It is particularly bad, many say, among men in those areas, who are expected to live up to an ideal of good-humored, unwavering masculinity. Research shows that farmers are among those at highest risk of suicide in Australia, and people living in remote areas take their own lives at twice the rate of those in the cities.
It was also in the jumble of messages on a banner labeling a campsite “penetration station” while also noting #itaintweaktospeak - all in loving memory of an 18-year-old who died last year. It was in the #doitfordolly shirts some wore, in memory of a teenage girl ( and former Akubra hat model) who committed suicide this year after being bullied. This year in particular, as Deniliquin and a wide swath of the country struggle with a worsening drought, a clear issue emerged amid the sea of crude humor and Akubra hats: mental health.
Conceived of 20 years ago as a way of giving the local economy a lift, the festival, or muster, has become a juggernaut of rural identity: Almost 20,000 people attended last weekend’s muster, which featured Carrie Underwood, the American country music star. “Here” is Deniliquin, a small farming town in rural New South Wales, where thousands of people from around Australia come for a weekend outdoor festival built around the “ute,” Australia’s beloved utility truck. “When we’re here, he’s with us,” she said.
She pulled some faded pictures from her wallet, showing a son who had been eager to grow up, she said - a tall, 24-year-old bricklayer raising three children in small-town Australia with a heavy burden of responsibility. They first went to the party, the Deni Ute Muster, three years ago, not long after losing their son, Bryan, to suicide.īryan’s mother, Lyn Thompson, 54, said she just knew it was his kind of festival. DENILIQUIN, Australia - It’s been called the most debauched outdoor party in Australia: a wild, rollicking weekend where rural masculinity is on display and beer and banter flow endlessly.īut for the Thompsons, the event carries more weight and meaning.
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