Former Lismore City Council Mayor Jenny Dowell OAM, has invited the community to come and walk a course with her, to raise awareness for suicide prevention, and support for family and friends of those who have chosen to end their lives.

September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day which is why Jenny has chosen this date to undergo the walk, which she has broken into 3 parts, so she says "anyone, and everyone can participate. The first part is short, and flat and can be done with walking aids if needed, everyone is welcome".

"The second part, a total of approx 4.5km incorporates the Birdwing Butterfly part of the walk, and the whole 9km can be done via footpath if required, though may need some logistical road crossing, no major roads (ie Ballina Rd) require crossing."

Jenny’s 9km walk will start at Kadina Park Goonellabah at 3pm on Sat 10 September. It will end at the park 5-5.30pm. At the start and end, there will be a circuit of the park.

(There are some steep bits on the whole walk but it is all on paths and one quiet street)

There are several options if you don’t feel able to walk the whole 9km

- Walk one or two laps of Kadina Park (500m or 1km) 

- Walk one lap of Kadina Park, then walk to the Platypus viewing platform in Birdwing Butterfly Gully and back with another lap of Kadina Park (4km)

- Leave the walk at any stage to return to Kadina Park

The walk is mapped here:

Lismore is a particular hotspot in Australia, for suicide, among others. Jenny is a board member of the Northern Rivers Suicide Prevention and Awareness Group (NRSPAAG) which you can read more about here: Northern Rivers Suicide Prevention and Awareness Group here to support, and she says "Lismore even pre-floods was an area of concern. Post-floods I feel it's important to raise awareness and offer a space full of care and compassion, to hopefully bring suicide and fragile mental health into the light and out of the shadows".

NRSPAAG is encouraging people to join the walk by stating on their social media:

"Sadly, over 3,000 Australians lose their lives to suicide every year. These people are our family, friends and loved ones".

"Our goal is to raise funds to support Lifeline's suicide prevention services to save lives".

"Together, we can ensure that no one has to face their darkest moments alone".

Awareness following a disaster is critical for our community to support each other, with severe mental health effects often seen only at the 2 year mark.

"Only 7% of the community reach out to a mental health Service after a Natural Disaster" says Jean Renouf a lecturer at Southern Cross University. This highlights the importance of removing stigma and barriers to accessing mental health support.

"Some of the community members who worked in flood response, didn't even recognise themselves, that they were suffering with trauma after the floods, until we (Resilient Byron) supported the unpacking of their experience."

The walk can be joined by anyone who wishes to attend, no registration is required, as it's an informal event, however, people can register if they choose, to be a part of the team Jenny has started by going to: https://www.outoftheshadowswalk.org.au/fundraisers/nrspaaggroup

Due to the nature of this walk, people are required to bring anything they may need, such as water bottles. Lifeline may attend, and people are encouraged if they can, to donate to support their 24hr service for anyone experiencing mental anguish or mental health concerns. Donations can be made by going to:

If this article has brought anything up for you, please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14 (open 24hrs a day, 7 days a week) or Beyond Blue via their website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au or over the phone 1300 137 934.

If you have concerns for a loved one, you can call: 1800 011 511

Or attend the Safe Haven walk-in mental health service, located in the Quad carpark, it's a free service for everyone in the community, no referral is needed.