Suicide: It's no secret

The UCA suicide awareness campaign, “Suicide: It’s No Secret,” began in 2011 as a project of the then Moderator, Rev Rob Williams.  The name of the campaign reflects its underlying aim: to encourage people to talk about how suicide has touched their lives, rather than bottle up all the emotions that surround this tragedy and keep it secret.  Opening up and talking is the first step to dealing with this very painful issue.

Each year since 2011, Scots has held an event on the forecourt aimed to increase awareness of suicide and encourage open discussion.  Information on counselling services and responses to suicide are distributed.  In past years, the Adelaide Piano Busker, Peter Hacquoil has played for us, and we have given away fairy floss, as well as inviting people to tie ribbons on the Pulteney St fence in memory of those lost to suicide.  The event is held on or near World Suicide Prevention Day (10th September).

This year, the 10th of September falls on a Sunday. It has been decided that we will reach more people if we hold our event on a weekday so we are visible to university students and city workers. We will hold our awareness day on Thursday 7th September. The op shop will also be open, and will also have a presence on the forecourt to encourage passers-by to approach us, and to start conversations.

We have been assisted this year by a theology student, Ms Elferaan Williams, who has designed a new banner for our Pulteney Street sign board, and has done a great amount of “behind the scenes” work for the event. You can meet her on the 7th of September if you would like to join us for a chat on the day, and we are always very happy to welcome new volunteers. If you think you could help out for a few hours, our minister Peter Trudinger would love to hear from you – please call the office on 8223 1505 for more information.