WHEN people walk as a group they talk as a group – a flow of conversation that organisers of this weekend’s inaugural Whitsundays Epic Walk for DV are keen to start about the important topic of domestic and family violence prevalent in communities.
Departing the Coral Sea Marina Gardens at 7.30am this Sunday, March 30 – at the same time as parallel events kick off in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast – the Whitsundays walk is co-hosted by Coral Sea Marina and local ‘Team Whitsundays Dancing CEOs’.
Over the past six months, these four businesswomen-turned Dancing CEOs – Kate Purdie (Coral Sea Marina), Julie Telford (SeaLink Whitsundays), Candice Crossley (Whitsunday Transit) and Alice Harriott (Whitsunday Family Dental) – along with their team mentor, Katelyn Aslett-Collins (Taste Whitsundays) – have been building a movement to raise funds and awareness for Women’s Legal Service Queensland (WLSQ).
WLSQ helps women and children escape domestic violence and reclaim their lives.
In the 2023 Financial Year, the WLSQ Statewide Helpline answered 16,000 calls from women impacted by domestic violence. In just one year that number has increased by 28 per cent.
It was two former Dancing CEOs – Brendan Smith (Network Ten) and Brendon Mann (Epic Hair Designs) – who founded the Epic Walk for DV, during the aftermath of the Covid 19 pandemic, when cases of domestic violence soared.
“The entire meaning behind this is gathering as a community,” Brendan Smith explained.
“We always say ‘it takes a village’ to either solve a problem or to raise awareness, and the Epic Walk for DV is about starting that conversation around domestic and family violence, getting rid of the stigma that’s attached to it – and of course raising as much money for WLSQ as we can,” he said.
“As for what WLSQ does, it’s all in the name – it’s an organisation offering free legal advice to women and children escaping domestic violence, helping them to navigate that very difficult legal world at a time when most are leaving an extremely volatile situation and the last thing they need to deal with is finding lawyers or navigating the court process.”
Brendon Mann said all the money raised through the Epic Walk went directly into WLSQ programs that would continue to improve the service these women in need receive.
“This year, we’re hoping to raise $300,000 for WLSQ across our three walks in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and now the Whitsundays, and ultimately we hope that it becomes a regular fixture on the charity calendar here,” he said.
“The reason it’s so important that we’re bringing this walk to Airlie Beach is because WLSQ is a state based service – everyone benefits from it and I think this will really allow people to open up those conversations here,” he added.
Coral Sea Marina CEO Kate Purdie stressed the walk was epic in name rather than nature, and therefore open to everyone in the community, regardless of fitness levels or age.
“This scenic walk along the Bicentennial Boardwalk will be two laps from the marina gardens to the VMR and back; it’s a community event and we invite you to bring your friends, your workmates and your family along,” she said.
“The important thing is that, rain or shine, we get as many people together as possible to unite in a visible show of support for women and children impacted by domestic violence.”
Katelyn Aslett-Collins said for her, raising awareness of WLSQ and its accessibility for women here in the Whitsundays was paramount.
“If anyone in our region picks up that phone to the WLSQ Statewide Hotline, they will get the same service as someone in the southeast corner of the state, and all of us involved in bringing the Epic Walk to the Whitsundays really care about making that message clear,” she said.
“Although fundraising is, of course, a key component of the walk, we know that it is also a powerful platform for connection and education,” she continued.
“Many women end up sharing their personal experiences on the day, giving others the chance to learn more about what domestic and family violence can look like and about where and what types of help they can get.”
Participants are asked to sign up for the walk at www.epicwalkfordv.com.au – either as individuals or with friends, family or colleagues, as fundraising teams.
Kids and fur-kids all walk free, however, the registration fee of $24 per adult covers a purple ‘Epic Walk’ T-shirt and a sausage sizzle, cooked up by the Airlie Beach Rotary Club, with food supplied by Woolworths Cannonvale.
Walkers can muster in the marina gardens from 6.30am, with hot coffee available thanks to Chasing Te Ra.
A pre-walk warm-up by Maggie Spark (Spark Life) will get everyone in the groove, while the kids (and big kids) receive their free bubble sticks, courtesy of Big W.
Entertainment will continue after the walk finishes, with the announcement of the highest fundraising individuals and teams and on-site raffle draws.
Prizes have been donated by Pioneer Adventures, Ocean Rafting, Oz Sail, Airlie Beach Fishing Charters, Wings Sailing Charters Whitsundays, The Garden Bar Bistro, Whisper Cruises, Cruise Whitsundays, Adam & Eve Hair, Life Publishing Group and Church’s Tactical and Outdoor Townsville – winners must be present for the draw.
The walk is also the last chance to buy raffle tickets for a $10,000 Orthodontics Package with Whitsunday Family Dental, to be drawn later that day.
For more information and online links follow the Coral Sea Marina and ‘Team Whitsundays Dancing CEOs’ Facebook pages.
