FOUR recently returned defence force veterans will be part of a new therapeutic beekeeping education program in Ballarat.<\/p>\n
HiveMind Community Apiary will facilitate regular sessions with veterans who have experienced mental health conditions including post traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety, to teach the practices of apiary, offering them a new hobby and potential stress-relieving outlet.<\/p>\n
Funded by a $34,000 Anzac Day Proceeds Fund grant from the State Government, the season-long program\u2019s training workshops, bees, and care supplies are all covered, so participants can understand and monitor hive health, biosecurity and productivity.<\/p>\n
The series of education sessions will offer each veteran an interactive psycho-social environment where they can connect with a community, and they\u2019ll each be allocated their own hive.<\/p>\n
Navy veteran and member of the Ballarat Veterans Assistance Centre Daniel Hooper said the \u201cin-the-moment\u201d nature of beekeeping \u201csaved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years ago, I would barely leave the house. I was in a really bad spot, but beekeeping has given me a purpose. It\u2019s a form of medication, and a type of meditation I don\u2019t realise I\u2019m practicing while I\u2019m doing it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of veterans, when we get out of the defence forces, we suffer mental health issues and struggle to have a sense of purpose, so caring for a hive full of bees, or a couple, can give you a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started off as a hobby for me and has turned into a large program. I volunteer at HiveMind, who will provide the education… so we can develop and offer peer-to-peer support down the track, making this a sustainable program.\u201d<\/p>\n
HiveMind Community Apiary co-founder Amanda Collins said the social enterprise was set up to share the \u201cbenefits of therapeutic beekeeping\u201d with Ballarat people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn our family, we\u2019ve had lived experience of mental illness, but we\u2019ve found working with bees has helped us focus our minds, and use mindfulness as a strategy to help us manage depression and anxiety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you open a beehive, you\u2019re 100 per cent focused on what\u2019s happening in the hive. Every thought outside the hive leaves your mind. You want to be together with the bees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019ve got 50,000 bees bubbling away at the top of the beehive, listening to their pitch, noise and vibrations, and visually seeing what they\u2019re doing, that makes you so much more attune to what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Collins said there are \u201clovely parallels\u201d between the life of bees, and potential ways the broader community could better live their lives. They have \u201cso much to teach us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re industrious, and all the work that they do is them living for future generations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle said the program\u2019s funding was secured after Minister for Veterans Shaun Leane visited the BVAC a couple of months ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is very committed to addressing the awful statistics around veterans\u2019 unemployment and mental health issues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Minister was impressed to hear how much beekeeping has helped Daniel. We\u2019re delighted to see this program supported through the Anzac Day Proceeds Fund.\u201d<\/p>\n