It’s bizarre writing that, because 16 years is such a long time.

When we started R4R… when I first shared my story… I could say 9 years and in some way it felt more real… It felt more real because it had happened in recent memory… it felt more real because I hadn’t dealt with the scars that losing my Dad had left.

Those scars were opened when my Mum was diagnosed with Cancer and I was forced to deal with them… and despite experiencing the hardest few months of my life, I emerged stronger.

I was proud of myself, and I had this innate desire to help others with what I’d learnt. I wanted to help people like myself… but more specifically, I wanted to help someone like my Dad.

Unlocking Evangelism

Evangelism is the desire for people who feel the benefits of religion to convince others to follow their path. Loosely speaking, it’s the original word-of-mouth marketing strategy that helped religion envelop much of the world as we know it…

Running for Resilience currently offers more than 800 opportunities a year to engage with a community of likeminded people… people who hold the belief that no one is destined for suicide, and a community that’s striving toward a common goal.

We’re certainly not a religion and we don’t want to be a cult… but the combination of community, a shared belief, and a common purpose are powerful ingredients for sustainable well-being… and when you wrap it up with exercise… gee whiz

It bloody works.

When I came out of the hardest part of my life, I wanted to share the benefits of community and exercise with people… and when Benny A wrote his thank you article to Parkrun… he might have been doing the same thing.

That Canberra Times article led to me reaching out to the Dock, and from that founding run and community made possible by Benny & Shooter, we’ve stumbled across a unique recipe that seems to make us more resilient, all while having fun.

Evangelical people want others to feel the same benefits they’ve felt, and while it’s a religious term… it’s one of the main reasons our community keeps growing… because it’s being led by our community.

On the same page.

One of the things I’m most proud of is the way our community leaders have supported others to lead… not getting too big for their boots and helping anyone that wants to take ownership of R4R, do so.

We’ve been able to do this because we hold the same belief… that no one is destined for suicide… we share the same mission… to save one life from suicide, as many times as possible… and we have the same goal… to make Canberra suicide-free by 2033.

And as more people joined our community, with more people wanting to take charge, we brought in the R4R Principles: Effort | Empathy | Community | Self-Care | and Better

The idea being that if you shared our belief, mission and goal, and acted in accordance with our principles… you had our community’s full support to take ownership of R4R and lead in your own way.

It. bloody. works.

Now, we’ve got so many people looking to put their shoulder to the wheel, some are tentative to step on toes or push in the wrong direction… so another R4R evolution awaits.

The R4R Flywheel

We always talk about putting our shoulder to the wheel and I had no idea it would foreshadow what I think could be the most important tool in unlocking more energy from our community.

Benny A recently shared with me the idea of the R4R Flywheel.

When people put their shoulder to the wheel, they’re creating events, sharing stories, attracting more people to the community, and directing those people toward ways they can contribute… or toward help when they need it.

It’s early days… but gee whiz I’m pumped about it.

If you’ve got any feedback on it or how we’re going about it, please email us at hello@runningforresilience.com

Hoo-bloody-roo.

Find out more

He's the one who brokered the University of Canberra research connection, coined the motto "better, not bigger," helped get Strolling rolling, and led the early charge with the Rise Above Santa Run.

He’s one of the best and apart from all our chat about R4R, it was great to sit down with him and hear more about his work with Bravery Trek

A word from Bravery Trek

This week one of our crew is heading off on an epic journey - walking 1000km from Perth to Albany in WA along the Bibbulmun Track. Once again Murray is at it raising funds for Bravery Trust’s Bravery Trek - to provide emergency financial support, financial counselling and financial education for veterans, serving people and their families.

The trek will take 6 weeks and Murray will be joined in his final week by his partner Judy. He’ll average around 25km a day and stay in 3-sided shelters along the way or his new ultra-light tent (courtesy of Mont Adventure!!!). He’s cooked, freeze-dried and dehydrated 42 days of meals, boxed them up and sent them ahead to track towns along the way.

If you want to have a peak at the track visit www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au.

The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world’s great long distance walk trails, stretching 1000km from Kalamunda, a suburb in the hills on the outskirts of Perth, to the historic town of Albany on the south coast. It passes through the heart of the scenic south west of Western Australia.

