MEET THE SURVIVORS

ANNETTE and stuart

When Annette and Stuart Baker lost their 15 year-old daughter Mary to suicide they were met with silence, shame and stigma. Finding little to no support for survivors of suicide they became the founders of a unique healing event, the Winter Solstice.

Now, like countless other survivors they are daily on the frontline battling for better mental health care, even as they continue to travel through their own grief.

Every 40 seconds one person around the world dies by suicide.

LISA CARTLEDGE

Lisa has lost three men in her family to suicide: her uncle, her father and in 2014 her husband, Sean.

Determined to tackle the stigma of suicide Lisa founded Beechworth to Bridge, an organisation that aims to start conversations, encourage prevention and contribute to understanding and healing.

An average of six men die by suicide every single day in Australia. The number of men who die by suicide in Australia every year is nearly double the national road toll.

JOE WILLIAMS

After a long struggle with depression Joe Williams attempted to take his life in 2012. Beyond all odds he survived and now works tirelessly with Indigenous communities to connect young men to culture, breaking down the stigma around mental health and helping them move toward healing from trauma.

Indigenous suicide is often under-reported and for Indigenous youth in remote areas, rates of death by suicide may be up to six times higher than other Australians.

CONNIE BOGLIS

Connie lost her partner, Jesse Bird, to suicide in 2017. Jesse was an Australian veteran who took his own life just weeks after losing a claim for permanent impairment. He had been pursuing the claim for almost two years.

Since Jesse's death Connie has become a passionate, unstoppable voice for suicide prevention in the veteran space.

The suicide rate for Australian ex-servicemen aged under 30 is more than twice that of men the same age.