It’s been a shade under 11 years since beloved comedian and radio personality Richard Marsland tragically took his own life, but it’s not a stretch to suggest that the community hasn’t fully recovered. It’s arguable it never will. In an emotional segment on The Project last night, close friend Peter Helliar championed Marsland’s memory in a bid to further the conversation around mental health issues, particularly those suffered largely in silence by men.
Helliar spoke to Marsland’s parents, as well as his former Get This! co-host Ed Kavalee in the highly emotional segment, which referenced the statistic that 100 Australians, on average, attempt to take their own lives every single day. Of those, 8 will sadly be successful. And of those 8, statistically 6 will be men.
We’ve come a long way when it comes to our understanding of mental illness. Yet every day, on average, eight Australians still take their lives. And even years later, families and friends are left hurting. Thanks to @pjhelliar for sharing this powerful story. pic.twitter.com/LA5mN5Zegm
— The Project (@theprojecttv) July 30, 2019
Marsland was working with Peter Helliar and Myf Warhurst on the Pete & Myf breakfast show on Triple M at the time of his untimely death in 2008. He was just 32 years old.
While the conversations around mental health, particularly men’s mental health, has improved overall in the 11 years since Marsland passed away, quite clearly there is still a long, long way to go.
