History

In the 1960′s, Alan Walker a Protestant clergyman, received a telephone call from a Roy Brown, a man who was so desperate that he said he had written a letter, outlining his intention to commit suicide. The minister arranged to met him the following Tuesday, but before the meeting could take place, he learned that Roy Brown had committed suicide.
It was then that Alan Walker decided to start a telephone service that would offer support and hope to those in distress. LifeLine came into being in Sydney, in 1963.

The Rev. George Irvine, and The Rev. Paul Welsh started LifeLine Ekurhuleni (East Rand) in Benoni in 1970.
Today LifeLine International has over 250 centres in 14 different countries. There are 26 LifeLine centres in Southern Africa.