STAROS was started in March 2012 by two parents, Warren and Teresa, who were brought together through circumstances as both had lost sons to suicide. Warren's son Stuart died in June 2009 and Teresa's son Ryan died in December 2009, Stu was 25 and Ryan 16.
When they met there was nothing in Hawke's Bay to support people affected by suicide so they decided to start the group. STAROS is an acronym based on their sons (Stu and Ryan our sons) and is a legacy run in their memory by two parents wanting to support others through what is an unimaginable grief.
When Teresa moved to Australia in 2013 Sandra stepped in to help with the group. Sandra lost her father Alister to suicide in March 1997 and attended one of the first group sessions.
As from Tuesday 31 July 2018 we will be holding meetings on alternate Tuesdays between our Havelock North venue and our new venue in Napier, please contact us for more details.
STAROS is run by a small group of individuals who have all been affected by the loss of a loved one to suicide and are passionate about supporting others similarly affected. We started as a support group in 2012 and formed the Trust in November 2016 after being approached by a couple who had trouble finding support after losing their son to suicide. They wanted us to be involved in an event they were running in honour of their son and for us to receive the proceeds from the event so that we could raise our profile and be more visible and accessible for others who had been similarly affected.
The support group still runs and we know this is a necessary service that should be in all communities so the Trust aims to support and enable communities to setup and run their own groups and to assist in enhancing the positive well-being of the individual within the community and referring to the appropriate agencies when required.
The Trust also seeks to empower communities and individuals and raising public awareness of suicide through education to recognize early signs of risk of suicide in Hawke's Bay and elsewhere in New Zealand.
