Lifeline training locals to help NSW drought towns in crisis
Drought-impacted communities are saving their own thanks to a new Lifeline program teaching locals to identify those most in need.
NSW
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Its official title is Gatekeeper but the unofficial motto is “mental health by stealth” — a groundbreaking program to help farmers in crisis.
Lifeline Central West CEO Stephanie Robinson said it trains regional community members, such as publicans, store owners and stock and station agents to spot struggling farmers and start to help them.
“The sun goes down, (we) have a campfire … that’s when real conversations happen,” said Robinson. “That’s when we get really good intelligence — who are you concerned for, how can we support you?”
About 150 Gatekeepers are now in Forbes, Tarana, Bathurst, Nyngan, Orange, Oberon, Blayney and Dubbo, looking out for the community and also looking to identify future Gatekeepers.
One of these is Bathurst’s Vicki Wilson, proprietor of Town & Country Rural Supplies for the past 26 years and a former Citizen of the Year.
“I went in there recently and Vicki had one of her reps there,” Ms Robinson said.
“He was talking about how people open up and said: ‘Sometimes I don’t know what to say’. Vicki chimed in: ‘This is why you need to get skills in this area, because you guys are out there, you’re travelling around, you’re seeing them. You’re in the prime position to notice’.”
Wilson and two staff members completed the one-day workshop five months ago and said they use their knowledge daily.
“I used it yesterday,” said Ms Wilson. “I spoke to a person involved in a situation and told them to contact a family member and to contact Lifeline.”
Ms Wilson also runs regular store events encouraging farmers to town, including screening the Melbourne Cup this Tuesday.
“We’ve always been known as quite a personal business,” she said. “Owning and operating a rural business, we’re not just a sales business. We’re actually a bank and a counselling service, because we’re seeing it every day.”
Aidan Keough’s township of Tarana suffered “a brush with suicide” 18 months ago. As captain of the local fire brigade, Keough didn’t know what to do.
He does now as a Gatekeeper trainer. “I got myself trained up because I’ve seen the power of having the knowledge and confidence to help people,” he said.
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Mr Keough saw Gatekeepers step in just weeks after one workshop to help someone having suicidal thoughts. Robinson also received a call from a publican less than a month after training. “The publican told me about a very regular fella who comes in,” she said.
“He was wearing his Sunday best, he fixed up his tab, he was a bit more heartfelt in how he said goodbye. She said: ‘Everything in me just went, my training, my training’. They ended up doing an intervention.”
Ms Robinson said this pilot program, funded by Woolworths drought donations, could spread nationwide. On the wish list is a purpose-built trailer, with a camp kitchen, swags and camp chairs, because she said people open up over billy tea or a beer.
“People — unfiltered — will cry, they’ll share … it’s really powerful,” she said. “That’s what we’d be really keen to use funding towards.”
Stand with drought-affected communities by donating to these charities at your local Woolworths store: the Salvation Army, Rural Aid, Foodbank or Lifeline.
FIVE WAYS TO HELP
1. Don’t worry about your exact words, just ask how they are
2. People won’t remember what you said, only how you made them feel
3. Instead of noting who’s at an event, ask yourself who’s missing
4. Trust your instincts; if you’re worried, call, stop by or tell someone else
5. Look out for changes in behaviour
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