TASSIE LEG

Too many of us have lost someone we love to suicide. Read on for info that might just help you or one of your mates.

- Doc

There’s an old saying that ‘you never see a Harley parked outside of a psychiatrist’s rooms’ – and no doubt there is some truth in that. Because riding a Harley-Davidson does indeed lift the spirits and I venture to say if more people threw a leg over one, the happiness quotient of Oz would nudge upwards.

Now I’m starting to write this article in Tasmania on day five of this ride, a ride designed to raise awareness of the many ways that suicidal intentions can manifest, even among close mates – and yet go unrecognised.

Long time HEAVY DUTY readers may remember that after losing my eldest son Scott to suicide, while he was working as a junior doctor at Wollongong Hospital, I searched for a way to try and make a dent – however small – in this ever-growing scourge that affects young and old without discrimination.

On the night of his medical graduation ceremony Scott said to me, “You know Dad, when I turn 40 I’m going to buy a Harley and ride around Australia.” But he died at the age of 27.

There are two sides to this story, the first being that – in one way I am doing this ride in his honour – and the second is that I am attempting to spread the message, the message that there is a lot of help out there. Practical help, help that can be very effective.

Now you’ve probably seen the billboards around the country with the wording ‘RUOK MATE?’ And this is a great thing, but by itself it does not go far enough. It’s too easy for your mate to say, “Yeah, I’m okay mate” and shrug off the question. I’ll get back to this further on.