Griffith Suicide Prevention and Support Group calling for volunteers

The program has been running since the late 90s and currently is being led by a small team who field calls from as far as Rockhampton and Western Australia.

Member of the group Val Woodland has urged people to get involved saying it is a rewarding experience.

"It’s a great feeling if you are able to sort of turn someone's feelings just by that short time,” she said.

“You just need to be able to listen and care and be a shoulder to lean on really.”

Mrs Woodland said the role means taking calls from people who may be suicidal or often thy just need to talk and air their problems.

The centre acts as a 24-hour service broken up into two shifts and Mrs Woodland would like to see more volunteers come on board, so people aren’t being worked as hard.

The two-day course will be run at the Western Riverina Community College running from 9am till 4pm on Saturday and then 9am till 3pm on Sunday.

“It's not a difficult as people think it is,” she said.

“People say that they can't do it but they can it's just like being a friend to someone and being there when they need you.”