More than a thousand men of all walks of life pledged to say no to violence against women in Toowoomba at a gathering in Queens Park this morning.
"This is all about the females in our lives," says mayor Paul Antonio. "Our mothers and wives and daughters. We know that statistically, a third of females in Toowoomba are impacted by some level of violence. That is no good, and we don't want that."
Joy Mingay from the Toowoomba Says No to Violence committee says "we've come a long way. For men to come in their droves on a Monday morning - young men too - is a really good demonstration, for the city, state and country, of what Toowoomba really stands for in 2013."
"There were suits here. There were high viz vests. That's a really powerful message to me. Everyone, no matter where they fit feels this a day to stand up. The mayor hoped for 1000, and we gave away 1200 white ponchos."
While Mingay says the pledge and awareness of a day like today is important, it's a daily issue.
"Keep talking about it. We have to change attitudes. Think about seatbelts. When I was growing up, no one wore a seatbelt. Can you imagine getting in a car today without a seatbelt? We've changed that attitude in my generation. We can do the same about domestic violence. "
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