Save Our Mates Roadshow around South Australia
Two roadshows addressing men’s health will touch multiple towns around South Australia in February and March, offering free advice, free food and a safe space to discuss personal stories.
The Save Our Mates Men’s Wellbeing roadshows are directed at men of all ages and provide strategies for:
- better mind health
- spotting signs in others that they aren’t doing so well
- how to access community resources and;
- tips to improve both physical and mental well-being.
These events are free and will arrive in Maitland (18 Feb), Port Pirie (19 Feb, 19 March), Port Augusta (20 Feb, 20 March), Whyalla (21 Feb, 21 March), Port Lincoln (22 Feb, 22 March) and Copper Coast (18 March).
The Roadshow features motivational speakers Anthony Hart and Joe Williams at the February events, and Jeremy Forbes throughout March. Hart developed the Lifeback Tracker program after attempting to take his own life in 2003, on the back of developing a successful career in London and returning to Adelaide aged 28 consumed with anxiety and depression.
Lifeback Tracker follows his four simple steps to better mind health.
Former national rugby player and proud Wiradjuri, First Nations Aboriginal Joe Williams turned to world championship boxing in 2009 after competing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers and Canterbury Bulldogs.
Despite all his sporting success, Joe battled suicide ideation and bipolar disorder, attempting suicide in 2012, after which he decided to help others struggling with mental illness. He is the author of Defying the Enemy Within and has been recognised for his work with suicide prevention and fighting for equality for Australia’s First Nations people.
"The times that I was really high on drugs or I drank far too much alcohol, it was to silence what was really going on inside my head, the chatter," he told ABC News last year.
"For me, taking away the alcohol and drugs … the sore was underneath," he said.
"The voices all of a sudden got a hell of a lot louder. It was time to identify, correctly, what it was that I was going through and address that as a mental health problem as well."
Motivational speaker Jeremy Forbes is a painter and decorator and also the co-founder of HALT, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to build a bridge between the Tradie community and local and national mental health organisations. Jeremy attracted international recognition with his debut on Ted Talks in 2018.
The three men will share powerful stories about their journeys to success, ups and downs along the way, useful tools to improve men’s mental health, and how to support mates and tune into the warning signs that others might be struggling.
The Roadshow is supported by Country SA PHN, a primary health network covering regions of South Australia, and established by the Federal Government.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
VISIT the Events section for details on the Save Our Mates Roadshow
BOOK FREE TICKETS at: www.saveourmates.com.au
JOIN Save Our Mates on Facebook
JOIN AMHF's Suicide Prevention Network
READ: Male Suicides in Australia up 10% in 2017: AMHF
READ: Lucky to be alive: How boxing saved former NRL Player Joe Williams: ABC News