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DIRECTORS REPORT:
Firstly I would like to wish all of our members, supporters and Committee a Happy New Year.
Year 2002 promises to be a big year for the White Wreath Association. In April we are holding a Memorial service in Toowoomba. In May we have the Annual National White Wreath Day.
We have been operating for two years and in that time we have been working solidly lobbying Government for changes to the Mental Health System. We are constantly reminding government that suicide/mental illness must be recognised as a serious condition, and treated like any other life threatening illness.
The recent incident involving a patient suffering mental illness who escaped from psychiatric care is a very good example of our ineffective system that is becoming worse and requires a complete clean-up. The Government is letting the patients and the community down by ignoring the cold hard facts. They talk about Community Care, Prevention, Early Detection and Rehabilitation. Our research indicates that in nearly all cases where family, victims and carers identified a need for help in all areas, none was forthcoming and so, our statistics for mental illness/suicide keep growing.
The WWA is an action group supporting victims of suicide and mental illness. We will continue to promote public awareness to remove the stigmas and myths. We will weigh down government with information and facts to make changes to the confidentiality law. Our ultimate aim is to raise enough funds to establish an in-out patient care centre for people with mental illness, where no one will be denied the proper treatment.
To do all these things we need your help and support. Lets not dwell in sorrow but do something positive with those feelings and help fight for Action Against Suicide.
Sincerely
Fanita Clark
Director
THANKYOU
To The Many Shopkeepers At Logan Central Plaza And Triple C Shopping Centre In Logan Central Qld For Donating Many Items Towards Our Raffles.
Ruth Avenell & Merle Hammill For Working Tirelessly As Our Fundraising Officers.
Bi-Low Logan Central Qld. Craig Emerson - Federal Member For Rankin. Iyv 2001 Small Equipment Grant. David Kingdom - Mainfreight. Browns Plains Hotel. Gary Heath - Kennards Hire.
Committee, Family And To All Who Have Supported And Helped Us Along The Way
The White Wreath Association Inc would like to hear from you!!
If you have any stories, would like to contribute some feedback or wish to share your personal experiences please contact us.
THE WHITE WREATH CHAT LINE OPERATES 9PM EVERY WEDNESDAY EVENING…..
The Australian Suicide Statistics for 2000 have been released by the ABS
(Australian Bureau of Statistics).
2,363 PEOPLE DIED OF INTENTIONAL SELF-HARM
(1,860 MALES / 503 FEMALES)
&
2,107 PEOPLE DIED OF
ORGANIC, INCLUDING SYMPTOMATIC,
MENTAL DISORDERS
(668 MALES / 1439 FEMALES)
TOTAL 4470
definition of underlying causes.
a. The disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death.
b. The circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury
examples of inclusion is:- Paranoia, schizophrenia, dependance syndrome (drug & alcohol), harmful use (heavy doses), depressive disorder, neurotic & stress related disorders etc etc
Suicide is still ranked In The Top 10 Deaths In Australia
2,011 People Died From Road Accidents in total
2001 Statistics unavailable?.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: THE WHITE WREATH ASSOC IS IN THE PROCESS OF RELOCATING. OUR WEB SITE AND EMAIL ADDRESS WILL REMAIN THE SAME.
If you need to contact US PLEASE CALL 0410 526 562 and we will return you call immediately via landline.
EMAILS RECIEVED:
I have read all of the letters on your website. 'There was a lot of information in them. I'm glad to see that someone cares about the lost ones in my life. If you or anyone that has written in your site has anything that would help me with my report please have them email me. Once again thank you.
Hello, I prefer not to tell you my name or address or any details where you might be able to find me……What this mail is about is I am one of those people who well you know now…….anyway I've been through your website because I am curious how organizations view suicide and what causes it.
I admit you have done a fine job but you are just barely scratching the face of suicide and why it happens……and as for awareness, that is an area where no organization is doing too well.
The problem is that everyone thinks, "my friends aren't stupid enough to commit suicide, they're smarter than that" What you and other organizations must do is somehow make your word heard……do a documentary on a youth who deals with suicide….make it so well to put on TV.
Since a lot of people between the age of 15 - 24 watch a lot of tv…..it's the best way your voice of youth suicide prevention may happen.
