Bellarine to shine blue

AN OCEAN Grove local is hoping to spread love and resilience with the community at a special fundraising event next month.

Mark Woodhouse will honour his beloved wife Dianne Mitchell by hosting a mental health awareness evening on July 6 at the Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club.

The event will raise vital funds for Beyond Blue, a service she reached out to on occasions.

Proceeds from raffles and silent auctions will directly support the organisation’s 24/7 call centre service.

Special guests and live music are also locked in to feature on the night.

Mr Woodhouse said the event would bring together the Bellarine community for a very important cause.

“You can’t really speak to anyone who hasn’t been touched by depression and suicide.

“Dianne was a very gregarious and loving person and everyone who met her just loved her. She’s very much missed by a lot of people.

“It’ll be just on a year since her passing when we hold the event, so it’s a fitting occasion to tie it all together to raise funds for Beyond Blue.”

Ocean Grove SLSC general manager Jamie Butler-Underwood said the club was delighted to be donating the venue for the event.

“As a community service organisation ourselves, we feel it is important to connect with and support events that help build a better and more caring community.

“Last year, we celebrated our 75th anniversary of serving the Ocean Grove community, and we just completed 6,500 hours of patrolling our beaches and trained over 350 Nippers this past season.

“We are excited for the evening and hope it goes really well.”

Tickets can be purchased for the event by searching “Celebration of a life and Beyond Blue fundraiser” on Eventbrite.

Donations can also be made through Eventbrite, or via the Beyond Blue website.