Five Tasmanians who have turned grief, illness and trauma into community work will share their stories at a Launceston event that challenges guests to do one deliberate act of kindness within 72 hours.
One Night, Good Humans will be held at Country Club Tasmania on Saturday, November 21, hosted by the Rally for Rhys Foundation.
Organiser Shannon Hodgetts co-founded the foundation after her son Rhys died suddenly in August 2016, just before his third birthday.
She has since written One Breath at a Time, a book supporting bereaved parents and the people around them.
“When Rhys died, I didn’t need people to have the perfect words,” she told Pulse. “I needed people to show up. 10 years later, I still remember the smallest acts of kindness from the worst days of our lives.”
“Those people probably have no idea what they did for us.”
Tom Moir, who joined Tasmania Police in 2014 at 19, will also speak. He survived two suicide attempts after symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder went undiagnosed for some time and in 2024 became a Movember Community Ambassador.
Endurance runner Matt Dingjan struggled with his mental health and alcohol after his mother died of cancer. His runs, including 205km from Launceston to Hobart, have raised more than $117,000 for charity.
Lindi Bell, who had preventative surgery at 42 after learning she carried the BRCA2 gene mutation. She went on to start an online support community that now has more than 1,500 members.
The panel will also involve Rosie’s Readings founder Rick Marton.
Following his mother’s death, Rick turned a deeply personal connection to literacy into Rosie’s Readings, the Tasmanian program partner for the Australian edition of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Hodgetts said she and the other speakers were “ordinary Tasmanians”.
“We’re not celebrities or people with enormous platforms,” she said.
“We’re ordinary Tasmanians who’ve faced life-changing experiences, just like so many others. I think that’s what makes these stories so important.”
“I don’t want people to walk away thinking, ‘Wow, aren’t those five people amazing?’ I want them to walk away thinking, ‘What could I do?'”
She said it wasn’t “going to be a night of sitting around feeling sad”.
“Yes, there’ll be some honest and emotional conversations, but there’ll also be laughter, beautiful food, drinks, live music and hopefully a room full of people who leave feeling inspired,” Hodgetts said.
Tickets cost $199 and include a two-course dinner, drinks and live entertainment.
Profits will go to the Rhys Hodgetts Education and Wellbeing Fund which supports Tasmanian children and young people following the death of a sibling.
Tickets are available here.
