Allison Baden-Clay’s parents call on Australians to strive to be kind
The parents of Allison Baden-Clay are encouraging Australians to strive to be kind in honour of their daughter, five years after she was murdered by her husband.
Allison’s family and friends are calling on Queenslanders – and Australians – to perform random acts of kindness and speak out against violence throughout July in memory of the mother-of-three.
Allison’s parents Priscilla and Geoff Dickie launched the sixth annual anti-domestic and family violence campaign Strive To Be Kind on June 30, the day before what would have been their daughter’s 49th birthday.
Allison’s body was found on a creek bank 13km from her home on April 20, 2012. Her husband Gerard, who reported her missing, was later found guilty of killing his wife.
“We hope that this campaign will plant the seed of respect, tolerance and empathy,” her sister Vanessa Fowler said, who now finds herself educating the public about domestic violence, on behalf of the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation.
Priscilla and Geoff hoped the campaign would help spread positivity throughout the community and ensure their daughter’s memory will live on.
“As parents we’re extremely proud and we think it’s just something that will make women think, and men,” Priscilla said.
The grandparents also recently opened up about parenting their three granddaughters.
"It's exciting for us to do it the second time around. We've already been through it once and now we're doing it the second time ... a lot of people don't get the chance to do that," Geoff said.
The couple, in their mid-70s, have been through hell and back in the last five years but still manage to be positive and excited about their future with their three darling granddaughters, now 10, 13 and 15.
Thrust into the spotlight in horrible circumstances, Allison’s family have turned a nightmare into something positive.
Strive to Be Kind Day will be held on July 28. The day encourages everyone to wear yellow, Allison’s favourite colour, and to perform small random acts of kindness.
The Allison Baden-Clay Foundation aims to build a Queensland community that acknowledges the prevalence of domestic and family violence and seeks to create a Queensland that is committed to eliminating and taking concrete action to stop domestic and family violence.