Late local vet Dr Toby Apsimon, who tragically took his own life 20 years ago, was remembered at a memorial service held on Thursday.
Family, friends and community members attended, with Whyalla vet Dr Andrew Melville-Smith delivering a heartfelt speech about his former friend and colleague.
“Under the surface Toby had been struggling with depression for his whole life, a fact I only became aware of a day before he committed suicide,” he said.
“The problem, of course, is depression is a disease, just like a heart attack or cancer and needs no why. It can strike with little warning and rapidly become a terminal disease.”
Dr Melville-Smith noted that veterinarians are four times as likely to take their own life than the general population.
“Long work hours, on call nights, demanding cases and clients, lack of support and knowing how to do it painlessly and swiftly all contribute to this,” he said.
“Looking back on the events of 20 years ago, the signs were all there with Toby, we were not aware of them. We should remember them, so we can ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
During the memorial a plaque dedicated to the memory of Toby was installed in the garden of the Whyalla Veterinary Clinic on McDouall Stuart Avenue.
“In dedicating this plaque, we are also remembering to be aware of the signs of suicidal behaviour and the need to take it seriously,” Dr Melville-Smith said.
“I hope the legacy of this is that we can prevent it from happening again.”
Whyalla Suicide Prevention Network (WSPN) member Janice Eygenraam also spoke at the memorial, focusing on strategies to help prevent suicide.
“We are all trying to make a difference. Here today at Toby’s memorial is one way of raising the awareness and removing the stigma that surrounds suicide and mental health,” she said.
“Another local approach is the WSPN which has been together for about 6 years, we have a committee that meets every month. We are not counsellors or a support group.”
Other local groups that provide support in the area of suicide prevention are men’s mental health group I’m Not Afraid To Talk and the Whyalla Ripples Support Group.
Training sessions available related to suicide prevention include: Question Persuade Refer (QPR), Mean Health First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and SafeTalk.
More information regarding these strategies can be found online.
If you or someone you know needs urgent support, please ring Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
Hello – my name is Elaine and I knew Toby when he lived in Tavistock in Devon in England before they emigrated to Australia. We lived next door to each other. I was about 10 and I think he would have been about 8. We used to have great times playing in an old quarry behind our houses. We played in fields and loved being outside. We played with vintage corgi toys and played in my tent in my back garden sometimes sleeping out at night. He was my best friend at the time and when they emigrated I really missed him. We used to write airmail letters to each other. I was so sorry to hear of his death and upset by it to realise how troubled he must have been. He did visit me once about 1978. I am not surprised he was a good vet. He loved nature and animals, we both did. I just thought I’d write about my friendship with him.