Ribbons in honour of Charlene Aubichon will be available at the domestic violence awareness walk. (submitted photo/Cheryl Bear)

By Elliott Knopp

Memorial Walk

Local family hosting domestic violence awareness memorial walk

Oct 20, 2021 | 6:09 PM

A local family is hosting a memorial walk with the intention of raising awareness around the severity and frequency of domestic violence.

Earlier this year, Charlene Aubichon and her estranged husband, both teachers from Flying Dust First Nation, died in a tragic case of interpersonal violence that ended in a murder-suicide.

Nearly two months after the senseless tragedy shocked the community, the family is returning to the public eye to facilitate change and prevent similar incidents from occurring.

Cheryl Bear, one of the event organizers and a relative to Aubichon, said the walk represents a crucial step in helping eliminate acts of violence in the community and educating people on what resources are available in similar situations.

“It’s crazy how much domestic violence affects people, and yet, there’s still some people who really don’t talk about it, share what they’re going through or get the help they need until it’s too late,” she said.

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The walk is planned for a start at the Meadow Lake RCMP detachment with the walk coming to a conclusion at Lions Park, the site where Aubichon lost her life.

Bear shared she hasn’t returned to the site since the incident. She was one of the people close Aubichon on the day of her death. She said while she isn’t quite ready to return to the scene, she feels it will help her and her family heal.

“It’s going to open up those emotions that we’ve been pushing aside,” she said.

“People don’t want to have a conversation about that kind of stuff like it’s taboo, but we’re going to share her story, bring awareness to it, show people there’s people here you can reach out to and they’re not the only person going through this kind of stuff.”

The family of the deceased will speak on how the violence leading up to the incident affected their lives and discuss how others can approach similar situations. The walk will also have memorial ribbons available for people to wear in support of the cause.

Speakers plan on highlighting resources for the community to utilize so they are better equipped to handle incidents of domestic violence and can increase their odds of escaping dangerous situations.

The walk is scheduled to take place on Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.

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elliottknopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp