Surfing For Sanity

Surfing and wellness festival A New Wave is coming to Torquay on October 15 and hopes to shine the light on mental health and the stigma attached.

Event facilitator Gaelan Walker said the event at Torquay Life Saving Club will run from 7.30am until 6.30pm with Livin, a major non-profit charity organisation, on board.

“Livin was founded to wipe out the stigma on mental illness and raise awareness for suicide prevention,” Gaelan said.

“They’ll be coming down to the event that will include a surfing competition, yoga, meditation a kids zone and live music as well as various food vendors.”

Gaelan, in conjunction with friend and major sponsor Brent Valle from The Future Phase and Brand Wonderland’s Kylie Gulliver, pulled the community event together.

“We’ve had such a positive response to the day and everyone has said it’s a great thing we’re doing. I’ve been amazed by the support received,” he said.

“Everyone knows someone who has been directly or indirectly impacted by mental health. I lost a friend who took their own life last year.

“For me and for so many of my friends surfing is the best relief and such a good distraction from anxiety and life stressors and we wanted to give people the chance to experience this.”

The surfing competition will see 18 teams of six (which have to include a junior, female and novice surfer alongside a confident surfer) take part, with all proceeds going to Livin.

He said the vision for the day was to create a feel-good event and to help bring awareness to mental health and resources while erasing the stigma attached to it.

“We want the community to experience this balance and our love of surfing and the ocean while connecting them with networks that offer these outlets and like-minded individuals.”