ON Sunday, November 29, Joshua Burguete-Kirkman, 31, of Forster will put on a white t-shirt and make the White Ribbon pledge.
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“It’s a simple thing to do. Basically this is a pledge to stand up for people experiencing violence.”
- Joshua Burguete-Kirkman
And Mr Burguete-Kirkman is encouraging other men in the Great Lakes area to do the same, and break through the domestic violence silence.
Men can make this pledge at a breakfast barbecue registration at 8am on November 29 at Lone Pine Park, Tuncurry. The walk will leave the park at 9am, travelling across the bridge to Forster and returning by 10am.
“It’s a simple thing to do. Basically this is a pledge to stand up for people experiencing violence,” Mr Burguete-Kirkman said.
Mr Burguete-Kirkman said he believed violence was a broader cultural issue.
“We need to address the culture to fix the problem. It could stem from the way kids are disciplined. It is not okay to hit kids. And then we have a foreign policy that says let’s go and bomb people. I spent two years in Sweden which hasn’t fired a bomb in 200 years,” he said.
“The idea that it is accepted to hit a guy is absurd to me. We need to have that conversation and ask why we allow violence to be an acceptable form of conflict resolution.”
Mr Burguete-Kirkman said he had received recent attention as being ‘that’ person willing to stand up for victims of violence.
He put his interest partiality to his employment at the Great Lakes Community Resources where he helps disadvantaged people get back to work and partly through recent political affiliation.
“I worked on Dr David Keegan’s State election campaign. Through this, my eyes have been opened to the dire situation many women, children and also men find themselves in regarding violence in the home. Dr Keegan is a strong advocate for better domestic violence services in the region,” he said.
As further evidence of his commitment, Mr Burguete-Kirkman donated a cheque for $6940 and a house plant as funding towards a women’s refuge at Forster on October 15.
He was told this was the largest donation raised by a single individual.
“I don’t see it that way. I see this as being raised by the community and the Great Lakes Community Resources. The centre was very appreciative,” he said.
Mr Burguete-Kirkman used crowdfunding to raise money for his campaign with the Great Lakes Community Resources matching his fund raising dollar-for-dollar.
The campaign may be finished, but funding for the refuge continues.
To donate: go to https://www.givenow.com.au/wcslforstertuncurry.
