Check the details on the poster and I hope to see you there!

It's awesome when great people who make great pubs get recognised for their hard work, dedication and all round good nature.

People who care for their community!

Now that's something worth celebrating!

Jordie (pictured) and the team from the Royal Oak Hotel, Clarendon have taken out the inaugural 2024 City of Onkaparinga Great Aussie Pub Challenge.

The pub, nestled in the picturesque Adelaide Hills township about 30 minutes drive south if the city, supports their community by providing great meals, friendly hospitality, a pool table, great conversation and of course a refreshing beverage or three.

And it's poker machine free!

Next time your in the area drop in and say hi to the small friendly team behind this family-owned pub.

To cap it all off The Great Aussie Pub Network is organising a celebration at the pub on Sunday arvo, December 1, with live music and sausage sizzle, to mark the ocassion.

A big thanks to all the participants from the 2023 Seaford Rotary Seaside Walk who made the Challenge possible, by raising funds when participating in the walk.

This event takes place along the magnificent 5km stretch from Port Noarlunga to Moana reserve, with views of the rolling Fleurieu hills and coastline on the journey. It raises funds for important suicide prevention and mental health initiatives in the community.

The grant of $1000 from the Rotary Club of Seaford (Club president Deb Pagsanjan pictured) was donated to The Pub Whisperer last year and helped make The Challenge happen, in order to equip pub staff in the region with life-saving suicide prevention training.

The win for the pub means The Royal Oak will receive a minimum 12-month subscription and listing on the Great Aussie Pubs website as well as suicide prevention training for all of their staff.

A big thank you to all the participating pubs and publicans who got involved and encouraged their patrons to vote in The Challenge.

They include:
The Aussie Inn (Hackham)
The Aldinga Hotel
McLaren Vale Hotel
Old Noarlunga Hotel
Old Bush Inn (Willunga)
The Alma (Willunga)
Mick O'Shea's (Hackham)

 A message from the heart, is at the heart of the poem The Day The Pub Whisperer Came To Town.

​See it here.

Today, September 15, 2024, marks the first #tellamate day.
​
It was a day I decided to call a mate I know, who has had his struggles, to tell him that I see his courage in facing dark times as a real strength.

He didn't pick, so I just left a message anyway.

Saying "I love you", or "I love this .... (fill in the blank) about you" can be a turning point for someone who is struggling to see the good in themself.

Perhaps an encouraging comment can make all the difference to just keep going when times are tough?

But make sure that if you do say it, only do so if it is genuine.

Maybe, you just never felt you had a good opportunity to tell them.
​
Give your self the courage to do it, without prejudice of what might come back your way.

Tell them at the pub, take a selfie together, upload it to social media and tag them, with #tellamate

Lets normalise telling those we love what we genuinely love about them!

If you've been following the work if the Great Aussie Pubs team you would know we are on a mission to create a community of Pub Whisperers across the country who can assist people with their mental health in times of suicidal crisis.

Today, on World Suicide Prevention Day it's a great reminder that when suicide is no longer an option, healing work is.

When we've surpassed the threat of immediate death at our own hands, there is a door way to another world that is being shown to us.

Once upon a time those triggers that brought us to suicide ideation were called anger, rage, regret, resentment, hurt, loss, abandonment, loneliness, guilt and shame.

At it's very core, they are either misery or overwhelm. Or both.

Chances were that we could not even name them at the time.

Sometimes we were so neck deep in misery that finding the words to name our feelings were virtually impossible.

Talking about those feelings, with loved ones, someone we can trust or in places that we feel safe, helps us to name them.

And by naming them we can gain clarity on what we can do to feel better.

This process is commonly called "healing trauma".

It's the new buzz word in the world of mental health and it shows us how far we have come with our awareness of the issues that affect our mental wellbeing.

Here's the process of how to successfully deal with suicide ideation, in order to heal our feelings of sadness or overwhelm:
First we should not shame it.
Instead we must name it.
The feeling, that is.
The negative feeling that sits within our bodies, causing us grief and suffering.
So much so, that we do not want to continue on with this life. Because we have hit our limit of suffering.
We name it, so that we can bring clarity to why we feel suicidal.
So that we can make the necessary changes in our life to heal from that experience or trauma causing it.
This is done by sharing it and having our words witnessed, whether it's with a suicide prevention helpline or a friend.
Then making just one small regular step to repair it.
The experience of suicide ideation ultimately shows us what we no longer need in our life. What is causing us extreme discomfort.
If we can't feel it, name it, accept it, abandon or move on from it, then we cannot repair or heal it.
Our bodies are a temple and they store within it these unresolved traumas.
As long as our bodies are caught in the feeling of grief, and we are not bringing the reason for the trauma and suffering to light, speaking it, having it witnessed and then making one small step to repair it - then we are not able to change these suicidal thoughts.

Knowledge is power. Suicidal thoughts are leading us on a journey. So that we can choose differently.

#worldsuicidepreventionday
#worldsuicidepreventionday2024
#thepubwhisperer
#thewhispererteam
#suicideprevention
#mentalhealthawareness

Great Aussie Pubs® and The Pub Whisperer® is excited to announce it has now teamed up with Black Dog Institute to provide publicans and their staff with suicide prevention skills.

The Recognise and Respond - Suicide Prevention for Everyday Life is a 1-hour online course to reduce and prevent suicides in Australia.

It provides the tools and confidence you need to have a key conversation and respond to a friend, family member or colleague/patron who may have suicidal thoughts.

You can complete the interactive course on any computer or mobile device. It’s self-paced and will take about an hour to finish. It provides a guided learning experience with expert videos and case study videos.

What you’ll learn:
Topic 1 | Recognise the signs Learn how to notice changes in someone’s behaviour and possible risk of suicide.
Topic 2 | Case studies You choose the stories you’d like to follow, to learn how to respond to someone at risk.
Topic 3 | Self-care Learn all-important skills on how to look after yourself while supporting others.
Topic 4 | Scenario based challenges Check your understanding of what you’ve learned in the course.

Learn how to have a conversation about suicide, this could be the most important conversation you have in your life.

Download the flier below for more info.

I was at The Old Bush Inn this week.
Gavin was enthusiastic about getting the first Pub Whisperer poster up on the noticeboard.
The poster has a QR code for patrons to get help if theyre doing it tough.
The code sends them through to a list of helplines where they can get support if they're suicidal or just overwhelmed by life.
Check it out at www.thepubwhisperer.com