Over $390,000 raised for Sirens of Silence with Gibb River Challenge

Every year, over 400 riders from around the world descend upon the Kimberley to participate in the Gibb River Challenge - a gruelling 700km route undertaken by riders to raise funds and awareness for emergency servicemen and women throughout Australia.

Sirens of Silence, a charity dedicated to supporting emergency servicemen and women within Australia, is the main beneficiary.

Sirens of Silence was founded in 2015 by Lyn and Ian Sinclair after a sudden surge in deaths within the Ambulance Service in Western Australia.

Lyn was diagnosed with an injury that ended her career as a paramedic, leaving Lyn without a clear purpose and professional support network during this difficult time.

Lyn says “After having to deal with the heart-breaking decision of losing the paramedic career I loved and worked so hard for, I struggled to find a new way forward and a new passion.”

Unfortunately the struggles faced by both Lyn and Ian are all too common within the emergency services.

“2014 was a year of shattered dreams and new beginnings not only for us, but for some of our colleagues, who we didn’t realise were struggling,” said Lyn.

The sudden loss of a friend inspired Lyn to try and make a difference in what is often an incredibly stressful industry that lacked clear forms of support for its workers.

“Having experienced the awful darkness and isolation that depression can bring, I needed to do something. I wanted to create a change, a change in attitude, a change in culture and a change in responsibility to providing the support that was missing within the Ambulance service in WA”, said Lyn.

The charity has now expanded to include all emergency personnel. The aim of Sirens of Silence is to support all first responders and raise awareness of issues such as anxiety, depression, PTSD and suicide prevention.

Lyn says that emergency personnel have to juggle the issues their own lives with the life and death scenarios they encounter on a daily basis.

“All emergency service personnel suffer the normal stressors in life in addition to the added stressors of continual traumatic emergency service front line work.”

“There has long been a stigma surrounding emergency service personnel seeking help for any stress or mental health concerns. Sirens of Silence wants to break down this barrier and help the emergency personnel who assist the general community every hour of every day,” added Lyn.

Almost a week as elapsed since the last rider crossed the finish line in El Questro and over $395,000 has been raised for Sirens of Silence.

Sirens of Silence was featured on 6ix Radio Perth, Yahoo 7 and GWN7.

The funds raised through this year’s Gibb River Challenge will be used for multiple projects such as raising awareness of anxiety, depression, PTSD and providing much needed support for suicide prevention.

The Gibb River Challenge began in the town of Derby and concludes in El Questro, which runs over 5 days and challenges the competitors both physically and mentally.