Samaritans puts ‘life in perspective’

A SAMARITANS volunteer for 19 years, at the end of this month Gerry Dobbin will step down from his three-year stint as director of the Clare branch. The Belfast man, who has lived in Clare for 33 years, says he cannot adequately give back to the organisation what the Samaritans have given to him.

 

“For me it has been part of my development as a human being,” Gerry Dobbin told The Clare Champion.

“It puts your own life in perspective when you talk to people who have reached a point in their lives where they just can’t carry on. They feel they are totally alone, isolated and marginalised. Sometimes you think that there’s a very obvious solution for these people,” he added.

However the Samaritans director notes apparently-clear solutions cannot be foisted upon a caller.

“You feel that the solution is staring you in the face but not necessarily to them. You learn not to impose that solution. You can explore solutions or options but never say ‘this is what you should do’. We don’t do that. Sometimes people like to fix and have a solution. That for me has been a great education; to resist saying ‘this is what you should be doing’,” Gerry reflected.

He feels volunteers benefit hugely from their involvement. “Samaritans gives you more back than what you could possibly put into it. I think that’s what keeps people there. There are a lot of volunteers in the Ennis branch and they are there a long, long time. They would be bound by friendship and by a sense of common purpose. I think that is very, very special and very unique,” he noted.

Gerry became involved with Samaritans following the death of a friend, who died by suicide.

“He was a very close friend of mine and had, in a very indirect way, spoken to me about ending his life. I didn’t realise at the time what he was saying. It bothered me after he took his own life. I would have been aware of Samaritans and decided to join up. In a general sense I would have been aware of people of my generation who had taken their own lives. That’s where my interest began,” he explained.

Gerry says his generation were not keen to talk about suicide, in contrast to a younger generation.

“In those years people were less inclined to talk about it. There was that stigma that was attached to suicide. People didn’t talk about it as much as we talk about it now in Irish society. I don’t know statistically what the suicide figures were but it wasn’t discussed. We weren’t as open in society as we would be now to discussing it as a big problem,” he recalls.

Currently, the Clare branch of Samaritans can call on 110 volunteers. “A regular volunteer usually commits to around 15 hours a month. Most volunteers give a lot more than that. Leaders do their 15 hours duty but are also available 24-hours-a-day at the end of a phone to debrief volunteers. They may have received a tramuatic call and might need advice if someone needs to talk about a call,” he said.

“You’re always a volunteer, regardless of what role you take up. Every volunteer does their duties, regardless of whether they’re a director or a deputy director. You do your phone duties or prescribed duties in the branch. So we’re all volunteers first and foremost,” Gerry stressed.

Having travelled and worked at sea for many years, Gerry spent some time as a mature student before becoming involved in the voluntary sector. Subsequently his time with Samaritans has proven hugely enjoyable.

“I’ve met people who have the generosity of spirit and peace of mind in their own lives, to go out and give to others who haven’t got that peace of mind,” the outgoing director concluded.

People in Clare can call to the Ennis Samaritans on the Kilrush Road, from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week while the Samaritans helpline number is 1850 60 90 90. Further information about the organisation’s work is available at www.samaritans.ie.