President Grant chaired today's club meeting at Cilantro. Tony and Charles joined the meeting via Zoom. Guests included guest speaker, Darren Eger, Gabriela - a guest of PP Tim Lynch, and Gary Ramage.
GUEST SPEAKER - Darren Eger from Psychs on Bikes
It was lovely to welcome back Darren Eger who has addressed us on previous occasions - both at the club, and at last year's District Conference in Warrnambool. Darren outlined the purpose of Psychs on Bikes which commenced 11 years ago by Joe Dunn, a psychiatrist in Sydney, to support mental health in rural and remote communities of Australia. Psychs on Bikes is serviced and self funded by a team of medical professionals of psychologists, nurses, and psychiatrists, who volunteer their time to travel through and stop in remote communities of Australia to provide free medical and mental health checks. The team is low key, arriving in towns in their motorbike gear with the bikes often serving as an 'icebreaker'. Darren described how they encourage people, particularly men, to come forward for a medical and mental health check to check for diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, with a special focus on mental health. Statistics show 1 in 5 people in Australia will experience a mental health episode in their life, with more than 1 1/2 times of these statistics being represented by people living in rural and remote regions. Approximately 2000 people have been assessed since Psychs on Bikes commenced in remote regions where resources for mental health are scarce. The team of approximately 12 - 15 riders generally arranges 2 trips per year, often in areas that have experienced natural disasters. Their most recent trip from Perth to Sydney was abandoned mid-way due to the team contracting Covid, however there are plans to return next year to resume and complete the journey. Future plans include a trip to Cairns and Cape York with plans to engage local community groups such as mens sheds and the like, and utilise local media for promotion and support. Darren explained Rotary could assist by engaging with local Rotary clubs in the areas planned for a visit to open up lines of communication with local groups before the team's arrival. An aim is to set up a telehealth referral system to link in with local clinical resources for people needing support. The team receives little to no outside funding and whilst their trips are self funded, they need financial assistance for medical supplies and new promotional T-shirts. Psychs for Bikes is a registered charity with the core team residing in NSW and Victoria - they are currently on a recruitment campaign to boost their numbers to address the ever increasing need to support mental health in the remote rural areas of Australia.
Thank you Darren, once again, for your very enlightening presentation that highlighted the plight and current experience of many of our people living in the remote regions of Australia.
MEETING CLOSE - President Grant announced the rosters, and thanked Darren for his presentation, before closing the meeting.
