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Thursday, 5 February, 2015
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Thursday, 5 February,
2015 Page 1
Property Lift out
BERWICK
■ Petition for mandatory mental health first aid training for teachers...
Crusade on course
Spirits high for Super Bowl fever SUPER Bowl fever hit Fountain Gate this week when players from the Berwick Miners and Diamonds teams held a party to watch America’s biggest sporting event. New England faced off against Seattle in a game for the ages, with the Patriots coming from behind in the last quarter to prevail by just four points. From left, Berwick Miners and Diamonds players Bliss Love, Dale Anderson, Vanessa Brown and An Zhu were celebrating at the Fountain Gate Super Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS Bowl party. For more on the story turn to page 61 134038
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A BERWICK woman whose younger brother took his own life two years ago has launched a petition to make it mandatory for all Victorian high school teachers to undertake mental health first aid training. Fawn Brady lost her 23-year-old brother and closest companion, Kane, in February 2013 after a battle with depression, and has been campaigning ever since to prevent further tragedies. In August of the same year Fawn, 27, set up Kane’s Crusade with best friend Jess White, a depression support and awareness group specialising in, but not restricted to, helping young men. This month the pair officially launched a petition they hope to deliver to State Parliament, calling for new laws to be promulgated in Victoria which would make it mandatory for all secondary school teachers to undertake Applied Suicide Intervention Skill Training (ASIST). Fawn, who along with Jess has completed the ASIST program, said the training was aimed at teaching people to look after those who were reaching “crisis point”. “We ourselves did the ASIST training through Windermere, and in that room there were a lot of police officers and psychologists that were doing the training in regard to suicide intervention,” she said. “Then we went into some of the local secondary schools in Casey and felt more could be done.
“The training is to help people right at that crisis point. “We find a lot of people have been trained in dealing with post-suicide situations, but there are not enough services for teachers to be equipped with the skills to help someone who is suicidal.” Participants in the two-day ASIST workshop learn to recognise when somebody may be at risk of suicide and respond in ways that help to increase their immediate safety and allow them to receive further help. Fawn and Jess, who met as teenagers at Berwick Secondary College, need the petitions to be handwritten and hope to have 50,000 by Easter to present to a State MP to table in Victorian Parliament. After visiting various Casey schools to discuss the issue, Jess said she was astounded by how many high school teachers had not completed any mental health first aid training. “I think it’s a bit ludicrous that it’s not compulsory for these teachers to do it,” Jess said. “They are with these kids more than their parents are and they can pick up on the signs. “I think it is vital, at the end of the day it could save a life.” To receive a copy of the petition, email Fawn and Jess at kanescrusade@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.kanescrusade.net. Those in need of immediate assistance, or who need to talk to someone they can trust, can phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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By LACHLAN MOORHEAD