The ‘eye-opening’ reality of mental health, particularly for men, was driven home for those at Langhorne Creek Football Club’s (LCFC) Shaka Project presentation last Wednesday night.
As previously reported in The Southern Argus, the club partnered with The Shaka Project to deliver an hour-long workshop designed to ignite conversations around mental health, and encourage connection, mateship and brotherhood through the ‘shaka’ in conjunction with the Great Southern Football League’s Mental Health Breakthrough Community Round and LCFC’s own ‘Cooney Cup’, which is played for by the Senior Colts.
Almost 80 people, comprising mainly of local sporting club members, attended last Wednesday’s session to hear Sean Weir openly and honestly share his own mental health journey.
He also explained the key signs to identify if someone may be struggling, and emphasised the importance of having healthy habits, whether it be going to the gym, playing sport, or pursuing other hobbies.
“Sean was very real and honest throughout the entire presentation,” Club President, Jessica Chandler, said.
“I have received nothing but positive feedback from everyone who attended the event.
“Sean delivered the messages in such a raw and relatable way to all age groups within the room, and given recent suicides in our community, it was a very timely presentation and a reminder to look out for one another.
“I’ve had multiple people ask for Sean’s details for future events, so I have no doubt we will see him again.”
One of the staggering statistics to come out of the presentation was that seven men a day commit suicide in Australia, equating to about two football teams a week.
Chandler said it was a ‘scary’ thought.
“It really hit home when he talked about the statistics around men’s mental health,” she said.
“It was also extremely eye-opening when he explained the ‘crisis mode’, and the feeling of having no hope or reason to live.
“Statistically speaking – given the size of the audience in attendance – a quarter of the room was said to be in ‘crisis mode’, which is just unfathomable to look around and wonder if people are silently struggling.”
Moving forward, the club plans to continue having raw conversations around mental health, and creating safe spaces to do so.
Chandler thanked Weir for being part of the club’s journey towards a ‘mentally happier and healthier’ community.
“LCFC is extremely passionate about (mental health), and will continue to provide a platform for these presentations each season,” she said.
“If there is opportunity to do more, we certainly will because at the end of the day, we are a big family at Hawk Park, and we need every single person to feel supported.
“We continue to thank Carol and the Cooney family for the continuation of the Cooney Cup each season, which allows us to open up and acknowledge mental health as the precursor for these raw conversations.
“I commend Sean’s strength and openness in being so raw and real with his own story, and sharing that with complete strangers.”
