- Information Pack For Community
- Something for Whole Family
- Will be delivered to all homes in Cherbourg
- What is SPAN?
- SPAN is by Community for Community
- SPAN Advises service providers
- Important we come together and look out for each other
A useful pack has been prepared to help our Community though the COVID19 event.
The packs (supported by our local SPAN) have good contact numbers for people and services available who can listen to and support you when you might be feeling down or need a yarn. The pack also has other useful phone numbers for services that people might not know are available in community, plus there are fun activities for little ones.
The Packs will go out to community early next week with help from community health and anyone else who would like to assist with visits to all the homes in community, if you want to help out come and talk to Aunty Edwina and Wawida Collins at Council.
SPAN are here for Community
The Cherbourg SPAN (Suicide Prevention Action Network) met for their monthly meeting at the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council chambers this week.
The group started a few years ago and meets the 2nd Thursday most months to discuss and direct support for families whose lives have been touched by suicide, mental health, anxiety, social and emotional issues.
SPAN is made up of locals who have known suicide, anxiety, depression, who’ve been affected and feel strongly about finding support for community going through troubled times.
SPAN is connected by concerned locals, families, service providers and funded agencies working to provide support in Cherbourg.
Aunty Edwina Stewart, Community Services Manager for Council, tells us the issues the Suicide Prevention Action Network address “have become of increasing concern in recent years” more so now with the COVID19 virus threat”.
SPAN invites victims and families, locals affected by troubling thoughts or by suicide to find familiar and trusted faces at SPAN. Locals faces that can offer individual or family support, help direct people to gain the support needed in a time of crisis, or just a friendly, understanding ear to have a yarn to.
Aunty Edwina says that for a long time suicide and anxious thoughts have been “a taboo thing, that nobody was talking about” – local service providers struggled to make progress, to gain trust, but Edwina says since SPAN started, “that is community driven, by local families, it is good – because it encourages people to seek out and support each other” community are coming together for a common cause.
SPAN helps our community by working with local service providers to offer appropriate help, to make services more accessible (and at the same time) work with service providers to better understand community issues, the importance of offering face to face support.
Aunty Edwina said “community need to work together, keep an eye out for each other, not look away – if you see someone struggling, offer to help or if that feel to hard, try and find help for them, call “Triple 0” if you feel it is important.
COVID19 has brought more anxiety, “everyone trying to juggle everything in their life, work, family and extended family, people we work with, family in other towns, kids going to school”, Edwina says “We know this is not going to last forever, at the other side of this we need to remember who was there for you – family, friends, health workers and service providers”
If YOU are feeling stressed out and anxious, it is important to find the thing you enjoy “do the little things like time with children, reading, singing, dancing. Take time to connect with family who are not with you”
The weeks meeting of Cherbourg SPAN group was attended by Frank Malone, Sylvia Bond, Mum Dolly (Murray), Wawida Collins as well as Stuart Pledger from Community Health.
Different agencies get invited to these meeting each month to exchange knowledge and be advised on how community are feeling and coping with current issues and hopefully identify those that might need support.
Feel sad, anxious or worried about someone, please don’t be afraid to reach out to us.