Barra Session... Mental Health afternoon

ARE YOU OK?? (RU OK)

Some days suck. Some days at work you look forward to the end of the day. Tuesday was mental health afternoon. The day was taxing and about half way through I got a text message from a mate across in the primary school saying he felt like going fishing and we should put the boat in that afternoon.

We have been doing research on a creek for some time now and we thought it was time to try out our theories. so off we went, got the boat ready and launched it. the battery needed replacing so we quickly did that before powering away to the creek.

the afternoon session was great. An hour and a half and we had 6 fish in the boat. All fish hit hard, especially the Barramundi. We landed 3 good legal Barra, a Mangrove Jack, A little Blue Salmon and a Good size Snapper.

With 14th September being RU OK day in Australia Mental Health is very important to me as I have been involved in sport a lot over the last 20 years. During that time as well as being a teacher for 10 years I have personally experienced suicide in males occasions then I think anyone should. Rugby union and Rugby league here in Australia are big sports. recently the National Rugby League in Australia has launched a research project towards links with sport and suicide. This is a small step forward for mental health recognition and getting the stigma of mental health squashed among men and boys.

so fishing for me is my mental health check. If i ahve had a bad day or week, time on the waters calms my mind. and spending time on the water with friends is always a great thing. Sometimes its just two people who love fishing in a quiet creek talking shit. and that is as good as it gets.

stay safe people and be kind to one another.. It is never weak to speak!

BT