The Track takes walkers through towering karri and tingle forests, down mist-shrouded valleys, over giant granite boulders and along breathtaking coastal heathlands. It passes through many of the most beautiful national parks of the south west forests and coastline.

The Track passes through Dwellingup, Collie, Balingup, Donnelly River Village, Pemberton, Northcliffe, Walpole, Peaceful Bay and Denmark.

If you want to donate or follow Murray, click the button below.

Donate or follow

He’ll also have a live satellite tracker so you can check in and see is progress along the way (& you thought dot watching a 100km ultra was exciting!!!

Stories from our community help strengthen the connection we have with each other, but they also give us a more believable story we can tell ourselves if we’re going through something similar.

The information is already out there… how to get through hard times hasn’t just been discovered… but annoyingly so, it seems like it’s something we all need to discover on our own…

And when we hear about different strategies from people we know, we’re more likely to listen.

Paulina is a champion of the R4R community and I loved speaking with her. It’s clear to me that she’s put so much effort in to self reflect and become better, and when she spoke about her perspectives, I couldn’t help but nod along.

We hope you enjoy this podcast as much as we did.

Normally we try and source our guests from the R4R community… but when it feels right, we look abroad… and when I came across Andrew Logan’s Instagram page about four months ago, there was something about him.

Andrew lost his son Johannes to Suicide last year… and I know you’re not meant to rank struggles, but as a father of three… it’s hard to comprehend the pain Andrew has endured…

The way he’s using his pain to both honour the legacy of Johannes and to help others is inspirational… And the way he speaks is from the heart, refreshingly simple, but incredibly bang on.

Andrews willingness to share his story has already helped many, and on September 9th Andrew will hopefully help a few more… After our Wednesday run, he’ll be hosting a conversation about supporting boys and young men before they reach crisis.

Community… Sharing Stories… it’s so much of what we’re about, and we couldn’t be more honoured to be walking the same path.

Find out more

Funnily enough, the more stories I hear… the more obvious it is that all our experiences, while different… rhyme.

How people feel, what they did to feel better, where they land after overcoming their hardship… it’s all so similar.

People will inevitably go through something difficult… they’ll do what they can to cope… and they can become a better version of themselves as a result… But the stories of how people descend into darkness is similar too.

By giving people a blueprint of how to respond when they face hardship… what they can do to cope… and who they can become by persisting… we’re giving people a pathway to becoming more resilient.

A broken record

My wife makes fun of me because I’ll often talk about how good Greek Yoghurt is… or how McDonald’s bathrooms aren’t as clean as they used to be… and as I write about the value of storytelling and blueprints for others… I’m starting to worry.

Am I becoming the old guy who tells the same story all the time?

Not yet…

A proven recipe

We’ve landed on something special with Running for Resilience.

Events that bring people together, stories that help them find their way through struggle, and referral pathways to the help they need… The reason I’m so passionate about storytelling, is because it can be done at home.

And it’s probably where it’s most effective.

Letting your friends or family know what you’ve been through and how you got through it, gives them permission to share their story when they might need to.

Not in a “woe is me” kind of way either… Just simple, down the line… this is how it happened.

It might feel uncomfortable at first, but on the other side of that conversation is a stronger relationship, and a space for someone to speak should they need to.

It’s something I’ve done dozens of times, and when the request was made, I didn’t bat an eyelid.

I knew what to say… I know my story… and I’ve done it before…

But as I shared my story… finding my way to my Dad’s death… that familiar lump in my throat started to emerge.

It had been a while between drinks and I’d forgotten how taxing these talks can be… I’d forgotten how much of a mark my Dad’s death has left on me.

It sounds stupid, I know… but it’s true.

I’ve thought about my Dad every single day for sixteen years, and while the pain isn’t there day to day… I still miss him every day… and as I found out… again… that pain doesn’t go away.

The pain I felt in last nights talk reminded me that his death was preventable… and while that pain will forever live as a tragic irony of why he made the wrong decision… his legacy is a reminder that suicide is preventable.

We never forget it, but sometimes we’re reminded of how important our community is. We know we’ve helped prevent suicides already and we know we’re fair dinkum about reaching zero suicides in the ACT.

But what last nights talk reminded me of this… the beauty of our pursuit holds that every life we save on the way to a suicide-free Canberra is worth all the effort we’ve put in so far.

