Mount Gambier is reeling following a spate of suicides in the city in recent weeks.

While the media traditionally does not report about suicides, the escalating number has left many members of our community asking “why?”.

The SE Voice reached out to families and organisations impacted by suicide to ask them advice as to how our community can access help and how we can try to combat this issue.

Liz Case never wants anyone to experience the heartache her family is currently experiencing.

Almost five weeks ago her husband Heath, 49, took his own life, turning her world upside down.

Heath was well known in the local sporting community, having been a popular basketballer, cricketer and footballer. In recent years he was a constant at West Gambier’s cricket and football clubs supporting his sons Hamish and Robbie.

Liz and her two sons have been left with many questions coupled with anguish following Heath’s death, but one thing is certain – they want families to check in with their menfolk in a bid to avoid them taking their own lives.

Liz said neither she, nor any of her husband’s friends, saw anything out of the ordinary in the lead up to Heath’s death.

“I’m a nurse so I have some background and have dealt with some of mental health people, the craziest thing is none of us saw any signs with Heath, not me, his mum nor his friends,” she said.

“None of the cricket guys he saw the night before and it happened on the next day. He was happily joking in the cricket nets.

“Everyone is just shocked. None of us saw anything coming.”

Liz encouraged everyone to speak to their family and actively ask if anything was troubling them.

“Especially the boys, they are probably more likely to talk to each other,” she said.

“When there are no signs it makes it even harder, we cannot see any reason.

Liz said after initially being told about her husband’s death she had to sit down with the police, an experience which is still raw.

“They have to ask about any instances of domestic violence, or financial stress, or drug use, but we had nothing, we were gearing up for another cricket season and everything was great,” she said.

“Heath would go out and umpire, he’d cook the barbecue and be at every training.

“He would find a job to do, whether it was cricket or football, he was always the first to put his hand up.”

Liz said while her family was still trying to find a “new normal”, she desperately wanted to try to help other families avoid the pain the family was experiencing.

“I have said many times since this happened that never in a million years did I think it would be me having to tell this story,” she said.

“Our marriage was good, but I’m now having to answer questions from our kids.

“Since Heath died I have never seen so many grown men cry.

“We are just shell-shocked, everyone is asking where did I miss it, one of his workmates stopped and spoke to him for 20 minutes in the driveway that afternoon and he said everything was normal.

“Heath had plans for the weekend.

“I keep trying to think … I do not know what went through his mind. Whatever it was, he did not ring his mum who he was really close with, I struggle with that, how do you leave your two boys and your mum all alone.”

Liz said her message to others was “do not take anything for granted, make sure you get a will, make sure you have discussions”.

“Even with a will it’s a nightmare to negotiate,” she said.

“We’d never spoken about death and dying, so when it came to Heath’s funeral they were decisions we’d never discussed.

“But I just never want anyone to go through this, there’s no shame in talking, please talk to the men in your life, make sure they are okay.

“I just feel so incredibly sad, it’s such a waste, it’s always bothered me with young people taking their own lives and now my husband at the age of 49 is one of them.

“Heath would be the first one to say that suicide was terrible for families, he would be the one, if he was sitting with friends and someone was doing it tough, he’d be the first one to say let’s go for a beer. He would be the one reaching out to everyone else – I do not understand how he did not feel there was someone he could talk to.”