Members of the relaunched Moree No Violence Alliance (NOVa 2.0), which is bringing local services and volunteers together to raise awareness of domestic and family violence. Photo: Moree Online News.
A different coffee cup at a local café. A sticker on the back of a public toilet door. A white ribbon or a conversation at a market stall.
They might seem like small gestures, but Moree Family Support’s Carla Milgate believes they can help break down one of the biggest barriers to addressing domestic violence: the reluctance to talk about it.
That thinking is behind the return of NOVa, the No Violence Alliance, a community group bringing local services and volunteers together to raise awareness of domestic and family violence across Moree.
Relaunched as NOVa 2.0, the alliance held its first meeting this week, with Ms Milgate taking on the role of chair.
The group previously operated in Moree but has been inactive for about two to three years. Its return comes at a time when Ms Milgate believes conversations about domestic violence are more important than ever.
“There’s never been a better time for these conversations to be had,” she said.
For Ms Milgate, who manages specialised services at Moree Family Support, the challenge is reaching beyond the people who already work with domestic violence services.
She wants NOVa to engage people who may have little experience of domestic violence, or who believe it is something that happens only to other families.
That means finding ways to make a difficult subject approachable without diminishing its seriousness.
“There’s nothing fun about DV,” she said.
Rather than confronting people with confronting messages, the alliance hopes to create opportunities for conversations to begin naturally.
One idea being considered for November’s 16 Days of Activism campaign is to supply local cafés with takeaway cups carrying NOVa branding and white ribbons.
Ms Milgate described how something as simple as a child noticing a different coffee cup could prompt a parent to explain what the white ribbon represents.
Another proposal, put forward by Sora Community Services, is a memorial bench and plaque recognising people whose lives have been lost to domestic violence.
Community barbecues, market stalls and other awareness activities are also being considered. Ms Milgate said the group would map out its activities month by month, starting in January.
The approach draws on initiatives used by the earlier NOVa committee, including placing domestic violence helpline stickers on public toilet doors and wheelie bins.
Ms Milgate said those stickers were deliberately placed where someone needing help might find a contact number.
The renewed alliance includes representatives from health, education and community services, with Fern McCormick, a Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service caseworker, serving as vice-chair.
Moree Family Support manages the group’s funding arrangements, but NOVa is a voluntary collaboration rather than a program belonging to any one organisation.
Ms Milgate also chairs Moree’s domestic violence interagency meeting, which has recently resumed. While that forum brings services together to discuss how support is delivered, NOVa has a different purpose: building awareness throughout the community.
“We do fantastic work as services individually, but collaboratively we can do so much better at creating the awareness in the community,” she said.
The need for that work is underscored by recent crime figures.
NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data, reported by Moree Online News on 22 September 2026, showed the rate of domestic violence-related assault in Moree Plains was 5.3 times the NSW rate. The figures cover the year to June 2026.
But Ms Milgate is concerned that many people still have a narrow understanding of domestic violence, associating it only with physical assaults rather than recognising financial abuse and coercive control.
She believes education and awareness can help people recognise behaviour they might otherwise dismiss or accept as normal.
During a visit to the coastal town of Iluka, Ms Milgate saw an approach she hopes to bring to Moree. Purple hands displayed around town, market stalls handing out butterflies and staff wearing awareness shirts all prompted questions from residents and visitors.
The simplicity of it struck her.
“It just catches your eye and it starts a conversation,” she said.
“And if that’s all we achieve, that’s enough.”
The alliance is inviting residents, businesses and community groups to become involved, whether by volunteering at events, contributing resources or helping develop future activities.
Ms Milgate said the renewed committee had a shared enthusiasm for getting things done, but its broader ambition was something every Moree resident could be part of.
“DV is not selective about who it affects,” she said.
“We need to stop turning a blind eye to it.”
And she wants one message to reach well beyond the people already involved in support services.
“We’re just trying to remove the stigma that it’s one certain pocket of society’s issue, because it’s an us issue,” she said.
“It’s a whole of Moree issue.”
Anyone interested in becoming involved with NOVa 2.0 can contact Moree Family Support on 1800 874 992 or visit morfss.org.au.
