Carnarvon Celebrates Community Leadership in 16 Days in WA Campaign

The Shire of Carnarvon marked the conclusion of the 2025 16 Days in WA campaign with a powerful closing event at the Carnarvon Library & Art Gallery on Wednesday 10 December, led by Creative Project Manager Carmen Reilly, whose work has united local organisations, schools and community groups across the town.

Carmen, a local counsellor employed with CFSS and working in the Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) space, was appointed through funding from Alcohol and Drug Foundation to the Carnarvon Community Alcohol and Other Drug (CAOD) working group which is administered by the Shire of Carnarvon.

Her leadership and community insight shaped a campaign that highlighted both the strength and compassion of Carnarvon.

At the closing event, Carmen reflected on the campaign’s evolution.

Central to her speech was the large, hand-painted PLAY YOUR PART banner, a community engagement piece initiated through conversations with services in the project’s first week. She shared that, after reading every message written across the banner, it became clear that Carnarvon already holds the collective teachings around FDV.

Three key themes emerged from the community’s words and the conversations and connections that took place over the campaign:

Carmen emphasised that accountability and change are possible when people feel safe to seek support, adding that “anyone can change, and our community has the capacity to accept and support people who want to make changes."

The PLAY YOUR PART banner was the quiet heartbeat of the Carnarvon campaign for 16 Days in WA.

Created at the start of Carmen's position as a community engagement piece with supplies from the GRAMS “We Can Together” Aboriginal men’s brief intervention program and the Carnarvon Community Art Hub, the banner featured dedicated sections for girls and women (orange), boys and men (blue), and a central shared space (purple). The canvas, some of the paint and markers were donated by the men’s program. Men’s program participants and staff helped lay down the background paint and slogan and the concept of moving the banner around town came from this group, too.

Leading into 16 Days in WA, it travelled across town to services, schools, community groups and the Shire, gathering messages of hope, truth and accountability.

It was then installed near the Carnarvon Fascine for the full duration of the campaign, from 25 November to 10 December.

To close today’s event, Carmen delivered a poem curated entirely from the exact words written on the community banner, moving testament to collective truth, pain, strength and hope. She noted that the poem shows that Carnarvon, through its people, already holds the wisdom needed to reduce family and domestic violence.

A poem of the exact words written by the people of Carnarvon on the 16 Days Community Banner, curated and read by Carmen Reilly (2025).

𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯

𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦

𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵

𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵

𝘝𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭

𝘝𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦

𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳

𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳

𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦

𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱

𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦

𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦

𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦

𝘉𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳

𝘏𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳

𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳

𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵

𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘶𝘱

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘶𝘱

𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘶𝘱

𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴

The Shire of Carnarvon wishes to acknowledge lox organisations who played their part hosting activations, workshops, community events - which made up the Carnarvon campaign for 16 Days in WA.

25 Nov – White Ribbon Day March (Gascoyne Women’s Refuge

25 Nov – Violence Against Anyone Is Unacceptable luncheon (GRAMS)

28 Nov – Dreaming Dolls art therapy (Jo Schapel)

2 Dec – Healthy Relationships with workshop for young people (Carnarvon Community College)

3 Dec – Free community BBQ (Aboriginal Family Legal Service)

5 Dec – 16 Voices healing circle for women with lived FDV experience (CFSS & partners)

10 December - Closing ceremony morning tea and connected Exquisite Bodies build in the Carnarvon Library and Art Gallery

This collective effort centred education, healing, safety and community responsibility.

If you or someone you know is experiencing Family and Domestic Violence, or if you would like support to change your own behaviour, help is available.

Call 000.

If it is unsafe to speak, dial 55 when prompted and police will respond.

Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline – 1800 007 339

Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline – 1800 000 599

1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732 (24/7 national counselling and referral)

Self-referrals welcome via kameli.rova@gos.asn.au or by visiting Carnarvon Central Shopping Centre (off Robinson Street).

Phone: 9941 3358

Email: dvsafe@cfss.org.au

Phone: 9941 3633

Email: carnarvonadmin@afls.org.au