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Dave and Simon are home! Over 100 people welcomed them home on Saturday, 22nd October, at Langley Park with a sausage sizzle and family fun day.

Glenn Mitchell, former ABC sports broadcaster, MC’ed the formalities and announced a final total of over $120,000!

After losing his 20 y.o son, Nathan, to suicide in March 2009, Dave Wright is determined to raise awareness about suicide and what can be done to prevent further loss of life.

The tragic loss of his son, 3 days before his 21st birthday, led Dave to decide he would walk from Carnarvon to Perth in Nathan’s memory and to raise vital funds and awareness for suicide prevention; supported by Lifeline WA.

All funds raised from the Walk for Hope will go to Lifeline WA. Donate Now.

It is the mission of Lifeline WA to prevent suicide, support people in crisis and create opportunities for emotional wellbeing. This is done through the provision of a 24/7 crisis support line; 13 11 14, as well as various community education programs in the community. Click here to find out more about Lifeline WA.

Simon & Dave – the two walkers

Dave and Simon with Howard Sattler at 6PR

Simon & Dave – the two walkers

Anonymous

Dave & Simon, you’re both very brave, and I think it will be a tough walk. However, you’ll have a lot of people cheering you on and supporting you and the campaign. Good luck!

Collette Wright

thanks for the kind words,were not brave just concerned, the walk was enormously tough at times but people like you have made it worthwile and achieveable thanks again dave n collette

http://www.facebook.com/people/Carole-Lovejoy/1475287033 Carole Lovejoy

Hi I hear you are walking with the good nutrition of Fitline products, we have seen Achim an ultra marathon athlete from Germany run across australia at the age of 50 and now at the age of 60 he has cycled across America and run back to New York to commemorate 9/11. Achim ran on Fitline products and has stayed fit and healthy. I am positive the products will enhance your ability to achieve your goal

Collette Wright

hi carole, great to meet you last week.as i mentioned to kerry i would be pleased to endorse the fitline range of products.i do not believe in miracle suppliments/vitamins but all i can say is that during my 1000km trip over 30 days, fitline products gave me the boost i needed when i needed it, thankyou kerry n carole (can i have more please) dave wright

Farr-2-sirius

I heard your discussion on 720 ABC this morning, great cause. You have a very hard mile to walk. I lost my son David to suicide 11 years ago, and the walk doesn’t get any easier, you just walk with a limp….
Please accept my donation in memory of David, Lee and Wayne – these are all close family members lost to suicide.
Sandy Foster

Walk for Hope

Thank you Sandy. Please join us as we make our way into Perth on the 22nd of October at Langley Park.

Pat

I lost my dad and brother to it,Well done on raising awareness I also work for fortescue at port so congrats to them for once again being generally a great company,When you are draging yourself on and the chaffing is bleeding use it as real metaphor for the pain and struggle of deppresion and use the knowlage that it wont kill you is just very trying as a experiance that the end can look bleak and far BUT THEN PROVE THE BATTLE IS DOABLE AND KEEP GOING,as insperation for sufferers that battles can be one.

Collette Wright

pat,just starting to read through all the comments now the walk is over. my heart goes out to you dealing with a double tradgedy, your comment about using the physical pain as a metaphor is exactly what i did. the pain of walking becomes insignificant when we think of the suffering our loved ones were going through at their lowest points. hopefully we have all taken the first steps to try to ensure other families do not have to endure the pain that we carry but just as importantly that the ones suffering the depression and suicidal thoughts can feel able to turn to us all for help when they most need it. dave n collette wright

Farr-2-sirius

Quirky challenge:
I work for Disability Services Commission and I attended an all day Leadership and Professional Development Forum yesterday, at the start of these days we are all told to please turn off our mobiles or put them onto silent. Invariably one or more phones will go off during the course of the day, interrupting the speakers. To create a quirky challenge for the day, the Accommodation Director (I don’t have permission to use her name here) announced to all present that if anyones phones make a sound during the course of the day, they must donate to a charity, the one she chose was Walk For Hope – at the end of the day she named and shamed the offenders and they have to make a donation to Walk for Hope. I would like to put out a ‘quirky challenge’ to similar forums or planning days etc, to give participants a fine for not turning off their mobiles and nominate a worthy charity or cause. namely Walk for Hope, Sandy

