Calling for an end to violence against women, step by step

Raising the most money on the day was the uni’s very own Australian Football Club, the UTS Bats. They walked to honour the life of their teammate Audrey Griffin, a UTS student and athlete, who was killed in the Central Coast at the hands of male violence.

Kaitlin McCaffery, captain of the women's premier division team, said speaking up and showing up to end violence against women and children is one of the team’s core values.

Another Bats player, Liv Styles, from the women’s under 20’s team, echoed that sentiment, “As a woman who has been fortunate enough to be brought up in a safe household where I have never had to fear for my safety, it is incredibly vital that to me that I try to do everything in my power to afford other women the opportunity to experience this.”

Impressive fundraising efforts

The Bats raised more than $26,000, which will help WAGEC “deliver a range of violence prevention initiatives to address the underlying drivers of gender-based violence, so that what happened to Audrey can be prevented in the future and so that all women can feel safe.”

UTS Bats has the second largest number of female players within AFL Sydney, with 4 women's teams across all their competitions.

“With such a large female cohort at our club, we were able to lean on our community for support and on Sunday, we had ex-players, coaches, partners and parents and even players from other AFL Sydney clubs show up in support and it was amazing to see,” Kaitlin says.

“Seeing how many people were donating and supporting the club perhaps encouraged more people to join the movement as it was something they wanted to be a part of to help create change.”

The Bats hope the fundraising highlights the prevalence of violence against women in our society and shows that their team stands up for violence against women. 

“It is our hope that the fundraising efforts made by the club will allow more women and children to have access to a peaceful and safe place to live in. I hope it gives more women the courage to leave their domestic violence situation as they know they will get the support they need from this shelter,” Kaitlin says. 

Honouring Audrey Griffin

The Bats team walked in honour of Audrey Griffin, a UTS student and athlete, who was killed in the Central Coast at the hands of male violence.

“It is incredibly important that we remember Audrey for who she was, her accomplishments and what she stood for,” Kaitlin says.

“What happened to her should not be the main focus as this only reduces her life story to what she endured in her final moments, which is the complete opposite of who she was.

“In our teams and at our club, we should honour her by being brave, always finding the positive in any situation and showing unrelenting dedication to making those around us happy. Audrey was such an accomplished young woman, who never gave up and smiled in the face of adversity,” she added.

Kaitlin and the Bats have suggested a club round or event is potentially named after Audrey. They hope it will celebrate the values that she stood for: “positivity, bravery and kindness.”

“We should use Audrey's legacy as a way to remember that life is too short, therefore we must live every day to its absolute fullest.”

Supporting WAGEC

The Bats were in good company, with the UTS Society of Communications also raising over $4,000 for WAGEC and UTS students volunteering for WAGEC on the day too.

Overall, the Walk for WAGEC event raised an impressive $580,000 towards supporting women and children experiencing violence.

In an email to participants, WAGEC said “Walk for WAGEC has filled us with hope, strengthened our community and ensured that the women and children who need support will be able to access it.”

They added, “From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for every dollar raised, and every step taken. We couldn't do what we do, without your support.”

Fundraising remains open until the end of May and donations can be made online.