MC: Tony Battaini
Reflection: Past President Peter Dakin – transcript of Peter’s Reflection is posted elsewhere in this bulletin.
President Carol Bond opened the meeting, welcoming members, visitors and guests (full details are listed below in this bulletin.
Following these introductions President Carol invited Deb Yin Foo to the podium to introduce for membership of the Club, Dores Schembri, noting that Dores will have the classification of Financial Services, Management and Compliance. She will be a member of the Central Two group, and her mentor in the club will be Barbara Yerondais.
In delivering the Induction charge, President Carol noted that as a former member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Kensington and Chelsea in the United Kingdom, Dores is already experienced in applying the Object of Rotary.
In her response Dores spoke of her 9 years of experience as a Rotarian in the UK. She chose the Rotary Melbourne because of its energy, its willingness to support the projects of other clubs and its commitment to developing young people. She expressed delight in being back in Australia after spending more than 38 years living and working overseas and beginning this new chapter in her life as a Rotary Melbourne member.
President Carol then highlighted activities – immediately past and ahead:
Salvation Army’s Magpie Nest (Bourke Street Melbourne) – Volunteer event serving breakfast and lunch on Thursday 9th July to some of Melbourne’s most vulnerable residents. More than 10 Rotary Melbourne members made a meaningful contribution to the wellbeing of people living in our city. It is likely this interesting volunteer activity will be repeated, perhaps three times a year.
President Carol reminded members of the forthcoming opportunity to attend the NGV’s Winter Masterpieces Cartier Exhibition on Friday, 28 August at 5:45pm. Organised by the Arts Committee, members and guest are welcome The event begin with an expert lecture on the Cartier items on display followed by a self-guided visit to the exhibition. Follow this link to book. Book early to avoid disappointment.
Carol concluded her announcements noted her meeting on 9th July at the Melbourne Convention Centre with the 2025–26 President of the Rotary Club of Pasay in Manila, the Philippines. Eric Emmanuel Pasion who was keenly interested in exploring partnering with Rotary Melbourne on hands-on projects – Carol is asking the International committee to continue this conversation.
President Carol then invited Andrew Morrice to the podium to take over the meeting and introduce our guest speaker, Rotary Melbourne Member Dr David Horgan, to speak on the topic “A Plane Full of Australians Attempt Suicide Every Day”.
This address can be viewed at this link.
Andrew introduced Dr David Horgan as “a man on a mission”, observing that David would probably have preferred to forgo his introduction altogether in order to spend more time speaking about suicide prevention. A recently inducted member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Dr Horgan is a retired Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry who trained in Dublin and Edinburgh before establishing a distinguished career in Australia. Specialising in treating patients with severe, treatment-resistant depression, he founded the Australian Suicide Prevention Foundation and has dedicated his retirement to developing innovative community-based approaches to preventing suicide.
Summary of Dr David Horgan’s Address WhatDoISay.org
Dr David Horgan opened with a striking analogy. If a passenger aircraft crashed every day, injuring almost everyone on board and killing several passengers, it would dominate headlines and provoke an enormous public response. Yet Australia experiences the equivalent every day through suicide and suicide attempts, largely without the same public attention.
Drawing on decades as a psychiatrist specialising in severe depression and suicide risk, Dr Horgan argued that suicide remains Australia’s leading cause of death among younger adults, despite little improvement over the past twenty years. Around sixty Australians die by suicide each week, while an estimated 180–250 people attempt suicide every day. Behind every statistic, he emphasised, is a person whose emotional pain has become so overwhelming that they believe it will never end.
He suggested that current approaches are insufficient. Crisis telephone services remain important but are rarely contacted before an attempt. Research indicates that most people instead confide in friends, family members or colleagues, who frequently feel paralysed because they simply do not know what to say. The greatest opportunity therefore lies not only in expanding professional services but in equipping ordinary people to respond effectively when someone close to them is struggling.
This insight led to the creation of the Australian Suicide Prevention Foundation’s online resource, WhatDoISay.org.Rather than attempting to train the entire population, the website provides over 500 professionally developed messages that family members and friends can send to someone experiencing suicidal thoughts. Artificial intelligence assists users by suggesting appropriate follow-up messages, allowing supporters to maintain regular, compassionate contact without worrying about finding the “right” words. The aim is to create an emotional safety net by surrounding vulnerable people with consistent messages of care, reassurance and hope.
Dr Horgan reinforced this approach with evidence. Large international studies involving hundreds of thousands of participants consistently demonstrate that strong social support reduces suicidal thoughts, attempts and deaths. Organisations including Suicide Prevention Australia and the US Centres for Disease Control recognise community connection as one of the strongest protective factors against suicide. His work has also attracted recognition from international colleagues and has already been adopted overseas.
He outlined a practical framework built around three stages: Ask, Say and Practical Follow-Up. Rather than immediately asking someone whether they are suicidal, he recommends beginning with gentle, conversational questions that gradually explore how the person is coping before moving, where appropriate, to more direct questions about suicidal thoughts. Family members and friends can then reinforce the person’s sense of value through highly personal messages expressing love, concern and the importance of their continuing presence in others’ lives.
Illustrating the power of consistent contact, Dr Horgan described treating a severely depressed young doctor whom he contacted every day over many weeks. Years later she wrote that his daily calls had convinced her she was worthy of life. His broader conclusion was that while one psychiatrist can provide intensive support to a single patient, many people each providing brief but regular contact can collectively produce a similarly protective effect.
Dr Horgan concluded by emphasising that the greatest challenge facing the Foundation is not funding but awareness. The technology already exists and is freely available. What is needed now is widespread public knowledge that practical help is available immediately, anytime and anywhere. His closing message was both simple and memorable: “You already know someone who needs this website. You just don’t know who yet.”.
You can read more about Dr Horgan's app in a separate article in the bulletin.
At the conclusion of David’s address Andrew Morrice returned to the podium to thank David and present the usual gift.
In closing the meeting he reminded members that next week we will again meet at No. 35. Sofitel on Collins and the guest speaker will be Sherri Bruinhout, Chief Executive Officer of Launch Housing, speaking on: “When Housing Comes First: Compassion, Courage and the Pathway to Ending Homelessness.”
The full recording of the meeting can be viewed here.
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