The LiFE Awards (Living is for Everyone) are designed to acknowledge the extraordinary work being done throughout the country in suicide prevention and showcase dedication, innovation and leadership.
The ambition of Suicide Prevention Australia is to celebrate and amplify initiatives that are breaking new ground so that others can learn and embed best-practice suicide prevention solutions across their communities. The LiFE Awards are a vehicle for highlighting best practice across the sector so that everyone can learn from them and be able to introduce new suicide prevention solutions into their own communities.
On Wednesday 26 March 2024, Suicide Prevention Australia hosted the South Australia LiFE Awards at the Playford Hotel, Adelaide. The evening showcased the important work being done in South Australia by individuals and organisations to prevent suicide and support those in need.
The evening was led by South Australia State Committee Chair, Karen McColl, who alongside Nadia Clancy MP, Premier’s Advocate for Suicide Prevention, announced the following recipients:
Communities in Action Award: Seeds of Hope – Barossa Suicide Prevention Network
The idea for Seeds of Hope was to have a venue or structure for International Day for Survivors of Suicide Loss. Barossa SPN decided on three mosaiced sofas, for which Seeds of Hope received a grant from Black Dog Ride. It was essential to install the sofas in the outer towns of Angaston, Lyndoch and Mt Pleasant where there are fewer services. At the same time as reaching out to these communities about installing the seats, the SPN provided education about suicide prevention and stigma reduction. A QR code leading to helping services is on the front arm of each sofa. The words ‘Reflect’ and ‘Connect’ on the back of each sofa also invite reflection and connection. Mosaic workshops to create the mosaic element of each sofa were conducted in each town for 16 weeks. Initial workshops were held to talk about the role of sofas to reduce stigma, education in suicide prevention and begin the designs. Seeds of Hope volunteers with suicide prevention training attended each workshop.
Outstanding Contribution Award: Sophie’s Legacy
Sophie’s Legacy was founded in 2022 in response to a crisis in the vet industry with the vision to “save the people who save our animals”. Vets are four times more likely to die by suicide than anyone in the general population. When Dr Sophie Putland died by suicide in September 2021 aged 33 years, a GoFundMe Page was set up that has raised almost $65,000, which has been used to launch Sophie’s Legacy, which shines a spotlight on challenges and to reduce the high suicide rate in the veterinary profession. Client abuse is the most significant contributor to poor mental health followed by under-resourcing and unrealistic workplace expectations. Many vets leave the industry due to ill health, burnt out or worse. A “We’re Only Human” media campaign was created to educate Australians about the crisis within the vet industry. As a result, over 6,000 people took the pledge to be kind and respectful to veterinary staff.
Priority Populations Award: Matthew Newlands
Matthew created Frontline Mental Health specifically for the Military and First Responder community to reduce stigma around help seeking in relation to mental health challenges. In 2018, Beyond Blue found that the first responder community was more than three times as likely than the average Australian adult to have a plan for suicide and that more than two-thirds of first responders would not seek help if they were experiencing mental health challenges. Frontline Mental Health was engaged by Australian Defence Force units to customise a mental health and wellbeing workshop to address mental health challenges within current serving, and transitioning members, specifically in relation to suicide prevention and intervention. Matthew built in his personal story to connect, engage, educate, and leave a powerful impression. He also used this approach as the host of RUOK? podcast series to build rapport with guests, providing psychologically safe conversations to be shared to a broader audience.
Best Practice in Workplace Award: Bupa Suicide Prevention Strategy
The Strategy is a formal plan aimed at achieving meaningful support for the Bupa workforce and the greater community to align with their mission of helping people live longer, healthier, and happier lives. They use a pillared approach – Awareness and Stigma Reduction, Skill and Capability Enhancement, and Customer and Community Focus. Bupa shifted focus to initiatives centering on heightening awareness of suicidal thoughts/behaviours, managing associated risks, and enhancing people’s ability to engage in difficult conversations with vulnerable individuals. Particularly, the focus was on business leadership, recognising their role in early intervention. Bupa established support systems, emphasising immediate assistance to individuals, and their teams for postvention support.
Suicide Prevention Australia would like to thank all those who submitted a nomination for the awards. We recognise that through our collective efforts, we are stronger together in preventing suicide.
Recipients of the South Australia State LiFE Awards automatically progress into the running of the National LiFE Awards which will be held during the 25th National Suicide Prevention Conference, 30 April to 2 May 2024 in Adelaide, South Australia.
For more information about the LiFE Awards, click here.



