Vital training in the prevention of suicide is to be provided at no cost to 100 residents of the Wattle Range Council area.

Lasting four hours, it usually costs participants $88 to attend the mental health first aid conversations about suicide training course.

However, it will be offered free-of-charge to locals as the Wattle Range Suicide Prevention Group has secured an $8800 grant from a State Government agency.

The SA Suicide Prevention Community Grant has come via Wellbeing SA.

Network secretary Marg Chapple is delighted with the success of the group’s grant application.

She has attended the course and found it to be highly beneficial.

“The course is about educating participants and giving them the knowledge and confidence to have conversations,” Ms Chapple said.

“They will be able to help their families and friends.

“Each course is limited to 20 and so the network plans to have five sessions at the larger towns in the Wattle Range Council area.

“We will be putting out the call to service clubs and sporting groups and so on to attend the courses.

“The network has been quite successful with our grant applications lately.

“We were able to bring the Unbreakable Farmer guest speaker to Millicent in March.

“We have just taken delivery of a promotional table and mini-marquee which can be used at places like the Millicent Show.”

Ms Chapple said the network was involved in two major projects in September.

“We are launching a memorial seat which has been made by the Millicent Men’s Shed and we are promoting the annual R U OK Day,” she said.