With suicide touching the lives of so many members of the community, something that might usually be grieved in private brought people together for an event aptly named Healing Lights, Flowing Rivers on Thursday evening.

At Katherine's Low Level Nature Reserve, people young and old took part in a smoking ceremony and made lanterns for those they had lost, sending them floating down the river.

People travelled from communities across the region, with Jawoyn women from the Banatjarl Strongbala Wumin Grup coming to offer support and wisdom.

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Senior Australian of the year Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann also travelled from her home community of Nauiyu to speak at the event.

"Life is very hard for many of my people," she told the crowd.

"People often absorb the bad things and not the good."

She told the story of a her nephew who had died by suicide, among many other young Aboriginal people.

"We lost seven that year, and one of them was my nephew," she said.

"It was the first time that it happened in Nauyiu and I said 'this has to stop'.

"We've got to walk with our kids and tell them that we're there."

Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann said it was time for the rest of Australia to listen to the needs of Aboriginal people and treat them with respect.

"We are river people, we cannot hurry the river," she said.

"We hope that the people of Australia will wait. Not so much waiting for us to catch up, but waiting for us as we find our way in the world.

"We keep on longing for the things we've always hoped for - respect and understanding."

Youth Engagement Worker for TeamHealth Katherine, and one of the organisers of the event Deidre Lechleitner said they wanted to do something different from the traditional R U OK? Day events.

"We've never really done an event where we've brought everyone together from all demographics and backgrounds," she said.

"We hope it will be an annual event, the start of something."

She said the event aimed to provide a space for the community to support each other through their grief.

"We all go through a lot in this little town," she said.

"We take on that suffering and those challenges ourselves in silence, and it's hurtful.

"This is a chance to sit down, remember the ones we've lost and just enjoy each other's company."

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