Life Promotion and Suicide Prevention FNQ | September 2026

Meeting the Collaborative | Shammah Ten Hoorn

Since entering the community services sector in 2017 through a Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, I have developed a strong appreciation for person-centred and holistic practice. Working alongside experienced mentors taught me the importance of listening, creating space for people to share their experiences, and supporting individuals to define what recovery means for themselves. 

I feel my initial experience in Community Services has set me on a path of practicing in a way that meets the human needs of the people we are supporting and this covering all facets of Community.

I engaged with the Life Promotion and Suicide Prevention Collaborative in September of 2024, and was hearing a lot of the same context: Deep thinking of what suicide meant from the bigger contextual picture of community, family and professionals. Plus challenging the different ways suicide is perceived regarding the associated stigma and shame.

The Collaborative over the 2 years of my involvement have really demonstrated this approach from the get-go: A real focus on changing the narrative and how we offer support around suicide and see suicide from a community perspective. This has created a conversation shift that allows for a more open perspective to take place and allow people to be human in the space, to feel and to connect.

This creates more open and transparent conversation, which in turn allows the Collaborative to open up and share.

These conversations bring to light that its not just an isolated experience, but rather, demonstrates how it impacts large circles of supports, and this would not have happened without breaking down the barriers of systems to just allow conversation to flow and people to not feel alone in their experience.

Shammah works with Family Drug Support across Far North Queensland.

Earlier this year we partnered with Roses in the Ocean to explore the Life Promotion and Suicide Prevention FNQ Critical Shifts through the lens of lived and living experience.

As a reminder, the Critical Shifts for Change focused on education, racism, access, stigma and language, systems and family and domestic violence.

The intent was to deepen our collective understanding of what meaningful change could look like across communities, services and systems and to seed the development of future lived experience-led dialogue and leadership in Far North Queensland.

What emerged was a set of rich insights. 

Genuine empathy is the only universal response

We heard that connection, community, culture, trust, belonging, safety and self-determination were consistently identified as important foundations for wellbeing and suicide prevention.

Looking forward, the insights in this report provide an opportunity to inform ongoing conversations, collaborative action and future work across the region.

We invite you use the insights and suggested actions as learning reflections, as policy drivers and as inspirations for further work to enhance existing suicide prevention efforts.

A huge thank you and appreciation to Roses in the Ocean and everyone who participated.

You can access the Insights Report here

Thirrili

Jermane Herbohn and Karen Dodd from Thirrili dropped by to share updates and resources. It was so valuable to spend time together exploring our mutual hopes, ideas and ways to work together.

Thirrili provide emotional and practical support to families impacted by a loss from suicide or other fatal traumatic events.

It's easy to contact them either via their website or call 1800 841 313 for general enquiries or 1800 805 801 for the support and referral line available 24/7 to speak with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander team member.

 We also had the pleasure of meeting with CEO Tanja Hirvonen earlier this month as part of a local group convened by NQPHN designing new postvention support resources.

Coroner Williams | DFV + Suicide

As part of the Collaborative’s focussed work regarding domestic and family violence (DFV), it was a pleasure to meet with Coroner Stephanie Williams.

Coroner Williams’ sharing helped us to understand the investigation processes of the Coroner and Police in relation to DFV victim suicide and where opportunities may exist to include perpetrators’ patterns of behaviour as contributing factors to a death by suicide.

We are looking forward to more Collaborative conversations with Coroner Williams and to introduce the subject matter’s Australian researchers into the conversation.

This is part of our ongoing work in partnership with the Cairns Collective Impact for Domestic and Family Violence (CCIDFV) network.

Diamonds in the Sky | Grassroots Community Initiative

It was a great honour to speak at the Diamonds in the Sky Suicide Intervention Basketball Carnival in Innisfail this month.

Diamonds in the Sky has been running for 15 years and demonstrates a perfect example of community grass roots activism and what can happen when local people come together.

We all have a role to play

The festival was born out of a critical concern about suicide rates in Innisfail and surrounding areas. Local organisers partnered with Innisfail Basketball Incorporation to use sport as a universal bridge to support. By framing suicide intervention around a fast-paced, family friendly basketball carnival, the founders discovered they could engage young people, regional squads and vulnerable individuals who might other wise avoid formal support systems.

A shout out here to Trevor and Bronwyn Philpott and team for years of dedicated community action.

Continuous Communications

Intentional engagements that are foundational for community development.

Cape York Focus Forum

The September Cape York Focus Forum held some wonderful discussions, with CORES Qld invited to share their community conversations - whilst simultaneously conducting a community conversation in Cooktown. With thanks to Samantha and Ross for sharing your time with the Collaborative.

Rebecca Johnson OAM joined us from Queensland LGBTQIA+ Alliance and spoke about the advocacy agenda and connections across the Cape and Torres.

We also welcomed Naman Garling and Brett Houldsworth from Wuchopperen to the Collaborative. It was wonderful to hear of the work ahead for the Culture Care Connect team and how we can support.

We love the Cape York Focus Forum as there is always great storytelling and sharing of meaningful community work from a diverse group covering community, services and agencies.

Join us for the next Cape York Focus Forum on 10th December, 2026 - Register here

Changing the Narrative 2.0 | Symposium 2027

Friday March 19th, 2027

We are thrilled to announce that a second Symposium will be held next year. We will have the pleasure of futurist, Jose Ramos, joining us again to tease our thinking and practices into new ways of being and doing.

With an additional workshop and social event, Symposium 2027 will be a wonderful opportunity for our Collaborative members to meet, learn and share.

Register your interest right here, right now.

Community Conversations | Collaborative on the Move

Building on the theme of Changing the Narrative, the Collaborative will be hosting community conversations exploring what changing the narrative means to us, what each of our roles are in the movement of change and how this can transpire in your community.

If you are interested in co-hosting a conversation, please let the Collaborative backbone team know with an Expression of Interest.

If you are interested in being part of the movement for change, please contact Gill via gill@beaconstrategies.com.au

Kate Fitz-Gibbon et al conducts an exploratory qualitative study that examines how family violence can contribute to women’s suicidality and deaths by suicide, and how that relationship may be missed by coronial and service systems.

Of particular relevance for the Collaborative is the report’s key contribution in challenging the treating of suicide as a purely individual or clinical event.

Coercion to suicide

The report describes family violence—including coercive control—as cumulative harm that may constrain a woman’s choices and contribute to entrapment, hopelessness and loss of agency.

It also discusses “coercion to suicide,” where a perpetrator encourages self-harm or uses a woman’s suicidality and other vulnerabilities as means of control.

The report asks us to consider several ways that violence and suicide risk intersect with wider circumstances (vulnerabilities) of migration and isolation, substance use, housing insecurity and children and young people.

An important coronial issue highlighted, is the tendency for investigations to focus on what was “sufficiently proximate” to the death. That can leave longer histories of abuse less visible.

Straight Up: A sharing of practical reasons to consider carefully how information is gathered, whose account is available and what the official record captures.

Online, free and downloadable copy here.