Walkforhope

Great idea Sandy!
Ros

Hey Sandy ,,can you give me a call on my personal 0412693095 for a quick quirky chat !!! I have a plan and I need women like you to help make it huge for our walk for hope boys !!, warm wishes Rs Worthington x
Collette Wright

hi sandy, thanks for the message, im impressed that what we have been doing has arrousesd so much interest. talking of arroused if you would like to send me the accomodation directors name and number we will see what we can do! . maybe one for my friend jimmy the driver , jimmy u got that viagra ?…..

Ros

From the moment we arrived in Carnarvon we were showered with kindness and generosity of spirit.

To Coby Kirwan at the Shire of Carnarvon – without your amazing support we would not have had the amazing response that we did.

Shire President Dudley Maslen – thank you for your support and the boys thank you for the personal gift of a beer every night whilst walking this mammoth walk. Also thank you for personally helping us with the banners.

To John and Jenny Spear from IGA Carnarvon for your enormous generosity of spirit in providing the boys with food for the trip.

Special thank yous – Cindy at the Gateway Motel for accommodation and breakfast, to Steve at Whitburn Rural Services for the fuel, oil and showing Simon how to use it! To Allan at Tropics Hardware for the gas bottle. To Ron and Laurie at Gasgoyne Refrigeration for the ice. To Joyce at Loveapple Pty Ltd for the big box of tomatoes and cucumbers. To Bryce at Sweeter Bananas for the box of Carnarvon bananas.To the Carnarvon Hotel for all of the drinks and donations for meals. The Shire of Carnarvon Depo for keeping all of our supplies locked away safely until we arrived.

Also a big thank you to Hot Hits 99.7, the Northern Guardian and ABC North-West for helping us spread our message of hope and help so responsibly.

Finally – Les Cook, Chairman of AMS, for your donation and support.

I can’t wait to get to Northampton and Geraldton to continue spreading the word!

Ros Worthington OAM
Project Manager,
Walk for Hope
Rosie Seager

So glad to hear you were well looked after by everyone in Carnarvon! I’ve had lots of people mention Dave’s interview and all have said what an inspiration you are – huge respect from everyone here. I’ll catch up again next week for another chat – hope it’s all going well.
Rosie (Hot Hits 99.7)

Ros

Thanks Rosie ,,you are a real trouper !!! your support is fantastic !! please keep ringing the boys and helping us spread the message !!!AND RAISE $$$$$
Collette Wright

thanks rosie, communication was a major issue but would love to talk now we are back in perth, lots of stories. call lifeline for my number
dave n collette

Shirley Hughes

Dear Dave and Simon, what a wonderful thing you are doing. Onya. My beloved and only son Simon committed suicide in 2002. He was 33. There was no warning, and no note. I miss him hugely every day. I felt anger for about 10 minutes, thinking he had no right to do this. I brought him into the world, only I could take him out. Yeh right. Then I knew that as a man, he made his choices. Nothing makes it easier, and nothing takes away that void. I tell people about him, and what he did, in the hope that parents may look a little closer at their children, and maybe prevent any further deaths. Imagine my horror at finding out that there are more deaths by suicide than all the states together for road deaths. Yet look at the road programme. There is no strategy evolved yet for suicide. Doesn’t make sense does it? As you know, the family dynamics change forever when there is one missing. Please fell free to contact me if I can help, by talking to groups or whatever. Shirley Hughes

Ros

Hi Shirley ,,Thankyou for sharing your story on your beautiful boy simon ,,the boys can’t get messages at the moment but will do as soon as they get closer to Northampton ,,i am going to meet them next Wednesday and have 2 nights sleepover !!! Listen to Howard tomorrow on 6pr around 4 ish and then let me know if you would like the boys to add your Simon to the list of loved ones lost to suicide as they will be walking for them all next thurs !! hugs Ros
Collette Wright

dear shirley, sorry for not replying earlier but now the walk is over im slowly catching up. as berieved parents we share your pain and also anger and dissapoinment in a society that spends more time debating,money and interest in new football stadiums than goes towards saving lives and eliminating the stigma still attatched to mental health issues that quite frankly have no bias either, sexual,racial or political this condition can affect anyone and everyone

we will do everything we can to educate and resolve this massive issue . unfortunately we have to live with the consequences of suicide forever but we can all try to ensure that our pain and loss does not become replicated in many many other families love dave n collette

Mark

Good luck boys, we are all behind you.

