Mother takes own life after losing beloved son ‘Peter Rabbit’ to suicide

A mother has taken her own life nine months after the death of her son Peter ­Little highlighted indigenous suicides in WA.

Rhoda Narrier, third left, at son Peter’s funeral with his brother Tyler, left, and father Chris, second right.

Nine months after the death of 11-year-old Aboriginal boy Peter ­Little highlighted a spate of indigenous suicides in Western Australia’s north that has given the region one of the highest suicide rates in the world, his mother has also taken her own life.

The discovery of 37-year-old Noongar woman Rhoda Narrier’s body near the Swan River in Perth on Saturday has plunged her ­remaining three sons further into grief, while raising questions within the wider indigenous community about whether anything can stop the wave of deaths.

Ms Narrier’s stepfather, Daniel Kickett, 66, said drugs and alcohol were wreaking havoc on Aboriginal lives. He said suicide was unknown to him and other Aboriginal kids growing up in the state’s Wheatbelt in the 1950s but now every Aboriginal family had lost someone. “It’s so hard, it’s got to the point where you don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Mr Kickett said.

The Australian has been told that Ms Narrier was troubled for much of her adult life. She spoke freely about suicide, but in one Facebook post said she would not do it for the sake of her sons.

However, Mr Kickett said Ms Narrier was completely lost after the death of the boy she called “Peter Rabbit”.

“She was always talking about Peter,” he said. “She couldn’t get him out of her mind.

“She had a lot of troubles. She was really bogged down, didn’t know which way to turn.”

Peter’s death occurred in a succession of Aboriginal youth ­suicides across Western Australia that outpaced official data. By ­November last year, state government figures showed six Aborigines aged 25 and younger had taken their own lives in 2014 but the actual number was at least 12.

In May, Mental Health Minister Helen Morton launched the best-resourced suicide prevention plan in the state’s history. It followed a small but targeted strategy that had coincided with a drop in the overall suicide rate in Western Australia.

Ms Morton spoke about Peter as she announced the $26 million OneLife program, pointing out that it would fund counsellors with skills and experience in dealing with troubled Aboriginal children.

Ms Morton has previously ­acknowledged there is much work to be done. Figures compiled by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait ­Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project showed last year that the rate of Aboriginal suicide in the northern Kimberley ­region was as high as 70 deaths per 100,000 people, more than six times the ­national rate. The latest World Health Organisation data shows Guyana, in South America, has the highest country rate of 44 deaths per 100,000 people. Though the official rate of Aboriginal suicide in Australia is one in every 24 deaths, a researcher at the evaluation project, Gerry Geor­gatos, has put the figure at ­between one in 12 and one in 16 deaths, given the high number of suicides that are put down to other causes.

He said yesterday indigenous suicide was a humanitarian crisis. A critical response was needed, he said. “We know that the people most at risk after a suicide are family members,” Mr Georgatos said. “Those are the people that need to be wrapped in care 24-7.”

Family members are keeping a close watch on Ms Narrier’s youngest son, Tyler. The eight-year-old learned of his mother’s death from his grandmother, ­Celine Kickett, and her husband, Daniel Kickett, who have been his carers for much of his life and who were Peter’s carers for most of his.

“Poor Tyler will never get over his mum and he was so close to Peter — they went to school together,” Mr Kickett said.

He said that Tyler had not received any counselling since his brother’s suicide, though he said the boy’s school in Perth had been caring and made offers.

Police declined to name Ms Narrier yesterday but confirmed to The Australian that they were called to Bolton Avenue, Burswood, at the rear of Crown Perth, about 8.10am on Saturday. There, a woman was confirmed to be deceased.

“The death is not believed to be suspicious,” a police spokeswoman said.

Readers seeking support or information about suicide prevention can call Lifeline on 13 11 14