The pain from one family’s loss from the suicide of a 16-year-old boy last month has been felt by many others in Benalla.
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In the offices of politicians, at businesses and in schools, the question asked by members of the community, who aren’t just reacting to one tragedy but several, is where do they go.
Benalla mayor Justin King said the issue of mental health services available had been brewing for a while.
“There is a gap in our mental health services … that gap is people just don’t know where to go to, who to go to, what services are in our community,” he said.
The Benalla council has invited Victoria Police, Benalla Health, Benalla P-12 College, FCJ College, the Tomorrow Today Foundation and other groups to a round-table discussion about mental health services on April 26.
Cr King said the point of the first meeting, was for the organisations to identify gaps before holding an open community forum on May 10 followed by the creation of a report which would be used to lobby the federal and Victorian governments for a facility.
“We’ll be focused on this and ensuring we can get something, either a financial commitment or some type of commitment from the governments,” he said.
Twenty-four-year-old Zach Blake was born and raised in Benalla, on and off, and knows first hand the struggles of living with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts in a regional town.
The young man attempted suicide three times, including once when he was in high school, but said he finally found the right level of support and help he needed, although it often required driving to Wangaratta.
Together with Euroa MLA Steph Ryan and Primal Gym owner Scott Upton, Mr Blake wants to make a difference.
The young man wants to share his experiences with school-aged children so they know there is always help.
Mr Upton, who lost his brother to suicide, started a gym last year to try get enough money to start his own not-for-profit one day.
He said a lack of services meant he had been juggling running his business while trying to help people.
“This is about getting the resources to identify what we want and how we’re going to go about getting it up and running,” Mr Upton said.
- If you or anyone you know has been affected by suicide you can ring Lifeline 131 114 or SuicideLine 1300 651 25.