The Daily Mercury’s commitment to the Mackay community, telling your stories and pushing for change, has won top honours at the Qld Country Press Association awards.
She said the night was her gift to the first responder community. Toni Childs played in Mackay as part of a concert hosted by ReNew Mackay and PTSD Frontline in support of the Daily Mercury s Hub for our Heroes campaign. Picture: Heidi Petith
âI think itâs a really important thing to say thank you, to let people know that we really do care about whatâs happening to you and how your lives and families can be affected by (post-traumatic stress disorder) and other thingsâ Childs said.
âSo many men are feeling like they canât really vent or share what theyâre going through for fear of losing their jobs, or being judged.
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A Mackay veteran says it is âabout timeâ the prime minister announced a royal commission into Australiaâs alarming rate of veteransâ and defence force personnel suicide.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in announcing the inquiry on Monday, said the rate was âunacceptably highâ with suicide prevention a priority for the federal government.
âIn recognising the sacrifices made by our serving and former members, and their families, on behalf of the nation, we owe it to members, veterans and their families to continue to take action,â Mr Morrison said.
Mackay Vietnam War veteran Leslie Palmer, whose service resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder, said the inquiry would emphasise the need for more services such the a revolutionary wellness and treatment centre at Kinchant Dam for which the Daily Mercuryâs Hub for our Heroes is campaigning.
His skin warmed; nausea reared its ugly head. It followed him home and crept into his bed as the police officer of 20 years turned to the bottle to ward off the nightmares. The confronting scene of the night of September 9, 2017 stayed with him, consuming him, until one night Sergeant James believed he had to die.
Third victim of crash revealed: Bree Keller, 22, has been revealed as the third victim of the crash in $200,000 Nissan GT-R R35. Thankfully he turned back from the brink, sought help and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental injury triggered by his duties as a first responder.
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Subscriber only A Mackay father says Australian Defence Force personnel are banding together to prevent their mates from taking their own life as the system falls short. West Mackay resident Phil Rutherford said while his son had served in mainly peacetime deployments for 11 years as an engineer, he, as well as many in the ADF, had been suicidal. Mr Rutherford s father-in-law also witnessed four decades of trauma at the frontline as a paramedic. He then left the profession to study psychology so he could help his former co-workers after they attended fatalities. Their experiences are why Mr Rutherford is backing the Daily Mercury s