One step at a time. Simon will you be growing a beard like Forrest Gump??

Mark Brennan

Anonymous

Maybe he will be wiping his face on stranger’s shirts after stepping into puddles of mud? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA1_aw2wAYI&feature=player_detailpage#t=216s

Steve

Hi Dave & Simon
Congratulations to you guys for taking on this challenge to highlight such a worthwhile and necessary cause. During such an epic journey you may encounter days when it all looks too daunting but maybe you could adopt a strategy I employed when I undertook my first Black Dog Ride, 16,000kms around Australia in 26 days. People would often ask “how can you keep going day after day sometimes doing over 1,000kms a day?” I answered ” easy, I break it down into bite sized chunks, I just ride from petrol pump to petrol pump ”. It’s a little different for you guys but maybe the breaks you have for food and drink can be called your “Pit Stops” so you are just walking from Pit Stop to Pit Stop. Hope that helps.
I wish you every success and you never know, Winston and I might see you on the road.
Steve Andrews

Collette Wright

thanks steve, we soon learned that stopping for food,drink breaks was a bad move.afterwards the blisters,aches and pains feel far worse and its difficult/painfull to get moving for the next few hundred metres.after the first few days we would eat/drink on the run. i suppose i employed a similar strategy to yours in relation to breaking things down into stages. my method is to focus on the bitumen,gravel or bush a couple of metres in front rather than looking to the horizon, of course this method does have a negative side if there are any slithering surprises ! 16000kms for the round trip is it ?….interesting dave n collette wright

Amandwheeler

What an awesome and selfless commitment – walking proud and tall in the memory of Nathan….and carrying the hopes and aspirations of many others along the journey. Dave and Simon, Lifeline WA is very grateful for your efforts in raising the awareness of what can be done to keep more people safe from suicide – including highlighting that people in distress can call 13 11 14 anytime from anywhere. We are walking wiht you in spirit. With deeprespect and regards from, Amanda (CEO)

Collette Wright

amanda(skinny), we set out to do this to honour nathans memory as youre aware, since that initial conception the project has snowballed beyond all belief. nathan has been remembered, funds have been raised,mental health(particulary suicide) has been highlighted, and most importantly people either at risk or left behind have opened their hearts to share their stories and pain with us.we will continue to support the message that lifeline wa is putting out to the community love dave n collette

Janeb61

This is such a great effort & way to help raise awareness about this ‘taboo’ topic, suicide. Our family lost Aidon just after his 19th birthday and it is something that will be with us forever.
We hope our small donation helps towards this worthy cause. Well done guys

Collette Wright

of course your donation will help, but not as much as your words. aidon passing at 19 is so sad and frustrating just like nathan at 20. what do you do,what do you say, when it happened to nathan we felt so alone in the world and i would do anything, anything to have him back here but you cant do that can you .our pain will never go away but we in this unwanted club have each other….. dave n collette

Duncan Ward

Hi Simon and Dave,
I am learning how to track you effort on my comp. Not so comp literate but hope this and the other messages get to you and help.
You never cease to amaze me Simo ! I am so proud of you and love so very much. X.
Keep going you guy’s, only one step at a time, there are many walking with you.
Enthusiastically, Duncan.
Marion

A truly inspirational effort. I wish you every success in raising awareness of suicide and that help is available.

Collette Wright

marion, doing our best, watch this space dave n collette

Duncan Ward

The pic’s look great, keep up your PMA “the only way”
Keep on keeping on.
Duncan.
Ashleejo_14

Hi Guys,

Hello from Carnarvon we have been following your journey, your all doing a great job very inspiring.

