Butterfly Net for suicide awareness

THE Suicide Prevention Awareness Network have installed a butterfly net at Bendigo Marketplace, as a way for people to honour a loved one lost to suicide.

The Butterfly Net Ceremony usually takes place as part of SPAN’s annual suicide awareness walk, but it was cancelled this year due to COVID-19 concerns.

Secretary and founding member of SPAN Central Victoria Alannah McGregor said the butterfly net ceremony is one of the most special moments of the walk.

“Part of our walk every year we have the butterfly ceremony where people are invited to decorate their butterflies in memory of their loved one and then place it on the net,” she said.

“It’s a really moving time for people to remember their loved ones.”

The walk averages 300 to 400 participants per year, usually taking place in the Dai Gum San Chinese Precinct.

“We’re hoping that people can bring their butterfly up to the marketplace and place it on the net here, because we don’t have that opportunity with the walk,” Ms McGregor said.

Formed in Geelong, SPAN was created as a way to raise awareness about suicide and celebrate the lives of loved ones.

“We found it just to be so personal and a wonderful way for people to gather and not have that stigma around suicide,” Ms McGregor said.

“We came to Bendigo and within a couple weeks we had a committee formed and held our first walk in 2012 with 500 odd people, which was huge.”

Butterfly templates are available on the SPAN Facebook page and spancv.org.au.