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In Australia’s rural communities, mental health support can often feel out of reach. But in northwest Victoria, one community is showing us how local action is transforming suicide prevention.
“There was nothing before. There was no suicide prevention,” shares Charles, who helped establish the Robinvale Euston Suicide Prevention Network.
Charles sees his community’s challenges through two lenses – as a paramedic and as a network member. Robinvale and Euston are very isolated. While they are close to bigger geographical centres, often smaller rural communities like Robinvale and Euston are left underfunded as most funding is given to bigger centres. With Wesley LifeForce’s support, this small community is showing how local action can save lives.
In an area with significant farming, Indigenous and culturally diverse populations, high suicide rates are concerning. Charles says, “Death by suicide in Australia is three times higher than road tolls (deaths) in most states… it just needs to be talked about more.”
In 2018, Wesley LifeForce tapped into the power of local connection and through seed funding, resources and suicide prevention training, they helped this rural community establish their own suicide prevention network. The network’s approach or ‘motto’ is refreshingly straightforward: ‘Supporting the support’. They gather information about where people can go to for support and offer free resources, literature and events to engage the local community.
Key to their success is local understanding. The network adapts resources for their community – creating materials that resonate with farmers, respecting cultural needs and ensuring information reaches those who need it most.
Furthermore, through Wesley LifeForce’s Suicide Prevention Training, they’re building community capability. “That’s 15 more people in the community [who] can recognise the warning signs and provide support”, Charles says while reflecting on previous training. Each person trained extends the network’s reach, creating a web of support and connections where there was none before.
The impact has been significant. As a paramedic, Charles sees it firsthand. “We do go to a lot of suicides or attempted suicides, but I want to say there hasn’t been as many. I think we’ve seen a pretty good drop in the numbers.”
The transformation goes beyond numbers. Where rural communities are often overlooked and support services feel distant, there’s now local connection.
“Wesley LifeForce helped us reach more people because they just weren’t getting support at all”, Charles says.
This model shows what’s possible when we trust communities to lead their own change. But many rural areas are still waiting for support.
“I feel like this needs to be an Australia-wide program (Wesley LifeForce)… it is Australia-wide, but it needs to be spread out more” Charles urges. “It needs to be in every community.”
Your community could be next. Contact Wesley LifeForce to learn how to help establish a suicide prevention network in your region.
