After four years of court cases in Melbourne where her ex husband was defendant, the young mother hid out in the North East town of Rossarden.

She said her thought process at the time was simple.

“I felt like my life was threatened, so I wanted to go over some water and get as far away as possible,” she said.

“I originally wanted to go to New Zealand, but Tassie proved to be the next best thing.” 

Since then, Mrs Knowles has devoted herself to her community through her role as a Northern Midlands councillor, while also being a strong advocate for Saturday’s White Ribbon Day.

This week, she was present while Northern Midlands councillors took an oath to stand up, speak out and act to prevent men’s violence against women. Her quest for a broader understanding of family violence is not restricted to the council chambers, with Mrs Knowles also taking the time to educate her husband on the campaign.

She said her partner’s experience as someone who “had never been involved in any violence” represented a group who may not grasp the full scope of family violence.

“I hadn’t known him very long, and we were sitting watching TV when a story came on about a woman who had been assaulted as a child but had come forward to speak out as an adult,” she said.

“His reaction was ‘look at things people will say to get on TV’, and I just thought ‘wow’.

“He’s a great guy and he completely understands now, but it’s people like him, who haven’t had this issue to confront them in their lives, that need to stand up as much as anybody else.

“It shouldn’t just be the ones who are affected, or the ones that are dragged off to court that are required to take a stand.

“White Ribbon is good because it encourages commitment across the board.”

If you or someone you know needs help, the Tasmanian Family Violence Support Service is available on 1800 608 122 from 9am until midnight weekdays and 4pm until midnight on weekends.