By Tanya Faulkner
Shining the light on mental health is the goal of one local organisation with big ties to the community.
Rotary Club of Greater Dandenong and Endeavour Hills, in conjunction with Casey-Cardinia Rotaract, hosted a Healthy Minds Mental Health Forum on Tuesday, 15 August at Lyndale Secondary College.
More than 100 audience members were treated with an array of speakers from around the country sharing their journeys with mental health, including disability advocate Matthew De Gruchy, Rwanda genocide survivor and author Frida Umuhoza, representatives from Operation Newstart in Casey, and the keynote speaker associate professor of psychiatry, Minds Count director and author Greg de Moore.
Rotary Club of Greater Dandenong and Endeavour Hills president Cherie Ramsay said she was proud her club could put on such a good event.
“We had a lot of support from the community, the college, other clubs from around the area and local Rotaracters who came and supported the event.
“Mental health is an important topic that touches everyone, and we need to talk more openly to destigmatise thoughts around mental health, to get more people talking and get the help they need,” she said.
All of the speakers had great stories to share, overcoming their own mental health struggles in one way or another, and providing tools for the audience to overcome their own mental health.
Matt De Gruchy, a disability advocate who was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at a young age causing him to now be legally blind, shared his experience of being a school student with a disability.
“I was so afraid of other people knowing I was blind that I did my best to hide it in school,” he said.
For Mr De Gruchy, his message to the community is to speak up when you do need help, and not to be afraid to confide in others.
“Mental health comes in waves and seasons, it comes and goes, and you may not always be one hundred per cent, but you get more tools and get better, and the bouts of mental health can be less intense.
“Disability doesn’t mean inability,” he said.
Rwanda genocide survivor and author Frida Umuhoza spoke of her personal experiences during the genocide, having lost almost her entire family during those years and the struggles she overcame to where she is now in Australia.
“To this day there are still situations that can trigger me, like someone doing their gardens with a machete or my children talking about killing, but I have come a long way.
“I took my children back to Rwanda recently to see where my family was killed and where I would hide, and I have also been back and forgiven those who took my family from me,” she said.
Ms Umuhoza said forgiveness is less about the perpetrator than yourself, and learning to forgive can do a lot for your mental health.
Operation Newstart is an organisation based in Casey that supports local youths with their mental health, helping them to speak up about what’s going on for them, connecting them with each other, and taking them on a variety of outings.
Brooke and Hayley, who both went through the programme, both spoke of the fantastic impact it has had on their lives, saying they were both so grateful for the experience.
Keynote speaker Greg de Moore had a captivating speech about his experiences working in the mental health sector over the years, shedding light on Australian superstar Tom Wills – the creator of Australian Rules Football and Cricket legend – and the journey he went through before taking his own life in 1880 at the age of 44.
He shared the tale of huge success, through to the Cullin-la-ringo massacre which became Australia’s worst massacre in history, causing the death of Tom Wills’ father, and his downward spiral to alcoholism and deep depression.
The tale is iconic in Australian history, and highlighted the importance of mental health and how we must work together as a community to stand up for each other and speak out loud and proud.
Those who attended the forum last night spoke high praises of the speakers and the messages of advocacy of mental health.
Australia Rotary Health 9820 district chair Mardi Shepherd said Australia Rotary Health, which was launched in Mornington over 40 years ago, has contributed $55 million to medical research in the world, including mental health research.
Australia Rotary Health is now undergoing new research funding endeavours, with their focus now on 0-12 year olds.
Ms Shepherd this new research is vital to the future of mental health support.
“In many cases, we’ve seen that mental health actually starts in youths under the age of 14, and we hope this new research can help alleviate this in future,” she said.
If you need help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800.
