COMMUNITY NEWS - Come dancing for Speak Up Now

The Wuthering Heights of Mapleton - Red Dress Day Organising Committee, under the aegis of Mapleton and District Community Association (MADCA) is proud to be preparing for their special community day and fundraiser, to be held at 1pm on Sunday July 28, 2024, at Mapleton Lilyponds Park.

Wuthering Heights Red Dress Day is a worldwide movement, typically held on pop singer Kate Bush’s birthday (July 30) where communities come together wearing bright red outfits whilst learning to perform Kate Bush’s famous dance to her 1978 hit song,

Wuthering Heights, and raising awareness and much-needed funds to support victims of domestic violence.  

Of course, this is all underpinned by Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights, which has a strong undercurrent of domestic violence as one of its main themes.  

Wuthering Heights of Mapleton - Red Dress Day 2024, aims to build a strong community and raise funds to support local domestic violence charity, Speak Up Now – Stop Domestic and Family Violence. 

This organisation is a partnership between the Zonta Club of the Blackall Range, the Rotary Club of Maleny, the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre and the former Quota Club of Maleny to enable a co-ordinated approach to domestic violence initiatives.

A fun afternoon on the field is planned, listening and dancing to the iconic music of Kate Bush and joining in the sea of red! Don’t worry about your dancing style, Karen Towne from Cultivate Movement and Mindfulness will have us all dancing like stars.

Registration is $10 per person and food will be available, thanks to the Blackall Range Lions Club. Auction items include an accommodation package from Secrets on the Lake, and a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set. There will be a raffle on the day to raise as much money as possible for this worthy cause with the support of local businesses. 

Offers of support and sponsorship welcomed, please contact the team through the website, wutheringheightsofmapleton.au, Facebook, or email info@wutheringheightsofmapleton.au

In 2023, Wuthering Heights of Mapleton Day raised $4400 for domestic violence charity, DV Safe Phone. The organising team visited the DV Safe Phone headquarters to present the cheque and were humbled when they were told that the sum of money raised, when utilised to provide safe phones for victims of domestic violence, represents 59 lives saved.

There are over two million domestic violence victims in Australia… and informed or trained bystanders can save lives. Speak Up Now’s work is empowering our youth by providing workshops that teach respectful relationships to students, fostering a culture of kindness and safety. It is also supporting vulnerable adults with resources and training to help seniors identify and avoid elder abuse.

Speak Up Now builds a network of support, training professionals such as hairdressers and barbers to recognise signs of domestic violence and connect victims with help; and spreads awareness by distributing safety information cards and holding community forums with experts, keeping domestic violence prevention at the forefront of our minds.

The success of Speak Up Now lies in collaboration. They partner with local organisations, law enforcement, and government agencies to offer comprehensive support in the community.