The Board of Directors at Postvention Australia consists of some of Australia’s leading experts in suicide prevention and Postvention as well as bereaved representatives. Professor Ian Webster AO at the NSW Parliament House launched the organisation in June 2013.
The Board of Postvention Australia
Darrin Larney
Chair
Dip Bus Man; Dip OHS; Certificate Counselling
Darrin is the Treasurer, and the Past President, Vice President and Secretary of SOBSA (Survivors of Suicide Bereavement Support Association). Darrin lost his life partner to suicide in 1999. SOBSA is a self-funded independent charity, run by volunteers who have lost someone to suicide. Operating 4 support groups across Queensland and Northern NSW, a Facebook online group with a community of over 23,000 worldwide, a quarterly newsletter and hosting an annual memorial service and social events.
Brad Farmer AM
Executive Officer
Brad Farmer AM is a life member of Suicide Prevention Australia as its founding EO, now the peak SP organisation in Australia. He has over 40 years exposure and engagement across mental health and suicide prevention on a personal and professional basis. He identifies as a consumer with lived experience and is currently the EO of the peak national association for those bereaved by suicide Postvention Australia and Chair of its National Reference Group. He has worked in media and communications in this sector extensively from grass roots to federal parliament and was recently recognised for his lifetime of service with a Member of the Order of Australia.
Louise Flynn, Ph.D.
Co-Chair
Louise is a psychologist who has worked in the area of suicide bereavement for 16 years. As Manager of Support After Suicide, a Postvention program in Melbourne, Victoria, she developed in 2003, an 8-week group program for people bereaved by suicide that is facilitated regularly in Melbourne. The focus of her PhD was group support for people bereaved by suicide and bereaved people’s experience of the stigma of suicide.
Lidia Di Lembo
Co-Chair
Lidia is the Director/Founder of SabrinasReach4Life Incorporated and mother to daughter Sabrina Josephine who took her life in August 2017. Following the loss of Sabrina, together with husband Michael, they took on a mammoth 3,000 fundraising bicycle ride from Adelaide to Darwin to raise awareness of suicide, to help reduce the stigma of mental illness, promote mental health and donated $100,000 to the Black Dog Institute. Lidia is committed and passionate about systemic change in suicide prevention, committed to advocate for those bereaved by suicide and forging strong collaborative partnerships to advance suicide prevention to help reduce loss of life and trauma in our community. In 2019, she established the first suicide bereavement support group in Darwin, the Bereaved by Suicide Support Group NT; is a member of the PVA National Reference Group; a member of the StandBy Support after Suicide National Lived Experience Advisory Group, member of Roses in the Ocean Lived Experience collective, and Coordinator of the World Suicide Prevention Day 2019 events. Professionally, she works for the NT Department of Health as Director Strategic Governance, has over 30 years of public service experience working in executive leadership positions across both the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Government. She has been on various boards, committees, working groups and non-government community organisation, including appointment to the first Australian Council on Multicultural Affairs.
Joshua Fathers
Treasurer
A Certified Practicing Accountant, Joshua has held senior financial positions in both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. In the past, he worked for The George Institute for Global Health, an organisation carrying out public health research, and informing policy across the world. He currently works for Hammondcare, a large not-for-profit provider of health and aged care services, and is studying towards a Masters of Not-for-profit and Social enterprise management with the University of Technology, Sydney.
Carol Zhou-Zheng
Secretary
Carol has been working at Postvention Australia and within the postvention sector since 2014. She graduated from a combined Bachelor of Engineering (Biomedical) / Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Sydney in 2017. She is also serving on the Postvention Australia National Reference Group as Secretary.
Jill Chapman
Jill Chapman lost her 16 year-old son Michael, to Suicide in 2001. Over the ensuing years she has supported many families who have suffered a similar loss. In 2008 Jill established MOSH (Minimization Of Suicide Harm) a service that primarily offers a drop in centre Adelaide.
Caroline Atkinson
Dr Caroline Atkinson previously lived in Papua New Guinea, undertaking community development work with a focus on trauma, violence, loss and grief. After receiving her Bachelor of Social Work at the University of South Australia, she completed a placement in India, researching the specific issues and needs of adolescent girls and lead a team at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Katherine, NT. Following this, she commenced her PhD focusing on Aboriginal culture and formed the Caroline Atkinson Consultancy Services – a service that specialises in trauma specific research and curriculum development. Furthermore Caroline has also worked a Senior Lecturer at Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples, focusing on curriculum development or trauma informed and trauma specific units. She is currently the CEO of an Indigenous Organisation called We Al-li, which provides trauma integrated healing and trauma specific programs throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific.
Lukas Williams, Ph.D.
Lukas (Green) Williams of the Bundjalung Nation was born and raised on the Tweed Heads river, and is living on Hermannsburg community in Northern Territory, 200km west of Alice Springs. There Lukas works to address Social Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) needs for Aboriginal people. Lukas has been acknowledged and published for his hard work in helping to establishing the Ballina men’s group and leading the White Ribbon day in 2015. Lukas currently sits on the board for the Remote Alcohol & Other Drugs Workforce Program which runs right across the NT, from Tiwi Islands to Alice Springs, covering all remote areas.
Kelly Playford-Veal
Bio and photo coming soon
