When Jo-Anne Ivory is unsure how to respond to someone, she returns to one rule: kindness is her default setting. It guides her work, her relationships and Run for MI Life, the organisation she created after the death of her brother Matthew.
“The people who really need kindness are usually the people who are not being very kind,” explained Jo-Anne.
“This world needs more kindness and a lot less judgement.”
Jo-Anne and Matthew were two of four children raised in Moranbah. Jo-Anne began her working life as a hairdresser and barber before operating Barber Jo’s in Walkerston.
She now works in community support, helping people remain independent in their own homes and connected to the world around them. While the career is relatively new, caring for others has long been part of who Jo-Anne is. That same care sits behind Run for MI Life.
Their family later endured several losses, including the deaths of both parents and Matthew’s young daughter Jade, who died from a brain tumour. Jo-Anne says Matthew carried deep grief after losing his daughter and sometimes withdrew from those around him.
She remembers him as a sensitive and caring man, a gentle giant who loved making people laugh.
Matthew died by suicide in 2012. At his funeral, Jo-Anne asked people not to define her brother by the final moments of his life.
“Please remember him for him and don’t judge him on the last decision that he made.”
As the first anniversary of Matthew’s death approached, Jo-Anne began thinking about how his family and friends could come together to remember him. She was also troubled by the silence surrounding suicide and the isolation experienced by those left behind.
“There were so many other people going through what we had been through, but there was no one talking about it.
“There was no safe place to express that grief and talk about that person in a loving way.”
Jo-Anne decided something needed to change. The first Run for MI Life was held in 2014. The MI represents Matthew’s initials, Matthew Ivory, rather than mental illness as many people assume.
Jo-Anne reached out to people she knew through Moranbah, Walkerston, Barber Jo’s and Wests Leagues Club, where she had served on the board. Friends, schools, businesses and sponsors stepped forward to help. From those early offers of support, Run for MI Life grew into an annual event where people can remember loved ones, speak openly about mental health and connect with support.
Jo-Anne is quick to credit the board and committee working beside her. They are a small group, but each person is involved because they believe in what the organisation is trying to achieve and their work has helped Run for MI Life grow beyond the annual event.
Through an arrangement between two local groups, Grapevine Group funds LivingWorks safeTALK training, while Run for MI Life funds ASIST training across the region. SafeTALK teaches people to recognise signs that someone may be experiencing thoughts of suicide and connect them with help. ASIST provides more intensive training for people responding when someone may be at immediate risk.
Jo-Anne believes these skills should be learned before a family, workplace or friendship group faces a crisis.
“A lot of people, myself included, don’t know these things exist until you lose somebody.
“Let’s be proactive and get ourselves educated before we have a crisis.”
The wellbeing fair held after the run is another important part of the day. Participants can meet service providers, ask questions and learn what support is available in a relaxed setting. The ribbon wall also provides a place for people to remember someone they have lost or share part of their own journey.
Jo-Anne has received messages from people who say the event helped them feel less alone or encouraged them to seek support.
“People have told me that if it wasn’t for what we are doing, they wouldn’t be here.”
Run for MI Life has promoted its Be Kind message for years, but it has never been simply a slogan. It is the standard Jo-Anne tries to carry into every part of her life.
Hastings Deering, where Matthew worked for eight years, has supported Run for MI Life from the beginning. Matthew remains remembered by his former colleagues and this year the company found another way to honour him. One of the robots being introduced at its new parts-picking facility will carry Matthew’s name. More than a decade after his death, the gesture reflects the impression he left on the people who worked beside him.
Jo-Anne cannot know how many lives have been changed through Run for MI Life. What she does know is that people have spoken, sought support and felt less alone because she was willing to begin a conversation others were afraid to have.
More than a decade after Matthew’s death, that conversation continues. Each act of kindness, each person who reaches out and each life touched through Run for MI Life carries his legacy forward.
After everything Jo-Anne has learned through losing Matthew and speaking openly about suicide, there are two messages she wants people to remember.
The first is that language matters. She encourages people to move away from the phrase “committed suicide”, because the word “committed” can imply a crime or sin and add judgement to the grief carried by families. Matthew should be remembered as a father, brother, friend and workmate, not reduced to the way he died.
The second message is simpler.
“If in doubt, be kind.”
| If this story raises concerns for you or someone you know, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. Support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. |
| The 2026 Run for MI Life will be held on 18 October, starting and finishing at the amphitheatre in the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens. Participants can complete three, five or 10 kilometres. Wheelchairs, prams and dogs are welcome, although bikes and scooters cannot take part. Registrations are available through the Run for MI Life website and Facebook page. |
