Lifeline Gippsland
The beginning of Lifeline
Living in Sydney in 1963, Rev Alan Walker became aware of the need to develop an organised system for meeting the profound depth of human need that existed. He was seeing people struggling with depression and other mental and social issues and there was nowhere they could turn to for help.
Rev Walker had been working with a young man who was desperately lonely, in debt and considered himself a failure. The young man later died by suicide and it was his death that motivated Rev Walker to establish the Lifeline organisation. Rev Walker believed suicide prevention was possible and that with crisis support the young man would have got his life back on track. Lifeline became a way for people to reach out from their own homes, just where they were.
History of Lifeline Gippsland
Four years after Lifeline was established in Sydney, Morwell bank officer Bill Watson initiated a similar service in the Gippsland region. He established a steering committee which organised volunteers willing to donate their time to training. These volunteers went on to become the first group to offer telephone crisis support and so, in 1968, Lifeline Gippsland was born.
The Lifeline Gippsland crisis support service started at the back of a church building, in an old house in Morwell. The organisation was funded through financial donations and in-kind support from community groups, church groups, service clubs and the Gippsland community.
The Lifeline Gippsland multi-purpose building
The Lifeline Gippsland administration headquarters changed in 2009 when we moved to the corner of Church and Fleming Streets, Morwell. Our multi-purpose building is well set up to provide round-the-clock telephone crisis support, but also includes a separate events centre which groups and businesses hire for meetings and conferences.
Our Vision, Purpose and Values
Our Vision Our vision is an Australia free of suicide Our Purpose Our purpose is to support people in Gippsland to be resilient and suicide safe Our Values Integrity – we are committed to being open and honest in all activities, and will consistently strive to earn and sustain public trust in our organisation. Respect…
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Board Members
Lifeline Gippsland is governed by a volunteer Board. Michelle Blackburn Chair Michelle has practiced as a planning and environmental lawyer for over 20 years. She has also been a Director of Interchange Gippsland Inc since 2010 and Director of Latrobe Magnesium Ltd since 2022. Michelle has a Masters of Social Science (Planning and Environment), a…
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Our team
Yaniesha Pillay Alicia Tripodi Dyanne Lewis Mel Shankland Isabel Stephens Please see below our Organisational Structure as of October 2019
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Organisation Documents
We are pleased to present our Annual Report and Strategic Plan 2022-2023 Annual Report Strategic Plan 2021-2026
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