ON December 6, December 1989, a man massacred 14 women in the town of L'Ecole Polytechnique, Motreal, Canada.
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The only reason for these killings was because they were women.
Two years later, a group of men from Canada joined together to speak out about violence against women.
White Ribbon Day was born.
Following on from this first meeting and the momentum that was gained during the next few years, in 1999 the United Nations General Assembly declared that November 25 would be the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The symbol for this day is the white ribbon and here we are 25 years after the senseless and cowardly killings, undertaking many activities and services to highlight the importance of communicating the message and ensuring that we all do everything we can to 'Say No to Violence Against Women'.
As a father of four sons aged 18, 16, 13 and eight, I ensure that my sons have no doubt about my views on this subject.
The best way to do something about it is to lead by example and never commit any form of domestic violence.
There is absolutely no excuse for domestic violence and there is absolutely no excuse for any form of violence or intimidation against women.
As your police commander, I am fully committed to ensuring that our response to you and your families is as professional and timely as it can be.
The men and women who work to protect you and your families are 100 per cent committed to taking swift and appropriate action against any persons who commit domestic violence.
On Sunday, I was fortunate enough to attend the Expect Respect Golf Day, our White Ribbon Day event, organised by your Police Domestic Violence liaison officer Simone Houghton and Wendy from the YWCA Wingecarribee Family Abuse Prevention Service at the Southern Highlands Golf Club.
It was a very good day and excellent numbers for the inaugural year.
I hope to see many more of you at the event next year to raise awareness of violence against women and take the stand to say 'no'.