I myself am going to continue on with it as I have nothing left….I'm 17 and I've just lost my only girlfriend in my whole life….I have no parents…..like 3 good friends…..and live in a world where money dominates and that I cannot keep up in.
Well I'll keep checking to see if you decide to write back but I DO NOT WANT ANY SUBSCRIPTIONS
Bye or Goodbye.
WHITE WREATH WEB SITE GUEST BOOK
Here are a few samples of comments made by visitors to our Web site.
Melbourne - Great job. Good on you.
Sydney - I am so pleased that there are those willing to speak out and take action. I lost my husband in Oct 2000, and too many people try to almost pretend it didn't happen. I feel like I have been treated like an outcast, reading the White Wreath website makes me feel real again, although I am deeply saddened that so many of us have had to go through this. I encourage the good efforts and strength of you all.
Brisbane - Hi! As a friend of two mates who have committed suicide and another mate who has mental/emotional condition, I'd just like to say that I'm so very pleased to finally see a charity organization focusing on the suicide prevention and the betterment of those sadly afflicted with mental illness. Please keep up the good work! Change must come! God Bless
Narangba - My soulmate suicided on Christmas day 2000. I miss him terribly. He fell thorough the cracks of a system that clearly does not work. Someone told me once, just because you can't see someone doesn't mean that they are not there. I wish more than anything that he was still here, but I understand why he left. He is no longer in pain and his sprit is now free. Until we are together again in eternity, I will LOVE and MISS YOU ALWAYS and FOREVER. xxx I would like to help people.
Anonymous - Suicide is one of the major causes of death in Australia. Unfortunately the signs are not always there. This website is a great wake up call for those who are, or who know somebody, suicidal. Suicide does not solve problems, it only creates them. You are doing a great job in reaching out to people. God Bless You for all your support and hard work. We can make a difference.
E HAVE BEEN RECEIVING EMAILS FROM AMERICA HERE ARE A FEW -
Hello I live in the United States of America, surfing the web yours was one of the only web sites that offered a contact. Anyway here is my question (any help is appreciated) About 4 months ago my friend committed suicide, she ended her life in a cabin rented to her and her boyfriend, by her parents. Both of them had/have troubles with drugs, her boyfriend (who is also a friend of mine) is looking to spend some serious time in jail. The investigation is related to the drug parafanalia (sp) found in the cabin. Is there any course of action that can be taken to prevent this from happening, the loss of my friend was hard enough on all of us, why do we need to lose another friend to the penal system? I realise we are from different countries and most likely our legal systems differ, but if you could offer any help or point me in the correct direction I would be in great debt to you.
Thank you
I found you on the internet. I live in the US and my son lives in Australia.
I am trying to find a psychiatrist for my son. He is in desperate need of help. He lives with his wife and three daughters. He is 26 years old. He left the US when he was 19, after being diagnosed with manic depression and schizophrenia. I was advised at the time that letting him go to Australia could be a diaster, if he were to have a breakdown. I did not heed the doctor's warning and off he went. He married an Australian girl, had children, and now he is in the midst of a breakdown. World events seem to trigger him. He was somewhat involved with the Branch Dividians in Waco prior to leaving Australia, when the compound in Waco burned, he ended up in a mental hospital. Now that the World Trade Centre and America is under terrorist attack, my son is really over the deep end. He thinks God is talking to him all of the time. He is running scared. He needs medication. He says that man's medicine cannot heal him. Here is an email he recently sent me:
Greetings all those who remember me, though I certainly made easy for everyone to forget me, as I'm pretty bad about keeping in touch. I am so sorry and will fee bad a long time for this. Forgive me. In my youth back in 1986 my life was shaped. I was to smother myself in all the ancient wisemen the 40 someodd prophets and writers of the bible. And you all will remember me being introduced to Nostradamus at a time when I read the bible this occurred at a crucial time in my young life as I learned the riddle of (the fear of the lord is the beginning of all knowledge.) which might be hard for people to comprehend. Well either way it wasn't I who decided to look at such scary things but I WANTED to know all my life, I see a day that I will lay hold on and make sure they never ever fight again, from eden to eden and with the bible really opened I will wash the filth away,,,after seeing Saving Private Ryan you would think ENOUGH is ENOUGH but if any of you remember King Nebikenezer and why God used him to destroy Israel itself which resulted of seventy years captivity . We have Daniels time……………and bla bla bla…I wish I could gather all of you now………………….1000 years of peace is the great promise in the biblical prophecies,,,,but nobody has been able to understand the riddles and poems containing specific informations about our existence and relationship with the creator. It is a record that is COMPLETE and finished. Only Jesus was able to open the scriptures in his day, he was the first the alpha his job was to end the blood sacrifice and he did on a global event. He was the first olive tree in Zach. 4 there will be a second coming as all of prophecy agrees, Matt 24….. lighting from the east that shinneth to the west, where soever the carcase lay there will the eagles be gathered together. Prophecy does promise us 1000 year of peace (thy kingdom come thy will be done on EARTH as in heaven) there is a day a dark day in which Adam (mankind) will be laid to rest. And then and only then will we receive Gods original blessings, which is to be like Jesus. Remember King Nebekenezer and how God used him to destroy Israel, now read the appeal to keep Gods judgment of Isaiah 56, I have taken the role of laying hold of the day. I love you all please keep strong, and maybe you can come over. Love will…please forward this to all my relatives I will try this again soon.
