The series showcased badminton star Tara Pilven, champion gift sprinters Tara Domaschenz, Nadia Domaschenz and Holly Dobbyn, former world champion karate fighter Shannyn Johnstone Ward, AFL women’s footballer Kaitlyn Ashmore, emerging Opals basketballer Abbey Wehrung and Australian Junior Fed Cup tennis player Zoe Hives – all hugely successful in their respective sporting fields.

The series was titled Play Like A Girl.

On the morning after the first story in the series was published in print, The Courier received a call from a woman who was clearly upset at our coverage.

“How could you be so demeaning of these girls?” she asked.

I was puzzled. Whatever could she mean?

“Don’t you know what it means to ‘play like a girl?”

In the schoolyard, at least in my youth, there was an often heard refrain that a fellow child was “playing like a girl” due to an affliction of unco-ordination or weakness.

The put-down carried on well past the schoolyard and wasn’t – or isn’t – uncommon in footy clubs at junior and, yes, senior levels.

To suggest someone “plays like a girl” says more about the ingrained culture of the roles of men and women in our society than merely someone’s athletic abilities. It says that we support the creating a culture of inferiority.

In an inclusive and respectful community, The Courier’s Play Like a Girl series celebrates strength, co-ordination and achievement.

This is the true message that should be presented in the schoolyard and in our sporting clubs.

In an equal society, to play like a girl is mark of honour, rather than a demeaning verbal assault.

Today marks a pivotal point in The Courier’s It’s Up to Us campaign.

Launched earlier this year, the campaign has provided a platform for dozens of stories about people and organisations involved with family violence.

It also encouraged readers to sign the oath against violence in a partnership with the White Ribbon Foundation of Australia.

Bravery is an overused word in mainstream media but the often disturbing and challenging nature of family violence exposes fully those who speak of it publicly. From Ballarat’s Citizen of the Year Tony Lovett, a confessed perpetrator of violence to “Sarah”, a victim of such crimes, it is not possible to achieve greater understanding without a 360 degree view that lays bare the facts.

The Courier marks White Ribbon Day today through a special edition designed to show the depth of resolve that exists in our community – and indeed much further abroad – to make a difference.

In recent years, authorities have grown considerably concerned about the growing rates of family violence in our community. The stark reality of its impact, not only of the people directly affected but the community as a whole, has been amplified by a series of shocking deaths of women at the hands of male perpetrators in Victoria in the past two years.

Forever will the name of Jill Meagher live on the hearts and minds of Melburnians.

The innocent smile of Sarah Cafferkey brings only sadness. Our hearts break to hear that a toddler faces life without a mum after the death of Ballarat woman Sharon Siermans.

To say Ballarat faces greater challenges than other centres is backed by statistics and the investment in tackling the issue of family violence by police, government and welfare organisations.

We know that for every death associated with family violence there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of cases every year where families are being torn apart by violence and it’s not a stretch to say that, despite increased recognition and understanding of the issue, making headway has been extremely challenging.

However, with great resolve, momentum has developed. 

The Community Charter for Prevention of Violence Against Women was created last year by the City of Ballarat as a tangible device of involving the community after discussions between former councillor Cheryl Bromfield and current councillor Des Hudson. The charter travels to businesses and events where hundreds of locals have signed on.

Women’s Health Grampians this year launched Act@Work, a pilot project involving regional businesses – including The Courier – where training and information is provided to educate employees and improve attitudes to violence identification and prevention.

Victoria Police has established a specialised team to deal solely with instances of family violence in Ballarat and has achieved considerable success in identification of recidivist behaviour. The Ballarat White Ribbon committee on Friday inducted a new group of ambassadors to help spread the message that violence against women is not acceptable in any circumstance.

These are just a few examples.

Ballarat is becoming a case study in what communities can do to begin breaking down the barriers of a disease we have shied away from treating for far too long.

The challenge is to recognise that it’s not just education about identifying and preventing violence that is the only aspect of the task ahead.

With a worldly view, it is also about reassessing the values that support how we want our community to function in the future. It’s about standing up against our ingrained perceptions about the roles of men and women in society and the responsibility we have to change our own attitudes that can make a real difference.

It’s about ensuring we speak out in defiance of what is otherwise popular and challenge the behaviours we accept, little by little, piece by piece often from early in life.

It must start with individuals, and teams, and business, and communities. 

It’s Up to Us.

andrew.eales@fairfaxmedia.com.au