It has been six months since Hannah Clarke and her three children were murdered on a suburban Brisbane street.
To Lloyd and Sue Clarke, the day they lost their daughter still feels like yesterday.
But despite the unimaginable tragedy they have endured at the hands of the man they oncecalled their son-in-law, the pair are determined to save not only the lives of domestic violence victims, but also those who inflict it.
On the eve of the six-month anniversary of Hannah, Laianah, Aaliyah and Trey's death, they revealed the Small Steps 4 Hannah foundation would work with offenders.
"Perpetrators are still human," Lloyd Clarke said.
"Maybe if we can get into their minds and find out why - why they need to go so far with this - we'll be able to turn things around.
"There's got to be answers there."
Small Steps 4 Hannah Foundation executive chair Laura Bos said Lloyd Clarke had spent time with Hannah and her children's killer, Rowan Baxter, in the lead-up to their deaths in a bid to help calm the escalating situation.
"There is a recognition that there are two sides to this that need to be managed and supported so that we can change the outcomes," Bos said.
"This is the act of a man who believed he owned his children and wife, that they were objects to be controlled." Photo / Supplied
"We don't want Hannah's story to be everyone's story."
Brisbane City Council lady mayoress Nina Schrinner, the foundation's first patron, said despite their grief in recent months, Lloyd and Sue Clarke had taught her about love and selflessness.
"I think that they're going to be in a position to not only deal with victims of domestic violence but also, and more importantly, to deal with perpetrators, so we never have another Rowan Baxter who feels that is an option to do what he did," she said.
The Small Steps 4 Hannah Foundation will also soon start lobbying for coercive control to be recognised as a criminal offence.
Bos described it was one of the most insidious types of domestic and family violence.
"It's financial control, it's the 'where are you going now', it's the control over your mobile phone, it's who you contact, it's the isolation from families," she said.
Bos said she wanted Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to commit to working on the new laws in the lead-up to October's state election.
"It's something that the government committed to back in February," she said.
"We certainly are keen to ensure that she fulfils her commitment to Queensland and to the family, to look at coercive control legislation."
Lloyd Clarke said some of the other work surrounding coercive control was to educate young people about what healthy relationships looked like.
"They don't have to be like mum or dad, how they react," he said.
Lloyd and Sue Clarke were to spend August 19 with Hannah's best friend from school and two of the investigating police officers.
They have already endured several milestones since their daughter and grandchildren's deaths, including two birthdays.
But with plans to open a memorial in honour of Hannah on her birthday on September 8, Sue Clarke said she hoped it would bring some light to an otherwise tragic day.
As for how they're continuing to move forward, Lloyd Clarke said it was a case of "doing the old John Wayne".
Hannah and her three children died on February 19 after Baxter jumped into her car as she was driving them to school, dousing them in petrol and setting them alight, before killing himself.
Soon after her death it was revealed Hannah had heroically given police detailed interviews about what had occurred, despite suffering burns to 97 per cent of her body.
Where to go for help or more information:
• Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz • Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz • It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz • Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and middle eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584 • Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence • National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz • White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz
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