Blue elephant v black dog: Rugby clubs tackle mental health problems

Orange City and Orange Emus are backing the program pioneered by the Bathurst Bulldogs club following an idea from former colts coach Damien Grant.

Central West Rugby hopes to roll out the the Blue Elephant program, where each club nominates a support co-ordinator to link those suffering problems with groups that could help them.

Orange City sent eight officials and players to a meeting in Bathurst to discuss the scheme and hear from speakers including Lifeline executive director Alex Ferguson.

Club president Steve Stone said it was an issue close to the team after a former player and a workmate died of suicide this year.

“We know it affected a lot of people,” he said.

Mr Stone said they wanted several support co-ordinators to give the people affected a choice of who they could speak to. 

“We hope we will have a team of people, officials and players, who will be part of that.”

Mr Stone said suicide was a serious concern.

“Alex Ferguson from Lifeline said that 80 per cent of suicides are men while 80 per cent of people who ring Lifeline are women.”

Orange Emus president Steve Fergus said they had appointed a support co-ordinator at the club who would be undergoing training.

“We’re keen to get behind it, it’s a great initiative,” he said.

Mr Grant said the high-profile loss to suicide of former Wallaby Dan Vickerman, and a run of similar tragedies of people he knew had inspired him to act.

“We need to have support networks out there,” he said.

“We know that we have got the agencies [to help]. It’s getting people to go to them that is our challenge.

“While I was at a wake for a friend at the beginning of the year, I had a couple of people say to me that they had contemplated it [ending their life] themselves,” he said.

“I just woke up the next day and thought, how many others are like that?

“There's plenty of resources out there, but we just have to get people to be able to engage with them – which I think is the biggest challenge: get the elephant in the room to speak up,” he said.