Tradies In Sight teams with vets group
OUR communities have become pretty disconnected and the way we’ve set things up it allows the bureaucracy to put its stamp on everything, and that helps to knock out the human parts of the equation.
I’m a huge fan of local chippy Bruno Efoti who’s formed a support group called Tradies In Sight, all aimed to help mostly young blokes working with their hands who are struggling.
This group is over-represented when it comes to suicide and mental health issues and Bruno and a few mates are doing an amazing job to both raise awareness of the issues and get people who are struggling to open up, even if they’ve never had the confidence to do that.
Bruno was looking at how he could set up a meeting place to cater for the growing demand for tradies to catch up and have a relaxed yarn and I suggested that, rather than go to the hassle and expense, the red tape, insurances, rent, etc of renting a café-style building, that he worked in with Dubbo South Veterans and Men’s Shed.
They’ve got a swag of room, plenty of great meeting rooms and workshops, and what that group needs is a boost in numbers and help with filling various committee meetings.
The two groups hit it off like a house on fire so Tradies in Sight has now joined with the Veterans Activities support centre to promote men’s health and well being.
This is a great outcome, it didn’t need any applications for grant funding or red tape, it’s just good community people working together and sharing resources and networks.
The first event starts at 7am on Saturday at the Shed on the corner of Palmer and High Streets, which is part of the old RAAF stores depot.
“The event is free to all men in our community,” Mr Efoti said.
“We want them to know that they are not alone in their struggles – life can be unforgiving at times but they should never have to be alone or to suffer silently.
“Please come along, have some bacon and egg rolls, and have a yarn with those that have stories just like yours,” he said. HERE’S a great yarn and one that’s at odds with the way anything pertaining to Muslims is reported in the Australian media.
Human Appeal International is a Muslim charitable group and they’ve been working together with major Dubbo employer Fletcher International Exports since the organisation was established more than 25 years ago.
Representatives from Human Appeal visited Dubbo in August and expressed concern about the drought, the long-term viability of sheep supply and the welfare of farmers’ mental health, and asked Fletcher’s staff how they could help.
Human Appeal went back and raised the staggering sum of $90,000 and then asked Fletcher’s to help facilitate hay deliveries to the sheep-producing regions of Cobar and the Warren Shire.
The Cobar hay delivery happened yesterday (Wednesday, November 28) and the Warren delivery is happening today (Thursday,