Septuagenarian retiree calls on younger males to man up and start challenging domestic violence

When Geoff Brayshaw hit 73 years of age last year, he felt he could no longer be one of society’s innocent bystanders. It was time to make a stand against domestic violence. Proving that you are never too old to make a difference, he set out to be part of a broader community and cultural shift away from the violence festering in so many homes. His efforts started after reading an article in The West Australian last year when he made contact to say it was great to see so many women taking a leadership role in fighting DV, but he wanted more men to step up, too. His views have been echoed this week by visiting US expert on gendered violence prevention, Jackson Katz, who claims it’s not enough to be a good guy who doesn’t hit women. Katz says men who are not challenging the status quo are part of the problem. Brayshaw was initially concerned he was too old to help. But as Katz says, everyone has a sphere of influence. Brayshaw’s first effort was to join a syndicate, which purchases a property with the express purpose of renting it at a modest price to a family escaping domestic violence. He also emailed former chief justice Wayne Martin, who chairs the WA Football Commission, to commend Don Pike on his stance on the issue and suggest football play a longer-term role in combatting domestic violence. To Martin’s credit, he called Brayshaw within the hour, and discussions on this subject remain afoot. He has also contacted Football West and Athletics West with the same message and is seeking contact with SportWest. The former accountant then made presentations to Perth-based bodies for the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and the Small Business Development Corporation, calling on them to educate members on how to recognise financial abuse. In April he hit the pavement, attending the Perth anti-DV rally. In his humble words, he said his efforts were simply about “getting off your butt and doing something.” While he has never been personally affected by domestic violence, he clearly has his finger on the pulse, claiming we need to “get in among the root cause and turn around a few hard-core traditions.” “I am putting it on my male fraternity to which I have belonged from birth in the first half of the last century - I was not born yesterday - to establish some form of collegiate action against DV by education and support action, and no matter how uncomfortable it may be, we need to get on with it,” he said. A fortnight ago, Geoff attended an event put on by women’s refuge Orana House and Soco Realty, which helps match compassionate landlords with families escaping domestic violence. Fresh from hip surgery, he had to hobble up a flight of steps on crutches to get to the event. But he did it. He showed up. Now it’s your turn.