On Wed 19th March '25 members heard from Marianne Hendron from CoRE Alliance.

Recently our club signed onto the CoRE (Communities of Respect & Equality) ambassador program run by Women’s Health Grampians. Membership of CoRE is a tangible way of expressing our support for gender equality and working to end violence against women. Our membership will bring opportunities for our members to be better informed in this space.

Marianne Hendron, the CEO of Women’s Health Grampians presented sobering statistical information regarding the prevalence of violence against women in the Grampians Health region which covers from Bacchus Marsh to the SA border.

The problem is more profound in regional Victoria than metro Melbourne and is more likely to occur in disadvantaged groups – lower socio economic, people with disability or indigenous communities. The majority of violence against women occurs by males who are known to them and in the home environment.

The CoRE initiative is all about leadership, advocacy and building knowledge in the effort to reduce negative outcomes for women. Our Rotary club will work with CoRE to be advocates for positive change in this endeavor.