MENtal health breakfast back on the menu

AN annual fundraising breakfast is set to take place this month in order to raise awareness for men’s mental health in the region.

Known as MENtal Brekky, the event returns on Friday, 21 October after a two-year hiatus, with funds going towards St Patrick’s College’s Chris Yeung Fund.

Traditionally held at the campus, the 2022 breakfast will take place at the Ballarat Golf Club, and MENtal Brekky chairman Simon Dwyer said raising suicide awareness is important for the community.

“Ballarat is still overrepresented in suicide and it’s not necessarily the generation of the 50s and 60s but it’s younger blokes, and it is mainly blokes,” he said.

“We’ve got Steve Bracks, former Premier and old boy of St Pat’s presenting… and Patty Kinnersly who’s the CEO of Our Watch, the violence against women peak body in Australia.”

The aim of the Chris Yeung Fund is to help the fathers of St Patrick’s College students who may be experiencing mental health issues to pay their child’s tuition.

“The statistics suggest in every single classroom in Australia, there’s four or five kids with a parent with a mental health disorder,” Mr Dwyer said.

Since the inaugural event in 2016, funds from the brekky have paid for about 25 students’ school fees.

He said the fund and accompanying event was established by St Pat’s alumni after the death of their friend Chris Yeung.

“Chris competed suicide in 2015. For us, that was the line in the sand because we didn’t think there was enough happening for men’s mental health,” he said.

“We’ve found one way to make a real difference is to get people talking. The more you talk about it, the less likely you’re to do it. It’s that simple.”

The breakfasts average 200 attendees and Mr Dwyer said he’s expecting closer to 300 for this year’s event.

Tickets are $50 each and $500 for a table of 10 and can be booked at bit.ly/3CFkfwD.