On a rainy day in Ballarat this week, the community joined forces to create a tribute to more than 200 women lost to violence, including Ballarat region women Samantha Murphy, Rebecca Young, Hannah McGuire, Kobie Parfitt, Kathleen Severino, Nina Nicholson, Tracey Howard, Belinda Williams, Naomi Marree Bernaldo, Simone Teusner, Sharon Denise Siermans, Dannyll Goodsell, Rosalie Rowen, Tamara Farrell and Kate Amber Reeve.
I was humbled to install the She Matters Mural on the wall of CAFS Ballarat on Monday.
Families of women on the wall came to hang their person’s card; sector professionals spent their day helping to install the mural; and community members gathered to honour and remember the victims of Australia’s ongoing femicide epidemic.
The Mural features the faces and names of the Australian women killed since January 1, 2024. It has a special section for Ballarat women killed before this date. The wall will remain in place for at least one year. As with the Hosier Lane Mural, as women are killed, the Ballarat mural will grow.
The project was Ballarat-led, with Women’s Health Grampians coordinating everything from finding a wall to recruiting volunteers.
Respect Victoria sponsored the installation and ongoing upkeep as part of their commitment to Respect Ballarat.
The Salty Sparrow helped keep everyone fed and nourished throughout.
And Dulux Australia provided the graffiti protection paint to keep the Mural pristine.
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