The group of stellar Australian musicians was assembled by the Westerman Jilya Insitute for Indigenous Mental Health for World Suicide Prevention Day
Perth, Australia – 9th September 2022: The Westerman Jilya Institute for Mental Health (Jilya) brought together Kev Carmody, Paul Kelly, Men at Work’s Colin Hay and Jess Hitchcock for a touching cover of Carmody’s ‘Just For You’ in support of Indigenous child suicide prevention. On piano is Jilya’s COO and member of Eskimo Joe, Stu MacLeod, with The Living End’s Chris Cheney on guitar.
Released to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, the deeply moving song and accompanying video aim to raise awareness of the fact Australia’s Indigenous child suicide rates are the highest in the world and to raise funds for Jilya.
The chance an Aboriginal child will die by suicide is four times that of a non-Aboriginal child, according to the ABS. And yet traditionally, Aboriginal people have been invisible on World Suicide Prevention Day. The song’s poignant tone reflects the suffering of those who have lost loved ones to suicide and the deep impact child suicide is having on Indigenous communities in Australia.
Launched on World Suicide Prevention Day in 2020, Jilya is focused on increasing the number of Indigenous psychologists in Australia to address decades of neglect in the provision of access to clinically and culturally competent services to high-risk communities.
At the heart of Jilya is the Dr Tracy Westerman Indigenous Psychology Scholarship which advances, supports, and mentors Indigenous psychologists to work in Australia’s highest-risk communities. Jilya runs solely through donations and support from sponsors.
People can show their support for reducing Indigenous child suicide rates by donating directly to Jilya. You can find more ways to support by visiting thejilyainstitute.com.au/get-involved/. For scholarship enquiries, please email Stuart at coo@thejilyainstitute.com.au.
DR TRACY WESTERMAN
“Jilya means ‘my child’ in Nyamal, and everything we do is about creating a better world and better lives for Indigenous children across Australia. I literally get through 30 seconds of this, no 10 seconds, before the tears flood down my face. I can’t thank everyone involved enough for putting this together. It’s pretty overwhelming.”
COLIN HAY
“I am privileged to lend my voice to this beautiful song by the great Kev Carmody. The music is simple and stark, the lyrics poetic and a joy to sing. I hope the release of this song helps to raise real awareness of the ongoing tragedy of teenage suicide amongst Indigenous youth in Western Australia and beyond.”
KEV CARMODY
“The song initially had a personal focus but now we can embrace everyone with the song.”
CHRIS CHENEY
“Sometimes you get asked to be involved in special things and this is one of those. I’m very honored to be be able to lend a helping to hand to such a worthwhile project. I am hoping this beautiful song will raise some awareness and benefit a very important cause.”
JESS HITCHCOCK
“Although we were recording by ourselves I really felt a connection to all the other artists through this song and its important message. It was such a privilege to sing alongside all the other musicians working on this project to create something really special for Jilya. I hope this song will bring awareness to the Jilya Institute and all its efforts.”
STU MACLEOD
“Music has the power to bring people together and unite us on issues that truly matter. I heard a Courtney Barnett version of this song a while back and was struck at its delicate simplicity. It seemed the perfect vehicle for Jilya’s message this year. Kev Carmody is such a beautiful soul and his words reach deep down into you as you listen. We here at Jilya thank Kev from the bottom of our hearts, along with all of the performers involved. What a great bunch of humans.”
Please contact amy@vu-consulting.com from Vu Consulting for interviews and further information.
