Award puts message in spotlight

Mates Men’s Support Group founder and City of Busselton councillor Robert Reekie hopes winning the inaugural RAC volunteering award at this year’s Regional Achievement and Community Awards will encourage people to recognise domestic violence as an ongoing issue and make a change in the community.

Mr Reekie was one of 11 category winners announced at the awards at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday night.

Mr Reekie said he was humbled to receive the award and hoped the achievement would give the work undertaken by Mates the ability to be recognised on a larger level.

“What I do, I do as a lifestyle and it has become routine,” he said.

“I’m hoping that this award will allow people to notice that we are 14 years down the track and we are still running the same strategies as we did on day one.”

Mr Reekie said he was concerned about the strategies the Government had undertaken to deal with domestic violence but was pleased people were beginning to take notice of the issue.

“I’m advocating talking with politicians to try and change the way they think about domestic violence,” he said. “It is preventable but the way they are trying to do it is not the way to do it.”

Mr Reekie encouraged men to embrace White Ribbon Day on November 25 to help put an end to domestic violence.