Finlay Duffy and her family and friends at last year’s event. Photo: Supplied.
With R U OK? Day fast approaching, Echuca-Moama local Finlay Duffy is once again set to host her annual trivia night fundraiser.
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The event is held in honour of Ms Duffy’s brother Devlin Duffy, who took his own life in August 2016 after struggling with chronic pain.
Ms Duffy said the event was not only a way to raise funds but a chance to normalise conversations around suicide.
“Locally, I think small towns are really hit when something like a suicide happens,” she said.
“I know when it happened to my brother, I read somewhere a further 20 people will be impacted and that’s just like friends and first responders and stuff like that.
“For a town that’s small, it does send ripples through and I do think smaller towns struggle opening up about stuff like that, and it’s still very stigmatised.”
Finlay Duffy with her cousins showing off their ‘Doing it for Dev’ shirts. Photo: Supplied.
What began as a small gathering of family and friends has grown over the past eight years, now drawing nearly 100 participants each year.
While the bulk of donations is made through the trivia night, the wider community has rallied behind the event.
Woolworths Echuca West has been supporting the event since its inception and Moama Woolworths makes generous donations each year.
Echuca’s Hungry Goat catering has also run a doughnut drive, with all funds donated to Ms Duffy’s cause, and the Moama RSL contributes by covering the cost of food platters on the night.
Last year’s event raised more than $8000 for the charity and this year, Ms Duffy hopes to achieve $10,000.
The Moama RSL was packed to the brim at last year’s event. Photo: Supplied.
Ms Duffy hopes the night will spark meaningful conversations about suicide and encourage those who may be struggling, to seek support.
“I hope they take away how to start those conversations because I know it can be quite scary to have them,” she said.
“Know the signs and know that there are people around to help, and that struggling is common.
“They can reach out to all those organisations or their friends and check in regularly, not just on R U OK? Day, but every day.”
The trivia night will be held at the Moama RSL on Friday, September 5 from 7pm.
Tickets for the event are $20 each and can be purchased by contacting the Facebook event page arefacebook.com/share/1GQ4PrS4qR
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