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 It's awesome when great people who make great pubs get recognised for their hard work, dedication and all round good nature.
People who care for their community! Now that's something worth celebrating! Jordie (pictured), mum Hayley and the team from the Royal Oak Hotel, Clarendon have taken out the inaugural 2024 City of Onkaparinga Great Aussie Pub Challenge. The pub, nestled in the picturesque Adelaide Hills township about 30 minutes drive south if the city, supports their community by providing great meals, friendly hospitality, a pool table, great conversation and of course a refreshing beverage or three. And it's poker machine free! Next time your in the area drop in and say hi to the small friendly team behind this family-owned pub. To cap it all off The Great Aussie Pub Network is organising a celebration at the pub on Sunday arvo, December 1, with live music and sausage sizzle, to mark the ocassion. A big thanks to all the participants from the 2023 Seaford Rotary Seaside Walk who made the Challenge possible, by raising funds when participating in the walk. This event takes place along the magnificent 5km stretch from Port Noarlunga to Moana reserve, with views of the rolling Fleurieu hills and coastline on the journey. It raises funds for important suicide prevention and mental health initiatives in the community. The grant of $1000 from the Rotary Club of Seaford (Club president Deb Pagsanjan pictured) was donated to The Pub Whisperer last year and helped make The Challenge happen, in order to equip pub staff in the region with life-saving suicide prevention training. The win for the pub means The Royal Oak will receive a minimum 12-month subscription and listing on the Great Aussie Pubs website as well as suicide prevention training for all of their staff. A big thank you to all the participating pubs and publicans who got involved and encouraged their patrons to vote in The Challenge. They include: The Aussie Inn (Hackham) The Aldinga Hotel McLaren Vale Hotel Old Noarlunga Hotel Old Bush Inn (Willunga) The Alma (Willunga) Mick O'Shea's (Hackham)  On World Suicide Prevention Day 2024 it's a great reminder that when suicide is no longer considered as an option by someone doing it tough, healing work is.
When we've surpassed the threat of immediate death at our own hands, there is a door way to another world that is being shown to us. Once upon a time those triggers that brought us to suicide ideation were called anger, rage, regret, resentment, hurt, loss, abandonment, loneliness, guilt and shame. At it's very core, they are either misery or overwhelm. Or both. Chances were that we could not even name them at the time. Sometimes we were so neck deep in misery that finding the words to name our feelings were virtually impossible. Talking about those feelings, with loved ones, someone we can trust or in places that we feel safe, helps us to name them. And by naming them we can gain clarity on what we can do to feel better. This process is commonly called "healing trauma". It's the new buzz word in the world of mental health and it shows us how far we have come with our awareness of the issues that affect our mental well being. Here's the process of how to successfully deal with suicide ideation, in order to heal our feelings of sadness or overwhelm: First we should not shame it. Instead we must name it. The feeling, that is. The negative feeling that sits within our bodies, causing us grief and suffering. So much so, that we do not want to continue on with this life. Because we have hit our limit of suffering. We name it, so that we can bring clarity to why we feel suicidal. So that we can make the necessary changes in our life to heal from that experience or trauma causing it. This is done by sharing it and having our words witnessed, whether it's with a suicide prevention helpline or a friend or simply someone we trust and feel comfortable with. Then making just one small regular step to repair it. The experience of suicide ideation ultimately shows us what we no longer need in our life. What is causing us extreme discomfort. If we can't feel it, name it, accept it, abandon, work through it or move on from it, then we cannot repair or heal it. Our bodies are a temple and they store within it these unresolved traumas. As long as our bodies are caught in the feeling of grief, and we are not bringing the reason for the trauma and suffering to light, speaking it, having it witnessed and then making one small step to repair it - then we are not able to change these suicidal thoughts. Knowledge is power. Suicidal thoughts are leading us on a journey. So that we can choose differently.  When it comes to dealing with the issues of marketing suicide prevention ... "Make Compassion Cool™" is a far better slogan than "end the stigma".
It focuses on the positive and what is needed from us to reach out to someone when they are doing it tough and perhaps dealing with suicide ideation. Making compassion cool is the next step we as a society need to embrace if we are to save lives. And maybe the world will become a much brighter place in the process? When compassion is in place, the stigma on suicide is over. #supportoversuicide #suicideprevention #mentalhealthawareness #thewhispererteam #thepubwhisperer #makecompassioncool It was an absolute honour and a privilege to be asked to speak at and receive a big $1000 cheque at last month's Rotary Club of Seaford meeting.
The biggest of thank you's to the club's members for choosing The Whisperer Team to donate the funds to, and everyone who registered and walked the Seaford Rotary Seaside Walk last November. The $1000 raised will go to train 40 Whisperers in the local community when the program is launched. Biggest of thanks to President Denise, District Governor Craig, Mark, Deb and the rest of the crew, including Blaze, who made the night so very memorable. Don't forget the next Suicide Walk will be held on October 13 again raising funds for suicide prevention and mental health. #suicideprevention #thewhispererteam #thepubwhisperer #mentalhealthawareness  It's important to know why it's important to become a Whisperer.
