HEADSPACE CHIEF CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE
ROCKET SCARE FOR HEADSPACE CHIEF
GEELONG’S Jason Trethowan was caught in the crossfire of a Middle Eastern missile fight when he visited Jerusalem last week to help open a new mental health facility.
The headspace chief, pictured right, had been in Israel for only a short time last Tuesday when a new spate of violence erupted over the Gaza Strip.
“I had just got in a taxi when I heard a noise, looked to my right and saw what I thought were two jets travelling fast and low, then I realised, ‘no, they’re missiles’,” Mr Trethowan said.
“They went straight over our head, and the taxi driver just said ‘oh, s---’. Then they were gone, and about 10 seconds nds later I heard two loud ud thuds, and sirens started d going off.
“The taxi driver told d me they were actually y interceptor missiles sent ent to hit rockets coming in n our direction.
“I’d arrived right at the moment the tensions started flaring.”
The Australian Government heightened its travel warnings to the region immediately after the attack.
Mr Trethowan was in Jerusalem to speak at the opening of Israel’s second headspace centre.
The youth mental health foundation for 12 to 25 25-year-olds started in Au Australia in 2006, with Gee Geelong one of its first ce centres, and its model has now been replicated in 14 countries. His dramatic arrival in Jerusalem gave Mr Tr Trethowan insight into the p political and religious tensions confronting the new headspace centre.
“When I checked into my hotel the first thing they showed me was where the safety room was. I wasn’t sure whether that was reassuring or cause for greater concern, but it is part of the way they have to live their life,” he said.
But he said the basic issues and principles of providing mental health services were universal. “The stigma around mental health is one of the biggest issues we face. Headspace offers a stigma-free, calm environment,” he said.
“We know that 75 per cent of mental health issues emerge before the age of 24, so we need to get on top of those issues early to deliver better outcomes.
“The conversations I was having in Israel about mental health services are much the same as those I have here in Geelong.”
He said headspace was not actively seeking to expand its footprint in other countries, but was happy to lend its expertise when other countries showed an interest in its work.