Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads) (21:04): October is Mental Health Month. This month has been held in New South Wales since 2010. During this month community events are held to promote mental health. Last week in my community of Maitland the Uniting organisation held a day in Maitland Park where I had a presence with my electorate team. I thank them for that. Various events have also been held in this building. This month we are encouraged to think about our mental health and wellbeing. We are reminded how important good mental health is to our everyday lives and are encouraged to seek help when we need it. These are all important, great messages that seem simple to follow until it directly affects us or someone we love.
In 2022 more than 3,000 individuals were lost to suicide in Australia. To put that in perspective, it is something in the order of 10 times the road toll. Each of those deaths represent an individual who left behind someone who loved them: their partner, their parents, their children, their siblings, their friends. Last week I had the honour of joining Minister Jackson from the other place to share the stories of Sally Beavis and Vicki Mendyk, their stories of the people they loved, their stories of their loss. Now their stories are stories of advocacy for change.
Vicki lost her husband, Peter, to suicide in December 2017. She had no warning. He was just a bit stressed at work. Then, just five months later, her 19-year-old daughter, Chelsey, who suffered from anxiety and was very close to her dad, also took her own life. Vicki's family went from a family of six to a family of four in five months due to suicide. There is no doubt that the lack of support that they experienced was a factor in that. Vicki Mendyk started UMatter to put some hope out in the community for people who are suffering and raise awareness of suicide and the impact it has on loved ones.
Sally Beavis also shared her story about her husband, Troy, with the Minister. His story began in March 2022. Up until that point he had never struggled with his mental health. This story is especially close to me because I knew Troy, his wife, Sally, and his broader family for many years. They were one of the first families I met when I moved to Maitland. Despite all her best efforts and the support and love of family and friends, Sally lost her beloved husband to suicide in May 2022. Sally's story is personally strong for me. She talks about the 1,500 or so people who turned up to Troy's funeral.
Troy was the absolute embodiment of joy, success, love, someone who had made good and who had been an amazing and successful son, husband and father. He was someone who always put his hand up for others. He was the goods. The power of Sally in her and her family's grief to share the story of Troy is important. What stood out to me in the story that she told powerfully to the Minister was Troy talking about feeling like a fraud. Like all of us when we struggle with mental health, we just keep going. We keep telling everyone everything is okay. That disconnect between what is happening for you personally and what is happening in the outside world becomes greater, and greater, and greater.
Troy was an amazing person and I am so sorry that we lost him from Maitland. I am so sorry for Sally and her family that they have had to go through this terrible experience. We will work with her. The conversation with Minister Jackson was very positive. The advocacy of both Vicki and Sally and their lived experience will change the outcomes of people struggling with mental health in our community for the better. It is a pretty tough time for everyone in Maitland at the moment. There are a lot of things going on. But the most important thing is for people to reach out. Sally and Vicki sharing their stories gives us more hope that that will happen in the future.
