By GARRY HOWE
PETER Blackwood says he thinks of his wife Kylie every second of every day.
It breaks his heart to think of what Kylie went through on that Thursday afternoon in August when she was brutally attacked and murdered in their Pakenham family home.
Peter describes it as “a sick and despicable crime” – one that no-one should have to endure – so he and a few friends and colleagues are taking steps to help ensure no-one else does.
They are setting up the Kylie Blackwood Foundation, under the auspices of the White Ribbon Foundation, to shine a light on the issues of public safety and violence against women.
Peter has refused countless requests for interviews over the past four months and has chosen to speak to the Gazette for the first time in a bid to spread a safety message through the foundation.
He wants to harness the fear in the community he and Kylie have called home all their lives and use that to help change attitudes towards gender-based violence in her name.
The stand comes the week after more than 70 community leaders across Cardinia, Casey and Greater Dandenong signed a pledge to lead a campaign to change attitudes and behavior towards women under the banner of the Challenge Family Violence program.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else to walk the path I am walking now – what we went through as a family and what we are still going through,” Peter said.
“Everyone has a mother, a wife, a daughter or a sister in the community and the sad thing is that they don’t feel safe anymore.
“It is men who need to make this stand against violence against women and, hopefully, this foundation can help institute change that can help make that happen.
“It’s something I can do for Kylie.”
For the full story, pick up this week’s edition of the Pakenham-Berwick Gazette.
