THE hope was for light to come out of the darkness.
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And just a week after about 600 people gathered for the Winter Solstice for Survivors of Suicide evening in Albury, a ray of light shone on the Border community.
For Annette Baker, one of the organisers of last week’s solstice event, the news Albury-Wodonga had secured a headspace centre was almost too much to take in.
“Oh wow, wow, wow,” she said.
“I am feeling very emotional; I just hope this does good things for the young people who need it.”
The Baker family, who lost their 15-year-old daughter and sister Mary to suicide two years ago, have bravely been at the forefront of The Border Mail’s Ending the Silence campaign and bid for a headspace centre.
Mrs Baker said the announcement was a continuation of the push to make this community a better place for treating and supporting people with mental illness.
“Up until this point we’ve really had nothing for young people,” she said.
“This will put Albury-Wodonga on the map in terms of having a mental health facility to give young people the help they need.”
Former Albury mayor Stuart Baker, who formed part of the headspace delegation to federal Mental Health Minister Mark Butler’s office in Canberra last year, said the announcement was “fantastic news”.
“Our case was too strong to be knocked back,” Mr Baker said.
“This community’s concerted campaign and commitment to working together pushed our bid higher up the ladder.”
Mr Baker said the announcement, on the back of the success of the winter solstice event, showed good things were happening in this community.
“This is a stitch in time,” he said.
“This will provide a stigma-free facility where youth can access help, which is exactly what we need.”
And it showed the voices of this community were being heard, Mrs Baker added.
“For this announcement to come a week after our winter solstice evening ... it’s just amazing,” she said.
As the longest night of the year closed in at QEII Square last Friday, those huddled around the fires, wrapped in scarves and blankets, had sought warmth of a different kind.
Shared understanding and the hope of healing.
A headspace centre for Albury-Wodonga is another step on that shared path.
