Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Friends to play another round in memory of Les
A GROUP of friends have teed-up another round of golf in memory of a pal who took his own life.
Leslie Melville, known to his friends as Les, died in August 2010 at the age of 33 following a battle with depression.
Next month, 14 of his pals will play a round at Piperdam golf course in his memory, raising money for the Dundee Association of Mental Health in the process.
The game has been organised by Paul Sanderson and Paul Macready.
Mr Sanderson, a 38-year-old offshore worker, said: “We started it without being very serious about it and it escalated — this is now the third year.
“There’s 14 of us playing. We’ll do a round, then our wives are coming up and we’ll have a nice meal and a raffle.
“I’m a member at Downfield Golf Club and the Professional shop there has donated equipment as prizes. We’re hoping to raise £1,000 — we raised about £200 last time.”
Les took his life days after seeing pals at a party and less than a fortnight after being the best man at Macready’s wedding.
Mr Sanderson said he and his friends wanted to raise awareness of mental health issues in male friendship circles — adding that it’s OK for men to open up about their feelings.
“When we saw him at the party there was no sign there was anything wrong but behind the scenes he was battling his depression badly,” he said.
“There’s not a day that goes by when we don’t think of him. We’re going to get a banner with Les on it — saying something about how your friends are always there for you.
“There’s a lot of awareness around mental health at the moment and we want to promote that — it always had such a big effect on people. The game will be fun but first and foremost, it’s a way of remembering Les — and raising awareness. He hid a lot from us — how many others are like that?” The game takes place on May 13, and Les’s pals have organised a fundraising page for donations at gofundme.com/qne2t-lesmelville-memorial-golf -outing. If you feel depressed, suicidal, or just need someone to talk to, volunteers at The Samaritans are on hand to offer help 24 hoursa-day. Contact them by calling 116123, or by emailing jo@ samaritans.org.