Bloke in a red dress shows the way
MATTHEW Peppercorn would normally be revving his chainsaw, chopping wood or doing a bit of fly fishing on a Saturday morning.
But the Wellness Empathy Kindness Aotearoa (Weka) founder and mental health nurse decided to forgo his ‘‘manly activities’’ and put on a red dress and celebrate Kate Bush Wuthering Heights Day in Dunedin’s Octagon instead.
The event was founded by British group Shambush, and participants recreate the music video for musician Kate Bush’s 1978 song Wuthering Heights as a way to raise funds.
This year, the funds from the Dunedin event were raised for Weka, which is why Mr Peppercorn found himself in a red dress in the Octagon.
‘‘I think making myself vulnerable in this environment is just showing how blokes can make ourselves vulnerable and talk about our feelings — something that us blokes are not very good at.
‘‘The lyric from Kate’s song, ‘Heathcliff let me in’, is something that we’re going with.
‘‘We’ve set up an organisation which is a response to people not being able to access mental health services at the level that they need.
‘‘We do group education sessions, onetoone work, wellness recovery action plans, early warning sign triggers, information on anxiety and depression.
‘‘We’ve been running for about three years and we’ve helped about 2500 people.
‘‘Today, were having a bit of a fundraiser and hoping to raise a bit of awareness.’’
Mr Peppercorn was one of about 50 people who participated in the event.