But after leaning into this fear… trying to understand why I felt this way… I found that I was more afraid of two things… Losing control and dying.

By pushing where it hurt, I was able to understand that I can only really control two things… what thoughts I acted on and how I responded to whatever came my way… I also found that the more I feared dying, the more I diluted what I feared losing… life.

Going towards my pain in a sensible way, helped me overcome it.

The last time I was in Darwin

I was struck by the casual demeanour of the locals… fascinated that people would casually and knowingly relax near the water despite the ever-present threat of crocodiles.

I wondered how long it would take for me to be comfortable with being near the water… not doing anything stupid, but being comfortably aware of the risks and enjoying the surroundings… responsibly…

Read the article here

Since I first pondered this question, I’ve experienced my own version of an answer…

We moved house recently and where we live now, we’re more exposed to snakes… A former version of myself… the version that moved to this house… was hyper aware of snakes… and when we first saw them, I couldn’t stop thinking about them…

But as time passed… as I learnt more about them and what to do if you encounter them… the fear and obsession dissipated.

What this means to me?

Whether it be a fear of suicide, snakes, or crocodiles… whatever fears we hold are generally never as bad as they seem… And that by leaning into them, trying to understand them, and not letting them dictate the way we live (all within reason obviously)…

We can overcome them.

And for each new story shared with the R4R Podcast, in one of our guest articles, or in the monologue of Murray’s story below… a new blueprint is offered to our community on how to find a way forward.

We’d love to hear your story

Ideally, we’d get 6-8 people wanting to share their story in a similar format to Murray’s monologue above. Then, as a group we can help you structure your story before a filming day where we’ll help you present it.

The more stories we can share, the more people we can help. So, if you’ve got a story, please get in touch at hello@runningforresilience.com

We’re super excited to share that we now have a new performance range of Running for Resilience merch available on demand through our One Running! This gives everyone an easy way to order R4R gear between our regular seasonal merch drops.

One Running are also providing us with a community discount, which will be applied at checkout.

Shop here

They were the leading cause of death in men aged 65 and under... but in a little town called Roseto, nestled in the hills of eastern Pennsylvania, there was no heart disease to be found.

When a physician named Stewart Wolf heard of Roseto, he investigated further, finding that “people were dying of old age. That’s it.” “There was no suicide, no alcoholism, no drug addiction, and very little crime.”

No suicide?

The case study of Roseto is used as an introduction for Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, highlighting a town clearly separated from its peers, and offers a familiar observation…

That community, social interaction, and connection, were the foundation of general health and wellbeing.

Intuitively, I can’t help but feel that something is there... but at the very least, Roseto offers some inspiration.

What if Canberra can become an outlier.

We’ve already seen a 42% reduction in suicide since 2021, and our suicide rate is now 36% below the national average (7.6 per 100,000 against the national average of 11.8).

Something different is happening in Canberra.

And while humility should, and always will, remain at the forefront… I think we owe it to the mission to ponder whether R4R is significantly influencing these figures.

From day one, we have been focused on saving one life from suicide, as many times as possible, we speak about suicide directly, and we offer stories that highlight ways forward.

I think it’s safe to assume that our communities would attract people doing it tough...

With more than 50 events per month against the backdrop of almost 1000 Canberrans who attempt suicide each year, it’s possible that a good amount of these people are finding their way to one of our events… or at the very least hearing our message.

It feels a touch grandiose to say we could be having this large of an impact… But, should we be doubling down on what we know is working?

When the University of Canberra studied us, they found that best-practice academic theory is reflected in how our community exists.

Broader academic research on suicide identifies two conditions that increase suicide risk: feeling like you don’t belong, and feeling like a burden to others… and the study conducted by UC found that R4R directly counteracts both.

Canberra can be an outlier

We can achieve a suicide-free ACT, and if how we’re going about this mission continues to be validated... Hoo bloody roo.

Just. Keep. Moving.

And behind the scenes, there’s even more effort being made…

Fortunately, we’ve benefited from the use of Artificial Intelligence, and Benny A has been instrumental in making R4R run as efficiently and as sustainably as possible.

We don’t want to outsource our effort when we’re connecting with people… like writing this, for example.

We want to leverage AI on all the things that normally restrain and reduce the impact of charities, so that we can do more of what matters, show other charities how to make the most of what they’ve got, and do things we couldn’t before.

