Support for road deaths families

By Kath Gannaway
WHEN Jeanette Suhr says ‘I know how you feel’ it’s more than a kind word.
For Jeanette, a resident of Healesville and CEO of the Road Trauma Support Team Victoria (RTSTV), the pain of the death of her only daughter in a road crash in 1991 is never far from the surface.
She does know how it feels to lose someone; and she knows how it feels for others fathers, like husband Greg and siblings, like son Paul.
Jeanette started as a volunteer with the newly former RTSTV not long after Tanya’s death and remains dedicated to helping people affected by road trauma.
“It’s not just the victims,” Jeanette said, “it’s witnesses, bystanders imagine some of the things people who are first on the scene of a crash are confronted with.
“Road trauma has an enormous impact on the immediate family, extended family, school friends, work colleagues… the ripple effect is so far spreading.”
In addition to the counselling services and support groups, RTSTV provides other programs including support to communities who experience a tragedy and a traffic offender’s program.
“Not all drivers are culpable,” Jeanette said.
“A lot of times it’s not the driver’s fault, but whatever the circumstances, we don’t make judgement of what happened, why something happened, or who did what. Our mission is to reduce the impact and the incidence of road trauma.”
Jeanette said one of the challenges she and her team face is letting people know of the work they do.
In the Yarra Valley, most people would be aware of the RTSTV through their annual open rose garden weekend at Coldstream in November.
Another event which lifts the team’s profile is the Time of Remembrance Service which this year is on 20 November.
While the RTSTV has five paid staff, Jeanette said it would not survive without their amazing volunteer base. Volunteers are involved in client support, as group facilitators, guest speakers, working with media, fundraising and, an area where Jeanette said people are needed right now, in marketing. Yarra Valley residents will have an opportunity to find out more about the RTSTV and meet some of the volunteers in Healesville next month.
The RTSTV is one of more than 16 community, education, health, welfare and sporting groups taking part in the A Show of Strength volunteer forum at Healesville Memorial Hall between 10am and 2pm on Tuesday, 4 October.
The forum has been organised by the Eastern Volunteer Resource Centre (EVRC) to promote volunteering and to encourage businesses to learn about the benefits of supporting volunteer programs and community groups.
For further information about the Road Trauma Support Team, phone 9819 9922, or the helpline on 1300 367 797.
For information about the forum phone Teresa Odonnell on 5965 3523.