SUICIDE MEMORIAL SERVICE
Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES: Each year Wesley Mission holds a special memorial service at 12 noon on the boardwalk of the Sydney Opera House to remember people who have died as a result of suicide and to support those touched by such tragedy. The service is short but very moving. People who attend the service have the opportunity to cast a sunflower into Sydney Harbour as an act of remembrance for individuals who took their own lives. This year we invited celebrities Caroline Jones, Jessica Rowe and Paula Duncan to participate in the annual LifeForce Suicide Memorial Service, which was held on Thursday 12 August. They are three well-known faces from the Australian media and entertainment industries and they all share one thing in common: each has been touched by suicide. Their backgrounds and stories are very different. Caroline Jones is a distinguished journalist, elected one of Australia’s 100 living legends, broadcaster and presenter of the ABC television series Australian Story; Jessica Rowe is a Network 10 news presenter and LifeForce ambassador; while LifeForce patron Paula Duncan is a renowned Australian actor and entertainer.
This year more than 300 people, many of whom have lost a loved one to suicide, gathered to hear the words “You are not alone.” During the past eight years Wesley Mission LifeForce has trained more than 12,000 people across Australia to identify the signs of suicide and depression, and how to take preventative action. It also empowers communities to recognise when someone is depressed and how to respond appropriately. In Australia seven people die every day from suicide. Recent research shows that these figures represent a higher cost to lives than does the road toll and deaths as a result of homicide. The effectiveness of training people in rural communities in how to identify potential suicides is evidenced by the fact that after years and years of annual increases in the rate of rural youth suicide we have just experienced five years of decrease. However, the number of suicides among males aged 25 to 44 continues to grow.
The LifeForce Memorial Service is open to all who have been touched by suicide. The service enables the unspoken subject of suicide to be acknowledged publicly while supporting those who are aggrieved. Many of those who attended the memorial service commented on how moving they found the service and the sense of support they experienced. Scores of people sought counselling from pastoral staff and councillors. Wesley Mission LifeForce Prevention Program is playing a significant role in helping to reduce the number of Australians who die by their own hands. The memorial service is a safe place for people to grieve for their loved ones whose lives were cut short by suicide. The means by which they have taken their lives make it extremely difficult for the aggrieved to seek solace. As a community we must let people know that they are not alone. For the last year we have records, 2,454 people ended their lives prematurely by suicide. However, for every one who succeeded another 30 people attempted to end their pain by killing themselves—75,000 people every year in Australia.
Every day in Australia approximately seven people complete suicide and 210 attempt suicide. The impact of suicide will be evident for generations of Australians. We must stop living in our silos and start talking to our neighbours, the people who are dear to us. In talking openly about our grief and pain we are ultimately giving permission for others around us to talk about their pain and grief, thus saving so many people from taking their own lives. Unfortunately, there is a dramatic increase in males aged between 24 and 40 who commit suicide, and that is something to which we are turning our attention. Male suicides outnumber female suicides four to one. Linking together in our sorrow and grief demonstrates to everyone that suicide is a community issue that does not need to be hidden. It also emphasises the important role that communities play in acknowledging the grief suffered when we lose a loved one. Too often we think, “I’m only a mother” or a father, a brother, a sister, a friend, a workmate, but together we can make a difference supporting each other in pain and sorrow. As they said at the LifeForce Memorial Service, “You are not alone.” 02 September 2004.
