Why TBMM Be Kind?
Support for families left behind
When family violence takes a life, the immediate family - parents, siblings, children - are left behind to navigate overwhelming grief, practical challenges, and a system that wasn't built for them.
In Central Queensland, there's a gap: No dedicated face-to-face support, and no place to turn when you're the one left holding the unbearable weight.
TBMM Be Kind is working towards filling that gap where we can. We're here for:
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Parents who've lost a child to family violence
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Siblings who've lost a brother or sister
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Children who've lost a parent
From grief to action – a sign of hope
In August 2023, Gerry and Anmaree Black lost their only child, Tayla, and her daughter, Murphy Margaret, to a tragic act of family violence in Rockhampton.
In the weeks after losing Tayla and Murphy, Gerry and Anmaree were driving to an appointment across the bridge in Rockhampton. They found themselves wishing for a sign from the girls, something that said 'hey Mum', and something that might give hope to someone else crossing that same bridge – metaphorically and physically.
When they saw a bumper sticker, Anmaree said to Gerry that she would love to see her girls on the back bumper of cars – and the idea stuck. It grew as Anmaree was talking with Meg and Rach, Tayla's good friends – they remembered together that Tayla used the phrase “Be Kind, Always” everywhere on her social media and everything she wrote, from cards to notes. Anmaree used to tell her to “calm down about it” but looking back, she understood what Tayla had been trying to say.
The words "Be Kind" that you see on all TBMM merchandise is taken from a card Tayla actually wrote. Every birthday, Christmas and special event days, Tayla wrote the most heartfelt cards to family and friends.
That handwriting is hers.
From one bumper sticker to a movement
The bumper stickers were just the start. Over one Easter weekend, a local business, Menswear Direct lent Anmaree and Gerry a printing press and they made some stubby coolers. Then they made a shirt.
Friends started requesting shirts, and Anmaree hand-pressed each one. Word quickly spread, as it does in a community.
Norths and Brothers, local rugby league teams, kindly organised a Be Kind Rugby Round, and more shirts were needed. Menswear Direct supplied them at cost price. The range grew to include bracelets, tote bags and candles. Revamped Treasures, a local candle maker, created three scents: one based on Tayla's favourite perfume, one for Murphy, and one called Our Pink Angel.
What began as a personal memorial has become a community-wide initiative. Local businesses stepped forward: Sargent Signs prints the stickers. Menswear Direct continues to order shirts at cost price to maximise what goes toward helping families. D's Fine Jewellery stocks merchandise in her shop. Wink for Hair stocks merchandise and supports events.
TBMM Be Kind Inc. is now an incorporated association run by a volunteer committee, working towards charity and DGR status. At its heart, it will always be a family and a community refusing to let Tayla and Murphy be forgotten, and working so that other families won't face this grief alone.
We want Tayla and Murphy's names remembered. And we want every family affected by family violence to know they're not forgotten, and they're not alone.
The TBMM Be Kind team
TBMM Be Kind Inc. is run by a volunteer committee of family and community members committed to honouring Tayla and Murphy's memory.
Anmaree Black
Co-Founder
Gerry Black
Co-Founder / President
Meg Van Hese
Treasurer
Cheryl Peacock
Secretary
Julianne Peacock
Social Media Coordinator
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