Hobart chef opens up about mental health concerns while calling for more industry support
A Hobart chef has poured his heart out about his own mental health struggles, saying he fears for Tassie’s hospitality industry while COVID-19 restrictions remain.
Tasmania
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MORE mental health support needs to be given to the state’s hospitality industry in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, says a Hobart chef and business owner who has opened up about his battles.
Carl Windsor, owner of North Hobart food and wine bar Willing Brothers, has laid bare the stresses he has faced in recent months as industry leaders predict future pressures for the hospitality sector.
Mr Windsor said hospitality workers had for long been met with mental health concerns, but described COVID-19 as “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.
The Hobart father – who said he now talks openly about his mental health – admitted he once hid behind a smile.
He said he recognised more could be done in Tasmania’s mental health space after he reached out to three different agencies for a psychology appointment and was told the earliest appointment was three months away.
“Before I recognised I had issues I thought depression was only for the weak – that it was a state of mind – I didn’t realise there was a chemical imbalance there,” he said.
“I’ve managed to keep my mental health under control with exercise, eating well and taking a small amount of medication. I’ve found that if I don’t exercise at least four days a week my anxiety starts coming back.”
Mr Windsor, whose restaurant business, Etties, was shut because of the pandemic outbreak, said he feared for the future of other Tasmanian venues.
“I think we’re going to lose a number of other restaurants, and what impact that will have on hospitality workers’ mental health, I don’t know,” he said.
“There needs to be a safety net in place to catch people if we can.
“A bit more fiscal support would be great, but money thrown around ‘willy-nilly’ is not going to fix the problem.
“You can’t train a psychologist in three to six months.”
Mr Windsor said a weekday hospitality voucher scheme – similar to the state government’s intrastate travel initiative – would likely provide some short term relief for industry operators.
Speaking at a Parliamentary Accounts Committee inquiry alongside Mr Windsor on Wednesday, Tasmanian Hospitality Association president Steve Old said COVID-19’s worst effects on the sector could be yet to come.
“I don’t think we’re out of this yet,” he said.
“We’re really worried about the industry over the next two years and the welfare of operators. Many business owners have just parked the bills for the time being and pushed them back.
“I’ve talked to business owners running top professionally-run restaurants and even then I worry about their mental health.
“I can’t imagine what it would be like building a business for 30 years that you’re about to hand over to your children then a thing called COVID-19 comes along and wipes it out. There are so many operators in that situation.”
As part of the state government’s $20m COVID-19 Small Business Sustainability and Recovery Assistance Package, $1m was allocated to mental health support for small businesses to support the financial and mental health impact on business owners and their employees.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the state government was providing $4m in total to support Tasmanians experiencing mental health difficulties as a result of the challenges associated with COVID-19.
“This includes $875,000 to establish a dedicated 1800 phone number called A Tasmanian Lifeline, to allow the Tasmanian community to call in and receive psychosocial support, and provide a reach out service for industries significantly impacted including identifying and reaching out to individuals who may need support, counselling or linking in with employee assistance programs.”
Anyone seeking support can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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