“ARE you going to kill yourself?” It was a grave question to be asking over the phone, but fortunately the answer at the other end of the line was a decisive no. The country bloke was, however, full of grief and burning questions. In two weeks he had lost two mates to suicide, and he needed someone to help him ... Read More »
THE Federal Government is considering ordering a royal commission into veteran suicides, but high-ranking returned officer Kel Ryan says the proposal would be unwarranted and costly. Lt Col Ryan, a Vietnam War veteran and parishioner from Goodna, has been involved in veteran issues for more than 30 years, and said during the last two decades there have been many studies ... Read More »
IN 1996 Philip Nitschke tinkered in his shed in Coolalinga, just outside Darwin in the Northern Territory, working on a customised contraption that would become known as “the death machine”. One of Mr Nitschke’s patients would be the first to use it – delivering their own deadly injection – in the world’s first legal case of euthanasia, in the Northern ... Read More »
SUICIDES of Aboriginal Australians as young as 11 are placing enormous financial burden on the indigenous community, Murri Ministry co-ordinator Ravina Waldren said. “There are huge costs associated with burying our loved ones,” Ms Waldren said. “We’re looking at around $9000 every time some of our young people are suiciding, and families are grieving already without having to worry about ... Read More »
CLAIMS of male privilege should fall on deaf ears after recent data demonstrates a heartbreaking trend among Australian men. In 2017, the number of deaths from suicide in Australia was more than 3000. Of those deaths, three-quarters were men, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 people was 12.7 in 2017, compared to ... Read More »
HIGH school teacher Elizabeth Chilnicean knew something was wrong when a student started isolating himself from his peers. He was by her standards a well-behaved student who associated with a healthy group of friends that maintained positive relationships with their teachers. Then he started showing problems focusing in class, displaying a lack of emotions and not spending time with his ... Read More »
WAITING for the 8.18pm bus in the CBD I was reading a novel when “Jack” approached me asking how long until the next bus, “Twenty-five minutes to go,” I said. “Ah, right,” he paused, then said, “sometimes it’s so hard to keep on going I feel like ending it (mentioning a suicide method).” In that moment I had a choice – keep on reading and pretend I hadn’t heard his last comment or actively listen. I ... Read More »
TOWNSVILLE leaders have come together to officially launch the Bishop Michael Putney Fellowship. In 2014, the Tropical Brain and Mind Foundation was formed and launched locally in response to the growing statistics of mental health, mental illness and suicide rates in North Queensland. The foundation aimed to raise funds to engage research into this area, in particular some of the ... Read More »
IN the rural South Burnett region, death from suicide has been almost double the rate compared to Brisbane. The region is in the north of the Brisbane archdiocese, yet it is lacking in the vital services– psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health nurses – which can help reduce self inflicted injuries and deaths Between 2009 and 2013 there were 18 deaths ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
