Ballarat's deputy mayor has fought back tears as he described the "warm, generous and extraordinary" woman Tamara Farrell whose body was found in Gippsland on Monday.
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At a press conference in Ballarat on Wednesday, an unprompted Councillor Jim Rinaldi has revealed he personally new the 31-year-old Tamara Farrell and how her death had rocked him and the city to the core.
Mr Rinaldi revealed Ms Farrell had only recently moved into Ballarat, despite having worked in the city for a number of months.
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"I did know who she was and I offer my most sincere condolences to her family and work colleagues. It's very difficult to discuss," Cr Rinaldi said.
"She moved to Ballarat only two weeks ago from the Melbourne area. She was extraordinary, very competent in what she did; a friendly, happy, a very good person.
"She was very outgoing, very friendly. Her hand would always come out to shake yours and would ask 'how you are doing today?'.
"She was a person with a great spirit and a wonderful attitude and very, very much loved by her co-workers."
Cr Rinaldi said her death highlighted the need for ongoing assistance to prevent violence against women and provide greater mental health care.
"Any crime affects the city, we don't want it in our city here in Ballarat," he said.
"We are a very friendly city and we just want all people to be respected for who they are, whether they are male or female, just enjoy life. We want to see none of this violence."
Ballarat Police Superintendent Jenny Wilson said the death highlighted why issues of violence against women needed to remain at the forefront of thought.
"I want to offer my condolences to the family and to the community of Ballarat," Superintendent Wilson said.
"For me, I've just come up to being here for 12 months and this is now the second death involving a woman in Ballarat over that period of time.
"To me this really highlights the issues surrounding violence against women. It's really a message about treating each other with dignity and respect.
"It's something that is a broader issue within our community that we keep talking about to keep the conversation going and that's the message we need to talk about here today."
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