This September, Lifeline Canberra anticipates that it will answer the 1 millionth call made to 13 11 14.

And sadly, the demand for the services of its over 350 volunteer crisis support workers has increased to record levels.

“In the twelve months to the end of June this year, we have had just over 36,000 Canberrans call us,” says Lifeline Canberra interim CEO Adam Miller.

“The year before that, it was 19,000.”

That’s a 60 per cent increase. In twelve months.

To continue to meet this extraordinary increase in need, Lifeline Canberra Bookfair, which is held three times a year, is in full swing to open its ‘doors’ again at Exhibition Park this Friday 4 September.

The fair, which has become a staple for the Canberra Community, provides the majority of funding needed to run the vital 24/7 crisis support service.

“Without the Bookfairs and the unwavering support of the Canberra community, Lifeline Canberra wouldn’t be able to answer the number of calls we do each year,” said Mr Miller.

“We will never stop being grateful for each donation of pre-loved books we receive and to everyone who visits the Bookfair.

“Each handful of books bought will change a life for the better.”

Mr Miller says that it costs approximately $10,000 to train each crisis support worker, and that $26 book bundle purchase funds a single call, which may be the call that changes someone’s life.

Canberrans may not realise that beyond a diverse selection of fiction and non-fiction books, which include children’s literature, textbooks, foreign language books and this year an extensive selection of dance books, there is also so much more to purchase.

Visitors to the fair will find magazines, pamphlets, and one of the largest collections of sheet music, as well as comics, maps, atlases, records, CDs, and coveted box set DVDs.

There is also the ‘Discovery Room’ which is a trove of stamps, coins, trading cards, games, and puzzles.

The Bookfair has something for everyone, and apparently this year, Harry Potter fans will not be disappointed either!

Mr Miller said that it is important to remember that Lifeline is also for everyone.

“Lifeline was predominately set up for suicide prevention, but we do get a proportion of calls from people still since COVID around loneliness, anxiety, financial crisis or people struggling with the fear of what’s going to happen with interest rates … or the cost of daily living,” Mr Miller says.

“What often drives someone to pick up the phone is the need for human contact in a time of crisis.”

Something we were once hardwired to seek and which was much easier to find, it could be argued.

The Lifeline Canberra Bookfair is an unmissable opportunity this Father’s Day weekend to support the organisation that is there for us, whatever our need, and enjoy a day of human interaction, community and collective fun in the process.

Which it seems could go a long way to helping prevent, ease or address most things that ail us.

Entry to the Bookfair is a gold coin donation, with all proceeds going directly to local 13 11 14 crisis support and suicide prevention.

Located at Exhibition Park in Canberra on the corner of Northbourne Ave & Flemington Rd, Mitchell, the Lifeline Canberra EPIC Bookfair is open this weekend:

·         Friday 4 September, from 9am to 6pm

·         Saturday 5 September, from 9am to 5pm

·         Sunday 6 September, from 9am to 4pm

For more information, visit the Lifeline Canberra website: lifelinecanberra.org.au/bookfair