Hand up for mental health

A FOCUS on mental health is coming to Elmore.

Reach out: Jason McCartney is speaking about the importance of accepting offers for help.

A FOCUS on mental health is coming to Elmore.

With dairy farmers struggling to stay afloat and Mental Health Week coming up next month, event organisers decided to get on point and host a mental health event at the field days.

Supported by beyondblue, Put Your Hand Up will include speeches from those with expertise or personal experience in mental health.

“With Mental Health Week coming up just after Elmore, mental health is a hot topic,” Elmore Field Days publicity officer John Giffin said.

“The dairy industry is also going through tough times, so it’s on a lot of people’s minds.

“It just seemed like a really topical thing for us to look at.”

A key speaker will be former AFL footballer Jason McCartney, a survivor of the 2002 Bali bombing.

Jason has remained with the AFL in different roles, currently list manager at the Western Bulldogs, despite suffering horrific burns.

His courageous fight back has made him a national hero.

“I was contacted to speak at the event due to my unfortunate experience being injured in the Bali bombings,” Jason said.

“I fought back from life-threatening burn injuries to once again play AFL football.

“I don’t have direct experience with mental health, apart from sharing my story of overcoming adversity at many mental health forums over the years.

“A key component of my presentation is speaking about the importance for my recovery in accepting the support of others and also sharing the experience rather than bottling it up.”

Jason said events such as this were important, allowing people to share stories and improve understanding that it is not a sign of weakness to reach out for help when you are struggling.

Other speakers will include Narelle Fraser, who was a member of the Victoria Police for 27 years, 15 of those as a detective with squads including homicide, rape and missing persons, investigating some of the most serious criminal cases in Victoria.

In 2012 she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had to learn about resilience, which helped her overcome adversities and accept her vulnerabilities — unexpectedly opening her up to a new world.

Also speaking is Black Dog Ride director Rick Raftis who has used his more than 20 years of experience in the banking and finance sector and another 20 years in web development to his advantage in his work with communities on mental health projects.

Rick has been a volunteer ride co-ordinator for Black Dog Ride since 2011, is a mental health first aid instructor and has personal experience with chronic mental illness.