BEC HASTIE – TREKKING TOWARDS THE SUN

In October 2011, a young man whose life seemed so full of promise committed suicide. No-one saw it coming, and it’s still not clear why he did it. For his family and friends, it’s been a long and hard road back from that tragedy. But music has been a key part of that journey.

Bec Hastie lives at Kuranda, in far north Queensland, with her family. Her son Harry was almost 21 when he took his own life. Since then, Bec has done all the things a parent does after such an awful event. And one more thing that most don’t do – she’s recorded an album of original songs that reach out to Harry, and to anyone else who might be suffering, even contemplating suicide.

The album is called Trek Towards The Sun, an independent release, recorded here in FNQ. Some of the proceeds of the CD will go to support The R U OK? Foundation – a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging all people to regularly, meaningfully ask ‘are you ok?’ to support those struggling with life. https://www.ruokday.com/

LISTEN Click on the red arrow to hear Bec talk about the album and to hear some songs from Trek Towards The Sun.

 

TWO NEW FNQ YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION MEASURES LAUNCHING THIS WEEK

WE LOVE LIFE IN TROPICAL FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND. IT’S A LOVELY, RELAXING AND HEALTHY PLACE TO LIVE. BUT THAT WASN’T ALWAYS THE CASE.

In the late 1800s, Cairns was a small frontier town surrounded by mosquito-infested swamps. Tropical diseases were a daily threat to life, and the medical profession’s understanding of these things was limited, at best.

But at the Cairns Hospital, Dr Edward Koch was doing his bit to change that. Dr Koch (pronounced Koh) was a pioneer of tropical medicine. Among other things, he worked out the link between mosquitoes & malaria. Life in FNQ became better and safer because of Dr Koch’s work.

DR EDWARD KOCH MEMORIAL CAIRNS EARLY 1900s

So it’s fitting that the foundation that carries his name is working on one of today’s urgent health challenges — youth suicide prevention.

The Dr Edward Koch Foundation runs the FNQ Suicide Prevention Taskforce. This Thursday it will launch a Facebook page it hopes young people who may be considering suicide can use to find help, information and support. The same day, the Foundation will launch the Declan Crouch Fund, to raise funds to support suicide prevention efforts in Cairns & FNQ. Declan Crouch was a Cairns teenager who took his own life in March 2011.

The CEO of the Dr Edward Koch foundation is Dulcie Bird. Click on the audio player below to hear Dulcie explain these important initiatives.

DULCIE BIRD

More on the Dr Edward Koch foundation http://www.kochfoundation.org.au/

More on the FNQ Suicide Prevention Taskforce http://www.suicidepreventionfnq.org.au/

And the Facebook page being officially launched this week http://www.facebook.com/FNQSuicidePrevention