I am trying to find a doctor who can help him. He will not come back to the US. I will do my best to get him to come see you of you think you can help him. This is a nightmare. If you can help him kindly email me back and I will give you his name and phone number. If not, can you suggest a doctor that will help my son? Please help me find a doctor or give me some advice. I don't know if my son is suicidal but I fear he might be.
Thank you very much and I look forward to hearing from you.
This Refers to the E-mails the White Wreath Assoc has been receiving from the U.S.
(A recent article published in the Los Angeles Time)
SURGEON GENERAL UNVEILS SUICIDE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN
Washington_ Declaring suicide a serious public health problem, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher on Wednesday unveiled a national campaign to prevent suicide, which now claims more American lives than homicide.
"Suicide has stolen lives around the world and across the centuries," Satcher said. "Meanings attributed to suicide and notions of what to do about it have varied with time and place - but suicide has continued to exact a relentless toll."
The plan, modelled after Air Force program that by the late 1990's has cut suicide within it's ranks by half, call for a broad-based community-approach to early intervention, counselling and other services.
Praising the Air Force plan, which was developed in consultation with Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Satcher said that a national attack on the suicide epidemic comes none too soon.
More than 30,000 Americans take their lives annually, making it the nations eight-leading cause of death. Among young people, the rate has tripled since 1952, making it the third-leading killer of those ages 10-24.
There are three suicides for every two murders, and suicide kills twice as many people as AIDS.
"Only recently have the knowledge and tools become available to approach suicide as a preventable problem with realistic opportunities to save many lives," Satcher said, stressing that suicide can successfully be prevented by the combined efforts of families, schools, doctors, states and the federal government.
The Air Force confronted a frightening escalation in suicides that accounted for nearly a quarter of all deaths among active duty U.S. Air Force personnel between 1990-94, and was the second leading cause of death, after unintentional injuries.
Enlisting the help of federal health officials, the Air Force designed a program that emphasised early intervention and support services. They also trained unit leaders, chaplains and medical and mental health providers to recognize persons at risk.
By 1998, the suicide rate in the Air Force had droped from 16.4 suicides per 100,000 members to 9.4.
To be sure, the military is a closed society with "the ability to impose the kind of discipline that's not available for the public at large, "said a spokesman for Satcher. "Nevertheless, it proves such a program can work."
The Surgeon General's suicide prevention report lays out a similar blueprint of public and private actions on a national scope, identifying goals for each segment of the community.
Among other things, the report urged that teachers, clergy and doctors be trained to recognize at-risk behaviours, and that suicide risk screening should become part of every primary health care practice.
It is also called for insurance coverage of services to treat mental health conditions and substance abuse, since the majority of suicides occurs among individuals suffering from disorders.
"Our society is in denial," said Michael M Faenza, President of the National Mental Health Association which issued it's own survey Wednesday showing that as many as 8.4 million Americans have contemplated suicide. "Just as millions of Americans a decade ago were in denial of cancer risks, Americans today are in denial of the risks of intreated mental illness."
Thirty-two states now require health plans to offer some mental coverage, according to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
Satcher's report also challenged the notion that suicide is inevitable among those determined to kill themselves.
