Using their noggins: mullets for mental health

WITH limited access to hairstylists and an abundance of downtime throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, many opted to try a new hairstyle from home.

Ballarat friends Matt Butler and Lachlan Suttie were two of such residents who decided to cut themselves a mullet and raise money for the Black Dog Foundation while they were at it.

“I saw Mullets for Mental Health promoted online and I thought if I can get a mate around it with me it would be an awesome thing to do,” Mr Butler said.

“I wasn’t seeking to do anything like it but Lachy stepped forward and we decided to do it together.

“We’ve only had the mullets for three or four days now, it’s been so much fun and knowing that we can spark even just a tiny bit of change in the community is a really positive thing.”

Not only do the pair hope to raise some much-needed funds, they also aim to spread some awareness about mental health issues among their online friends and peers.

At a time when we can’t physically meet and chat, Mr Butler said it’s more important now than ever to check in with your friends and stay on top of your own mental health.

“Even if people don’t donate, it’s a good way to spread the word,” he said.

“Hopefully if parents see it or kids see it they can have conversations with their friends and family about their mental health.

“This whole situation with the pandemic has really been tough on people, so that is the main aim even above the money getting those conversations started.”

Mr Suttie added, “Usually we would be connecting through uni and being social, so it’s been really been hard to be so disjointed.

“We figured, it’s a good way to connect and talk about something that we’re all going through.”

While raising awareness is the focus for the pair, through promoting the cause on social media they have also managed to raise a significant amount of funds.

With the initial fundraising target set to $1000, Mr Suttie said they quickly exceeded this goal within the first week.

“We then upped the target to $5000 and now we’re sitting close to $2000 at the moment,” he said.

“Initially, we had just close family and friends involved but we’re trying to branch out to the community.

“We’ve been seeing a lot more anonymous donations and donations from people we don’t know and it’s great to see.”

At the end of the month, all the eventual funds raised will be collected and donated directly to the Black Dog Institute.

Mr Butler said the organisation are instrumental in providing research for mental health and support for those dealing with mental health challenges.

“They’re the leading institute in Australia investigating mental illness, depression specifically, but all major mental illnesses in general,” he said.

“They’ve put out a lot of awesome news articles on how to maintain your mental health and conduct a fair bit of research into mental illnesses.”

“They’re an awesome organisation to support and root for so it was an easy choice.”

To learn more about the cause and donate to the fundraiser, search for Suttie Butler Mullet Co at teamblackdog.com.au/fundraiser.