The 2017 Glove Box Guide to Mental Health has landed.
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This, the sixth edition of the guide, was produced by The Land in partnership the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program.
The theme of this year’s issue is “Let’s talk”, which is about connections between people and across communities and how this can help equip people to deal with and manage mental health.
Here are some of the stories people shared with us in the guide:
ADAM BRAND: Country music star Adam Brand opened up to Ruth Schwager about the challenges that stardom and a marriage break-up brought to his life and how he’s dealt with them.
LEE-ANNE BRIGHT: Lee-Anne Bright has been a governess since 1997. She spoke to Robyn Ainsworth about the challenges that come with that career – from isolation to playing the role of family counsellor.
JARROD EDYVEAN: A small Riverina town touched by suicide has united to raise awareness of mental health while lifting the spirits of local people.
The people of Coolamon have formed a committee promoting positive mental health messages and events.
Young shearer Jarrod Edyvean will put his skills to the test in a bold attempt to shear for 12 hours to support suicide prevention in event called Shear For Mates during October.
JANITA COOPER: Another town touched by the loss of some of its teenagers was Grafton, and its community members were spurred into action.
One such member is Janita Cooper, who saw a chance to reach some of Grafton’s youth through rugby league and the NRL State of Mind program.
KARMA: In today’s technological age, advancements have removed a lot of the human element in interactions, making them less personal and creating a sense of detachment.
With that in mind, former Wallaby flyer Clyde Rathbone and his brother Dayne created Karma in the hopes of using a social media platform to counteract this and return some of the humanity to technology.
Denis Howard caught up with Clyde to find out more.
BAYLIN’S GIFT: Baylin’s Gift is a charity committed to educating young people and their support networks on depression, anxiety, gender/sexual identification and suicide awareness. It aims to educate and build resilience.
The foundation promotes diversity and acceptance. It was started following the suicide of Baylin in April, 2016. His story is told by his mother, Hayley Hoskins, president of Baylin’s Gift, Kempsey.
MICHAEL SHANNON: To a casual observer, southern NSW beef and lamb producer Michael Shannon would seem to be riding high on a-once-in-a-lifetime wave of good seasons, high prices and great opportunities beyond the farm gate.
Appearances, however, can be deceiving. While Michael had successfully sorted through some challenging family issues to take the reins of the farm business; was well advanced on a comprehensive farm development plan; and was busy exploring the potential of value chain beef marketing, underneath he was bearing an increasingly heavy burden.
The guide also looked into natural disasters and taking care of your physical and mental health during those times.
RURAL ADVERSITY MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM: Ruth Schwager caught up with Camilla Kenny, a co-ordinator with the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program, who was one of the workers involved in the response to and recovery after the Sir Ivan bushfires. Read more here.
Jamie Brown looked into the community action following the flooding of Lismore on the last day of March and caught up with councillor Elly Bird, who spoke Lismore Helping Hands. Read more here.
John Ellicott caught up with Wendy Hukins who was a customer relations manager at Thredbo at the time of the Thredbo landslide that claimed the lives of 18 people.
For Wendy the landslide was followed by mental health problems that developed over the next two years. Read more about it here.
Ted O’Kane caught up with farm manager Darren Price who reflects on his personal lessons from the Bungendore fire.
Darren was in a management meeting in Sydney when the fire broke out. A couple of hours later, after a scramble to get on a flight to Canberra, a frantic car trip and a frustrating wait at a police road block, he arrived at his home on Carwoola station, south east of Bungendore. He didn’t expect his house to be standing. Read more here.
Ruth Schwager spoke with Rural Adversity Mental Health Program co-ordinator in Western NSW, Di Gill, on what a region battles through with a natural disaster.
There’s always a lot of stress through and after the flood or fire, and Di does her bit to make sure people are prepared to take care of themselves, and their mental health, in the recovery phase. Read more here.
- If any of these stories have raised concerns for you or if you or someone you know needs crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
- For mental health services contact the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.