Hitting depression where it hurts

One thing he wasn’t doing was dealing with the suicide of his nephew

“I just tried to avoid it,” the 21-year-old Walgett man said.

His nephew was beaten up and took his own life in January, Jake said.

“He had been living with me; he was like my brother.”

When Ricky Trudgett, president of the Newtown Wanderers, called the boys in mid-June and told them to come along to an event, Jake went along with his training gear, figuring it was a coaching session.

At the RSL he met Black Dog Institute presenter and former NRL player Wayne Wigham who was in town as part of the Act-Belong-Commit Community Wellbeing project.

“Wayne told us things happen in life that we can’t control but we have to find a way to deal with it,” Jake said.

“When he was playing footy, he said he felt hollow.

“And I thought, ‘that’s how I feel.’”

“I couldn’t bash the boys who bashed my cousin and the whole reason I was playing football was to hit people.”

Jake said the education session woke him up.

“It was nice to know that this sort of thing doesn’t just happen to fellas out here; it can happen to big football players as well.”

Jake sought more information and decided to speak to a counsellor about his issues.

“I didn’t know what I was going along for that night,” he said.

“But I’m really glad I went.

“He told us what depression could lead to – I didn’t want to do anything stupid.

“I thought about my wife and my family.”

Jake said he wasn’t the only one who sought help after the education session and he reckons the team benefited.

“It’s a good tight knit team now.”

He hasn’t had a drink since July.

Originally from Brewarrina, Jake lives in Walgett with his wife and knows he’s not alone in struggling with a variety of issues.

He pinpointed the lack of employment as a major factor impacting young adults’ mental health.

“At school everybody talks about how you’ll get a job when you finish and it’s this big thing,” he said.

“Then you finish school and the only jobs you can get, if any, are shearing jobs or as a farm hand.

“They say they offer training programs but there are no jobs when you finish those.

“They expect you to move away but these fellas aren’t going to move away from their families.”

Jake said alcohol was another big issue as was lack of housing and the drought.

“The lack of employment leads to alcohol issues and not having a job means a lot of young people have to stay with their parents.

“The drought impacts when the shearers are cut back on work.

“When it rains there is a steady flow and come harvest time parents are able to spend money on their kids.

“But when it’s dry, it’s very different.”

As for what Jake has learnt from the experience, he said he now knew it was okay to open up.

“You can’t block your friends and family out.

“Don’t feel like the whole world is on your shoulders; you can always have a yarn to somebody.”