Annette Baker is a community advocate, spokesperson and fundraiser for issues around mental health and suicide. In 2011 Annette’s 15 year old daughter, Mary, took her own life after a three year battle with an eating disorder. It was then that Annette and her family vowed to fight to remove the stigma and silence associated with suicide and raise funds and awareness in the Albury Wodonga region and beyond. 
 
In 2012 the Border Mail newspaper wrote a story about Annette’s family and invited them to front a local campaign named Ending the Suicide Silence. The story, called “It’s Time To Talk”, won a Walkley for Journalism award. The weeklong campaign resulted in 54 news leads, 12 front page stories and was the start of a community campaign to get then Minister for Health, Mark Butler, to allocate funds for a headspace youth mental health facility for the area. Headspace Albury Wodonga was finally opened in 2015. 
 
Annette Baker has been instrumental in creating several non profit, community support groups and fundraising events for mental health. She is the founder of Survivors of Suicide & Friends / Winter Solstice and is also on the taskforce committee for Australians for Mental Health. 
 
In recognition of her tremendous work in raising community awareness and fundraising, in 2016 Annette Baker was nominated for the Australian Mental Health Prize. 
 
In 2017 Annette Baker was also a finalist for the NSW Regional Woman of the Year. 
 
A photograph taken of Annette Baker by Natalie Ord in tribute to Annette’s work in breaking down the social stigma associated with mental illness and suicide was also a finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017.   
 
Annette is based in Albury Wodonga where she lives with her family.