The making of Grace’s legacy
Grace Millane died at the hands of a stranger in a country she barely knew. She was no different to any other woman travelling New Zealand. She could never have expected entirely ordinary tourist snaps of a young woman’s globetrotting to circulate the world as police tried to find her alive. But Grace would never be seen again.
But while her murder, on December 1 last year, captured a nation and headlines across the globe, her family is determined to use her tragic death as a cause for good – to raise awareness of violence against women.
Grace Emmie Rose Millane was on her gap year when she was killed by a man she met on a Tinder date some time on December 1 or 2. That man, who has name suppression, was found guilty of murder by a jury after a High Court trial on November 22 and will be sentenced next February.
Since her death, her family and friends have channelled their grief to raise funds for the White Ribbon charity in the United Kingdom.
David and Gillian Millane returned home last weekend to try to pick up the pieces.
The Millanes remain devoted to raising awareness and funds for the White Ribbon cause – including through ‘‘Love Grace
X’’ handbags filled with toiletries and luxuries – for their local domestic abuse charity and ‘‘Grace’s Ribbon’’ bracelet available worldwide.
Just over a week ago, on a Friday, Grace’s parents walked out of the High Court doors hand in hand after hearing the man charged with killing their Gracie was found guilty.
Her dad David spoke to the media, saying the Millane family and friends of Grace welcomed the verdict but it would not ‘‘reduce the pain and suffering’’ they had endured since her death.
Back in Essex, Grace’s cousin Hannah O’callaghan said the family was determined Grace would not be remembered for the way she died. Instead, they wanted to do something in her name to ‘‘give her a legacy’’.
She said the idea started when they saw a social media post about filling a handbag with items for homeless women. ‘‘All of us have a handbag with everything in and we thought ‘what a perfect thing for them to have’. It helps that Grace loved a handbag as well.’’
More than 500 bags were donated to the campaign called Love Grace X.
‘‘It has been extremely difficult as a family and doing something like this is helping us get together, giving us something to focus on and it is helping others, which is all we can hope to achieve out of what we have been through,’’ O’callaghan said.
Love Grace X initially donated a lot of the handbags to Changing Pathways, a domestic abuse charity in the United Kingdom.
Its chief executive Philippa Robson told The Guardian, the bags were still having an impact as a number of women had taken the ‘‘Love Grace’’ tags to difficult court or police appointments.
‘‘When we give them to the women, it’s quite an emotional process. Just that little bit of luxury changes their day and makes them feel they are valued,’’ Robson said.
Back in New Zealand, ANZ Taupo’s senior service consultant, Ricky Wrightwebb, saw the Love Grace appeal on social media a few months ago.
‘‘I went to work and spoke to our team about the appeal and every staff member wanted to get involved. I contacted Hannah O’callaghan, Grace’s cousin, who started the appeal, and asked if we could do something here in New Zealand.’’
O’callaghan agreed.
In about two months, the bank has received 100 bags from Taupo businesses and supporters as well as people from Wellington, Auckland, Kaeo, Warkworth, Christchurch, Dunedin and Rotorua.
A jewellery company in the UK has also designed a bracelet in Grace’s name raising funds for White Ribbon UK.
Earlier this year, UK jewellery firm LL Loves, which is based in Grace’s home county of Essex, worked with her family to create a stirling silver bracelet featuring a white enamel charity ribbon in support of White Ribbon UK.
The brand said 20 per cent of the cost of Grace’s Ribbon, which retails at around $58, would be donated to the charity.