In this episode of the R4R Podcast, Benny and Yash Varma talk about exactly that and more. Yash is a Canberra-raised founder of Empress Capital (one of Australia’s first AI-focused venture capital firms) and an early investor in Anthropic.

The curiosity and passion in this conversation is obvious. It was a cracking listen, and we’re grateful to Yash for coming on.

Timestamps:

[00:00] — Welcome & intro[01:02] — Canberra roots, rugby league, and growing up between cultures[02:00] — Starting a business on his honeymoon — and building across the world[02:38] — How 18-hour days taught Yash that health is everything[03:15] — 20 years in software, coaching with Tony Robbins & Brendan Bouchard[04:55] — Discovering AI at Stanford and launching Empress Capital[05:15] — What is venture capital? (And why Empress has a different philosophy)[07:52] — How AI can help not-for-profits do more with less[08:56] — Augmenting humans, not replacing them[10:35] — Fundraise AI: a real example helping nonprofits at scale[11:21] — AI helping families navigate overwhelming challenges[12:36] — When AI goes wrong: the risks we can't ignore[13:18] — Anthropic and the Constitutional AI approach to safety[16:30] — AI's potential role in mental health support[17:20] — The Character.AI lawsuit and the teen suicide case[19:19] — CBT-based AI tools vs talking to a general chatbot[20:02] — Ben's personal experience using AI for mental health support[21:01] — Filling the gap: cost and access to mental health care[22:05] — The danger of AI that always agrees with you[23:14] — Parasocial relationships with AI and the Character.AI warning[24:00] — Why community and human energy can't be replicated[26:07] — Is AI quietly making us less resilient?[26:56] — Yash's tips for using AI well[27:35] — How to stay adaptable without getting overwhelmed[29:44] — AI is a tool, not a product to chase[30:00] — Yash's parents: using AI to help them stay at home longer[33:19] — Technology as a neutral tool: can plant trees or drop bombs[35:03] — Earbuds, wearables, and the rise of ambient computing[36:20] — Avoiding AI slop: think critically, don't follow blindly[37:40] — Give AI context — and get dramatically better results[39:13] — NotebookLM and learning on the go[43:22] — Why stepping away from the screen might be the most important thing you do[47:12] — The disconnection paradox[47:59] — Being there for people who are struggling[55:40] — Empress Capital: what they do and how to get involved

Links:

Ben Alexander — AI, stigma & mental health conversations: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-31/ben-alexander-ai-stigma-mental-health-conversations-therapists/103644542

High Performance Life (Yash's coaching): https://www.highperformancelife.com.au/about

Empress Capital (Yash's VC firm): https://empresscapital.vc/empress-capital/

Other interviews by Ben:https://open.spotify.com/episode/3zzrEDklf8xW6RbZdMgj4d?si=_ZfFEBBFTduZyiuH1JRDXg

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RurmSItoKCMhb8BWvahRC?si=BLSVH1kISgaqF-oM5rtS5Q

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1nOSSSbd6YpgALamkCV5Kn?si=DfmlQ16jQ7GxJcnIEwn4SQ

If this episode brings anything up for you, please reach out to someone you trust.

In Australia, you can:Call Lifeline on 13 11 14Medicare Mental Health Centre Canberra – 1800 595 212Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | https://www.beyondblue.org.au

After more than 250 weeks of our Wednesday morning newsletter, we’re changing it up. From this week, our newsletter will be hitting your inboxes on a Friday morning instead of the usual Wednesday.

But, we won’t leave you empty handed this morning (new article below) and we’ve got a cracking new episode of the podcast being sent out in two days time.

Hoo bloody roo!

The Path Least Taken

The hardest conversations may be the shortest route to saving lives

In 218 BC, Hannibal Barca marched his army through the Alps to fight the most formidable military power in the ancient world.

He set out with 90,000 soldiers, but after crossing the Pyrenees and fighting his way through Gaul, 50,000 remained. Fifteen days later, with the Alps behind them, only 26,000 entered Italy.

Despite losing more than two thirds of his army, Hannibal brought Rome to its knees, nearly breaking the Roman Republic.

A few days ago, when I posted about what a battlefield for a suicide-free Canberra might look like (I’ve included it at the end of this article), my curiosity was piqued and coincidentally, The Rest is History podcast fuelled my imagination.