"If the general public understands that suicide and suicidal behaviours can be prevented, and people are made aware of the roles individuals and groups can play in prevention, the suicide rate can be reduced," the report said
Published May 2, 2001
NATIONAL WHITE WREATH DAY - 29 MAY
MEMORIALS:
TOOWOOMBA - Sat 6th April 2002, Queens Park Cnr Hume & Margaret Streets
With official proceedings commencing at 12:30pm
BRISBANE - 29th May 2002, NATIONAL WHITE WREATH DAY, King George Square (times to be advised)
TASMANIA - Proposed October 2002, (Place, dates to be advised)
WISH LIST
? Photocopy paper ? Paper clips (small & Large)
? A4 Plastic sheet protectors ? CD-Rom's ? 3 ½" floppy disks
? Stamps ? Avery Laser Labels (16 labels per page)
?Pre-paid 1kg Courier bags ?Staples
?Canon E31 cartridge for Canon PC950 Photocopier
?A4 & A3 hot laminating pouches (clear)
?Receipt books ?Packets of small gold safety pins (1 or 2 cm long)
From Your Brother:
Many a long year has gone by and I still see your beautiful face. If only I had taken the time to speak to you, Things may have turned out differently and I'd have you to discuss the trauma that was in you, taking place.
My heart is heavy with terrible pain, If only I'd taken the time for you to explain.
We may be apart, but that does not mean a thing. For I know that some day we'll meet and put the hurt to rest. Until that day comes I can only say God Bless you my dear sister. I promise I will try from now on to be a good listener.
From your brother……
Meetings of the WWA Inc are held at:
Browns Plains Hotel, Browns Plains Road, BROWNS PLAINS
7:00pm
Every 1st Monday of the month
Everyone is welcome to come along
The greatest ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about.
Unknown
A MOTHERS STORY
You are in a hospital bed very close to death with a fractured skull and haematoma to the brain. Your nightmare has already begun. Will you make it through your 21st birthday?
You never harmed another living soul, it wasn't in your nature, so you took your frustrations out on six bouncers in the gents toilet. The night was dark, you were 6ft 4". Your paranoia cost you early my son. What else can I say!
You come home, you try to cope. You never sleep in your room, you are terrified of it so you decide to sleep in the old caravan. Time passes slowly for you, you are restless and withdrawn . You are smoking marijuana heavily - you need help.
Things are now out of control, we have to trick you into going to the hospital, we wait outside with you in the car, an hour and a half has now passed, the medical staff still assure me the doctor will be here shortly, and you are totally out of your mind. You take off down the road. The medical staff talk to you, you will not go with them. The signal is green. The Police apply force to take you - "Please don't hurt him - not again".
They put you in the mental Health Unit and after 3 days you recognise us again. I am told they do not keep their patients in care for more than two weeks. Hopefully you will recover enough to come home. They have told you now you are on medication, you must not smoke marijuana when you leave, or the medication will not be effective. "It is up to you" I ask to see your doctor. I am told " The doctor sees his patients when he comes in twice a week, he will be to busy to talk to me, but they can tell me what I need to know." You are participating in group activities and taking your medication. "The rest is up to you"
How do I deal with this situation? I am given some pamphlets to read on mental health. You eye me suspiciously - I cannot blame you - then you key in the numbers on the security door, I am surprised, you tell me "it's ok mum, everybody Knows them." I leave.
You are a trusted patient, you walk down to see me each day at work, your mind is still paranoid, your eye still black from your injury. Seven days have now passed and you can come home for the week-end. I know you are not ready. You are home 10 minutes, the world explodes for you, you take off in your car. We call Mental Health, their reply "What do you want us to do? We cannot hold his hand for him, we have to try these things, you cannot keep him locked up in here forever." An hour and a half later they call back, you have readmitted yourself, the reason - "You are terrified of us." You are discharged a week later. There is no follow-up, nowhere for you to go. It is up to you, you cannot work, it is called "Major Mental Illness". We have not seen you for months now. I do not know your whereabouts. The Police will not help - You have done nothing wrong - "Missing Persons don't want to know about you. You are over 21, you are an adult, perhaps you choose to go missing."
A stranger comes home. We cannot help you - We love you too much - You end your torment the only way you know how - a gunshot wound to the head. There was nobody there for you.