R U OK? Convo Convoy rolls into Ballarat for community event at Lake Wendouree

Community and mental health organisations gathered on the shores of beautiful Lake Wendouree including the local headspace team, Victorian police, Country Fire Authority and Ballarat Mens Shed East.

R U OK? CEO Brendan Maher opened the event and introduced Youth Resource Officer, Leading Senior Constable Des Hudson who spoke about the need for services around suicide prevention, stressing that the suicide rate (75 per cent of all suicides in Australia are men) around the male demographic needed to change. He said it would take continued collaboration and more meaningful conversations to destigmatize the fear of speaking out.

Mr Hudson is also chairman of the Suicide Prevention Network of Ballarat.

Federal Member for Ballarat Catherine King addressed the crowd about the importance of the R U OK? message and encouraged all Australians to ask are you ok of anyone they were worried about.

Two R U OK? Conversation Corners will be installed in the Botanical Gardens thanks to the team effort of headspace Ballarat headed up Andrew Penny.

The Conversation Corners will act as a visual reminder to the Ballarat community to continue to check in with each other, not just on R U OK? Day, but every day of the year.

R U OK? ambassadors’ actor Steve Bastoni and SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY founder Mitch McPherson both spoke on stage about their reasons for aligning with the R U OK? message.

Steve Bastoni experienced the loss of a few close mates over the years to suicide, while Mitch’s brother took his life. This prompted Mitch to try and help other families avoid the heartbreak of losing a loved one and has travelled on the R U OK? Convoy for a week sharing his personal story.

The Convo Convoy heads to Hobart today and will arrive in Tasmania via the Spirit of the Tasmania tomorrow morning. Their next event will be held on Thursday morning, August 24 at Parliament Gardens.

The Conversation Convoy wraps up on R U OK?Day, 14 September in Cairns, Queensland, with ‘R U OK? Rocks Cairns’- a concert featuring R U OK? ambassadors Ben Lee, Travis Collins, Louise Adams, Big T, Tullara Connors, Steven Oliver and Aya Larkin (Skunkhour).

Head to www.ruok.org.au/conversation-convoy to track the journey or find a local event.

For media enquiries please contact:

Lisa Minner: [email protected] or 0456 475 033

Nicole Warwick: [email protected] or 0412 934 643

Lizzy Thomas: [email protected] or 0400 922 919