BEV & KEN WILSON
Why did you decide to join the CASE committee?
Both Ken and I joined CASE because we felt so helpless when so many of our townsfolk were completing suicide and there seemed to be nothing that could be done to help them. [one of the deaths]* was the catalyst I guess. Neither of us has a close family association with anyone who has taken this course of action.
Why is a committee like CASE so important?
It is helping as a focus point for people. Our aim is to try and educate the community on the signs to watch for with depression before it becomes suicide. It is also serving as a support group for members who have been affected personally by this horrible thing and I can see that it is helping them cope. We are all certainly becoming more sensitive to others feelings and beginning to see through the fronts we all put up.
What role do you play in the committee? Are you a point of contact for those at risk?
I’m Secretary of the committee and therefore the admin part falls to me. I chose to do this because I felt I did not have the personal issues that some members do and because it was something I could do easily. Every member of the committee is a point of contact for anyone who feels they need to get in touch. More a matter of them being able to contact someone they know or don't know, depending on how they feel about that issue.
How significant do you think it is to be able to ‘help a mate out’ and create suicide awareness in the community?
This is a huge thing we are doing. We are taking ownership of our community's problems and doing our best to solve them by training and educating the community. Our committee is gaining much support and publicity throughout the Riverina and has even been talked about by a Federal member of parliament as a group to be copied by other small towns. Helping a mate out is the background of small communities like ours - it is how we have functioned for decades and I'd doubt many Hayites would have it any other way.
What have you gained from your involvement so far?
I have attended the trainings we have held so far and found them encouraging, mind boggling and full of hope for the future. There is a positive feel about what we are trying to do which is sometimes coupled with a "how dare we do such a thing" approach. But I feel we are all growing more comfortable with our self imposed task and more confident that we can achieve the task we have set ourselves. Must confess that [one of the more recent deaths]* knocked us all about badly but we are coming to terms with this and are more determined than ever to succeed.
*Names withheld
Why did you decide to join the CASE committee?
Both Ken and I joined CASE because we felt so helpless when so many of our townsfolk were completing suicide and there seemed to be nothing that could be done to help them. [one of the deaths]* was the catalyst I guess. Neither of us has a close family association with anyone who has taken this course of action.
Why is a committee like CASE so important?
It is helping as a focus point for people. Our aim is to try and educate the community on the signs to watch for with depression before it becomes suicide. It is also serving as a support group for members who have been affected personally by this horrible thing and I can see that it is helping them cope. We are all certainly becoming more sensitive to others feelings and beginning to see through the fronts we all put up.
What role do you play in the committee? Are you a point of contact for those at risk?
I’m Secretary of the committee and therefore the admin part falls to me. I chose to do this because I felt I did not have the personal issues that some members do and because it was something I could do easily. Every member of the committee is a point of contact for anyone who feels they need to get in touch. More a matter of them being able to contact someone they know or don't know, depending on how they feel about that issue.
How significant do you think it is to be able to ‘help a mate out’ and create suicide awareness in the community?
This is a huge thing we are doing. We are taking ownership of our community's problems and doing our best to solve them by training and educating the community. Our committee is gaining much support and publicity throughout the Riverina and has even been talked about by a Federal member of parliament as a group to be copied by other small towns. Helping a mate out is the background of small communities like ours - it is how we have functioned for decades and I'd doubt many Hayites would have it any other way.
What have you gained from your involvement so far?
I have attended the trainings we have held so far and found them encouraging, mind boggling and full of hope for the future. There is a positive feel about what we are trying to do which is sometimes coupled with a "how dare we do such a thing" approach. But I feel we are all growing more comfortable with our self imposed task and more confident that we can achieve the task we have set ourselves. Must confess that [one of the more recent deaths]* knocked us all about badly but we are coming to terms with this and are more determined than ever to succeed.
*Names withheld