The HRF Story
Chaotic morning routines, while different in every family, are ultimately always the same. Our house was no different. My 13-year-old son Harrison, would usually depart for school by saying goodbye to our dog first (of course) and then it was my turn.
I’d tell him I loved him, and he would reply ‘’I love you too’’ and then do this thing with his phone, and his friends, often at the same time.
But on one morning in 2014, something else happened. Harrison was busy texting – and he walked out the door, probably not hearing me call out, ‘I love you’. And at 10:15 a.m. that morning, I was told that Harrison was dead. And that it appeared he had taken his own life.
I know I’ll never get Harrison back. But I’ll live the rest of my life wondering why a 13-year old boy – a child so typical, so normal, so laugh-out-loud funny, and so loved – had the emotional strength and fortitude to end his.
Would he have recognised negative thought patterns and feelings? Would he have known how to put into words what he was feeling that particular morning? Would he have gone out of his comfort zone to approach someone, or make a phone call to ask for help? Would he have even recognised what he needed help with?
I doubt it.
I miss him still, every single day. But I am determined to prevent it happening to another family, to another mum, or dad, or sister or brother, or niece or nephew.
We Believe
All young people deserve to feel safe knowing that there are people who care about them.
Preventive support is at the core of our work and we empower young people to make safer choices by providing them access to timely, accessible and trusted support.
Together, through technology, we can help keep our young people safe.
Our Logos – concepts created by September Design Studio
The Harrison Riedel Foundation logo is a propeller in motion which represents movement and progress in one’s life. The propeller comes from Harrison’s desire to become a pilot. He spent a lot of time building aeroplane models. In July, 2014 Harrison and his dad, Scott, did a flight simulation for his birthday, four months before he died.
The YourCrew logo is made up of a lower Y topped with two small C’s to make the shape of a heart. Aboriginal paintings often have small c’s placed around circles to represent people gathering together, as families and friends around waterholes, fires and ceremonial sites. Here they shared stories including those about people they have lost. In this way Aboriginal people take those they have lost with them through the generations. The heart represents compassion and understanding, and is the base of our emotions, the heart symbolises love.