THERE were kids and adults, and tradies and ladies all there to team up on Friday, December 1, to prove that there are no limits in the city, for what will be done to put an end to domestic violence (DV).
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And this was all done with the help of Tina Turner and the dance, The Nutbush, for the inaugural event dubbed 'Going Nuts in the Bush.'
At 10am from Kings Parade, Housing Plus and Bathurst Police came together to welcome the community to participate in the Nutbush, all to raise awareness against DV.
Though organiser and DV specialist at Housing Plus Maryam Soleymanpour was slightly disappointed with the number of attendees, she still deemed the event a great success.
"I think it went so well, honestly I was expecting more people here ... but I think they're just really busy regarding it getting close to Christmas," she said.
But the success of the day couldn't have been achieved without the help from Bathurst Council, Bathurst Police, and the Rotary Club, who provided a free sausage sizzle on the day.
As well as local organisations, Ms Soleymanpour was extremely grateful for everybody in the community who was in attendance, even those who weren't necessarily in Kings Parade for the event.
For the dance portion of the day, she managed to wrangle a few tradies who were working in the area to take part in the Nutbush.
"We got the message out there, and the dance actually went so well," Ms Soleymanpour said.
And having so many male participants in the event was something that filled her with excitement and plenty of hope for the future.
"I'm really, really passionate about what I'm doing, and I believe that the impact of having men be involved in this is actually really big," she said.
"Most men don't even know about domestic violence and the ways that it can present ... so it's actually really good for them to get this information so they can think about it."
By having more men present, it is just another way in which awareness can be raised, and spread throughout different social circles, while acknowledging different perspectives.
It also helps to connect more people to the services that Housing Plus can provide.
"There are so many services supporting men who are victims of domestic violence, or the perpetrators, and they just don't know that," Ms Soleymanpour said.
The aim for 2024 is to continue the 'Going Nuts in the Bush' event, and make it an annual occurrence, as a means to spread the message against DV even further throughout the community.
"We are going to organise it to be way bigger and way better next year, and advertise it way earlier and see how we go," Ms Soleymanpour said.
And her final message, was for those who may be in need in the community.
She urged anybody in a difficult situation to reach out to Housing Plus, or any DV service, as there is plenty of help available for those who need it.
