By Lachlan Mitchell
The seeds of change start at the grassroots level, family violence crusader Phil Cleary told a gathering of community representatives at a Together We Can leadership summit last week.
“We don’t need the politicians to change the world we live in; give us the money and we can do what we have to do locally,“ he told the crowd.
Cardinia Shire played host to a Together We Can event, which targets family and domestic violence in the community.
The event held at the Cardinia Cultural Centre featured Matt Tyler from the Man Box and Cleary, who has been an advocator against Family and domestic violence for over 30-years.
The summit focused on ensuring men are accountable for their actions as well as promoting the role of females in the workplace and sporting clubs. .The room was filled with men and women of different demographics as well as varying age ranges.
Cleary has been fighting for justice and women’s rights since 1987, when his sister Vicki was killed by her ex-boyfriend.
Vicki’s killer was sentenced to only three years and 11 months for the murder. The judge and jury both claimed that Vicki was to blame in breaking up with him.
Phil recounted the reaction of his mother when her daughters’ killers’ sentence was handed down.
He read out parts of a letter found by the family written to Vicki after her death that illustrated his mother’s heartbreak at her loss.
He showed a letter written by Vicki to her boyfriend and left under the windscreen wipers of his car only days before she was killed – and pointed out the drawing of a flower in the middle of the writing.
“She was a beautiful soul,“ he said.
Cleary was pleased to see the turnout and the number of women leading the charge towards change, including Bunyip’s Junior Football Club president Shara McAuley.
“It was really uplifting to see lots of women who are engaged in sporting clubs,” he said.
“It was great to see the Bunyip president who was female stand up. It was good to see that we can change the world in our own little place and community. That be in our schools or sporting clubs or our family.
“I enjoyed the demographic that turned out and it was good to see so many women turn and a lot of younger people. It was an emphatic crowd and they understood what needs to be done in the discussion.
“You don’t understand the world properly, if you don’t understand the historical backdrop.”
Phil’s message has been if we can make change at the local level that will influence those in power.
“If we can rectify it in our community. We don’t take our eye of the big narrative, which included the courtrooms and the policing,” he said.
“Local councils have the capacity to change local society’s and really draw on the people at local level.”
The recent pandemic has changed the way we have viewed the local community.
“We weren’t moving and we were locked in to a five-kilometre radius,” Cleary explained.
“Now I go to my local café and my local park. During Covid parks were teaming with people. It’s really important to remember locality and really emphasising local community.
“Local community is the place we can change society for the better. That means the local council and community clubs.”
Matt Tyler’s work with the Man Box has shown what it means to be a real man when he surveyed over 1000 young Australian men aged 18-30.
The study found that men fall into the category of acting tough and sheltering fears and worries in fear of being less masculine.
