For that reason, hairdressers often find they are the confidants of clients – engaging in small talk that often leads to deeper discussions of hardship. It’s not different for Lavington’s Zoe Wilde.

But it was a conversation she had with a client of six years, who had almost died at the hands of her partner at the end of last year, that changed both their lives.

“I’d known there was something not quite right, but in the last 18 months she’d really changed,” she said.

“She said she was fine, but there was something in the back of my head.

“Then I got some really crappy messages that were supposedly from her, and when I tried to get in contact with her, I couldn’t.”

Ms Wilde didn’t realise the gravity of the situation until she happened to take her two-year-old son Benji to hospital and saw her client there, recovering in bed.

“She couldn’t really talk to me then, but when she was discharged she came to the salon and we chatted for two hours, and she unleashed everything that had happened,” she said.

“It was really hard not to burst into tears – I said, ‘You don’t deserve this, you don’t deserve to die’.

“She decided to leave and do something about it.

“I felt really relieved for her that she’d finally been honest with herself and really proud of the fact that whatever I’d said had clicked for her.”

Ms Wilde’s trust of her gut instinct – and the way she acted on it – is considered crucial action by Women’s Health Goulburn North East.

Health promotion officer Caitlyn Hoggan said a four-step process was key to reaching out to people.

“Ask the question, and if a woman discloses she’s not feeling safe, it’s really important to name the abuse – that it’s violence, illegal and not okay,” she said.

“Refer her on to the appropriate services such as 1800 Respect, and also follow up with that woman the next time you see her.

“You don’t have to have all the answers, but know the services you can refer women onto.”

Ms Wilde’s experience with her client unfortunately was not the first time her life has been touched by the issue.

“A few years ago I was in a really difficult situation; it’s quite close to home in that sense,” she said.

“A couple years ago, I organised a fundraiser for Betty’s Place, and we raised about $3000.

“I’ve just had enough of it – with everything you see on the news, it’s just too much – we need to combat this.

“I’ve taken on supporting White Ribbon because I believe in everything they are about.”

Ms Wilde is co-ordinating a White Ribbon Ball on Friday, July 28 at the Hovel Tree Inn and she is also participating in Run Melbourne to support the cause.

To buy a ticket to the Ms Wilde’s ball in Albury, go to: www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=286868&bof=1.

This is what Zoe Wilde wanted to convey, developing her White Ribbon-themed body of work for the NSW/Australian Capital Territory Hairdresser of the Year competition.

There’s five finalists in the category and all but Ms Wilde are from Sydney and Canberra, hailing from city salons with fancy websites behind their names.

Being a self-starter from the country isn’t Ms Wilde’s only point of difference to her competition; she also has different ambitions for the coveted title of hairdresser of the year.

“I’m hoping if I do take this out, I can use this title to make change in our community,” she said.

“I really wanted to create strong women in my collection, because it takes strong women to come out the other side of domestic violence.

“Unfortunately, every single person in my team for that shoot knew somebody who had been affected by it.”

After 12 years in the business, Ms Wilde will find out if she is crowned the winner in Sydney on Monday, June 12, at the Hair Expo Awards Gala Dinner.

“As much as it would be absolutely epic to take it out, I had 24 national and international judges choose me from 300 entries,” she said.

“I’m such an underdog in this – I wake up everyday and still can’t believe I did it,” she said.

They work in spaces of society where the red warning flags fly, and more employers than ever are taking up training to identify the signs.

To drive community action on the issue, the Victorian government has funded 34 projects across the state – including from Womens Health Goulburn North East.

Project leader Caitlyn Hoggan said with $140,000, her team would work to develop action plans catered to each of the 12 local government areas within its catchment.

“This is to really up-skill and educate community around how to identify violence against women and prevent it,” she said.

“This project is going to look at the nuances in each community and who the lead voices are that are passionate about this.

“It’s really exciting to see the government investing in prevention.”

Wodonga Council’s $130,000 application, to gain insight into the issue and develop community education, was also successful.

It follows council’s commitment in November to form a family violence task-force with Victoria Police and support agencies.

The Albury-Wodonga community has funded seven projects on its own, with $31,105 going to the prevention of violence through the Border Trust Big Give.

One is the “The Ripple Effect” from yes unlimited, designed to help everyday community organisations, employers and education providers  support people experiencing violence.

Client services manager Jon Park said the organisation would develop a film with Border domestic violence survivors and workers to act as an educational resource.

“The idea is to look at some of the barriers for women wanting to leave relationships, talk about peoples’ experiences and to challenge some of the myths and stereotypes,” he said.

“This is a community-wide issue, and therefore it requires a community-wide solution,” he said.

“It’s government, it’s community, it’s individuals taking responsibility.

“There’s nothing more powerful than women telling their own stories.”