Ride to commemorate

By Sunny Liu

CBD resident Marisa Crowe and her husband Cameron spent 10 days riding from Docklands to Sydney to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Ms Crowe’s younger brother’s death.

Ms Crowe’s younger brother Anthony committed suicide when he was just 19 and he would have turned 30 this year.

The Crowes departed from the Woolshed in Docklands on Good Friday and travelled more than 1000km on two wheels over 10 days. They rode through the Gippsland region and arrived at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, where they scattered Anthony’s ashes, on April 24.

Ms Crowe said the purpose of the long ride was to raise awareness for the help available to people at risk of suicide.

“We want to show the devastation that a suicide can bring to the families and friends,” she said.

“I want to keep the conversation going about mental health and it is something we must talk about. We can’t keep it in the shadows and we need to show people that someone will be there to support them.”

The husband and wife duo, who live on Little Lonsdale St, raised about $5000 and 100 per cent of the donations went towards Lifeline, an organisation that provides 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

The donations would fund approximately 194 calls to Lifeline, according to Ms Crowe.

“In their darkest moments, people have two choices. They can choose to take their own lives or talk to someone. And Lifeline can really help get people out of their dark moments and that makes a difference between life and death,” Ms Crowe said.