At the upcoming 2021 OBA Long Lunch, the OBA’s new initiative Viking Wellbeing will be launched. A key element of this program is mental health with the aim of ensuring that Old Boys, who need fulfilment and stability back in their lives, receive the correct treatment from professionals in order to gain a better perspective in life.

Already doing some tremendous work in this space is Old Boy Hamish Blunck (1993). Away from his professional career, where he provides professional technical and online communication services through his business Segue Consulting, Hamish is making his presence felt in the burgeoning podcast space. So much so that at the Australian Podcast Awards 2020, held last November, he was acknowledged as a finalist in the Wellbeing category for his podcast Let’s Talk About Suicide. Produced by JOY, where Hamish is a volunteer (and in conjunction with Support After Suicide and Switchboard Victoria), the 14 episode series raises awareness of suicide, how it affects people and how people can learn to live with the death of a loved one. The podcast features the voices of four people who have lost a loved one to suicide. They share their lived experience in an incredibly open and honest way, with two experts in the field of suicide bereavement and suicide prevention who help make sense of their experience. The podcast is for anyone affected by a suicide death, but it has a particular emphasis on suicide bereavement in the LGBTIQA+ communities as it is more prominent in these communities.

Hamish explains: “Many people are affected by suicide and you may have experienced the suicide of a loved one – a partner, a sibling, a child, a parent, or a friend. It can be incredibly hard to make sense of what has happened, how you can cope with it, and how to recover from it. This podcast aims to helps people through this difficult time.”

All 14 episodes of the podcast are available to stream and download now from the JOY website. If listening to this podcast raises issues for you, Hamish and JOY encourage you to contact one of the following services in Australia.

Qlife: 1800 184 527

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

Lifeline: 13 11 14

For details about the 2021 OBA Long Lunch, please click here.