THE March Hour of Power featured talks about building and maintaining community from Shire of Mundaring President Paige McNeil and Bendigo Community Bank Mundaring executive officer Andrea Southam.

Ms Southam spoke first and shared stories from her own life about how she learned the importance of resilience, community and networking.

She said the challenging environment she was raised in and the lessons learned from navigating twists and turns in her professional and personal life helped her embrace change and reinforced her values.

“Over the years we faced profound loss,” she said.

“Six immediate family members we loved were gone too soon.

“We lost two of my younger brothers to suicide, 11 years and 11 months apart.

“My brothers were our friends too, so their losses completely devastated me.

“It’s a pain no words can truly describe, but through it I’ve learned the true depth of resilience.

“It has taught me how precious life is, how vital it is to check on those around us, and how kindness, sometimes as simple as a conversation, can make all the difference.

“In the darkest moments I also learned the power of community.

“When grief overwhelmed us, it was the people around us who lifted us back up.

“That’s why I’m so passionate about giving back, because I know first-hand how much it matters.”

Ms Southam said the most important lesson she’s learned, especially in her role, was the power of connection.

“Success isn’t just about what we accomplish, it’s about the relationships we build along the way,” she said.

“Every person we meet has a story, a struggle and a dream.

“When we take the time to listen, engage and support each other, we don’t just grow as individuals, we strengthen the communities around us.

“We encourage you to start a conversation, reach out to someone new and offer a word of encouragement.

“You never know what that connection could mean to them, or how it might change your own life in the process.

“Because in the end, success isn’t just measured by what we achieve, but by the lives we touch.”

Ms McNeil spoke about the paradox of progress which was the fact that mental health issues were still widespread despite people living in times of unprecedented safety and technological advancement.

She said a sense of community and the ability to contribute to that could hold the key to combating the anxiety, depression and loneliness that seemed to be widespread.

Ms McNeil shared that in a very real way, getting involved in community again was what propelled her into action against North Stoneville and saved her life.

TV coverage of the event led to a cameraman spotting a mark on her face, which they warned might be melanoma.

When Ms McNeil went to a doctor to check, it was confirmed to be melanoma, and was removed – though the experience left her in a mentally dark space.

“I had no purpose; I had shut everybody out and I felt alone even though my family were there to support me through this,” she said.

“I felt hopelessness which was something I had never felt before.”

Ms McNeil said it wasn’t until community members outside of her family such as Swan Chamber of Commerce president Mike Matich and chief executive officer Tom Smilovitis came that she opened up.

“Tom called me up one day and he said, look, I’ve been doing these Hour of Powers and we want to mix it up,” she said.

“We’d like you to be our first guest speaker for the new format of Hour of Power.

“This opportunity came to me and gave me my confidence back.

“They surrounded me with a community and they didn’t even know they were doing that.

“I got my confidence back. I started speaking again, and then I put my hand up for council.

“It shows that the power of community really can be the way that we can all heal, no matter what life throws at us.”

Echo News asked both speakers, knowing what they know now, what would they have told themselves at their bleakest points.

“That you are strong enough,” Ms Southam said.

“And sometimes it isn’t a choice – I knew I still had my mother and family, and I’ve been told by some people, ‘You’re so strong,’ but sometimes that choice isn’t yours.

“It’s out of your hands, but you are strong enough.”

Ms McNeil said for her, resilience and finding hope in times of darkness, came from leaving the door ajar just a bit even when the temptation was to shut everybody out.

Ms McNeil said there was an interesting phenomenon where sometimes it takes somebody outside of family to break down certain barriers and it was true of her experience.

“If I could tell myself back then something that I know now it’s that you should never fully shut others out.”