Port Stephens Suicide Prevention Network

Port Stephens Suicide Prevention Network (PSSPN) is a registered charity, a local initiative funded by donations and created to raise awareness about the extensive impacts of suicide on all those connected to the person taking this most desperate of pathways.

Our efforts are undertaken in the context of the loss of more than eight Australians every day to suicide. We strive to provide opportunities for our community to access information and skills to make a difference in this distressing reality. These programs are primarily provided by LifeLine and Wesley Mission and we assist to promote them.

Another of our focus areas is to engage with our fellow community members and provide access to areas within the shire that promote wellbeing and peace. With help from Boat Harbour Parks and Reserves, the community has restored a rugged, neglected headland at Boat Harbour, built a seat, a memorial obelisk and developed walking paths on a headland where you can watch both the sun rise and set over the sea.

Every day people walk their dogs off-leash, play, sit, talk or watch for whales and dolphins. Many leave a stone at the Cairn on the headland in memory of a loved one who has passed.

Each year people are invited to ‘Walk With Us’ in a friendly community environment where they can reveal emotions and fears and find and give support to those who have lost a loved one through suicide.