White ribbons adorned Young’s fire station in Lynch Street and its trucks on Wednesday as local firefighters took a stand against domestic violence.
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It was White Ribbon Day, the national day that asks Australians to take a stand to end men’s violence against women.
Its mission is making women’s safety a man’s issue too, following disturbing statistics that, on average, more than one woman per week is killed by a current or former partner.
Young Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) captain Ryan Terry said his firefighters felt strongly about the cause.
They joined their fellow FRNSW firefighters across the state in supporting the day, taking an oath and signing it to put a stop to violence against women.
“Male and female firefighters alike reject domestic violence in any form and want to encourage the community to follow their lead by standing up to this kind of behaviour,” Ryan said.
“It’s frightening to hear that currently in Australia, one woman is killed every week in an act of domestic violence.
“It is also concerning to know that one in three women over the age of 15 will report physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives.”
Ryan said they’re actively supporting the White Ribbon Day campaign this year by sticking white ribbons on their fire station doors and on their fire trucks - including the classic 1929 Dennis Number 51, which will be appearing in this year’s National Cherry Festival parade.
There are also white ribbons on the Christmas sleigh they use for their annual charity fundraiser.
“White Ribbon Day encourages men, in particular, to stand up to violence against women and to challenge violent attitudes and behaviour,” Ryan said.
“Firefighters do a tremendous job in protecting their communities from fires and other emergencies, so it’s fitting that they also want to support this campaign in an effort to protect women from domestic violence,” he said.
“By speaking up we can make a difference when it comes to stopping this kind of violence.”