Hundreds gathered at sunset Sunday in Clyde North, southeast Melbourne, to remember Brooke Stephens, a 29-year-old mother allegedly murdered by her partner in her own home just seven days earlier. The candlelight vigil illuminated a community's grief and growing frustration with what advocates call inadequate government response to escalating violence against women.
Ms Stephens died after her partner allegedly attacked her inside their Clyde North home on July 26. Jorden Turney, 32, has been charged with her murder and will face a committal hearing later this year in November.
A Family Shattered
Family members described Ms Stephens as a beautiful, loving mother whose two young sons have been devastated. "It's really shaken the whole, entire family," said Kelly-Ann Faulkner, a relative. "She has two beautiful little boys that have been devastated by this horrific incident." The boys lost more than their mother. They lost their best friend, Ms Faulkner said.
"Her sons are in the worst place you could possibly ever think of," she explained. "They won't get to grow up with their mum; they'll go to bed every night wondering where their mum is." Another family member, Lachlan Timmins, fought through tears as he remembered Brooke as a "beautiful, loving sister" and "a good role model to those kids."
Vigil organiser Em Ross told the crowd they'd come together to acknowledge the life Ms Stephens lived and the devastating loss felt by her family, friends, and the wider community. "To Brooke's family and loved ones, we extend our deepest condolences," Ms Ross said. "We cannot begin to understand the weight of your grief, but we hope tonight shows that you are not alone." She added that each candle represented "our collective love, our sorrow and our commitment to creating a safer community."
When all 500 candles prepared for the vigil were taken, attendees began lighting their mobile phones and shining them into the darkness, illuminating the winter night in support.
Advocates Call Out Government Inaction
Family violence campaigner Sherele Moody from Australian Femicide Watch attended the vigil and didn't mince words about what she sees as systemic failure. Domestic and family violence is "a continuing epidemic in this country," she said. Ms Moody called out the state government for perceived inaction on violence against women, noting that "Victoria has got the highest femicide toll in Australia this year."
The crisis isn't abstract. Ms Moody said she's contacted by women in Victoria "every day" who tell her they're unable to access support services after experiencing violence. "We're not even remotely near where we should be to end violence against women and children in this country," she said. "It's on the state governments to step up and deliver proper fully-funded support services."
Why This Matters:
Brooke Stephens' death leaves two young boys without their mother and underscores the deadly consequences when support systems fail women experiencing domestic violence. Victoria's position as having Australia's highest femicide toll this year reveals a crisis of protection that demands urgent government action. When survivors can't access services—a reality advocates report is happening daily—the gap between policy promises and lived reality becomes fatal. The hundreds who gathered with candles in Clyde North weren't just mourning one woman. They were bearing witness to a structural failure that leaves women and children vulnerable in their own homes, the places that should be safest. Without properly funded, accessible support services and accountability measures, more families will face the devastating loss that Ms Stephens' sons now carry.