By the time he was 13, Mervyn Eades had lost his grandparents and father, bounced around care homes and ended up in jail.
He spent the next 18 years in and out of prison before getting out for good at the age of 31.
But shortly afterwards he was devastated by the suicide of his baby brother while in jail.
"I constantly visited him. I never saw no signs of suicide, but he took his life - wrote a letter three days before he died, a letter for his family, reckoned he couldn't cope no more," Mr Eades told AAP.
His brother had been in juvenile detention since he was 15.
"It was just too much for a young fella to deal with," Mr Eades said, in Alice Springs for the national conference to prevent indigenous suicide.
"That shattered me and took me a long time to get over, but at the same time I knew our people needed something in the community to stop the recidivism."
Nineteen months ago he founded Ngalla Maya, a West Australian non-profit organisation that mentors and trains newly released prisoners and finds them work.
"The courses I did in prison, the only ones I did was for parole because you had to, nothing realistic was there for after prison," he said.
So far 160 people have gone through the doors and 80 are in permanent work, doing everything from commercial cooking, welding, carpentry, and bricklaying to cleaning and hospitality.
"A lot of our people experience death within our family groups ... and a lot of our people feel they don't have no one in the world looking out for them," Mr Eades said.
"Because of our level of poverty in our community, we have no social or economic devices for our people. We're just dependent on the welfare system, and the welfare system is destroying our people and takes us away from the reality of life.
"In and out of prison, we lose that connection to culture and identity, who we are and where we belong in society. With no elders around, it destroys us."
Meaningful work got people back on their feet and restored their self-esteem, helping to buffer them against the risk of depression and suicide, Mr Eades said, although they also needed access to housing and health services to keep flying straight.
Employers didn't care if their new workers were ex-criminals, as long as they could work, he said: "It opens doors for them, and realistic opportunities."
Now 46, he's proud to be there for his sons, who are young men connected to their family and Noongar culture.
"With the life I've been through, I'm really amazed and happy that I'm actually here and turned my life around," Mr Eades said.
LIFE IN AUSTRALIAN PRISONS:
* More than 80 per cent of the prison population has not completed Year 12.
* Only 40 per cent have finished Year 9.
* One in 13 Aboriginal males in WA are in prison, one of the world's highest jailing rates.
* In the first year post-release, they are 10 times more likely to suicide than while imprisoned.
* Suicide is the leading cause of death for Aboriginal people aged 15-35.
(SOURCE: Gerry Georgatos, researcher at the Institute of Social Justice and Human Rights, May 2016)
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Local Aboriginal Medical Service available from www.vibe.com.au
Share
