By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
THE death of young mum Maddison Murphy-West has exposed the tip of a family violence iceberg.
At a domestic violence rally held on Saturday in honour of the late Maddison, there was no shortage of mourners.
Oakley Hansen was a young mum just like her close friend Maddy and used to see her regularly before Maddy was found dead last year in her Pakenham home.
Now almost five months to the day since 20-year-old Maddy was found, Oakley, from Narre Warren, organised for hampers to be sold at the rally.
The event was organised by Maddy’s high school friends to raise money for her two-year-old son Noah, following revelations she was allegedly physically abused in the year before her death.
Over $5000 was raised on the day, with the proceeds being donated to a trust fund for Noah’s education.
Oakley, 20, organised for a hamper worth $1300 to be sold at the rally, with the proceeds also going to Noah.
“We were in the same boat, we both had young children,” Oakley said.
“My daughter’s just a little bit younger than Noah so we always had that in common which is always something that brought us closer.
“We were both young mums trying to raise our kids the right way and we just got along really well.”
Maddy’s family, who attended the event, were greeted and comforted by a constant stream of well-wishers as the sun poked itself out from between the clouds following a patch of rain.
While fund-raising tins were rattled and hampers bought, phone covers and jumpers adorned with Maddy’s name could be seen among the purple balloons placed throughout the playground.
Maddy’s mum Paula, who now has custody of two-year-old Noah while raising her own baby son Brydon, said her first reaction was to cry when she heard that Maddy’s friends wanted to organise a rally for her daughter.
“It’s hard to put it into words; I’m still in a bit of shock with everything anyway. Something like this shows how much support’s out there,” Paula said.
“Even for the kids, for my family, just everybody to be able to come along and have a bit of a smile on their face, it’s good.”
Maddy’s grandparents Gill and Anne Murphy echoed Paula’s thoughts, moved by the goodwill of the community.
Shannon Murphy, Paula’s brother, said domestic violence was prevalent and people had to stop turning a blind eye.
“It’s awareness, that’s the key word for it. A lot of people don’t want to know about it, or they’ll ignore it,” he said.
“It can happen to anyone, rich or poor. That’s the problem with it and if we shed some awareness today, that’s a positive thing.”
Kelly Murphy, Maddy’s aunt, said the fund-raiser was a silver lining in an otherwise harrowing period for her family.
“It’s put a smile on my sister’s face, which we don’t see very often,” she said.
To contribute, and for more information, visit the Rally for Maddy Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/417185728427818/
For information and support on domestic violence contact 1800RESPECT or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
