Media release
Alan Jones AO to speak at Lifeline fundraising dinner in Dubbo
Lifeline fundraising dinner to be held in Dubbo on 12 July will feature Alan Jones as guest speaker.
Former Member for Dubbo, John Mason, and former Mayor of Dubbo, Mathew Dickerson, have teamed up with a group of committed individuals to create a unique fundraising dinner in Dubbo with the aim of Lifeline Central West securing their own building in Dubbo. The dinner will be the largest event held to date at the RSL Club’s newest facility, the Rhino Lodge, with tickets shortly going on sale for this one-off event.
Australia faces an ongoing issue with mental health and lack of government provided facilities. Australia is currently at a 10-year high with suicides sitting at 12.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year. For every suicide, there are 32 attempts at suicide. As many people in this region would know, the further west you travel from Sydney, the higher the rates of both domestic violence and suicide.
Alan Jones was easily convinced by his good friend, John Mason, to support the Lifeline message, as he has done before. Mr Jones is one of Australia’s most sought-after speakers with an incredible history and background. From working as a speechwriter for the Prime Minister to being the most successful Australian coach of the Wallabies including their famous Grand Slam victory in 1984, Alan has done it all. Millions across the nation currently listen to Alan every day on 2GB and he has won the Australian Radio Talk Personality of the Year multiple times. Mr Jones said, “I’m always happy to support Lifeline and the tremendous work they do with their crisis support and suicide prevention services. When you have an organisation taking a call for help every 30 seconds or so, you realise the massive extent of this problem – particularly in rural Australia. You can always tell if someone is suffering from a broken arm or leg. You can’t always tell if they’re battling the demons of mental illness, and that’s where Lifeline comes in. I commend John and Mathew for their work in putting this dinner together, and I’m sure it will be an outstanding success.”
Alex Ferguson is the current Executive Director of Lifeline Central West and understands the needs of the community in regional NSW. Dubbo currently has a rented premises but to attract more volunteers for the increasing workload, fundraisers such as this dinner are needed to allow Lifeline to purchase a building and increase the services to the region. Mr Ferguson said, “It is imperative that Lifeline Central West grows its service delivery in the western districts of NSW to meet the ever-increasing occurrence of mental illness and domestic violence which, in too many cases, leads to self-harm. This event, driven through the Dubbo community, will provide a solid base for the expansion of the Lifeline presence in the region.”
Mathew Dickerson dealt with both Lifeline Central West and Alex Ferguson during his five years as Mayor and when John Mason and Mathew sat down to plan this event, it was an easy decision to help raise funds for Lifeline. “If someone has a physical injury, it is easy to see a bandage or a cast, but mental health is too often hidden from other people in the community – sometimes until it is too late. As a society we need to place more emphasis on ensuring the mental wellbeing of all our residents,” said Mr Dickerson.
Contact: Mathew Dickerson 0418 628 439
Lifeline currently takes 2,600 calls per day and, combined with chat and text, has well over one million contacts with the community each year. Lifeline Central West was founded in Bathurst in 1976, 13 years after the Rev. Alan Walker established the organisation through the Wesley Mission in 1963. After the Bathurst opening, Orange was opened in 1980 followed by Dubbo in 1999. All three centres provide counselling via the 13 11 14 telephone counselling service including financial counselling and problem gambling. Lifeline Central West also provides related services such as community training in Mental Health and Domestic Violence.