Helping Grieving Teens in Forster-Tuncurry

A series of tragic deaths in Forster-Tuncurry, New South Wales, Australia, left local teens in profound grief. Although professional counseling was made available through the school, local Quota members recognized a need for sustained and thorough grief counseling throughout the year to help the young people cope with overwhelming loss.

The series of tragedies began when a 17-year-old girl plunged to her death on the rocks below a local headland. Shortly afterwards, a male classmate killed himself. A few weeks later, another boy from the class threw himself in front of an oncoming truck. Less than a month later, three girls were killed and two boys seriously injured in an automobile crash, leaving local families of Year 12 seniors reeling from shock and grief.

Many of the students were given special dispensations to postpone graduation exams, and all were offered professional counseling. But Quota club members decided to create an ongoing grief counseling program for them and all future students in need.

Using funds raised by a cartoon exhibit and from other sources, the Forster-Tuncurry club set up a Seasons for Growth grief program to fill a need in the community with Quota caring. For more details about the club's cartoon exhibit, click here.