No matter how a loved one dies,the impact of their loss is incredibly difficult. However, when someone dies bysuicide, there are often unique aspects of grief and bereavement that can makecoping even more complex and traumatic.

Suicide stigma can undermine socialsupport networks and increase isolation, placing those bereaved by suicide atup to eight times greater risk of taking their own lives compared to thegeneral population. Importantly, this increased risk applies not only toimmediate family members, but also to friends and other close relationships.

Postvention supports that assistwith the recovery process and provide those bereaved by suicide with the verybest chance to rebuild their lives, are then, absolutely critical.  Sadly however, suicide bereavement peersupport groups in regional and rural areas often experience lowattendances.  

Our communities have a strongculture of stoicism; that is the ability to face hardship and adversity withoutcomplaint, with many of us characterised by quiet endurance and emotionalrestraint.  This mindset often viewsasking for help as a sign of weakness, particularly among men, who aregenerally less likely to engage with anything mental health related.  

In small towns like ours, thereis also a fear that attending a support group will reveal our private strugglesto the wider community.  This lack ofanonymity can make it harder to reach out, sometimes leading to greaterisolation—making the need for support in rural communities like ours all themore important.

Our first attempt to facilitate aformal peer support group for those bereaved by suicide in Wangaratta ran betweenJuly 2022 and October 2023 at the local library. While the sessions were led bytrusted members of the local community rather than healthcare professionals,and were held in a safe, non-clinical and discreet setting, the structuredformat may not have accommodated the diverse and complex experiences ofparticipants. For some, it may have felt too intimidating or even ineffective.

Over time, attendance declined,and the group was ultimately paused at the end of 2023.

Despite these challenges, theevidence continued to highlight that people with lived experience of suicideare at greater risk of suicide themselves, reinforcing the importance of ustrying to create accessible and meaningful support within our community.

After many months of reflectionand discussion, Common Ground was developed.

We hope the new name helps toremove some of the stigma that may be attached with the idea of attending a ‘supportgroup’—quietening that inner thought of “why would I need a support group; Ijust need to keep going.” We also hope the name reflects what it is: aninvitation to people who have endured a similar lived experience, to cometogether in a safe, welcoming (and still discreet) space…to connect.

We hope the name also gentlyshifts the mindset—of not just help, but helping.  That this might be a space where I might beable to actually help someone else, by sharing what I have been through, orthat this is a safe place where I can talk about my loved one, because othershere might understand my kind of loss.

We truly hope this iteration will besupported and that Common Ground is able to destigmatise suicide and strengthensupport for families and loved ones experiencing grief, trauma and loss in ourWangaratta community—so that the silence surrounding suicide is not so loud.

If you are interested inattending or you know somebody else that may find Common Ground helpful, pleasespread the word.

About Common Ground

Common Ground is an initiative ofthe Wangaratta Area Suicide Prevention (W.A.S.P) group, created to connectpeople touched by suicide, offering a space to share experiences and findmutual understanding with others who have walked a similar path.

WASP members, each with their ownlived experiences, will always be in attendance; however, this is very much aninformal space created to facilitate connection, reduce stigma, share experiences,provide mutual support and build a sense of community, rather than providing a structured,clinical support group.

Common Ground is open to everyoneand is free to attend. No registration is required—you’re welcome to simplycome along on the night. You can arrive at any time during the hour and stayfor as long or as little as you feel comfortable.

Common Ground will never takeaway the intense grief and incredible pain associated with the loss of a lovedone who has died by suicide, but connections with others, who have sharedunderstandings of such unique and complex feelings can be a powerful steptoward healing.

Common Groundruns between 5pm-6pm at Pedal Slowly, 1 Victoria Lane Wangaratta on the3rd Wednesday of every month.  Pleaseknow that Pedal Slowly is not open to the public on this day and only thoseattending Common Ground will be in the building.  The bar will be open and non-alcoholic drinksare also available.

Please remember this gathering isnot a replacement for professional care, but a space to share experiences andfind mutual understanding with others who have walked a similar path.  

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The Blue Tree on the Wangaratta-Whitfield Road had been a powerful conversation starter around mental health and suicide within our community since it had been painted in December 2022.  

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Just four months later, in April 2023, the Wangaratta Historic Motor Show and Fly In committee approached our president Trevor Jenvey, requesting assistance to establish their own Blue Tree, as a permanent conversation starter on their grounds.

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The bi-annual event held at the Wangaratta Airport attracts a wide variety of commercial vehicles, trucks, fire engines, ambulances, police cars, army transport, motorcycles,  tractors, aircraft… and thousands of visitors.  Herein was another opportunity to ignite more conversations around mental health and suicide amongst visitors to the show as soon as they spotted the Blue Tree.

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Trevor Jenvey once again assembled his A Team – James Gigliotti from Ultimate Arbor Professional Tree Care and Toby Locke from Toby Locke Restorations.  Doug Gigliotti organised the tower hire and Jenvey Transport once again provided the extra ground support and logistics to get the job done.   The Wattyl Paint Centre Wodonga were again approached for the enormous amount of special Wattyl “Blue Tree” paint required for this job and in an incredible gesture of generosity and support for what this project stands for, each of these individuals and business’s donated their equipment, product, time and services, to get this tree painted.

