Parade has had the experience before – when waving like a lunatic to someone familiar from within a heaving crowd or trying to get a loved one to look up while they are otherwise occupied – but he usually consoles himself with the thought he had half a chance of success.

The same could not be said of Parade’s youngest nephew this week.

The scene was a gathering in a local school hall, where Parade was up the front with a camera (in his capacity as an Advocate staff member) and Parade’s three-year-old nephew, and his mum, were right up the back.

The youngster, seeing someone familiar, wanted to make contact, so he decided to get Parade’s attention by politely, ever-so-quietly whispering Parade’s name.

That might work from two metres away in an echoing, empty library. In a school hall full of excited school-children, however, a whisper is like a set of car keys dropped in a lake: immediately lost.

Parade, unaware that this was going on 20 metres behind him, did not turn around. So Parade’s nephew, never one to give up too easily, repeated the whisper – except a little more quietly this time around.

Parade was told afterwards that the whispers continued throughout the event in the school hall, with a gradually increasing sense of frustration from his nephew but a steadily decreasing volume. The last of the whispers, Parade is told, sounded like grass rustling in the wind.

And when Parade caught up with his young nephew afterwards, the little fellow looked genuinely put out. He lacks the words, but his face told the story. Seriously, what more could he have done?

A REMINDER that Beechworth mum Lisa Cartledge and supporters will be walking around Bathurst Showground on Saturday from 8.30am to get people talking about depression, suicide and mental health – and locals are invited to join in.

It’s part of Ms Cartledge’s walk from Beechworth to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Visit www.b2b.org.au for more information.