Breaking the Silence launches into Albany
On White Ribbon Day, Breaking the Silence (now DV Assist) launched in Albany.
If you haven't heard about Breaking the Silence, then let me tell you: it's a directory of services which are available in one area and tailored to each individual town; so far we have Esperance and Albany online.
The plan is that by 2021 we will have all of Western Australia online and be offering online counselling through chat rooms. Then we plan to launch this nationwide. To achieve this, I have been in Canberra the last two days, lobbying the government for funding.
I was lucky enough to meet with the Governor-General, who was so supportive of what we’re doing with Breaking the Silence. (Excuse the awful picture - I cried a few times while I was telling him my story, and I was very overwhelmed to meet such a beautiful, generous soul!) Of course, not wanting to put all our eggs in one basket, we met with both sides of politics; however, this amazing man, Lachie Hunter (NAT party), arranged so many meetings for us, and I'm sure not as many doors would have opened without his and Peter Rundle's help. I can't thank them enough.
The other man in this photo is the amazing Peter Fitzpatrick, who is my business mentor. Again, I'm sure not as many doors would have opened without his help.
Below is an interview I've recently done with Pat Harding, all about Breaking the Silence.
If you are experiencing domestic violence and are in need of help, I hope Breaking the Silence will be able to help you. And if you know of any services that we don't have listed for Albany, please contact me at fleur@fleurmcdonald.com
I'm so blessed to have many people believing in what the board of Breaking the Silence is trying to achieve and willing to help.
