Men Alone and at Risk –
“Our darling Greg died of a broken heart,” announced the death notice placed by his mother and sister when Federal MP Greg Wilton killed himself last year. Wilton’s death attracted massive publicity, highlighting the marriage break-up and loss of his children as events precipitating his drastic action. Three weeks earlier Wilton was found in a distressed state in a car with his two young children.
Greg Wilton, 44, was well aware of the vulnerability of men in his situation. Three years earlier he gave a speech in parliament commenting on a report on youth suicide, pointing out that the group at greatest risk of killing themselves were adult men.