Listen, learn and talk - that's our route to ending family violence in our communities.
Each year, starting 30 August, 1000s of runners and walkers from around the globe come together in teams of up to 20 people to participate in the Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge. This podcast captures the very personal stories of the event participants. These stories inspire us all to be better people and play our role in the prevention of family violence.
The party is over. Now that the Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge has finished for another year, we look back and reflect on the 2022 challenge and remember why it’s important to continue shining a light on domestic and family violence in our communities.
The first Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge was held in 2017. 5 years on, we speak with 3 of our original Team Captains, Margie, Ben and Belinda about why they are still passionately involved with the Run Against Violence and how conversations in their community have changed over that time.
The Katherine Women’s Legal Service (KWILS) is a not-for-profit community legal centre based in Katherine in the Northern Territory that provides free legal services in the Katherine region. In fact, they cover an area the size of Victoria & Tasmania combined.
Siobhan Mackay is the CEO of KWILS and has a unique insight into the challenges faced by domestic and family violence victims, and the support services available to them, in remote and regional communities (including our First Nations and Indigenous women).
Run Against Violence partners with the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) to help ensure that every teenager in Australia has the opportunity to learn about what healthy relationships look like for them. Over the last 2 years, the Run Against Violence has donated $200,000 to NAPCAN to enhance and expand its Love Bites program (and 100% of funds raised in 2022 will be donated too).
Madelene McGrath is the National Stakeholder Manager and NAPCAN and Dr Brenda Dobia - Adjunct Fellow, School of Education at the Western Sydney University who has worked with NAPCAN for many years to adapt, expand and develop Love Bites. Today they join us to talk about Love Bites, including how money raised by RAV has and will be used to expand and enhance the program.
The co-founders of Run Against Violence, Kirrily Dear and Brad Smithers, return today to lift the lid and take you behind the scenes of the Run Against Violence. They share the financial report for the 2020 - 2021 Financial Year as well as details of the partnership between the Run Against Violence and the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) and the future plans for Run Against Violence.
How do we drive change in our community, one conversation at a time? In this episode, we’re joined by two women - Kathy Kelly and Jane Caro - who have, in their own ways, played a pivotal role in changing our way of life
Pat Farmer is a multiple world record holder for endurance running. He has run the length of India and Vietnam, through the Middle East, across Australia, around Australia and across America a couple of times. And, wait for it, from the North Pole to the South Pole. In this episode, he helps us celebrate the start of the 2022 Run Against Violence today. Pat shares his advice on how to achieve your goal for the Challenge and what to focus on when times get tough.
The theme of this year’s RAV Virtual Challenge is today’s conversation is tomorrow’s way of life. But how do the conversations we have today shape our community and our lives? We explore this question in this episode with a survivor of domestic and family violence about the impact that telling her story has had and from a journalist on the power of stories.
Sue and Lloyd Clarke became passionate and vocal advocates for the criminalisation of coercive control after their daughter Hannah and Hannah’s 3 children Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey were murdered by Hannah’s estranged in February 2020 in a case that shocked and galvanised the nation.
Hannah had been a victim of coercive control for many years. Coercive control is a phrase we all recognise but many of us don’t understand what it is.
Do conversations have the power to create real change to our way of life? Are they the key to ending domestic and family violence within our community? In this special episode, Jen Brown, the host of the 2022 RAV podcast shares her thoughts and reflects on what she’s learnt from the Run Against Violence community about the power of conversations.
How do we change the culture in our community about family and domestic violence? That’s what we explore in this episode of the Run Against Violence. You’ll meet the dynamic duo of Robyn Harmon and David Harmon. Robyn is school teacher, Assistant Principal and facilitator of the Love Bites program that the Run Against Violence proudly supports. David has lead the charge via their local Rotary Club in Ballina to change the culture in the community around family and domestic violence.
The 2022 Run Against Violence Virtual Challenge is fast approaching. So in this episode, we explore how to not only survive but thrive during the challenge with our guests; run coach Lyndal Maloney from Serotonin Running, busy mum and business owner Tara Edwards and the Silver category age record holder, Judith Dear who is a spritely 79 years of age.
