Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of gender-based violence, rape and murder.
Today should have been Eurydice Dixon’s 30th birthday, but it’s a milestone she’ll never reach. On a winter’s Melbourne night in 2018, her life was senselessly taken, but her story must never be forgotten.
Eurydice was just 22 when she was stalked for five kilometres, attacked, raped and murdered by 19-year-old Jaymes Todd in the early hours of June 13.
An aspiring comedian, she’d spent the evening performing at the Highlander Bar before beginning her walk home – a route she knew well. As she crossed Princes Park, she sent a text to her boyfriend: “I’m nearly home. HBU?”
An ordinary, unassuming text in theory, but one that carries large meaning for women, because even a simple walk home can carry unthinkable risk. Moments later, Eurydice came face-to-face with the danger women are taught to fear.
Her body was found on a football pitch just before 3 a.m., mere hundreds of metres from her home. Todd handed himself in later that day and is now serving life in prison with a minimum of 35 years.
But today, we remember Eurydice, not her killer, and the legacy she left behind.
Her death robbed the world of a bright, thoughtful voice and served as a stark reminder of the vulnerability women face every day. She joins a devastating list of women in Melbourne who fell victim to the same fate: Jill Meagher, Aiia Maasarwe, Celeste Manno, Isla Bell, all taken too soon, all deserving safety.
After her death, Victoria Police urged people to “take responsibility for your safety.”
“So just make sure you have situational awareness… If you’ve got a mobile phone, carry it; if you’ve got any concerns, call the police.”
It’s a message women are tired of hearing, that our safety depends on what we do. Carrying keys between our fingers. Calling a friend on the walk home. Never wearing headphones. Crossing the street. Dressing “appropriately.” We’re reminded making it home alive relies on the actions we take, not the actions others don’t.
Following her death, thousands gathered at vigils to honour Eurydice and the many more women lost to gendered violence. Their message was clear: women don’t need to change their behaviour; society needs to change its mindset.
Then–Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addressed Parliament: “This is a heartbreaking tragedy but what we must do as we grieve is ensure that we change the hearts of men to respect women.
“As grown men we must lead by example and treat women with respect and we must ensure our cities, our towns, our country, everywhere is safe for every Australian to walk and work, whether it’s a park, whether it’s a workplace, whether it is in their own home.
We start with the youngest men, little boys, our sons and grandsons, which makes sure that they respect their mothers and their sisters and all of the women in their lives.”
Today, on what would have been Eurydice’s 30th birthday, remember her not as a statistic, but as the woman she was.
Friends and family described her as kind, intelligent and fearless. She was a comedian who tackled feminism and social issues with wit and empathy.
Speaking of his daughter, Mr Dixon said: “What she could have done with her intelligence and righteousness and empathy we will not see. She was a feminist, she was not satisfied with easy answers or humbug, she was not a hater. She had a plain tattoo on her arm saying, ‘this is a tattoo’. I still don’t know exactly why that is funny, but it is.”
So today, spare a moment to think of Eurydice – and all the women who never made it home.
If this story has raised any issues for you, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) — the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.
