Legends Night Raises $55K For Suicide Prevention

The third annual Whitsunday Suicide Prevention Network (WSPN) Legends’ Night proved to be another spectacular success over the weekend, raising an impressive $55K for this worthwhile local charity. Held at 360 On The Hill, Flag Staff Hill event space in Bowen, a total of 130 guests attended this sold-out event. Designed to be more than just a fundraiser, the event saw local ‘home grown heroes’ take to the stage to share their story. First, local Iron Man and motivational speaker Michael Kimpton inspired the crowd with his story of how a motorbike accident changed his life and led him on a different path, one where he discovered a new version of himself. “We can recover physically but we also need to cope with our mental resilience to ensure our wellbeing,” he shared. Former army medic, McQuility ‘Coco’ Qurikewith also took to the stage sharing his story of how 16 out of 18 in his platoon were tragically killed in an explosion. He nearly died three times in the days afterwards and is still getting operations 13 years later to deal with the physical side effects. He told the story of how he disappeared into a dark place mentally following the incident, but managed to overcome and now uses his story to help others. President of WSPN Matt Stokes said he was both moved and humbled by the evening which was full of emotion and meaning, but also a lot of fun. “It was amazing, we couldn’t have asked for it to have gone any better,” he said. “Every little detail was faultless and a big thank you to Jen Lowcock for everything she did to make the night so perfect. “We have a super generous community with a lot of people donating their services, from the buses to the décor – we would like to say a big thank you to all our sponsors.” “The stories of our home-grown legends who spoke on the night really touched the crowd, everyone could relate to it, it was so powerful!” Event Coordinator Jen Lowcock said she was thrilled with how the evening unfolded and acknowledged 360 On The Hill for orchestrating such a fine evening. “It’s such a beautiful location and the service was impeccable, the food was amazing and everything ran on-time and smoothly,” she shared. “We couldn’t have asked for it to be any better!” The evening was highlighted with the bluesy tones of live music act Zed Charles who had the crowd dancing until midnight. All proceeds of the evening are ploughed straight back into WSPN initiatives which include free counselling services for families affected by suicide, free breathing classes and many other services across the community.