A local domestic violence victim has been remembered with a memorial bench installed at Gregson Park in Hamilton.
21-year-old Mackenzie Anderson as fatally stabbed in front of her then one-year-old son outside their Mayfield unit on March 25 last year.
Her ex-partner remains before the courts charged with her murder.
The memorial bench was unveiled yesterday by Mackenzie’s close friend and now domestic violence advocate Alice Mcevoy.
“When we lost Mackenzie, I was so touched by how many people in the community felt devastated by her loss. That’s when I got the idea of a memorial bench – I knew we needed a beautiful place to be able to go to and remember her.
“For me this bench brings a lot of comfort in a horrible situation. I will always visit and remember the special memories we shared together,” Alice said.
Mackenzie’s mother Tabitha Acret was also there to help unveil the bench and said it is important we continue to remember all of the victims who aren’t here.
“We can’t stop saying their names. We need to talk about what happened so we can hopefully save other women’s lives.
“Having the chair gives us somewhere as a family to sit and reflect. We spread Mackenzie’s ashes in Byron Bay so we can’t visit as regularly as we would like, so this gives us a place locally where I can go and take her son to feel like we are always keeping her in our memory.
“Mackenzie would be so proud of Alice and the work she is doing to keep her memory alive, and fighting for the safety of women,” she said.
The memorial seat was funded by Newcastle family Jan and Frank Bynon and domestic violence charity Got Your Back Sista, while City of Newcastle approved the location of the seating and assisted with the installation. The memorial seating can be found on the western boundary of Gregson Park, near the Samdon Street entrance.