What if there was a shortcut that no one thought was possible?

What if there was something we could do in today’s world, that could be an ambush in our fight against suicide?

Funnily enough, I think the answer lies in the example provided... what is the most direct path toward suicide prevention and what might be preventing it?

Is it the way we have conversations?

Viktor Frankl was a neurologist, psychiatrist, the founder of logotherapy, and a Holocaust survivor.

I can’t think of anyone more qualified in helping people understand and navigate trauma than someone with this level of practical and theoretical experience.

When Frankl worked with suicidal patients, he would ask them directly... “Why do you not commit suicide?”

Obviously this question was backed by a desire to help, and it’s not suitable in some circumstances, but it’s brutal nonetheless... to the point... forcing the person to name out loud, the reasons their life still holds meaning... but also, the path they need to take for them to feel like their life holds meaning.

Frankl was willing to lean into difficulty, and take the most direct path.

It’s not as scary as it seems

I interviewed Pip and Andrew on the same day... and what interested me most about that day was that the conversations were not nearly as draining as I thought they’d be.

They were cathartic.

On the other side of all the things that we think are hard to deal with, that force us to remain silent... are ways to move forward.

But shortcuts need more than conviction

Some 2,000 years after Hannibal crossed the alps, in 1915, Winston Churchill thought he saw a way to end World War One.

Instead of grinding through the Western Front, he thought he could take Constantinople, knock the Ottoman Empire out of the War, and outflank the German forces from the East.

He was completely convinced.

The same conviction and instinct that would lead to triumph in World War II formed the architecture of the Gallipoli Campaign, one that killed tens of thousands of Allied soldiers and failed to achieve its strategic objective.

Shortcuts can be more appealing than appropriate.

I don’t think a suicide-free Canberra is meant to be easy to achieve... if it was, it would already be done.

The amount of pain and suffering that suicide elicits on all sides demands it so.

But let’s be frank...

No group I know of has pursued a suicide-free society the way Running for Resilience has so far... and because of that, there’s no blueprint or map to say what path we should take…

So, is the path to removing stigma the most direct one… and, does it lie behind the conversations we’re avoiding?

With ourselves, and others.

A suicide-free ACT | A battlefield

When I was a kid, I loved watching the History Channel and learning about the strategies behind some of humankind’s biggest battles.

I’ve always enjoyed thinking about strategy, and I’ve always found the military lens interesting to apply to completely different problems.

Today, I found myself wondering what the battlefield of a suicide-free Canberra would look like.

What are the opposing forces?

What does the terrain look like?

Where are the strongholds, the chokepoints, the allies, the supply lines, and the existing infrastructure?

It’s obviously an imperfect analogy... people vulnerable to suicide are not the enemy... but viewing the challenge through a strategic lens lands us on a simple framework:

🔍 Detection
🤝 Engagement
🔗 Connection
🚑 Escalation
🛡️ Reinforcement

Running For Resilience is already applying this framework in its own way, and while this lens may be a bit... let’s say... creative...

The more perspectives we can apply to the same problem, the better we understand it.

And the better we understand it, the better we can strive to solve it.

Murray has been the guest host on the R4R Podcast two times so far.

The first time, Murray interviewed local legends Singh and Tiff to talk all things Bravery Trek, and the second time, we were honoured to have LTGEN Cheryl Pearce walk us through her perspective on Resilience.

This time, he’s pulled the rug out from under Fordy… the host of Peak 2 Soon Podcast… by nabbing Ben Wilson.

Ben is a Canberra boy living in Brisbane. He won this year’s Capital to Coast (241km) after years of building towards it, including spinal surgery, a Covid diagnosis mid-crew role, and two failed entry attempts.

Ben is also the brother of who authors the Sobering Thoughts blog, a collection of unfiltered takes on sobriety that has no doubt helped a number of people in our community.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did, and a big thank you again to Murray Bruce for continuing to put his shoulder to the wheel of R4R.

A psychologist told him to start moving again... and it changed everything.What followed was years of patient, consistent training that took him from mid-pack to winning the 241km Capital to Coast, via spinal surgery, a Covid diagnosis on the eve of his crew role, and two failed entry attempts.

He talks us through all of it, including what it actually takes to run 241km and why he believes whoever wins is simply the one who slows down the least.

