Car club revs engine for suicide prevention
A community group is breaking stereotypes attached to boy racers and helping spread a mental health message, writes Torika Tokalau.
They wear hoodies, chug down energy drinks and drive around with their loud rides, but a Whanga¯ rei-based car club is beating stereotypes and revving up engines for a worthy cause.
Puawai Waipouri and Nathan Ngatai set up the Suicidal Car Club in 2016. If their cars don’t get them noticed it’s their name that really turns heads, Waipouri says.
‘‘The name Suicidal Car Club is right in people’s faces, it raises a few eyebrows, but it gets people talking, and they wonder what we’re all about,’’ she said.
These men and women are doing what they can to address a struggle that’s often silenced in their communities.
Waipouri said they’re car enthusiasts, but they’re making noise and breaking the stigma around mental health, hoping it inspires more people to talk and get help if they need to. ‘‘We’ve put our love for cars and reinforced it with a worthy cause.’’
The car club started off with just six members, mostly family, but has now grown to a small community, with members from Whanga¯ rei, Auckland and Waikato. ‘‘And we’re still growing,’’ Waipouri said.
She said the club was a place where car lovers from all backgrounds could gather at carcentric social events to show off their rides, share memories and talk shop.
And when they’re not kicking back in a car lot, they’re out leaving messages under car wipers and tied to trees and fences.
Messages included: ‘‘Speak up and ask for help’’, ‘‘This world won’t be the same without you’’, and ‘‘There is always an ear and shoulder to cry on, all you have to do is reach out’’.
On the back of these are contact numbers to Helpline, Youthline and the Suicidal Car Club.
‘‘We’re not trained counsellors and we don’t say we are... We just want people to read it and be reminded that someone out there cares. Suicide is such a taboo topic and there’s a huge stigma around it. We used our own experiences, we now know life isn’t easy.’’
Waipouri, 32, said she had no idea what mental health was or that there were places people could go to for help when she was growing up. But it all became real when her half-brother committed suicide.
The idea of starting a car club for mental health support came at time when she was battling her own demons – fighting depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Struggling as a new mum, she was self-harming and tried to take her own life a few times.
‘‘I tried counselling, medication, everything that was out there for me but none of them worked, and it was hard for me to shake it off. It was rough, I was always told I wasn’t worthy and that stayed with me.’’
Being in the car club helped her stay occupied.
‘‘Nate introduced me to the car scene, I loved the motor and what we could do to make it fast: doing it up and fixing it up. The response to the club and its cause was good. We did have some negativity, people still don’t like talking about suicide and mental health but most response has been positive.
‘‘We know the impact of it in our own little communities and families.’’
She said there was a certain image with car clubs – that they’re lawbreakers, tough and macho – but being a part of the club was trying to combat that. Their most recent event in November drew in hundreds of car lovers and their families.
‘‘We just tell them that we are here. We always remind them that we are a car club, we’re not an organisation. This started purely for the love of cars, something to keep people busy.
‘‘We’re open to everyone and we are just doing our part to help other organisations that are already in the system that are doing the work in this space.
‘‘There are always challenges that stop us from wanting to do what we want to do like money – but we always pull through for the community. We’ve got big hearts, and we want to give and help out how we can.’’