Established in 1981 as the
proudly serving Sunbury and Macedon Ranges
19 MARCH, 2024
Chopping locks for change With his dark blond hair getting longer every day, an 11-year-old from Sunbury is counting down the days until he shaves off his beloved mullet. Parting with your hair is a decision not many kids – or even adults – can make, but it was an easy one for Charlie Butler. It was born out of a desire to ignite a conversation about men’s mental health and raise money for those struggling, after Charlie’s father took his own life in March 2023. While Charlie will miss his mullet, he said he wants to inspire anyone struggling with their mental health. “It makes me feel sad that some men don’t share their problems,” he said. Charlie said he hopes men will continue to open up about their mental health and talk to people, including therapists, about their struggles. ■ Continued: Page 10.
Charlie, 11, and his mum Katherine Butler. (Damjan Janevski) 394061_02
A cause for concern By Zoe Moffatt Kids Helpline has released a significant impact report revealing a 72 per cent increase in contacts for suicide-related issues for outer regional or remote young people from 2019 to 2023, while their counterparts in major cities recorded a 10 per cent increase. Speaking to these statistics, which were released on Monday, March 11, a local mental health expert said the spike is ‘disturbing’ but ‘no surprise’. The chief executive from charity Youth Live4Life Bernard Galbally, who is also a
Woodend local, said while regional areas can be fantastic to grow up in, certain factors from the regions can impact residents’ mental health. “What Kids HelpLine has shown doesn’t surprise me at all… [but] it is very disturbing figures. We have been seeing these figures or similar data coming through,” Mr Galbally said. “Unfortunately, we find in rural communities, eight out of 10 most disadvantaged areas in Victoria, are rural and regional. “Living in a rural community can be
fantastic…. but there are unfortunately some other things that can impact someone’s mental health. “The sense of isolation, lack of connection, poorer access to services… we’re seeing the cost of living increase… we’ve got a climate crisis. I think the world our young people are growing up in is much more complex.” Mr Galbally said all of these challenges can be exacerbated by the other- for example if you need to attend an appointment in Melbourne, a tight household budget and stretch on petrol can impact how often you use this service. “The other thing I would say, that
post-COVID has exacerbated, is being able to have good continuity of care,“ he said. “Unfortunately, workforce shortages and trying to recruit people into a rural community is challenging at the best of times and often people have short term contracts like 12 months.” According to Kids Helpline, the top five concerns why rural and remote young people contacted them was suicide-related concerns (26.3 per cent), mental health concerns (25 per cent) and emotional wellbeing (23.1 per cent). ■ Continued: Page 3.
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