Mackay Regional Council

05/12/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/11/2025 21:58

Candle lighting ceremony remembers lives lost

Sarina Neighbourhood Centre is hosting a candle lighting ceremony to remember those who have lost their lives to domestic and family violence.

The ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 21, at 5.30pm for a 6pm start at the Sarina Sporting Services Club, corner of Broad Street and Brewers Road.

The ceremony will include a special light show art installation by local artist Donna Maree Robinson.

Everyone is welcome to attend the ceremony. For more information, contact the Sarina Neighbourhood Centre on 4961 9290.

Each May, Queensland marks Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month to raise community awareness of domestic and family violence and to send a clear message that such violence will not be tolerated.

Facts about Domestic Violence

  • 577 DVOs have been initiated in Mackay since 2024.
  • Overall, one in six women and one in 16 men have experienced a form of domestic violence.
  • The rate of women getting killed by their partners has risen 28 per cent from 2021.
  • An estimated 41 per cent (8 million) Australians have experienced physical or sexual violence since the age of 15.

Artist Donna Maree Robinson describes her work, titled "Wilt", as "a video-audio installation that uses the fading imagery of dying flowers and the restrained presence of caged birds as a poetic yet unsettling metaphor for domestic violence.

"Through layered visuals and fragmented sound, the work captures the quiet erosion of identity and the silencing of voice that occurs in abusive environments. The flowers, once vibrant, slowly decay - mirroring the loss of vitality under control - while the caged birds represent the stifled cries for freedom.

"The immersive audiovisual experience invites viewers to confront the emotional and psychological landscapes of domestic abuse, bearing witness to what often remains hidden in plain sight."

Mackay Regional Council published this content on May 12, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 12, 2025 at 03:59 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at support@pubt.io