Change was the theme of talks at this year's Port Stephens White Ribbon Day event.
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About 40 people gathered in Raymond Terrace on Friday, ahead of White Ribbon Day on November 25, to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Port Stephens White Ribbon ambassador Roger Yeo spoke about the need to change Australia's culture of violence against women and introduced the national organisation's new initiative, STOP.
STOP is an acronym for see, talk, offer support and prevent.
"It's designed to help men see, learn and recognise the signs of violence and abuse, to be witnesses and not to ignore them, to stand up and to say something about it," he said.
As a personal example, Mr Yeo spoke about losing his daughter, Rachelle, to domestic violence.
Rachelle, who was killed by her partner in 2012, would have turned 36 on Friday.
"We thought we knew what was going on but every time we pressed our daughter about the behaviour of her partner she told us it was all OK, that she could look after it, no problem at all," he said.
"We just didn't know enough. We thought we did but we just didn't know.
"This campaign is our passion, is born out of our attempt to do something to help change our culture - the one that gives men the idea they have some sort of sense of entitlement, that's okay to objectify women. Because it's not."
Before marching through the CBD of Raymond Terrace with signs, marchers collected one of 43 white ribbons pegged into the ground in Riverside Park.
The ribbons symbolised the 43 lives lost to domestic violence in Australia this year.
Following the march, which left Riverside Park, went up to Raymond Terrace Police Station, through MarketPlace and back to the park, Port Stephens MP Kate Washington delivered a few words.
"Those of us here understand how much of a scourge it [domestic violence] is on our community, particularly in this community we are standing in," Ms Washington said.
"I know that it doesn't discriminate, and it is across the whole electorate, but I know here in Raymond Terrace we have some real challenges and I appreciate this [event] is being done here today."
Ms Washington went on to talk about the theme of change, respect, and applying the STOP acronym.
"Disrespect doesn't always end in violence but violence always starts with disrespect," she said.
"This is what we need to challenge every day. When you have jokes happening that shouldn't be said, when people are behaving in ways that they shouldn't, we need to call it out."
Figures obtained by Fairfax Media from the NSW Police Force (image above) show that in Port Stephens in October, there were 155 domestic violence related offences committed.