Twin town clash results in win for White Ribbon

White Ribbon Australia is an organisation dedicated to ending violence against women.

This year’s match ended in a 42-10 win for Forbes, but it was was not about the game, Forbes High School’s White Ribbon Ambassador Barry Merritt said of the match which was being played for the second time.

“It’s about spreading awareness about what is happening in our communities,” Mr Merritt said.

Parkes High School PE teacher Peta Moran said the score of the game didn’t matter, but rather the message the students were sending about domestic violence.

Mr Merritt said the teams and schools were sending out the important message that violence is not okay.

“It was a strong message that the two communities were sending out,” he said.

Ms Moran said even though there is a traditional rivalry between Forbes and Parkes, particularly on the sporting field, both teams and spectators showed an outstanding level of sportsmanship.

“The camaraderie they showed was quite good,” she said.

The match attracted a bigger audience then last year’s inaugural game held at Forbes, with an estimated crowd of 2,500.

Next year, the event will be hosted by Forbes High School and Mr Merritt is hopeful of an even bigger occasion and crowd.

Mr Merritt said he’d like to get primary schools on board and also host the event at Spooner Oval.

Ms Moran is hoping to keep the event going and hopefully host a girls league tag match in conjunction with the rugby league match in future years.

Each year White Ribbon Day is marked, with the day being observed on Sunday, November 25 this year.

According to White Ribbon’s statistics, on average, one woman is killed every week in Australia as a result of domestic violence.

“Keep spreading the word that domestic violence is not okay and our youth are standing up and saying that loud and clear,” Mr Merritt said.