Waters Grove
Heathmont VIC 3135
Smacktalk Community Night Presentation, will take place at Heathmont College on Wednesday 21st of May 2025, 6:30pm – 7:30pm.
Waynes Story:
Tuesday 24 October 2023 was the day our lives changed forever. Our 17-year-old beautiful boy Mac took his life at home. Mac normally got up at 6.30am. At 7am, I knocked on his door and found him. He had taken his own life. The grief, shock, helplessness and self-blame knocked me over physically and mentally.
I asked him regularly if he was ok, he always responded, “I am fine Dad”. He was not fine and if I had the knowledge and skills that I have now, to really listen, the outcome may have been different.
I have now used Mac’s death as a catalyst to do more and we want to educate every person we can reach to simply be a better listener. The research clearly confirms that real learned listening techniques make a world of difference.
The 40-minute SmackTalk session is free of charge. We will come to you, small groups, big groups, sporting clubs, school groups, business groups – we want to ensure we reduce the epidemic and silent killer that is suicide.
In 2023 alone, more than 3200 people took their own lives in Australia. Of those, 801 people died of suicide in Victoria compared to 299 road deaths in the same period in the State. We need to take urgent action to change these devastating numbers.
We miss our beautiful boy and together we will change hearts.
Wayne Holdsworth, Mac’s Dad
SmackTalk | Start a conversation NOW – to help save lives
