A 14,000-KILOMETRE road trip across Australia with an important question on its mind started on the\u00a0Geelong waterfront on Monday.<\/p>\n
The R U OK? Conversation Convoy launched its six-week journey with an event at the carousel attended by R U OK? ambassadors Steve Bastoni, Barry Du Bois, Steve \u201cCommando\u201d Willis and Geelong Cats star Mark Blicavs, along with performances from Triple J Unearthed singer Tyller Fischer and the Torquay Men\u2019s Shed Choir.<\/p>\n
The convoy\u2019s aim is to make every day R U OK? Day (it will be officially marked on September 13)
\nby encouraging more Australians to get comfortable asking the question \u201care you okay?\u201d not just for one day a year but every time we recognise the signs that someone we care about might be struggling.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Conversation Convoy comes in the wake of the successful 2017 convoy and will travel to 25 regional and metro communities including Longreach, Darwin, Tennant Creek, Hervey Bay, Grafton, Griffith and Devonport.<\/p>\n
R U OK chief executive officer Brendan Maher said there was \u201ca very real reason\u201d why Geelong was the starting point.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s because a lot of people from the Geelong community reached out to us last year when we were on the road and said \u2018why didn\u2019t you come to Geelong?\u2019 so we answered that by starting in Geelong.\u201d<\/p>\n
R U OK campaign director Katherine Newton said that based on the 2017 experience, there were three types of conversations at the convoy\u2019s events: people that loved yellow and the campaign\u2019s message; people who had lost someone to suicide; and \u201con the periphery, we\u2019ll see one or two people just pacing, kind of seeing what\u2019s happening, and quite often that can be a first step to them finding some help\u201d.<\/p>\n
City of Greater Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood said he was \u201cpretty chuffed\u201d that the convoy began in Geelong.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very complex question sometimes, and sometimes people will struggle to answer honestly and openly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think these forums and messages help us all to allow people to do that and understand when they\u2019re not okay and to take the necessary steps to help them accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corangmite federal member Sarah Henderson said her government had committed to funding an extra $338.1 million in mental health services.<\/p>\n
For support at any time of day or night, phone Lifeline on 131 114. For more information on R U OK?, head to ruok.org.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A 14,000-KILOMETRE road trip across Australia with an important question on its mind started on the\u00a0Geelong waterfront on Monday. The R U OK? Conversation Convoy launched its six-week journey with an event at the carousel attended by R U OK? ambassadors Steve Bastoni, Barry Du Bois, Steve \u201cCommando\u201d Willis and Geelong Cats star Mark Blicavs, […]<\/p>\n