Jas and Bonnie remember those taken too soon

March 17, 2016

Bonnie and I felt the heartbreak that another woman's life had been taken

Bonnie, Jas and their message to stop domestic violence

It was a bad week in September; another woman had died at the hands of a man and Jas Rawlinson and Bonnie Sims were affected by it… affected enough to try and raise awareness of the domestic violence issue.

“Bonnie and I felt the heartbreak and heaviness that another woman’s life had been taken,” Jas said, “and we felt saddened to see their name become just another in a long list of statistics.”

Jas puts it in perspective. “Domestic violence on average, took the life of an Australian women every week last year,” she said.

“According to REAL For Women, 71 females lost their lives to male violence in 2015. The majority were murdered by a current or former partner.

“Take a moment to think about that,” Jas said. “Imagine a friend, mother, daughter, or relative disappearing every single week.”

The realisation inspired Jas and Bonnie to create a memorial that will forever honour the memory of all taken by domestic violence (women and men).

They discussed the plan with Brisbane Council and got the support of Lord Mayor Graham Quirk. Next they called on the women and men of Brisbane to help raise the funds, aiming for $1500. A total of $1625 was raised. (Note, any extra funds were donated to Women’s Legal Service QLD, an organisation that provides free legal services to women fleeing from Domestic violence).

Many generous donations were made in memory of a victim with beautiful tributes left by family and friends:

$400: in memory of Tara Brown … Aria and Tara’s family would like to extend a huge thank you to Jas and Bonnie for their tireless, amazing input into supporting DV victims and their families xxx.

$50: In memory of Bianca Faith Girven, murdered at the hands of someone who once said ‘I love you’. 21st Dec ’87 to 30/31 March 2010

Jas and Bonnie have achieved their dream and a permanent memorial has been erected at Emma Miller Place, Roma Street Parkland. It was officially unveiled on Wednesday 30 March, 2016.

She Brisbane salutes Jas and Bonnie. There is a comprehensive list of sites on our website for women who may need assistance – click here.

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