Students do it for Dolly

TWO students from Ballarat Grammar have led an initiative to raise awareness about bullying and the story of Dolly Everett.

Dolly died of suicide at 14 years old after being bullied and her parents have since created Dolly’s Dream, a foundation which aims to address the impact of bullying.

Ballarat Grammar Hayhoe House captains, Shelby Nevinson and Larah Butler, held an awareness day last week which started with a video explaining Dolly’s story which was shown to students.

“Last Wednesday we made blue ribbons which we handed out at the start of the day for all senior school students to wear,” said Shelby.

“They see the blue and they think of Dolly and they think of what actually her story was.

“We also had a sausage sizzle where we raised a bit of money but the main thing was awareness.”

Shelby and Larah are both boarders who come from remote farms, like Dolly.

“This is something that the year 12s last year started in Hayhoe and we wanted to keep it going,” said Larah.

“It hits close to home for a lot of boarders because Dolly herself was a boarder and lived on a remote farm which is like Shelby and me.

“It’s a really important thing to raise awareness for.”

Shelby said she hopes the day left a lasting impact on younger students.

“I hope the younger years in particular know that cyber bullying is such a big issue and it’s still out there,” she sad.

“I feel like they really need to see it and see the consequences social media causes.

“Words can stay with you, they don’t just go away.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health support, visit beyondblue.org.au or call their 24/7 hotline on 1300 22 4636. You can also visit lifeline.org.au or call them on 13 11 14 and help for young people is available at kidshelpline.com.au or by calling them on 1800 55 1800.