A really honest conversation about movement, community, and what resilience actually looks like in practice.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Welcome & intro

00:52 — Growing up in Tuggeranong, early family life

04:49 — First steps in running — fire trails, training logs & dad's marathon

08:32 — The party years: cricket, travel & burning the candle at both ends

10:51 — 18 months sober — and why everything changed

12:38 — Moving to Brisbane, losing his network & sliding into depression

14:06 — The psychologist's advice: start moving again

16:28 — Building community in Brisbane through running

19:35 — Family, kids, and running 60km a week with a pram

21:27 — Defining success: from mid-pack to the front

26:52 — What is a Backyard Ultra?

29:07 — First backyard, breaking through self-perceived limits, 37-yard PB

30:54 — Capital to Coast: a decade-long dream

32:19 — Selected for 2023 — then sciatica, surgery & withdrawal

34:43 — 2024: accepted again, flies down to crew... and tests positive for Covid

37:06 — 2025: finally on the start line

38:10 — The training block that changed everything (+40% mileage)

46:10 — Race day: solving problems on the run (the sumo moment)

46:37 — Hitting the front by Jindabyne at 2am

50:19 — Taking the lead with 30km to go

52:03 — The women on the snow pass & a fall near the summit

55:59 — Crossing the finish line in 26:25 — in tears

58:38 — Race presentation: "whoever wins will be the one who slows down the least"

59:09 — World Championships qualifier at the AIS — what's next for Ben

Other episodes hosted by Murray

https://open.spotify.com/episode/08YNRCSAZ7WzdBrNkBzKlz

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1kRZpljsOtxObSCSyKsPzX

If this episode brings anything up for you, please reach out to someone you trust. In Australia, you can:

Call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Medicare Mental Health Centre Canberra – 1800 595 212

Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | https://www.beyondblue.org.au

In this week's episode of the R4R Podcast, Stephe O’Neill hosts the teachers behind Recess for Resilience.

Georgie MacDiarmid (Canberra Grammar), Mark Nicholson (Torrens Primary), and Mark Robson (Forrest Primary) share their perspective on Recess for Resilience and how it’s building good habits early, teaching kids to check in on each other.

I’m genuinely excited by Recess for Resilience because of the impact it can have, but also because of the excitement I can see in the teachers involved.

Like most things with R4R, the community leads it with the teachers from participating schools shaping the program to suit their kids, culture, and community.

Whether it’s a walk around the oval, a skipping session, or a game of pickleball, it’s all centred on connection… and it’s already having an impact.

We currently have four Canberra schools running the program (at no cost to the school), and we'd love more. So, if you work in a school, or know someone who does, listen to this episode and reach out.

Reach out

They unpack how a simple walk at recess is transforming school culture, building emotional language in kids, and supporting teacher wellbeing too.

From student captains to a selectively mute student finding her voice, this episode is full of real stories about what happens when connection becomes a priority.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Welcome & Introductions

01:24 — What is Recess for Resilience?

02:32 — How it looks at Torrens & Forest Primary

05:16 — Four Canberra schools now running the program

05:51 — Key lessons learned (keeping it simple & optional)

09:15 — Check-in tools: rose/thorn/banana, 1–5 scale & emotional language

13:44 — Introducing student captains

16:33 — A selectively mute student finds her voice

22:12 — What are the non-negotiable core elements?

26:36 — Why teachers benefit too: "taking off the coat"

31:26 — Student stories & feedback

36:44 — Parent responses

40:16 — If every Canberra school did this... a vision for 10 years

44:09 — How to get Recess for Resilience started at your school

Recess for Resilience: https://www.runningforresilience.com/recess-for-resilience

Previous Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmg6CZEWPgA

If this episode brings anything up for you, please reach out to someone you trust.

In Australia, you can:

Call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Medicare Mental Health Centre Canberra – 1800 595 212

Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | https://www.beyondblue.org.au

When my Dad died from suicide, I adopted a set of coping mechanisms that would hold me together for 9 years… but when my Mum was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, they were shattered… leaving me rudderless and in a constant state of fight or flight.

I found reprieve in exercise, I found support through community, and I found a way forward through writing... and as I overcame my struggle, I found other people who’d been through their own, other people who’d become stronger versions of themselves.

