As a large crowd of people - all dressed in blue - gather on 'Do it for Dolly' Day to remember a young girl with a bright smile and an Akubra hat, a man quietly watches in the background.
Silent tears fill his eyes, while the crowd eagerly chats about raising funds in the memory of Amy 'Dolly' Everett, who took her own life, aged 14, after being bullied relentlessly.
"My daughter was 14, too," the man says, as more tears well up in his eyes.
"She was molested. Then she took her own life."
The words spill out, bottled up for too long.
"I've suffered a lot. I'm still suffering to this day.
"Nobody should have to go through having to bury a child."
Conway, Cultural Advisor for Land Management with the Jawoyn Rangers in Katherine in the Northern Territory, wipes away his tears.
"It's hard," he says. His big hands are shaking.
"I see her in her sibling.
"It hurts every time I look at them. It's not their fault. But the pain will never go away.
"And they need me to be strong for them."
The caring father says these days, especially among Indigenous Australians, tragedy often leads to misuse of alcohol and drugs.
"It wasn't part of our culture ... drinking and drugs," he says. "But it's available now, and I can't blame my people for using it.
"But it's important to talk about other options."
The tears have stopped and the man's voice is stern now.
"It's important we talk about it ... depression, pain, suffering.
"Communication is an effective tool."
After completing a course in Mental Health First Aid, the grieving father found his calling in encouraging others around him to open up.
"Now, through my work, I push everyone to speak out about what's troubling them; speak about depression.
"Especially from a cultural point of view - it's important for my people to know they can talk to someone. Recognising the problem is the first step before you can look at finding ways to somehow keep going."
For him, 'keeping going' requires keeping his hands and his mind active.
But it's also the hope to be able to help others, that helps him with his own challenges.
"Through the Northern Land Council I'm hoping we might be able to get some funding to offer workshops or courses, or just get people together to talk."
He falls silent for a moment as tears well up again.
"Talk", he says. "'Talk to me' is what I would say to my daughter if I had a second chance."
FIND HELP
- Dollys Dream Support Line 0488 881 033
- Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
- headspace 1800 650 890
- Lifeline 13 11 14
Annie Hesse
I am an award-winning media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcast, as well as photography and videography. I am the NT Correspondent at Australian Community Media and I write for my hometown newspaper, the Katherine Times. I love telling people's stories, and I am passionate about giving those a voice who may otherwise remain unheard. When I am not busy putting pen to paper, I spend time in my garden, go bushwalking or travel across the Northern Territory, Australia or the world. In my spare time I write, illustrate and publish books.
I am an award-winning media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcast, as well as photography and videography. I am the NT Correspondent at Australian Community Media and I write for my hometown newspaper, the Katherine Times. I love telling people's stories, and I am passionate about giving those a voice who may otherwise remain unheard. When I am not busy putting pen to paper, I spend time in my garden, go bushwalking or travel across the Northern Territory, Australia or the world. In my spare time I write, illustrate and publish books.
