A new way back for

By Shaun Inguanzo
Mental Health Minister Lisa Neville will today cut the ribbon at the café, although it has been open to the public since the beginning of September.
The café is the brainchild of businessman Anthony Cheeseman and the Eastern Regions Mental Health Association (ERMHA), one of the biggest mental health service providers in the region.
It employs ERMHA clients willing to step back into work in a bid to rehabilitate them through social interaction.
The café, located on the third level of the Dandenong Plaza, is the first step in the MadCap program that ERMHA has developed.
ERMHA CEO Peter Waters said he hoped MadCap would expand to include catering.
“MadCap Ventures will place graduates from ERMHA and Chisholm Institute of TAFE’s life skills pre-vocational training course, for those with mental illnesses, into catering and hospitality roles,” Mr Waters said.
“Too often we focus on the disability rather than ability of the mentally ill.
“Mental illness doesn’t equate to incapability. MadCap plays to what we can do rather than what we can’t.
“Each positive step is one in the right direction.”
Meanwhile, ERMHA is gearing up for its annual mental health celebration, R U OK 2Day?, to be held at Dandenong Park on 11 October.
The day is a free festival, including live entertainment by the Choir of Hard Knocks, and food, health and information stalls.