Ochre Ribbon Week is an indigenous-led campaign that runs annually and this year covered 12 to 19 February, drawing on new ways to raise awareness of the domestic and family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  

Bourke's Thiyama-li Family Violence Service Indigenous Corporation staff worked in partnership with Brewarrina Services to organise the 2023 Ochre Ribbon Day event in Brewarrina on Wednesday 22 February. 

Brewarrina celebrated this year's Ochre Ribbon Day in the most colourful of ways, with a colour run at the Geoff New Oval and the children at Gainmara-Birrilee Preschool took to the event with enthusiasm.   

“This year, our main aim was to involve the children in our community through incorporating an obstacle course colour run and a program that included guest speakers and Early Intervention and Prevention resources to educate our younger generation about the impacts of Domestic and Family Violence in our Aboriginal communities," said Nadene McNulty, of Bourke Thiyama-li.  

Since its launch in May 2015, Ochre Ribbon has become an annual event where the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services join together to raise awareness of the devastating impacts of family violence against men, women and children in Indigenous communities and call for action to end the violence. 

 ‘The colour and the loop of the Ochre Ribbon depicts the powerful connection to our lands and how our lives intersect thus requiring the support of each other.’ 

  

With Brewarrina and neighbouring shires ranked in the highest band for domestic assaults in New South Wales the issue demands continued attention and action across agencies, communities and governments.

According to the latest Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research, the area spanning Bourke, Brewarrina, Walgett, Warren and Coonamble shires shares rates of domestic violence more than double the state average rate of 818.1 incidents per 100,000 population.

Numerous services joined Thiyama-li Family Violence Service in this year’s Ochre Ribbon Day event including Mission Australia, Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Land Council, NSW Rural Fire Service, Brewarrina Aboriginal Medical Service, Brewarrina Shire Council, Minderoo Foundation and Gainmara Birrilee Preschool 

Guest speakers on the day were Brewarrina Mayor, Vivian Slacksmith and local resident Helen Ferguson.