Reconnecting on R U OK?Day 2016

hello • 15 September 2016

R U OK?Day 2016 saw ambassadors, communities, sector partners and corporate Australia commit to reconnecting with someone they’ve lost touch with.

An R U OK? national survey revealed Australians spend an average 46 hours of their weekly downtime looking at their TVs and digital devices, compared to an average of six hours engaging with family and friends highlighting that we’re more intimately acquainted with our devices than the highs and lows of our families’ and friends’ lives.

To highlight the impact of reconnection, R U OK? followed three pairs of long lost friends who made the journey to Dubbo, Nowra, Melbourne and Brisbane to reunite. Each pair shared their story of a time when they were struggling with life and found life changing support through their friendship.

Thousands of R U OK?Day events were held in all corners of Australia with 5,900 media reports helping to highlight the importance of connecting with those around us. The day featured a breakfast event at iconic Bondi Icebergs; a location favoured by late founder Gavin Larkin. Guest speakers, politicians and musicians were joined by the Larkin family to share messages of promise and hope for a future where we are all connected and protected from suicide.

Post campaign survey results showed a positive impact with 78 per cent of respondents having listened to someone talk about their problems in the last month and 62 per cent having asked someone face-to-face if something was troubling them. 60 per cent were more willing to ask their friends about what is troubling them.

For occasions where conversations are too big for family and friends, R U OK? continues to collaborate with the mental health sector and urged family and friends to encourage help seeking behavior by referring to crisis support services such as Lifeline and Suicide Call Back Service.

For more stories and successes from the day, watch the R U OK?Day 2016 Wrap Up.

R U OK? works throughout the year enabling meaningful conversations every day by resourcing schools with classroom activities and Conversation Corners , workplaces such as the rail, law and mining industries with conversation tips and workplace collateral along with activating a vibrant community ambassador program across the country. To find out how you can join the conversation movement, contact us at [email protected].

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Announcement from the CEO, Katherine Newton

by Katherine Newton • 16 October 2025
After ten years of teamwork, partnerships, growth, and countless conversations, I will be stepping down as CEO from 1 December 2025. It has been an extraordinary privilege to contribute to the growth of this movement and to witness meaningful change before my eyes. Gavin Larkin founded R U OK? because he believed conversation has the power to change lives. One seemingly simple question, when asked with genuine intent and care, can start a meaningful and sometimes complex conversation. And that’s what Gavin wanted. For people to look beyond responses of “I’m fine” or “All good” and ask, “Are you really OK?”. The notion of going deeper with conversations, of asking a second time, of trusting our guts and moving past our hesitation - is being grasped and moving beyond one day to any day. Whilst saying “G’day how are you?” will always be a greeting - we can do more. When Gavin lost his father to suicide he wanted to try and protect other families from the pain his endured. He wanted to get people talking and having real chats about how they’re feeling with their mates, their family and their colleagues. In locker rooms, lunch rooms, and lounge rooms across the nation. But he approached it from a different angle. Gavin wanted all of us to have the confidence to support the people we care about who might be struggling with life. To make conversations a natural part of our behaviour, to openly show our signals of support. So as R U OK? generations continue to evolve, my chapter is coming to a close. How fortunate I am to have been part of the story. From hesitant glances during presentations in 2015 to queues of people waiting for a conversation in 2025. From yellow wigs in the office, to welcoming yellow-swathed Ambassadors to share their lived experience. From yellow coffee cups in a café, to yellow cars driving into communities nationwide. And yes, there’s been a few cupcakes along the way. Social change is happening, and we are all a part of it. No one organisation can prevent suicide, no one individual can save everyone - but the power of many can make a difference.
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