Grampians Health mental health program receives $8000 donation

The funding will boost the work of three ‘Rural Outreach’ workers, who travel 28,000 square-kilometres across western Victoria, to deliver free mental health support in client’s homes. 

“Our club has been touched by mental illness and it’s one of the biggest issues we have today, especially with young people,” club president Darren Bone said. 

“The younger guys bottle everything up and get their heads pickled and sadly we’ve seen what that can lead to. 

“Rural Outreach has already helped our club members, and plenty of others in the community, and the need is only getting bigger.” 

The money was raised through the annual ‘Peter Taylor Memorial Barefoot Waterski Tournament’, which attracted 3,500 people to Dimboola in February. 

“We started it to honour my best mate, Peter Taylor, who was like a god in the barefooting fraternity,” Mr Bone said. 

“Peter died of esophagus cancer and we do put money toward cancer research, but frankly mental illness is a more pressing issue for us at the moment. 

“(Rural) Outreach gives people an outlet to talk and that’s needed by so many families right now.” 

Rural Outreach worker Mal Coutts commended the club for prioritising and de-stigmatising mental health services, through open conversations. 

“The ski club has dealt with some terrible things, but good things have come out of it,” Mr Coutts said. 

“It’s humbling to know that our work is making a difference, and this donation will extend our reach.” 

Mr Coutts hopes the funding will facilitate more ‘mental health first aid’ workshops for community groups. 

“We need to empower communities, not to be fixers, but to identify when people are struggling and to understand how mental illness works,” he said. 

“These workshops help with strategies and tools, to be able to ask questions if you see someone that’s not ok.” 

To contact the free Rural Outreach service, phone 1300 OUTREACH (1300 688 732).