In April 2022, Sandy Suckling set out to run 1,100km from Broken Hill to Melbourne to raise funds for and awareness of the Run Against Violence. In this episode, Sandy shares her experience of escaping from family violence, what she’s learnt about the power of conversation and why she describes running as therapy.
So registrations for the 2022 Run Against Violence Virtual Challenge are open and pouring in. Teams are being registered. People are looking for teams and teams are looking for people. So let’s chat to 3 people about how they rally the troops. In this episode, you’ll meet Sammy Bruderer, Mark Grima and Natalie Bartoli and hear as they share experience with the Virtual Challenge, how they find and organise their teams and how they keep themselves and their teams connected and motivated during the challenge.
Welcome to the first episode of the Run Against Violence for 2022. In this episode, you’ll hear from Run Against Violence co-founders Kirrily Dear and Brad Smithers. In 2014, Kirrily set out to run 860km over 12 days through regional New South Wales. Kirrily and Brad share how that run changed the course of their lives.
The party that was the 2021 Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge is over. Now the crowds have left, the Aussie Runner Podcast team pulls up a chair with RAV co-founders Kirrily Dear & Brad Smithers, and chat about all that happened during this year’s event.
Welcome to the finish line episode for the 2021 Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge.
There are some very strong stereotypes and myths that are informing people’s opinions on family violence in indigenous communities. RAV co-founder Kirrily Dear and Indigenous community worker, mediator, and educator Melissa Stubbings continue their conversation to clear away the stereotypes as to why Aboriginal women and children continue to be over-represented in family violence statistics.
This 2-part series is a frank and honest chat between two women. RAV co-founder Kirrily Dear talks with Indigenous community worker, mediator, and educator Melissa Stubbings, to peel back the layers of complexity that are keeping Aboriginal women and children trapped at the bottom rung of family violence.
In 2014, Travis Ireland decided he wanted to run a marathon. Giving himself a 12-month preparation, Travis went in search of a training program that would keep him motivated and on track for the whole year. When he couldn’t find a solution, Travis developed his own and invited 50 friends to join him for a virtual run around Australia.
The dots only ever connect looking backward. It was a long period after leaving her abusive ex-husband and seeking counselling that Anna was finally able to confidently name what she had lived through. Gaslighting is a subtle and insidious form of emotional abuse that can leave the victim believing they are worthless and going insane.
Matt is a lawyer practicing in the field of child protection and adoption law.
In this episode, Matt gives us the behind-the-scenes view of the extreme highs and lows of his chosen path. We learn about the processes within our court system that are designed to protect children and Matt shares the stories of the families he assists.
Margie Lewis has dedicated her professional and personal life to helping others within her community. Children exposed to violence will often exhibit challenging behaviours and become labeled with psychological disorders, or criminal records, that can define their path for life.
Kylie Brown is one of the founding participants of Run Against Violence in Port Macquarie, NSW. Kylie confesses that it’s not her ‘love’ for running that brings her back to the RAV Challenge each year, it’s the power of the conversation that unfolds. Shortly after marrying at 25 years old, Kylie and her husband took custody of Kylie’s three stepsisters and raised them as their own.
In 2017, Dani was interstate visiting a friend when she received a phone call from the police. Six detectives had arrived at her house that morning and arrested her controlling, abusive ex-husband.
Belinda Seaman spied a Facebook advertisement for the inaugural 2017 Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge, bounced the idea around her running group and days later had two teams of 10 ready to participate. Within a short time, Belinda’s love for running had shattered the silence in her South Australian community.
Run Against Violence co-founders, Brad Smithers and Kirrily Dear woke up at around 4:30am on a stinking-hot November morning in the town of Manila, NSW. Their simple plan for the day was to run an ‘easy marathon’ into Tamworth and attend the White Ribbon Cup football match. But those simple plans were about to change the course of their lives forever.
