Boorowa residents were asked to do one small thing when they left the Boorowa Ex-Services and Citizens Club on Tuesday night: send three text messages. About 25 people attended the free community night on mental health and suicide prevention, delivered by The Shaka Project. Founder Sean Weir spent about an hour talking about his own story, the signs that someone might be struggling, and what to say when you ask a mate if they are okay. Weir opened by warning the room it would be a tough conversation, and encouraged everyone to look after themselves and the person beside them. Representatives from Headspace Yass, Wellways and Grand Pacific Health’s Medicare Mental Health Centre Young were also there to talk with anyone who needed it. Weir said his own journey began at age 12, when his father was hospitalised in a mental health crisis. His parents told him everything, and he credits that openness with giving him the confidence to seek help when he was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder at 16. “That conversation my dad had with me, although it was through horrible circumstances, gave me permission at a very young age to speak about what I was experiencing,” he said. The audience was invited to call out warning signs, and answers included withdrawal, changes in behaviour and increased drinking. Weir said knowing a person’s normal was “a genuine superpower”. On supporting a friend who opens up, he urged people to validate rather than fix. He recalled a long text he sent his parents during a rough week. His mother replied with a list of things to do, but his father answered with three words. “He just said, ‘I get it,’” Weir said. “Everything I was putting down on that text message became real.” He also encouraged people to look after their own mental health first, to find activities that are good for them, and to remember that free services such as Lifeline are there for bad days as well as crises. Weir closed by asking the audience to send three check-in messages that night, with no mention of mental health required. He told of a young footballer who later said a short text from a teammate, “miss you tonight mate, catch up soon”, reached him at a dark moment. “I have no control over whether you send one message, two, three, four, five, but I really hope you send at least one,” Weir said. Donations to The Shaka Project can be made at the-shaka-project.grassrootz.com/fundraise-for-the-shaka-project/boorowa-stronger-together. If this article has raised issues for you, support is available 24/7: Lifeline: 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 Open Arms (veterans and families): 1800 011 046 In an emergency, call triple zero.
