St Aidan’s Purple Bench – a place to rest and reflect
On Sunday 20 September this year St Aidan’s Uniting Church in Claremont dedicated a new purple park bench, located under a shady tree in the open courtyard of the church grounds. The purple bench stands as a commemoration for victims of domestic homicide and provides an opportunity to sit and reflect on the impact of family and domestic violence.
The Purple Bench Project is an initiative of the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing which was inspired by a project in Nova Scotia, Canada, known as Barbs Benches, where purple benches were installed in public parks to honour the memory of women murdered by their intimate partners and provided important helplines for women experiencing FDV.
The first Purple Bench in Western Australia was installed in Fremantle in 2018 and continue to be installed by local councils and community groups in public spaces as a tribute to victims of family and domestic violence, with each bench containing information for support services and advice.
During the service at St Aidan’s on the day of the dedication Rev Dr Elaine Ledgerwood introduced the sermon reflection saying:
“Today we are dedicating a purple bench, which is a tool to raise awareness about domestic and family violence. This is something that affects every community, every socioeconomic group, every racial group. It is not simply a problem for people ‘out there’, it is present here in this community of Claremont as well. Over one in four women have experienced family and domestic violence since the age of 15, and almost half of all women murdered die in an act of violence by a man from whom they are trying to escape.”
In her sermon Elaine reflected on the day’s bible readings through the lens of contemporary understandings of domestic and family violence, inviting the congregation to consider the complex realities faced by people in abusive relationships, encouraging compassion rather than judgment. She shared that the dedication of the purple bench can be more than simply a symbolic act, but rather an invitation to respond, encouraging the congregation to consider how they can help create a safe, welcoming and supportive community for those impacted by family and domestic violence.
The congregation at St Aidan’s Uniting Church raised the required funds for the installation of their bench which includes two plaques – one as part of the Purple Bench Project which reads “In honour of all victims of domestic homicide in WA. For advice and support phone the Women’s DV helpline 1800 007 339”. The other plaque as chosen by the congregation is a quote from Matthew, “Jesus said: Come unto me all who are burdened and I will give you rest. Matthew 11.28.”
The hope for the congregation is that the bench communicates to the surrounding community they are a safe space for people who have experienced family and domestic violence, and that the bench promotes open conversation about the issue rather than ‘sweeping it under the carpet’.
If you need advice and support, please phone the Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline: 1800 007 339. Further FDV support services can be found here.
Beyond Violence is a Uniting Church in Australia resource for churches on Family and Domestic Violence prepared in response to the 15th Assembly resolution.
Common Grace offers a Domestic and Family Violence Church Toolkit designed to help churches understand FDV and take meaningful steps to prevent violence and build cultures of safety.
