RUOK? Day is Thursday, September 12, and Jellicoe Park in Moree will be the venue for a special twilight event to ask RUOK? Any Day.

The event, scheduled between 5pm and 7pm, is being co-ordinated by a group of local volunteers headed up by Glen Crump, Blossom Pitt, Ann Holden and Jenee Smith.

“A small group from a few local services got together recently to discuss the possibility of holding an event to be held in recognition R U OK Day,” Ms Smith said.

Supported by Moree Plains Shire Council, Bamara, Flourish Australia, Miyay Birray Youth Services, Centacare, NSW Aboriginal Affairs, Tourism Moree, Belgravia Leisure and Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre, Moree Secondary College, Joblink Plus, Moree District Band, Aboriginal Legal Services and Thiyama-Li Family Violence Service, the event will feature inspiring guest speakers, information stalls from local service providers, and food and entertainment.

RUOK CEO Katherine Newton said the national campaign encourages people and organisations to adopt meaningful conversations in the community.

“Call a friend to chat, drop in on family or go for a coffee with a colleague,” Ms Newton said.

“If you’re ready to really listen to the answer, you can start with a simple question, ‘how are you? what’s been happening? how are you travelling?’

“When people feel connected and have a sense of belonging, it’s a protective factor against suicide,” she said.

The key message of the campaign is for people to check in with others any time they have time to offer their attention, and have the capacity to listen Sunday to Monday, January to December.

And one of the most powerful ways of showing someone you sincerely care is to keep checking in a week or two later.

RUOK? Day, now in its 16th year, calls on Australians to let the people they care about know ‘I’m here, to hear’, every day of the year.

Research has found when asked if they were OK, two in five people (38 per cent) who said they were OK actually were not OK.

These respondents said key factors to encourage an honest conversation were:

Trust: they need to know the person they speak to is someone they trust, and, for many, someone they are close to;

Authenticity: they want to know the person asking them genuinely wants to hear answer; and

Environment: people would prefer to have these conversations in a relatively private space with enough time to share what they want to say.

Moree RUOK? Day

When: Thursday, September 12

Where: Jellicoe Park Moree

Time: 5pm to 7pm