From Ash and JO

Collette Wright

ash,n jo, thankyou very much

Shirley Wright

It was great to meet up with you guys last night, and your support crew, Jimmy, Lexi and Nigel. This is a tough challenge for you but your determination and strength of spirit is inspirational. We will be meeting up with you in Perth, but until then we are thinking of you and of course Nathan.
Shirley and Kevin

Collette Wright

thankyou for feeding,entertaining and supplying certain beverages to me and my crew at the river camp, the photos say it all. but where were u on saturday !.catch up soon dave n collette

Marg

Hi Dave and Simon,

You are amazing for undertaking this walk to raise awareness of suicide- which has touched so many lives. I lost my son in July.

Thank you,

Marg B

Collette Wright

marg, when i first heard about you i felt an immediate connection for obvious reasons. we still have to meet and as time goes on hopefully you will feel ready for that. we have learned that time doesnt really change anything (nothing can) but there are many of us affected by this and we are there for one another . im not an overly religious man (did get married in church , and have to believe in something after were finished here !). but i do know our sons,daughters,brothers,sisters,moms n dads , the list goes on are looking down on us and never meant to cause us any pain, simply had to stop their own…. love dave n collette

Marita Bird-Photography

Dear Dave and Simon, Congratulations on undertaking this mammoth task! You are both amazing and I hope you know how much your efforts are appreciated. I haven’t personally experienced the loss of any loved ones to suicide, but I do suffer from long-term depression and axiety disorder, so I understand the “other side” of the story. Depression and Mental illness in general, is such a horrible and debilitating disease. It’s very frustrating for sufferers – people around us don’t always understand, or even believe, that we have an illness. Finding someone to talk to, who will listen AND understand, is not always easy. That’s why places like Lifeline are so important!! But these organisations do need money to be able to operate them, so funraising is vital for their survival. I hope that EVERYONE in WA gets right behind you, with not only encouragement and verbal support but with financial support as well. All the best guys! Looking forward to seeing you cross the finish line!! God Bless you both!! : )

And to Ros, thankyou and congratulations on your management of this project. No doubt your help is very valuable and is much appreciated as well. You are such an amazing woman. I had the honour of seeing you (unfortunately didn’t get to meet you though) at a function last year! I wish there were more people like you around – you are a true angel and an inspiration! God Bless you too Ros!! : )

Collette Wright

marita, im overwelmed as i read through the comments people like yourself have made while i have been away. i reckon if i had recieved these messages during my trip i would have sprinted the whole way.you raise a very valid point in the frustration that people suffering depression/mental illness experience. family,society,medical and educational facilities all need to begin to understand as we are that people cannot always control their actions but still need the love , support , and help that any human being deserves …… one day marita.!.. ps ros is an amazing woman but god can she talk…

Natalie Collis

Well done boys, keep strong. Its a good cause, lifeline helps many people in distress. We met Dave at the lifeline ball. Good luck.
Medics from Christmas Creek
xx

Collette Wright

thanks nat, remember u 2 well.the walk got adjusted a fair bit and i was dissapointed that it resulted in not visiting ccreek but overall think weve all achieved a pretty good result dave n collette

Alana

Dave,

Good on you for making this walk happen!!! Wishing you all the best for your journey back to Perth.

Good luck

Alana

Collette Wright

alana, thankyou so much . there are very few true friends in life, an i like to think u r one of em love dave n collette

Selena

Great work Guys!! See you at the finish line.

