SPA LiFE Award NT

SR4L members with SPA CEO Nieves Murray, Anglicare Tricia Maling ~ L-R Tricia, Katrina, Lidia, Nieves, Maria.

SR4L nominee Karyn Moyle won 2 awards for all the work she does across NT. Karyn could not attend in person as she was away presenting and facilitating workshops/training. We were honoured to be recipients last year.

Communities in Action Award: Karyn Moyle, Perfectly Imperfect Consulting: Aunties Place Community-led Safe Space
Karyn Moyle established Aunties’ Place in 2023, the first Community-led Safe Space with an Indigenous focus in the Northern Territory with ongoing support from Roses in The Ocean’s National Community-led Safe Space initiative.

Although drawing on the Safe Space model, Aunties Place in Darwin, through the leadership of Karyn, has been carefully structured with the community to identify meaningful connections within their community, resulting in strong positive wellbeing outcomes for youth. The ‘Aunties Place’ Community-led Safe Space is a drop-in style safe space for people experiencing suicidal thoughts and/or distress and focuses on using volunteers with their own personal lived experience of suicide.

Outstanding Contribution Award: Karyn Moyle, Perfectly Imperfect Consulting
Karyn is a Warlpiri, Eastern Arrernte, and Djaru woman with a vision to provide the community and Indigenous people with the education, support and guidance to live and heal with grief, loss, trauma and mental health.

Priority Populations Award: Heather Latimer, Villy Australia
Over the last 10 year there has been an over-representation of veteran suicides. 465 Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and veterans have died by suicide between 2001 and 2018. The age-adjusted suicide rate for male ex-serving ADF members is 22% higher than for the Australian male population. The age-adjusted rate of suicide for female ex-serving ADF members is 127% higher that the Australian female population.

Heather Latimer developed Project Villy to deliver meaningful support to Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families who are preparing for transitioning and integration into the community after their service. This support is provided through the creation and application of the Villy App. The core purpose of the Villy App is to create a village or community environment that recreates the protective factors of the ADF by remaining connected with the community they know so well but within a broader Australian society. At the same time, it creates a safe place for veterans and their families to ask for help. In this way they can meet other ADF families to connect over shared experiences, military family life, service life and post service life. They can meet people in the same situation as themselves without needing to justify past traumas and can also access support and services.

Thankyou SPA for coming to the NT to award these organisations for their recognition of the work they do in the suicide intervention/prevention space.