Around 20 Millicent tradies heard a vital mental health message recently ahead of picking up their usual tools.

Plumbers and electricians had gathered for a 7am cooked breakfast at the workshop of Lonergan and Muhovics Pumps and Electrical.

They heard a 30-minute presentation about suicide prevention from visiting speakers Marilyn Sheffield and Patrick Kukla from Mates in Construction.

It is an independent charity established in 2008 to reduce the high level of suicide among Australian construction workers.

Their talk included the statistic there were 3139 suicides in Australia in 2020 with 76% being males.

“We have to look out for our mates and start conversations,” Ms Sheffield said.

“There has been a spike in the suicide statistics in the South East.

“We have to look for changes among our mates and sometimes they are subtle.”

Lonergan and Muhovics Pumps and Electrical owners Scott Lonergan and Jamie Muhovics arranged the breakfast and presentation and invited other trades personnel to be present as well as their own 10 employees.

Mr Muhovics said there was an obvious need for presentations by groups like Mates in Construction.

“We have just seen the statistics about suicide,” Mr Muhovics said.

“Suicide needs to be talked about and too often it’s not.

“I have just attended the conversations about suicide course run by the Wattle Range Suicide Prevention Network.”

Mates in Construction provides suicide prevention through community development programs on sites, and by supporting workers in need through case management and a 24/7 help line.

It is based on the simple idea that suicide is everyone’s business.

If the building and construction industry in Australia is to improve the mental health and well-being of workers and reduce suicide, then it cannot be left to mental health professionals: everyone in the industry must play their part.