Airlie Beach was alive with colourful dresses, smiles and laughter on the 6th December, as the ladies of the Whitsundays came together to support Team Whitsundays and their Dancing CEOs campaign. Set at the beautiful Garden Bar overlooking Coral Sea Marina, on a tropical afternoon, the day could not have been more stunning.
We came together to celebrate women and share love and laughter, but also to raise much needed funds and awareness for Women's Legal Service Queensland and the great work they do to support women who need free, confidential, wrap around support and legal advice, to escape from situations of coercive control, financial abuse and family violence.
Domestic and family violence continues to rise, this year one woman lost her life every 4 days in Australia at the hands of a partner. The stress that families are under in the current climate, and the fragmenting of our communities adds further pressure. It is simply heartbreaking.
The very sobering fact is that with all we do, the statistics continue to rise, and we know that the more remote and regional you are, the more you are isolated from vital help. Situations where women and children are at most risk increases with isolation. We have a long way to go as a community to build better support for families and create safe futures from those affected. It starts with building awareness for services such as WLSQ and their hotline, that prioritises regional women when they do call.
 I thought I would share a few highlights of what WLSQ has achieved this year. Calls to the Statewide Helpline increased by a staggering 17% with 28 362 calls received averaging 112 calls per day from women reaching out. The team at WLSQ assisted 14 161 women across Queensland with free legal advice and other key support services. The Financial Abuse Prevention Unit assisted 548 women with over $2.7 million in debt reductions, grants and empowering women to achieve financial independence and stability. This can't be overstated enough how critical this service is to help secure safer futures for so many at risk women and children.
Every woman who attended our Cocktails for a Cause is part of the solution and for this I thank you whole heartedly. To Mandy and Penny and the team at Garden Bar we can't thankyou enough, to all the lucky winners of the fabulous raffle prizes well done and thankyou to all the businesses who supported these great raffles.
A huge thankyou and shoutout also to Andrew Pattinson for the fantastic colourful images of the day. What a great memory to have.
To Kate, Candice, Jules and Alice, well done on your first fundraiser and we look forward to the next one - the Masquerade Gala Ball and the upcoming EPIC Walk Whitsundays, and we can't wait to see you take to the stage at Brisbane City Hall on May 30th to show off your amazing dance moves. Check out where they are on the leaderboard and donate to them directly.
For those who wish to know more about this service please go to the website Women's Legal Service
For those women who need help and support please reach out to the hotline and take the first steps to find a safer future, you are not alone.
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