The 7 June edition of the Gazette was led by a tragic and important plea by a Pakenham father for greater awareness around eating disorders after his 15-year-old daughter died of the disease earlier in the year.
Olivia Evans was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa two years before passing away on 5 May to the heartbreak of her family and the community.
Through the grief of her loss, her father, personal trainer and motivational speaker Robb Evans made a public appeal on the treatment of eating disorders saying the “system is broken”.
“Obviously the system failed my daughter, because she’s no longer here, but we shouldn’t lose kids to eating disorders, they shouldn’t die from this,” he said.
“We need to do better and come up with better solutions.”
The disease which afflicts an estimated one million people in Australia – considered one of the most lethal mental health conditions – was told in its harrowing reality by Mr Evans as they tried to help Olivia recover in a protracted battle over two years where the doctors eventually stated that her condition was becoming terminal before her passing.
Mr Evans is determined to turn the tide and raise awareness on eating disorders.
“A lot of families don’t talk about it because they’re suffering and feel judged if they come out and talk about it…it’s like this dirty secret,” he said.
“It’s so multi-levelled, I think it needs to start in primary school.
“We need to build our young ladies’ resilience, teaching them from a very young age about their self-image and building them up from the inside out.”
