Friday 11 April should have been the day that Molly Ticehurst’s parents, Kate and Tony, and her young son Nate were planning to celebrate her 29th birthday the very next day.

Instead, they travelled from their hometown of Forbes NSW to the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra in honour of Molly, who was found dead in her home in the early hours of 22 April, 2024.

Kate, Tony and Nate were joined by over 150 motorcycle riders, largely from NSW, who had convened to show their support for Molly, her family and all women and children killed through family and domestic violence.

Riders travelled from Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, Batemans Bay, Forbes, West Wyalong, Dubbo, Cowra and more.

Their intention was to send a strong message to federal politicians that Australians want to see concrete steps taken, at a federal level, to address the ongoing killing of women and children.

Ms Ticehurst’s ex-partner, Mr Daniel Billings, was charged with the murder of the young mother and childcare worker. He will appear again in court in May this year.

The ride to Canberra was organised by Mr Grant Nicholson and the Central West Riders Club in Forbes, which Nicholson founded around six years ago.

Nicholson, stated that he, and the other riders and their supporters, were there, “…to let the Government know that we need action. We are sick of lip service and talk about things being done,” he said.

“We’re calling for a national approach to bail reforms. So that no one gets bail if they are a violent, aggressive or sexually aggressive predator towards women.”

Alleged murderer Billings had been freed on bail a fortnight before Ms Ticehurst’s death, on other charges related to Ms Ticehurst.

Ms Ticehurst was the 30th Australian woman killed in 2024.

She became one of 119 women, and 20 children killed since 1 January 2024, according to Melbourne based journalist, Sherele Moody.

Ms Moody, an award-winning journalist, founded and maintains the Red Heart Campaign at australianfemicidwatch.org, which tracks and honours women and children lost to family and domestic violence.

Ms Moody spoke at the event on 11 April and emphasised that “…60% of the 119 women and 20 children killed since the beginning of last year, were killed due to domestic and family violence”.

“We are here for the right to live in peace. We are here for the right to live in safety. And the right to live without fear. We are here for the right to live. We are here most importantly for the women who can’t be here. The women whose voices have been silenced, whose lives have been erased,” said Ms Moody.

A survivors story

Teyarna Matheson knows first-hand the trauma, pain and grief that domestic and family violence brings. She shared some of her experience with those assembled.

“My journey is marked by deep pain. The tragic loss of my 9-year-old stepson Bradyn Dillon, another innocent life taken too soon, because warning signs were ignored, and action came too late”.

Bradyn’s father and Ms Matheson’s ex-husband, Graham Stuart Dillon, was sentenced in 2018, to 41 years in prison for Bradyn’s 2016 murder, and the longstanding abuse toward both Bradyn and Ms Matheson.

Ms Matheson was then only 25 years old.

Ms Matheson recounted how she was groomed, at the age of 13, by Dillon who was more than twice her age. And that by 16, she was being abused, “…in every way imaginable. Physically, socially, financially, psychologically, verbally and sexually”.

Ms Matheson was finally able to leave Dillon after seven years, and with five children in her care. “But leaving did not end the violence, it escalated it,” said Ms Matheson.

For the last eleven years, Ms Matheson has worked as a professional advocate, speaking out and contributing to systemic change.

“I’ve trained every single AFP recruit since 2018. I’ve worked with the Human Rights Commission, universities, crisis services and across government, private and community sectors,” she said.

“How many women, children and families have to suffer, before they say, enough is enough?”

Men need to stand up

Barry Merritt, a former White Ribbon Ambassador who had also travelled from Forbes for the event and is a member of their local domestic violence group, also stressed the power of men standing against domestic and family violence.

“My mother lived through domestic violence,” says Merritt.

“So, I’ve been standing up against DV pretty much my whole life.

One woman is killed every week. It’s too many.”

The sight of more than one hundred bike-riding, leather-clad Aussie men standing up against violence is a powerful message.

“It’s outstanding that we are standing up as men to say enough is enough. We want to send a strong, strong message to everyone who reads this, that domestic violence is not OK,” says Merritt.

“It’s time for politicians to start delivering on the promises they make. The lip service has got to stop. It’s a matter of life and death,” added Nicholson.

At the conclusion of the event, Molly Ticehurst’s family, including her young son Nate, laid a flower at the foot of a red heart with Molly’s name on it. It lay next to the named hearts of the other women and children killed since the beginning of last year. 

Mr Nicholson and Mr Merritt did not hesitate to emphasise that no family should ever have to do that. 

“One woman is killed every week in Australia. Men need to be better. And our government needs to be way better than it is,” they said.