Collette Wright

selina, thanks for being there it means alot love dave n collette

Baggd

Thank you so much for what you are doing, we lost our 11 year old son to suicide seven years ago this month, nobody ever told us they went this young. I applaud your effort and your strength

Barbara, Gary, David & Adam Withers

Collette Wright

nathan as you probably know would have been 21 3 days later and we cry every day for his young life being taken, but 11, whats happening in this world.i honestly wish i had the answers that could stop all of this but all we can do is try to ensure this happens to nobody else.we should never have to attend our childrens funurals and although we cant take away your pain i promise we wont stop fighting this until other families no longer have to go through our pain. your little boy now a man will be looking down proud of his family im certain, love dave n collette

Gho

This is an amazing tribute and journey for you guys to take in honour of Nathan and all the other victims who have been lost or affected by such a terrible tragedy… As a longtime sufferer of depression… Nearly 17 years now… I have had many moments of considering taking my own life… Fortunately, they have only ever been thoughts and I have never actually made any attempt… The last two and a half years as been extremely hard for me… I am almost 38 years old and had my first baby 18 months ago – her and my partner are literally my angels… Almost from the date of conception, my depression patterns changed to where it had always reared it’s ugly head through a trigger of some form… to becoming like a cycling depression that would come and go for no reason… I would feel fine one day and the next very tired… to a point of severe exhaustion for weeks… thus leaving me very withdrawn socially etc. I just thought it was how I cope with pregnancy… & I was tired… I was hospitalised at 20 weeks thru a flare up where I was almost manic… or this is how my family perceived it… For me, it was like I had come out of the hole of exhaustion and I was very excited to feel okay again… I can see WHY my family saw otherwise but I know I wasn’t actually manic… This whole situation threw me even more, to be hospitalised for three weeks over Xmas and I wasn’t even in my home state… I had travelled to NSW to see my family; so I didn’t even have the support of my partner with me as he had not joined me on my holiday due to work committments… I had our beautiful baby girl, Billie, in April 2010 and had hoped my health would go back to normal after my hormones settled down again… They did not… & still have not… I have taken so many different medications (at very large amounts) from antidepressants to mood stabilisers and nothing has helped, I still keep cycling from normality to sinking into lows… I have been told I am Bi Polar, Bi Polar II to then be told I am not by other GPs and pshychiatrists… I have been tested for so many different illnesses but nothing else shows… All I can say, is thank god to people like you David, my partner Trevor… my amazing friends and family and my beautiful daughter and fur babies who keep me going… I still have dark thoughts during the bad times but I also know they will pass eventually and I know I have so many people and special things in my life to live for; even though at times I feel so debilitated I could happily lock myself in my bedroom, curled up in a ball until the whole episode passes… I am currently in a good phase, after a long four weeks of feeling very bad… I now just have to learn to embrace these good moments until we find the “right” medication or something hopefully starts to work or changes for me… To anyone else who is unlucky enough to have such a debilitately illness of the mind… Please, hold on to those good things (they are there even if it feels like you have nothing…) and keep hope – it is there too… just sometimes it is not in reach… I am a huge advocate of suicide prevention but also of the illness and prevention of it… We need to speak more about depression so people understand it more… some people don’t even realise that they have it… just feel so ill and unable to function that they do not know what is wrong… I will definitely be donating to this cause… Well done guys… RIP Nathan x

Collette Wright

gho, where do i start… just when you think youve heard it all along comes another story that blows you away !…sounds like you could probably teach me (and others) a thing or two, and maybe that should be a consideration for you in the future when the point arises where the dark times go away. im not a proffessional in these matters but my opinion is that we need more people like yourself that can share your experiences and enlighten people to this devastating condition that preys on so many of us. please hang in there you have so much to share, love dave n collette

Jo Messenger

Dave and Simon – so so so so so sorry Mel and I didnt see you on Saturday – little did we realise when we met you in Lancelin that we had a function on on Saturday out in the Swan Valley !! we were picked up at 10 am and having a wine by 10.30 am and toasting to you both though (all day)
We would love to catch up again over a beer or two though. Will post the photos on FB this avo from when we all met.
xx

Collette Wright

no worries jo n mel missed u both on sat, but glad to have spent time with the pair of u talk soon dave

Collette Wright

we are sincerely gratefull to each and every person,family and organisation that chose to follow and support us in our small effort to try to eradicate depression and suicide.we have drawn strength from being in a position to listen to other people in similar heart breaking situations and will continue to do whatever we can to assist in whatever way possible, with regard to fund raising we have finished crawling and have learned enough to start walking [litterally and metaphorically], watch this space dave and collette wright
Saw marlar

my name is saw marlar. i need a job. come you help me.