Many of Sharon Scherf’s friends had no idea the fit and vibrant mother of two was suffering from depression when she tragically took her own life earlier this year.
“They say it’s the strong ones you need to look out for,” Sharon’s friend Bec Cannon said.
“That’s a very difficult lesson we're keen to share from all of this."
Just a few months after Sharon’s passing, a group of her friends from Roma, where Sharon lived with her young family for a couple of years before moving to Brisbane nearly three years ago, have rallied to raise awareness about mental illness.
The five ladies, Bec Cannon, Tracey Lewington, Kate Fay, Stacey Johnson, and Ellen Bain, have formed a committee to host a cocktail evening in Sharon’s honour.
The event, to be held on Friday September 14 at the beautiful Moorelands Bush Nursery just outside Roma, is aptly named Shine the Light and will be themed with Sharon’s favourite music, food, and stylings.
It aims to not only raise awareness around mental health but also funds for the Scherf family and RUOK?, with merchandise from RUOK? also available for purchase on the night.
The evening will feature guest speakers - David Shillington, a mental health advocate and Queensland Manager at Men of League Foundation, and Roma’s Soul Mama, Emma Taylor, who will share her own experiences with depression and anxiety.
Sharon’s husband, Wil, will also speak on the night.
“Wil has been really supportive,” Tracey Lewington said.
“When we asked him about doing this he just said ‘we need to make sure this doesn’t happen to another family’.”
Sadly, it appears Sharon’s battle with depression was a very private one and the committee hope events like Shine the Light will help more people speak up about mental illness.
“None of us knew what she was going through,” Ellen Bain said.
“Sharon was the person you’d think most unlikely for this sort of thing. She had been so active in the Roma community - president of the Maranoa Kindy, active on the P&C, supporting causes like Relay for Life and an amazing mum. We want to get the message out there that this can happen to anyone. We want people to talk about it more.”
The committee have been overwhelmed by the response from the local community.
Ms Cannon said factors such as drought and the pressures on fly-in-fly-out workers in communities like Roma made it more important than ever to talk about mental health.
“Sharon’s husband was a fly-in-fly-out worker and that’s the reason Sharon and the kids moved here - to keep the family together,” she said.
“Oil and gas and agriculture are two industries very heavily impacted by mental health issues and they are the two biggest industries in this town.
“We’ve got 39 corporate sponsors, including our platinum sponsor, Ezyquip, and numerous in-kind sponsors.
We need to make sure this doesn’t happen to another family.
“We’ve sold over 200 tickets and really there are only limited tickets left but anyone can make a donation to the cause. We have a PayPal link on our Facebook event page.”
“We’ll also have mental health professionals there if anyone needs to speak to someone, along with literature about mental health.”
If you or a loved one are in need of help, support, or information please call: Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 224636, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or visit the Black Dog Institute or RUOK? at www.ruok.org.au
For more information please visit the EzyQuip Shine the Light Facebook page.