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But this is not the end of this special story.  Driven by the conversations our community Blue Tree project had sparked and the request for a second Blue Tree in Wangaratta, Trevor, also knowing the enthusiasm visitors to this show had to big trucks, approached Membrey’s Transport, one of Australia’s most trusted family haulage and crane companies.  They had been operating since 1962 and they had a very big truck with a powerful message and a lasting tribute to a young life lost to suicide, and it was being used to create conversations around mental health and suicide too.

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Craig Membrey had a fondness for naming trucks after his family members, and in 2011 he had purchased a Kenworth T904 that he was going to name after his wife.  Devastatingly, just two days after he purchased the truck, Craig and Nicole’s son, Rowan, took his life.  He was just 17 years of age.   Following the unimaginable loss of losing one’s son by suicide, Craig and Nicole decided the truck would be rebuilt to become a lasting tribute to Rowan, a mobile memorial, that could travel around Australia promoting the work of Beyond Blue and raising awareness about depression and suicide.

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Trevor, who tragically lost his own son to suicide in 2018, at just 22 years of age, knew the powerful message the Blue Tree, with its beacon of blue hope and ability to start conversations about mental health and suicide would have, standing tall beside the powerful and lasting tribute of Rowan’s Truck, with its incredibly moving airbrushed mural on the rear of the cab featuring life size images of Rowan at various stages of his life; from a smiling school photo to pictures of him doing what he loved doing most – BMX.

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A mental health hub was assembled to be present at the show.  It included W.A.S.P, Beyond Blue, Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals and Grit and Resilience.  All engaged in a day of grass-roots community conversations about mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention as well as promoting the support services, programs and community resources for those at risk, to the thousands of visitors at the 2023 Wangaratta Historic Motor Show and Fly In.  

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So many raw and emotional conversations were enabled that day, with people stopping by our stand to share the stories of those they had loved and lost to suicide.  It was no coincidence these conversations occurred and were empowered by the very presence of the Blue Tree and Rowan’s Truck.

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We are incredibly grateful to the Wangaratta Historic Motor Show and Fly In for approaching W.A.S.P to facilitate this project and allow us to continue to paint and spread the Blue Tree message.  We are also deeply indebted to Craig Membrey and his family for entrusting us to display Rowan’s Truck and Ethan and Danni, who drove it from Dandenong for the day.

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The blue tree on the Wangaratta-Whitfield Road is a bold conversation starter within our community.  

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The first ever blue tree was painted by Jayden Whyte in 2014, in the middle of a paddock on his family's farm at Mukinbudin, Western Australia.   Tragically, just a few years later Jayden took his own life, but the story of his blue tree was shared at his funeral in 2018 and a movement was started in his honour.

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The Blue Tree Project is designed to be a conversation-starter around mental health issues and suicide, and aims to encourage people to speak up when battling mental health concerns.  By spreading the paint and spreading the message that "it's OK to not be OK", the project hopes to kick the stigma that's still largely attached to mental health in the community, one blue tree at a time.

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Our community Blue Tree project was driven by Ashlee Hutchinson and Trevor Jenvey, who tragically lost their brother and son Tom Jenvey to suicide as a 22–year–old in 2018.  Trevor is a life member of the Alpine Motorcycle Club, of which Tom was also a member, and Ashlee had shared the family's story at the Transmoto 8 Hour Endurance event held on the Markwood property of Doug and Mick Hamilton in 2019.  $3000 was subsequently raised at the event to assist with the establishment of a community Blue Tree in the Wangaratta area.

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Though the COVID-19 pandemic halted its progress in 2020 and early 2021, the concept was carried over by Ash and Trevor to the new W.A.S.P committee in 2022, where plans for a Blue Tree in Wangaratta were recommenced.

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The biggest hurdle was to locate an appropriate tree.  In alignment with the story behind the original blue tree, the tree could not be living.  Natural habitat and wildlife considerations also had to be taken into account and of course, if the tree was on private property, permission was required.  After many site visits and equally as many roadblocks, Trevor eventually found the perfect tree and began the discussions with landowners, Ian and Anna McDonald.  The rest they say is history and the group will be forever grateful to Ian and Anna, who generously agreed to give new life to an otherwise dead tree on their Wangaratta property.

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Ultimate Arbor Professional Tree Care and Jenvey Transport stepped in to assist with the logistics and provide the specialised equipment required to trim and clean up the tree and Trevor Jenvey, Chris Grainger and a crew of enthusiastic volunteers cleaned up everything at ground level.  It was then time for Toby Locke, who had also volunteered his equipment, expertise and time to strap into the cherry picker and apply the 100’s of litres of “Blue Tree” paint to the true, that had been kindly donated by the Wattyl Paint Centre Wodonga.

The project was completed on a hot Saturday in December 2022 and stands as a poignant reminder to the family and friends of Tom Jenvey, and an ongoing remembrance of all those who have died by suicide.  

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Our community Blue Tree project was supported by the Rural City of Wangaratta and The Grit and Resilience Program.  We are also indebted to the support of the following business’s and individuals who worked tirelessly to see this project to fruition.

Trevor Jenvey

Ashlee Hutchinson

Transmoto

Ian and Anna McDonald

Ultimate Arbor Professional Tree Care

Jenvey Transport

Toby Locke Restorations

Wattyl Paint Centre Wodonga

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There are  currently 1,109 registered Blue Trees across the world.  We hope this project ignites the difficult conversations within our community and brings awareness to mental health and suicide.

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