As far as purpose goes, can there be anything more rewarding than knowing you've saved or know how to save a life? Someone experiencing financial stress suffering due to confusion around what direction to take their life. Someone experiencing shame or a lack of self worth, may be unable to see hope for their future. By leaning in, having a human conversation, and showing compassion to them, you are bridging the gap, helping them find hope. And with that compassion you are giving them new ways to find a reason to live. The reason for that new found hope is your compassion and connection. A lack of connection, which we all need, is one of the many reasons that can lead to suicide ideation. Around the world we've never been better connected via social media and mobile phones, and yet Australia is experiencing a loneliness epidemic. Online connection will never replace human connection - and that is what The Whisperer Team is addressing through it's community-driven suicide prevention approach. Hence our motto: Promoting Life in our Community. By knowing our true purpose is performing with heart-centred actions, rather than simply meeting deadlines and achievements, don't you think being a Whisperer would make you feel purposeful? Our goal is to help change the Aussie vernacular, from saying "she'll be right, mate" to asking "are ya alright, mate?" With an aim to pave a new way for Aussie culture.  This Sunday there will be a fundraising walk to support organisations helping the community to prevent suicide and address mental health issues.
The Whisperer Team will be there. Jono will join some of his mates in neighbouring stalls from Six Brothers, Good Better Best Men and fellow Rotarians. The 5km walk along the Esplanade from Port Noarlunga South to Moana is followed by a family fun event to raise awareness for mental health and wellbeing. Food and refreshments will be available during the event, together with a host of activities and stalls with information from organisations in the mental health and suicide prevention sector. Hopefully we'll see you between 10am and 2pm on Sunday.  Jono, founder of The Whisperer Team, has made it to the finalist stage of The Help Awards and he's up for a People's Choice Award.
If you'd like to support getting suicide prevention training into pubs, with the Support Over Suicide program, then visit the website below. You can cast one vote every hour. https://thehelpawards.com.au/.../the-peoples-choice-voting/ Help Awards: "Jonathan Hart is the founder of The Pub Whisperer. The Pub Whisperer provides mental health support for those doing it tough in pubs. In 2017 he travelled Australia filming pubs and created his website. When Covid hit in 2020 he knew there was more that he could do to help and so created The Suicide Prevention Checklist for publicans and bar staff to assist them to spot the signs of suicide ideation in their patrons and get them the support they need. He created two Pubs Supporting People Days which united people in community during those days."  Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.
I have written a short piece on hope and its importance in helping people get to the other side of grief. ----------------------------- Hope. It’s the last possibility we cling to in times when we’re doing it tough. But what happens when we have lost all hope? Who is there to remind us to be hopeful. To see the good things in our lives, and in ourselves, that are worth living for? Who gets us to a place of safety when we can’t ourselves. The Pub is traditionally the place we go when we want to feel better and if there’s no one else to turn to. So, as a publican, ask yourself, could you be offering more hope to people? The Pub Whisperer is a sign of hope. It’s a beacon in the community. A Pub Whisperer can hold a TRICKY conversation around suicide and provide hope, by embodying the following traits: Trust Respect Integrity Confidentiality Kindness Your Good Self When all else is lost we can feel safer knowing someone in the community can either listen to us, empathise with us or get us to someone who can with confidentiality and kindness. And we can provide a culture of greater hope by encouraging them to get the support they need. Stopping the stigma around suicide ideation, which only adds to someone's burden. Two of my favourite quotes on the topic of hope include: Tough times don’t last, tough people do. – Robert Schuller Hope is a function of struggle. People with the highest hopefulness have the knowledge that they can move through adversity. – Brene Brown. We can be hopeful again knowing there are people who care. It may be the start of seeing something good in themselves, knowing they too can be kind and caring – excellent traits to live for. Completing the Support Over Suicide eLearning Program means you support your patrons with their mental health and give them hope, by know the WRITE way to prevent suicide: Watch for the Signs Read the Situation Identify if Suicide Ideation is Present Talk It Though Engage Support Services Make your pub (or your favourite local) a safe hub of the community. Contact support (at) thewhispererteam.org for more information. www.thepubwhisperer.com www.greataussiepubs.com.au #mentalhealthawareness #suicideprevention #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #WorldSuicidePreventionDay2023  Today is World Suicide Prevention Day 2023.
I have written a short piece on hope and its importance in helping people get to the other side of grief. ----------------------------- Hope. It’s the last possibility we cling to in times when we’re doing it tough. But what happens when we have lost all hope? Who is there to remind us to be hopeful. To see the good things in our lives and in ourselves worth living for? Who gets us to a place of safety when we can’t ourselves. The Pub is traditionally the place we go when we want to feel better and if there’s no one else to turn to. So, as a publican, ask yourself, could you be offering more hope to people? The Pub Whisperer is a sign of hope. It’s a beacon in the community. A Pub Whisperer can hold a TRICKY conversation around suicide and provide hope, by embodying the following traits: Trust Respect Integrity Confidentiality Kindness Your Good Self When all else is lost we can feel safer knowing someone in the community can either listen to us, empathise with us or get us to someone who can with confidentiality and kindness. And we can provide a culture of greater hope by encouraging them to get the support they need. Two of my favourite quotes on the topic of hope include: Tough times don’t last, tough people do. – Robert Schuller Hope is a function of struggle. People with the highest hopefulness have the knowledge that they can move through adversity. – Brene Brown. We can be hopeful again knowing there are people who care. It may be the start of seeing something good in themselves, knowing they too can be kind and caring – excellent traits to live for. By getting on The Whisperer Team, your pub, club or cafe identified on our map, enables you to support your patrons with their mental health and give them hope. Make your pub (or your favourite local's) a safe hub of the community. Call me on 0447 128 148 to join now or feel free to pass on my details to a publican you know. |
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