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THIS WEEK AT ROTARY - 14 06.2022
We showcased Rotary this week with the Werribee Rotary - Beyond Blue Mental Health Forum.
Organised by Peter Sandlant & MC'd by Ian Hovey, this was a magnificent community event.
We had nearly 150 people in attendance at ISCW, including players from Werribee District Football & Hoppers Crossing District Football. We also had students from McKillop College, and league umpires.
Todd Morgan - CEO of Outside the Locker Room showed a video of the mental health program run by Outside the Locker Room, and spoke about his personal experiences, of loosing friends, who were unable to cope & took their life.
We then saw another video of a girl called Aria who had been bullied at school, and sought support from Beyond Blue. Tom Downie then spoke to us about his personal life, and how he was diagnosed with Mental Health issues, and how he deals with it.
Tom grew up in Benalla and his goal as a junior was to be a NBA basketballer. He played for Australia in the under 17 world championships in 2010. He moved to boarding school in Ballarat. The school had a strong football & basketball program, and Tom played for the school a number of times. His football prowess was observed, and he was invited to play with the Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup, where he played 2 games in 2011. These two games were enough for AFL talent scouts, and he was taken as draft pick 56 by Greater Western Giants in 2011. From 2012 to 2016 he struggled with GWS managing 9 AFL games, and many in the reserves competition the NEAFL.
Tom couldn't cope with his mental health issues and retired in 2017.
He now plays in the VFL with Williamstown, and represents Beyond Blue whenever he can, to support young people with mental health issues.
We concluded the night with a question & answer panel session.
The panel was hosted by Andrew Exton - the student welfare teacher from McKillop College. The panel consisted of:
- Outside the Locker Room CEO - Tod Morgan
- Beyond Blue Representative - Tom Downie
- Werribee GP - Dr Joe Garra
- Mark Westgarth - Director of Umpiring WRFL
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