{"id":304815,"date":"2021-08-27T20:30:27","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T10:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=304815"},"modified":"2021-11-15T10:09:09","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T00:09:09","slug":"council-urges-agencies-to-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2021\/08\/27\/council-urges-agencies-to-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Urges Agencies To Act"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Local police listen as SPAN members Jeffrey and Lavina Dynevor speak at the forum (Photo: Cherbourg Council)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 27, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

A frustrated Cherbourg Council summoned welfare agencies to a public forum this week to focus attention on suicide and self-harm in the community.<\/p>\n

The forum, held at the Cherbourg Sports Complex, was attended by community members and\u00a0councillors as well as representatives from local welfare agencies and police.<\/p>\n

More suicides and incidents of self-harm have rocked the community again recently.<\/p>\n

Mayor Elvie Sandow said the Cherbourg community needed accountability from welfare agencies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She said there were about 166\u00a0organisations getting funded an estimated $190 million a year to provide services for the Cherbourg community – including 67 which were being funded in the areas of mental health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n

But obviously something was not working, and the situation was “beyond a joke”.<\/p>\n

Mayor Sandow said Council was getting blamed for the problems in the community, but it was not funded to deal with these things.<\/p>\n

But if something did not change on the ground in Cherbourg, Council would have to go to the State Government to start “making organisations accountable”.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Our people are suffering. When there’s a suicide, look at the devastation that it leaves behind for families and loved ones,” Mayor Sandow said.<\/p>\n

Speaking later, Mayor Sandow said she wanted the community to be safe and to have their wellbeing looked after.<\/p>\n

“We want answers and we want things done on the ground in our community,” she said.<\/p>\n

“If you get funding for our community, then start delivering the programs on the ground.”<\/p>\n

She said if the agencies did not start working together and with Council, everyone would be talking about the same problem in 12 months time.<\/p>\n

“If we worked together, we would not have to have these forums,” she said.<\/p>\n

“If we don\u2019t see improvements in the short term, it leaves us as council, no option but to go to our ministers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community members called for help for the children, for suicide prevention activities and for help for the families who have been left in pain.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lavina Dynevor, whose family has lost three children to suicide, spoke passionately to the welfare agency representatives.<\/p>\n

Lavina and her husband Jeffrey are also members of Cherbourg’s\u00a0Suicide Prevention and Awareness Network (SPAN) group.<\/p>\n

“If our lives matter for you to get money, then our lives matter for you to come and help us,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We’re not talking about the 9-to-5 hours, we’re talking about the after hours.<\/p>\n

“Every time we get a phone call, we are the first responders, the SPAN group.<\/p>\n

“We don’t get paid to do it. We do it for the love, for the duty of care.<\/p>\n

“If you come in here saying you are going to do these things, we want to see action.<\/p>\n

“We don’t just want talk or a piece of paper about clients or ticking a box or numbers. We’re not numbers, we’re names and we matter. Our children matter.”<\/p>\n

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If you or someone you know needs help, call:<\/strong><\/p>\n