A member of the Continuous Voices reference group says he was gladdened to see such passionate support from Ballarat councillors at June’s council meeting.
A $1.5 million memorial for survivors and victims of sexual abuse was last week unanimously endorsed by council, with its completion at the Victoria Park site slated for mid 2026.
“Whenever one of us spoke every councillor was looking at us and feeling the emotion in the room,” said Blake Curran.
“The words that were spoken at the official launch were more about empathy, there’s no sympathy for victims, survivors or their families anymore, it’s about the empathy.”
“Understanding what everyone is going through and how we can assist each other,” he said.
The Continuous Voices memorial is anticipated to be a place for continuing stories, healing and hope, and has been designed by Amass Architects with Ben Juckes.
The architects were selected through a competitive design process which engaged the Ballarat survivor community and relied upon research projects developed by the Creative City team within the City of Ballarat.