In 2009, NSW police officers in bulletproof vests trained their lights and drew their guns on the car of a constable whose mother had told the service something was not right with her son.
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The young man with post-traumatic stress disorder, alone in his car, then ended his life with his own firearm.
Nearly 10 years later in Canberra, a sergeant became the fourth Australian Federal Police officer to take their own life in 18 months.
These two tragedies were highlighted during the recent Senate inquiry into the mental health of emergency service workers and volunteers to reflect how little has changed over the past decade.
What we do is not a normal job, we are there to help those Australians who are having the worst or last days of their life, and we do it because we care
- Firefighter
On Tuesday, June 18, representatives from police, ambulance, Fire and Rescue, State Emergency Service and the Australian Army will gather for Albury's inaugural First Responders Mental Health Symposium.
Support groups like Lifeline and headspace will also contribute as participants aim to push through the traditional silence that can accompany the pressures facing those first on the scene.
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The Senate inquiry, whose bipartisan report The people behind 000: mental health of our first responders, was released in February, heard while the number and severity of traumatic events was the biggest factor in mental health conditions, next came how people were supported after such experiences.
As Border paramedic John McCormack, the organiser of Tuesday's symposium, points out "we know that things can get better if we are provided with ongoing comprehensive mental health care and early intervention, that's what we're trying to achieve".
The booked-out forum in Albury hopes to come up with ideas and actions about what can help people who often witness the unthinkable but can't, and won't, turn away.
Whatever the outcomes, a dedicated event on such issues is in itself a positive, just as the Albury-Wodonga Winter Solstice gathering on Friday, June 21 will shine a light on mental health and the silent grief of suicide.
Talkfest is a term that gets thrown around disparagingly, but sometimes the best thing we can do is start a conversation.
- If you or somebody you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14
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