-Times speaking to Leading Senior Constable Brad Heber who said family violence incidents are unfortunately a big part of the job.

While police do what they can to protect victims and work closely with other organisations to help them, the scourge of family violence continues to grow.

Ldg Snr Const Heber has noticed a marked increase during his time in the job.

“We play our role along with other agencies to lessen the impact, whether it’s taking out an intervention order or charging perpetrators,” he said, also noting police these days take a more active role through actions such as referring people to appropriate services.

With Leongatha Memorial Hall bathed in gentle purple light, attendees held electric candles as they reflected on lives lost to or ruined by family violence and listened to speeches.

While Mayor Nathan Hersey and Deputy Mayor Brad Snell delivered important messages, people then heard from two speakers who have personally experienced family violence, Bec Wilson and Robert Ogden.

Ms Wilson is team leader of the Integrated Men’s Programs at The Salvation Army, while Mr Ogden is a Bunurong community member.

The Salvation Army works with whole families, both victims and perpetrators of violence, assigning a different person to work with those on each side of the situation.

Perpetrators are often referred to The Salvos through ‘The Orange Door’ network, police, child protection authorities and law courts, with some self-referring, and Cr Snell encouraged those who use family violence to seek support to change.

Ms Wilson gave the first names of some of the 18 women lost to family violence in Australia in the first 18 weeks of 2026, the others not being publicly named, with that stark statistic not a one-off after 53 women were killed in the 52 weeks of 2025.

She made it clear that family violence is not only physical but also coercive behaviour, stressing “it’s happening in our towns”.

While 525 family violence incidents were recorded by police in South Gippsland last year, many go unreported.

Ms Wilson acknowledged the courage of victim survivors, noting “leaving is often the most dangerous thing to do” and stating that tackling the issue is not about blame but accountability.

She urged people to commit themselves to more than remembrance, listening to those experiencing family violence and challenging the attitudes that lead to it.

“Hope doesn’t come from pretending a problem is smaller than it is,” Ms Wilson said.

Mr Ogden still vividly recalls getting caught up in the family violence experienced by his mother, with at least one incident involving a gun.

“I’m 57 years old and still carry some of that with me,” he said, the difficulty of escaping such situations reflected by the fact his mother remained with the perpetrator for another four years after that incident.

While family violence can impact anyone, particularly women and children, Mr Ogden spoke of its disproportionate reach for those with disability and in Aboriginal communities.

Pleased that organisations such as South Gippsland Shire Council are making an effort to highlight the severity and prevalence of family violence in Australia, he was emphatic more is needed.

“Ending family violence is not just the responsibility of an organisation; it’s the responsibility of all of us,” he said, adding “change is possible but only if we’re part of that change”.

Before speeches commenced, Sentinel-Times spoke to others working for The Salvation Army in the family violence sector, Lynn Egan and Brenda Stewart.

Ms Egan remarked that events such as candlelight vigils are not just symbolic, informing people where to go to get help and connecting them with services such as those The Salvation Army provides.

Those experiencing family violence are encouraged to contact ‘The Orange Door’ - Inner Gippsland on 1800 319 354, with that branch of The Orange Door network providing services to people in the shires of Bass Coast, South Gippsland, Baw Baw and Latrobe.

The Orange Door helps both victims of family violence and those using controlling or abusive behaviour or concerned they are at risk of doing so.

The Orange Door listens to you, hears what your worries are and will work with you to identify the help and support you need, including connecting you to appropriate services.

If you are in immediate danger, call triple zero (000).

Other support services include 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 and Lifeline on 13 11 14.