The ability to cope was highlighted in 1990. I had to deal with the death of two close friends in very tragic circumstances. Jolene was my first friend at high school who was killed by a drunk driver. A few days later my best friend since primary school Peter committed suicide. A contributing factor was the shocking death of Jolene. I never understood at the time why Peter did this as he had everything to live for - awesome parents, family support and animals including his own herd of dairy cows. He also had many interests including Pony Club, hockey, table tennis, rock and roll dancing, along with many other talents.


It was not until years down the track when I had experienced many horrendous events, I understood perfectly. I have had many friends commit suicide. They had everything I never had and did not have any real problems to deal with. When a situation arose such as death or illness they did not know how to handle it. At the time Peter died it was speech time at Stratford High School. I wrote my speech on Peer Pressure and I am extremely proud that I had the guts to talk about suicide. Back in the 1990s it was a real taboo subject. Not bad for a 15 year old kid! One statement in my speech summed it up perfectly - Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.