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Lifeline Sydney is celebrating its 45th anniversary this Friday, 14 March. Special guests from Company B [Belvoir St Theatre Company], including Artistic Director Neil Armfield, will be joining Lifeline staff, volunteers and friends for a party to celebrate the countless thousands of lives which have been touched, changed and saved by Lifeline Sydney since its humble beginnings in 1963.

91-year-old Ivan Reichelt has been involved with Lifeline from the very start. He worked closely with the late Rev Dr Sir Alan Walker, former Superintendent of Wesley Mission, who had desperate people calling him day and night.

“He [Mr Walker] called a group of us to his home and asked us what we could do,” said Mr Reichelt. “He couldn’t cope with it: people who were suicidal, people with all kinds of trouble … We prayed, we talked, we met many times, until someone said, ‘Why don’t we have a central place where people can ring and we can try and help them though their problems?’ And that’s how Lifeline was born.”

Forty-five years on, it’s clear that Lifeline Sydney has made a huge difference to the community; 16,600 calls were taken in 2007, and almost half as many again could not be answered as there were not enough volunteer counsellors to meet the demand. While there are no accurate records, especially from the early years, it is estimated that more than 800,000 calls have been taken since Lifeline Sydney’s doors opened in 1963.

The importance of this service was recognised by former Prime Minister John Howard, who said Lifeline was “a remarkable act of practical Christian charity and a wonderful expression of the social coalition of counsellors, government, business and the bedrock spiritual commitment of Wesley Mission.”

Wesley Mission Superintendent Rev Keith Garner is extremely proud of the work of Lifeline Sydney. “People have a real connection with Lifeline – I think we can all relate to that feeling of being alone and having no one else to turn to,” he said. “I am thrilled that Wesley Mission is continuing the vital work it started 45 years ago in meeting the needs of the people of Sydney.”

Lifeline Sydney Manager Susie Wood is extremely grateful for the support of the community. “Without our volunteer counsellors, Lifeline Sydney wouldn’t exist,” she said. “And without our generous donors, we wouldn’t be able to provide training or keep the centre running. Dinky Di Pies and Pastries has donated a huge cake for the party, and Flower Atelier has donated a lovely table arrangement – it’s those simple acts of generosity which make all the difference for us.”

Donations to Lifeline Sydney can be made by phoning

1800 021 821

or online.