I was reminded of this when someone from our community forwarded an article about Winston Churchill… Not because I’m a former Prime Minister... But, because throughout the 1920s, Winston Churchill suffered from depression… finding reprieve in bricklaying and writing.

I’m sure there’s more to it, but this bloke had architected the doomed Gallipoli campaign, served on the Western Front during WWI, and understandably, this combination of failure, loss, and exposure to war, must have left its mark on him.

But… he found a way forward...

Churchill would go on to be Prime Minister of Great Britain in their darkest hour, and while his personal story can shed light on the way forward through individual struggle... I can’t help but notice something else.

Something that can help Canberra become suicide-free.

In 1940, German forces bombed London for 57 consecutive nights, aiming to shatter British morale. Throughout the campaign though, the opposite happened, seemingly embodying a previous speech Churchill made, that came to define British resolve…

His speech illuminated an identity that formed the backbone of a country... showing how strong a community can be when everyone draws strength from each other and the shared belief they hold.

The belief in ourselves and our ability to overcome and endure hardship helps us through our own struggles. And as we find other people with that shared belief, it becomes hardened and validated… providing people evidence of a blueprint that works.

As our community of people who believe in the ability to overcome grows, our belief that no one is destined for suicide also grows... and before long, it can become a culture that doesn’t stand for it.

The perfect foundation for a suicide-free Canberra.

Every time I hear about suicide, my heart sinks…
It sinks because I know the devastation it leaves behind…
It sinks because I know it doesn’t have to be that way.

Recently, I heard about someone finding themselves so close to the end.

Thankfully, they’re still with us today.

I don’t know them personally, but something in me wanted to drive to their house, give them a hug, and tell them what’s on the other side of their despair.

I wanted to tell them that the world they’re seeing is real… I wanted to tell them that I believe them…. That it might seem hopeless… But that despair can hide the full picture.

I wanted to tell them they’re not seeing the devastation their decision would leave… and that this devastation would exist because of the love that would have no place to go.

I wanted to tell them they’re not seeing the strength they have, and the pride they’ll feel once they’re through it all.

I wanted to tell them everything that I wish I could have told my Dad.

But… I didn’t drive to their house…

Because they don’t know me…

But maybe they’ll read this article… or maybe someone like them will read this article… and hopefully, it gives them the perspective they need to push forward… however they can.

There is always hope.

Christmas can be a lonely time for some… and when it rolls around each year, we’re so lucky that people like Ellie put up their hand to help keep our events running throughout the holidays.

Simply having a moment to be around others, at a time when it feels like everyone else is having so much fun… can be the perfect reprieve or circuit breaker that some need to feel better.

One year, Big Stu rocked up, and while he readily admits that R4R helped him… it cannot be overstated how much he has helped us.

R4R stands on the shoulders of our community.

From volunteers, to the people that donate their effort by simply rocking up and championing our cause… our community is the sum of contributions made by so many people.

In this episode of the R4R Podcast, we hear from Big Stu on the importance of volunteering… and with him, he’s brought Renee Watson, the CEO of Rise Above and fellow volunteer advocate.

R4R doesn’t exist without it’s volunteers and the people that put their shoulder to the wheel, and we know that other charities in Canberra are the same… so as corny as it may sound… make this year… your year… to volunteer.

Big Stu is an R4R stalwart who contributes more time, energy and care than we could ever hope for. Renee Watson is the CEO of Rise Above, a local Canberra charity supporting people and families impacted by cancer.Both Stu and Renee are passionate champions for volunteering, dedicating much of their lives to helping others and strengthening the communities around them.

In this episode of the Running for Resilience Podcast, we explore what volunteering really gives back, why community matters more than ever, and how giving your time can create a ripple effect far beyond what you might ever see.

From R4R’s Wednesday night runs to Rise Above’s work supporting local families, this conversation is a reminder that volunteering is not just about filling a role. It is about connection, purpose, generosity and being part of something bigger than yourself.

Whether you already volunteer, have been thinking about getting involved, or are simply looking for a way to make a difference, this episode is your sign to start.If this episode brings anything up for you, please reach out to someone you trust.

In Australia, you can:

• Call Lifeline on 13 11 14

• Medicare Mental Health Centre Canberra – 1800 595 212

• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | https://www.beyondblue.org.au