Here are a handful of reflections by key contributors – there were 147 individuals in all – who joined the Blank Page Summit on Suicide in 2009.

People came at relatively short notice because they cared about suicide and the disproportionately high number of Indigenous people not dying in the proper way.

They wanted to do something about it.

The Summit brought government, NGO’s, Indigenous people and others together in a unique setting to fill a blank page by connecting thinking and action.

In 2010 the Blank Page Summit Hard Yarn– closing the gap means no more muckin’ around – aims to go to the heart of overcoming Indigenous disadvantage. It will be a powerful and focused gathering for individuals keen to drive change at the most fundamental level.

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“Extraordinary event.”

John Mendoza
Chair, National Advisory Council on Mental Health
Adjunct Professor, Health Science, University of the Sunshine Coast
Adjunct Associate Professor, Medicine, University of Sydney

“I want to thank Uncle Stephen, Mary, Nelson and all others concerned in this revolutionary approach called a blank page. It was a privilege to attend this summit.”

Annette Forbes
Coordinator – Regional Centre for Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) & Health Promotion Unit (HPU)

“NPY Women’s Council was invited to the Blank Page Summit on Suicide, and Indigenous Community Volunteers helped to send two directors, Janet Inyika and Valerie Foster, and three staff members, Maime Butler, Lee Ryall and Chris Warren. During the Summit we painted a story that you can see in the picture. You can see many of the things talked about at the summit and in the call to action on this wall. These are many of the same things that NPY Women’s Council (and others) are already working on.”

Chris Warren
Assistant Manager – Youth Team
Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council

“We got fundamental agreement about what can stop suicide in Indigenous communities. It took the Summit to get us there. That’s the power of the blank page approach.”

John Herd (left)
Head of Boarding – St John’s College, Darwin

“I just wanted to thank you all for allowing me to attend the Summit which I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Dr Murray Chapman (right)
Clinical Director , KMHDS – WA Country Health Service, Kimberley

“A transformational experience.  Those of us who arrived at the Blank Page Summit talking about suicide, housing, and policies left speaking of families, homes and action plans.  Throughout the Summit, the Billard community held us in their trust and ensured we dealt with the hard issues.  With the assistance of good evidence, the involvement of the right people, and respect for each other and the country on which we worked, powerful insights were gained and commitments made to build a better future together.”

Sam Mostyn
Sustainability Adviser, Summit Co-Rapporteur

“The Blank Page Summit was one of the most significant gatherings for suicide prevention in Australia for many years.  By bringing together so many key players in the suicide and Indigenous community, Mary and Stephen have shown us both the power of hope, and the strength and tenacity of the Billard Community. I was certainly very privileged to have been invited to participate in the Summit.”

Dawn O’Neil AM
CEO of Lifeline Australia
Member – Australian Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, National Advisory Council of Mental Health, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Suicide Prevention Australia and the American Association of Suicide Prevention

“What a great feat to get things to the point they are now.   I can sense there is a lot of listening and goodwill.  Now for the hard stuff of getting the action on the ground where it is needed.  I’m just so grateful to have been part of the Billard experience. I’m in admiration of the family and the skills and love you have to carry the actions forward to the point they are now.”

Sr Alma Cabassi rsj
Ngalangangpum School, WA

“Everything worked absolutely perfectly from the minute the bagpipes woke us at six o’clock in the morning. That was our wake up call every morning ….. We enjoyed the most wonderful conversations, heard the most heartbreaking stories and met many inspirational people. That was apart from the dancing at night, the wonderful outback catering, great yarns around the campfires …..

I will give two examples of how wonderful this summit was for me. We had a breakout group at one stage of about 10 people. I was included in a group of people whom I had not previously met. Many were traditional people for whom English was their third or fourth language. We were pondering our difficult task, and as usual I had plenty to say. One chap, George from Balgo, had his eyes shut, I thought, and seemingly was not taking much notice of what people were saying. After about half an hour of all of us talking, we did our roundup of the group’s views and George spoke for the first time. He had produced an amazing drawing, which he interpreted for us in about five minutes. In that drawing and in that interpretation he captured and integrated all the conversations of the entire group for the past half hour. I learned not to underestimate George.

My second example is that on the last day we broke up into three large groups. The women were in one group, the men in another and the young folk in another. We had a serious task to come up with; that is, how to make families strong. We reassembled in about three quarters of an hour and the women presented their information, the men did the same and then the kids did theirs. The kids presented their findings in the form of a play, clearly depicting roles of a functional family and a dysfunctional family. They left absolutely no doubt at all about what they saw as the responsibility of family in regards to the young folk.”

Hon. Helen Morton MLC (WA)
Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health

“It was a wonderful experience, a very good thing for Billard, the Victors and the O’Reeri’s.  And a very good thing for all of us and no doubt for the Kimberley and the future welfare of our young people … I shall remember it as one of the more poignant moments in my life in the Kimberley.”

Christopher Saunders
Bishop of Broome

“Being part of the Blank Page Summit was an amazing life experience. It was inspirational on country with the Billard community led by Stephen, Dorothy and Mary. We shared the life stories and aspirations of the Indigenous participants and worked closely with them to plan for the future. The summit generated a national wake-up call for all Australians to work together for the benefit of our national wellbeing.”

Pat Farrar (left)
Wollongong, NSW

“It was a wonderful Summit. I was privileged to sit down and listen to the Billard Community open up and put their issues on the table about suicide and then welcome those present to chart a course and pull all the strands together. The kids’ play gave me a lump in the throat – it was funny and heart wrenching all at once. The organisation was amazing. I was in awe of how the organizers pulled off the event.”

Tim Poole (right)
Cairns, QLD

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