“Be prepared to stand there and say: ‘No, that's not okay’”: Gippslanders unite against family and domestic violence
A major event in Sale this week will mark the end of the annual 16 days of activism to bring awareness to the issue.
Jacob Wallace
December 08, 2025
More than 100 participants collectively walked over 500km in Yarram on November 25 to mark the beginning of 16 Days of Activism to raise awareness for domestic and family violence in Gippsland.
What happened: Wellington Shire communities are marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence with walks, barbecues and community gatherings, including a major event in Sale this week.
What are the 16 Days of Activism? It is an international event from November 25 to December 10 to raise awareness and call for action to end violence against women and girls.
To launch the 16 days, Yarram Neighbourhood House invited locals to walk around Yarram for as long as they wanted during a 16-hour window between 4am and 8pm.
The event attracted over 100 participants who collectively walked more than 500km.
Yarram Neighbourhood House coordinator and event organiser Cathy Cook told the Monitor the event was a great way to raise awareness because many locals wanted to know why so many people were out for a walk.
The event finished with a community barbecue in Yarram Memorial Park, supported by Yarram District Health Service, with a speech from Wellington Shire mayor Cindy Madeley.
Attendees then tied orange ribbons on the fence of Yarram Memorial Park to represent people who had been impacted by domestic and family violence.
Some volunteers donned orange vests and talked to Yarram locals about domestic and family violence. Source: Yarram Neighbourhood House.
Domestic violence in Gippsland
According to statistics released by Family Violence in Gippsland, across every local government area in Gippsland there were 6,484 breaches of family violence intervention orders between July 2024 and July 2025.
There were 724 incidents of serious assault due to family violence in the same period.
Per capita, East Gippsland had the highest incidents of family violence in the state during that period.
Latrobe had the second highest and Wellington Shire the sixth.
🗣️ “We have some really horrific statistics in terms of domestic violence and violence in general in Gippsland,” Cook said. “It's really important to bring it to the forefront, and for the community to come together to take a stance and say no to violence.”
Keep an eye out, speak up
Cook said she’d like people to focus on not being bystanders to signs of violent behaviour “even if you think it's something little”.
“If it’s something derogatory that's been said, don't stand back and say nothing. Be prepared to stand there and say: ‘No, that's not okay.’”
Wellington Walk Against Family Violence
Wellington Shire Council is hosting another walk against domestic violence event on December 10 in Sale. The walk starts at 4pm at the Sale Clocktower and finishes with a community barbecue at the Port of Sale.
Support services will be available at the event.
