Yet six people commit suicide in a small country town and “no one gives a damn”, Hay shire councillor Peter Dwyer told yesterday’s forum.

Mr Dwyer drove the 3½ hours from Hay, population 3500, to attend the event because his community desperately needs help and he’s not prepared to rest until they get it.

His best friend, a fellow councillor, was among six residents who took their lives in an 18-month period, along with a 14-year-old girl, a businessman in his 50s, the bread delivery man, a roustabout in his 30s and a retired shearer.

“It’s not something we’re proud of,” Mr Dwyer told the audience.

“These suicides rocked the foundations of our community. Just as we were recovering from one, another seemed to happen.

“It’s even harder in a small community where everyone knows each other and, coming off the back of drought, it was another kick in the guts.”

Mr Dwyer has been on the council at Hay for 17 years and also operates the school bus run.

Watching his community “suffering big time” without adequate support services, Mr Dwyer called a public meeting and the Community Action for Suicide Elimination group was born.

Its aim was to address suicide and mental health issues in a way that empowered the small community and gave them the tools to help and support one another given the dire lack of medical and support services in the rural region.

“At the end of the day no one gives a rat’s backside about Hay; we don’t even have a doctor,” he said.

“We had one counsellor one day a week and another flown in once a fortnight ... gee, thanks for your help.”

With the help of an anonymous donation, the Hay group sought out Tasmanian-based organisation CORES — Community Response to Eliminating Suicide — which delivers suicide intervention training and skills for community members.

The CORES program has provided services to more than 25 communities and trained more than 3700 people in suicide intervention.

“Our X-factor is our community,” Mr Dwyer said.

“We have about 50 community members trained in the one-day intervention course and our goal for the Hay area is to have 200 trained by 2013.

“Our belief is that one day of your life may save the life of someone some day.”

To this end, the Hay group is organising a fund-raising ride from Tasmania to Hay in April next year to raise awareness of suicide and to reduce the stigma.

He said his visit to Albury was part of an ongoing mission to raise awareness of Hay’s plight and other communities like his.

And he said suicide prevention began with talking.

“You have to be outspoken on this issue,” he said.

“We have to lift the profile on this, we have to get it on people’s tongues; we have to talk about it.”