Manifold Heights will play St Albans Breakwater in the GCA’s first mental health awareness match

Two Manifold Heights cricketers are determined to create “vulnerable conversations” about mental health after losing a best mate to suicide.

Five years ago, then young Wangaratta cricketers Jai Crispin and Adam Looker lost their best mate to suicide.

Just 17 years of age, and lacking the tools to deal with the enormity of the loss, Looker’s mental health took a deep dive.

“When we lost our mate, I went through a fair bit of depression and anxiety,” Looker said, these days a keen Manifold Heights cricketer.

“It’s something that I still deal with to this day.

“It’s gotten a lot better and I’ve found a lot better ways to cope with it.

“It’s something that I’ve worked through.”

Looker, who moved to Geelong with Crispin in early 2020 for a fresh start, said it was important to “tell someone”, anyone, how you felt.

Adam Looker lost a close friend to suicide in 2018. Picture: Manifold Heights CC.

“The best way to go about it is to openly talk about it, it doesn’t matter, whether it be a psychologist, a parent, a friend,” he said.

However, from an extremely dark place, the genesis of an inspiring new online initiative was born, the Mindfully Project.

It aims to create and normalise vulnerable conversations around mental health, end the stigma that still exists for some men and “shine a light on a matter that affects us all”.

And in what is believed to be a GCA first, Manifold Heights first grade will take on St Albans Breakwater at Harold Hurst Reserve in a mental health awareness match this Saturday — in a similar vein to R You OK? rounds in local footy and netball.

Billed as a “game for change”, Looker said the pair had tried to find a silver lining after the tragic loss of their best friend.

“Unfortunately it’s one of those things that’s still a bit too common these days,” Looker said of male suicide.

“From there we’ve taken a bit more notice of mental health and everything like that and the struggles (we face).

Jai Crispin has combined with close mate Looker to create the Mindfully Project. Picture: Manifold Heights CC.

“We decided that enough was enough and we were going to create out own initiative I suppose.”

Looker is concerned, despite a wealth of education and awareness in the mental health space in recent years, your average Aussie bloke is still incapable of looking inward.

“A majority of the blokes from at least 20 to 70, don’t now how to express their feelings,” he said.

“It’s just something obviously in that age bracket of men don’t talk about.”

“That’s why cricket in general appealed (for the initiative).

“We’re really excited it’s a league first.”

Looker, who works in pest control, said the club would run an internal club workshop on Thursday and then hold a series of summer walks, where attendees can grab a coffee and talk in a relaxed setting.

Further workshops will hopefully roll out beyond that.

All Manifold Heights cricketers in the senior grades will wear a blue arm band this Saturday.

Originally published as Manifold Heights will play St Albans Breakwater in the GCA’s first mental health awareness match