Funny men step up for suicide prevention

LAUGHS: Comedian Ewen Gilmour will perform in Whangarei next month.

A night of fun and laughter with two well-known Kiwi comedians will bring a more serious message about suicide to Whangarei next month.

Comedians Ewen Gilmour and Nick Rado will be performing in a comedy night aiming to put a spotlight on depression and suicide.

"Ewen Gilmour's everyone's favourite westie and last time Nick Rado was here, he had the whole audience in stitches," said Hannah Blake, one of the event's organisers.

The Kiwi comedy night will be run by the Choose Life Charitable Trust which works to prevent suicide, particularly for the youth of Whangarei.

Blake said the event is about using laughter to talk about these issues and break down the stigma around suicide and depression.

All proceeds from the event will go towards Choose Life to use on a number of community-based projects. The founder of Choose Life, Jamie Rosemergy, lost his brother to suicide in 2009. "It was a waste, he was 21. We didn't see the signs."

The comedy show will have a focus on men and mental illness.

Rosemergy said that after past events like this,"we've had blokes hugging blokes, people having the discussion - grandkids to grandads".

"People can find it tapu or be ashamed to discuss. For many its something they can't control," he said.

In Northland, there were 21 suspected suicides last year and five were under the age of 25.

This number is slightly lower than the previous year when there were 29 suicides.

The comedy show will be held on October 3 at Forum North.

For youth needing someone to talk to, contact youthline on 0800376633