October is NSW ‘Mental Health Month’ and Tenterfield community organisation TenterLIFE has taken this opportunity to raise community awareness of their Suicide Prevention Network by hosting a Garden Party.
TenterLIFE brings together community members and organisations to initiate and support targeted, localised suicide prevention activities and events. They actively provide opportunities to raise community awareness of mental health and wellbeing programs that protect against suicide.
TenterLIFE is part of a national Suicide Prevention Network working in the areas of prevention, intervention and postvention from a grassroots approach to implement effective and relevant suicide prevention strategies.
WayAhead – Mental Health Association NSW (WayAhead) has been a key figure in running annual campaigns to engage the Australian community with issues of mental health. The theme of this year’s Mental Health Month is ‘We all have a role to play’, where organisers are encouraging everyone to play an important role, whether it be supporting a colleague, running a community event, encouraging help-seeking behaviours or educating yourself or others to reduce the stigma of mental health issues, including suicide awareness.
TenterLIFE has arranged a number of guests to attend and speak at the Garden Party. Local poet Barbara Smith will read selected verses from her book ‘Identity of the Mind’, while Deepwater publican Stuart Oneill will talk about the book he penned after his lived experiences with suicide.
Stuart Oneill’s book, ‘Just One Reason’, is a four times best-selling mental health toolkit which reflects his ‘lightbulb moment’ in surviving his bouts of deep depression. ‘Just One Reason’ is already in its fifth reprint, having sold over 23,000 copies.
Catering for the Garden Party will be provided by The Tenterfield CWA Evening Branch, which is being held in the impressive garden of locals Alma and John in Bulwer Street. Additional financial assistance has been granted by the Foundation of Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR).
Bookings are essential for catering purposes, closing on 23rd October. For anyone wishing to contribute but were unable to book, TenterLIFE are running a raffle which will continue until 3pm on the day of the event. Prizes include a bespoke timber bench seat/coffee table, kindly donated by Kim Simpson; 4 decorative ceramic planters, donated by Lexie Sherrin; planted succulent display by Robyn Gray from Featherstone Succulents.
The Garden Party will run on Sunday 29th October, between 10am to 2pm at 246 Bulwer St, Tenterfield. For anyone wishing to purchase tickets in the raffle, or for further information about TenterLIFE, please contact Lexie Sherrin at tenterlife@gmail.com . Tickets can be purchased by direct deposit for those who cannot be in attendance. To keep up to date with other TenterLIFE events, see their Facebook page TenterLIFE Suicide Prevention Network