WHEN Kelli and Lucy Williams lost their father to suicide, they did not shy away from confronting the devastating circumstances surrounding his death.
Choosing to talk openly about the tragedy, the sisters hope to break the silence around mental illness – a silence which is often deafening in rural towns.
“We talk about Dad and the impact it had on our family and we don’t shy away from the fact there is mental illness around us,” Lucy said.
“I’m really passionate about mental health and since my dad’s suicide I have wanted to make a change and reduce the stigma.”
According to Sane Australia, suicide rates in rural and remote areas are consistently 40pc higher than in metropolitan areas.
A report on mental health in remote and rural communities found about one in five remote and rural Australians experience mental illness, but a combination of lack of access to support services, social stigma and cultural barriers prevented people from seeking help.
At just 22 and 18 years old respectively, Kelli and Lucy organised Teenage Trifecta – an interactive mental health workshop for young people and their parents.
What started as a school project evolved into a positive community event, one the sisters hope to develop further and deliver in regional centres across the country.
“Teenage Trifecta is for teenagers from around age 13, young adults in their early to mid twenties and for parents – there are sessions relevant to each age group,” Lucy explained.
“Lisa Bondarenko, a counsellor from Adelaide we have become quite close with, has the rights to the program and offered me the opportunity to take it on.
“Mum and I were chatting and I didn’t know what to do for this school project and Lisa suggested I organise Teenage Trifecta – it snowballed from there.”
The first Teenage Trifecta event was held in Penola in June and attracted around 60 participants.
“Lucy is the face of the event and I’m sort of the backbone – I help organise everything,” Kelli said.
“We held the first event on a Sunday afternoon, it was tricky trying to find a day that suited most people, but we were really happy with the turnout.”
Guest speakers included fitness model Fatima Ingles, dietitian Erin Reberger and Ms Bondarenko, each presenting sessions about mental health, healthy eating and exercise.
“It went really well – with Kelli’s help everything ran smoothly,” Lucy said.
“We want to deliver it all over, but it’s been a busy year for both of us,” Kelli added.
“I’ve been at uni studying social work and Lucy is finishing Year 12 – it’s not exactly on the back burner, but it’s not our priority at the moment.”
Kelli is completing her social work degree at Uni SA’s Mount Gambier campus, while Lucy prepares for her Year 12 exams at Tenison Woods College.
“I’m very passionate about mental wellbeing too and my degree ties in with what we deliver through Teenage Trifecta,” Kelli said.
“At this stage I want to pursue a career in social work – I want to help people somehow.”
Lucy said she was still evaluating her post-high school options.
“I’m still not 100pc sure what my plan is – I’m deciding between a couple of uni courses at the moment,” she said.
“I’m not sure whether I should take a gap year or not.
“I think I’ll see how this initiative goes between now and early next year – that could be a deciding factor.”
If the determined duo was to roll out the workshop on a larger scale, they would have the support of all three health experts who helped to deliver the program in Penola.
“Lisa, Fatima and Erin have indicated they would still be involved and still present the sessions on self esteem, exercise and eating for a healthy brain,” Kelly said.
“We would be the ones who organise everything behind the scenes – arranging dates and locations in small towns, hiring spaces and marketing the workshop to locals.”
Lucy said there was no shortage of interest, with a number of people approaching her since the success of the first Teenage Trifecta.
“I’ve had lots of phone calls and text messages from people across the region,” she said.
“I’ve been too busy this year with school, but I hope we can make it happen soon.”
Reflecting on the tragedy that motivated the initiative, Kelli and Lucy said it was their mother who had inspired them to take action.
“Ever since it happened, Mum has always said ‘we have to make a positive out of a negative situation’,” Kelli said.
“This program might not help everyone, but if it helps one or two people we will be really happy with that – that’s definitely our motto.”
A local ceremony for International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day was held at Mount Gambier’s Vansittart Park yesterday.
The annual event is held to support those bereaved by suicide and promote suicide prevention.
Call Lifeline on 131 114 to access 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
