I’ve been reflecting a lot in the past few weeks following our National Suicide Prevention Conference in Perth.
It was incredible to be a part of nearly 900 people at the conference, meeting so many people for the first time, and catching up with others I’ve known for years. We listened to passionate stories and engaged with important data and research. We learned about countless services, supports and programs across the country that are helping to save lives and are boosting the wellbeing of our communities. Our connections were strong and our purpose was unmistakable.
Yet, the one emotion I felt the most throughout the conference was hope. I felt hopeful because lived and living experience of suicide was front and centre, and it was stronger than it’s ever been before. There were more presentations delivered that focused on the value and long-term benefits of lived and living experience insights across supports, service delivery and both postvention and prevention. It’s the lived and living experience insights that drive the change required to save lives. And that recognition and promotion of lived and living experience-informed initiatives is the advocacy that keeps me hopeful.
A beautiful example of the invaluable contribution that people with lived or living experience of suicide make to our communities is the Acknowledgement of Lived and Living Experience that seven (7) members of the Suicide Prevention Australia Lived Experience Panel and I co-designed, specifically for the conference. We collaborated and combined our lived and living experiences, which produced a compassionate, insightful, diverse, and inclusive acknowledgement. Thank you to: Sneha Anthony, Rachael Burns, Jacqui Gillespie, Jo Kain, Karissa Lewis, Carolyn Ripper, and Gabrielle Voller for your courage and passion. I’m grateful that this acknowledgement was shared at the opening of the conference by Craig Hughes-Cashmore, the opening of the LiFE Awards Gala Dinner by myself, and by 12+ presenters to open their talks. You can read the full acknowledgement below.
“We honour all people with Lived or Living Experience of suicide, including those that are bereaved, carers and supporters, people who have experienced suicidal ideation, those that have survived a suicide attempt, and the people unable to join us today.
We remember and hold space for those we have lost, and we acknowledge the pain, grief and loss felt by individuals, families, and communities when suicide touches our lives. We recognise that the effects of suicide are felt far and wide.
Yet, we also recognise the unique insights carried by those with lived and living experience of suicide, and the strength they possess. We also thank the advocates who have come before us, and who have spoken out at a time when it was deemed unacceptable to do so.
Through our collective lived and living experiences, we move purposely towards hope, and together towards tomorrow. A tomorrow more equitable – not one in which suicide is hidden away in silos of shame or silence, but instead where we drive meaningful change and make positive impacts in the spaces, places and worlds in which we live.”
Thank you, and I hope to see many of you in Sydney in 2026 for the next National Suicide Prevention conference.
Jen Waltmon, Lived Experience Lead, Suicide Prevention Australia
