"Without Gus Worland, I wouldn’t be this side of the dirt.
I was working in a pretty toxic environment. It was 2017. I was in Perth, but I would download the Triple M Sydney Grill Team every morning and listen to it in the car.
Gus talked about his Man Up doco coming out. I watched it, and realised everything I was feeling was normal. Everything I was feeling was the same thing every other bloke goes through. But we all bottle it up and hold onto it.
We don’t talk to our partners, our kids, our peers about it. That was eye-opening. That’s when I realised I could make a change. That’s what got the ball rolling for me.
In 2019, I was spiraling again, so I went back and watched Man Up again and went through all the Gotcha4Life stuff. I sat down with my wife, and I opened up. I sat down with my kids, and I opened up. That’s what moved us from WA to Brisbane. That’s what got us back on track.
I need to chase endorphins. My endorphin chase is the gym. It gets me up every day. It keeps my mind clear, the head noise quiet. We’ve got to stay connected.
I did a workshop where Gus got us to send an SMS telling someone ‘I love you, I miss you, I’ll see you soon'. I hadn’t spoken to my best mate in over a year. I sent my SMS. We spent a Saturday together, we surfed, went for lunch, and rekindled our relationship.
My message to other blokes is simple. Everyone is in the same boat. So many blokes don’t realise that, because they don’t talk about it. Someone else has gone through this, someone else knows what you’re feeling. Talk to them about it.
I’m here because of Gus. He changed my life. He saved it.”
He was brave to open up and start a life-changing, sometimes life-saving, conversation. These are the skills we teach in every workshop. That’s why we do what we do, and that’s why we row continuously in the 24 Hour Row, coming up 7-8th September. So that vital funds can be raised to give more people the chance to attend one of these workshops and learn to reach out and connect more deeply.
Sign up here :
https://bit.ly/3xO6eNi
If you or someone you know needs help, please remember that you can connect with a mental health professional for confidential 1-on-1 support and advice by calling Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 at any time, or visit beyondblue.org.au. If someone you care about is experiencing emotional distress, please contact Lifeline who are there to listen and support you, 24 hours a day on 13 11 14. If someone’s life is in danger, call 000.
Vicky Worland Belinda Elworthy Cassandra Nable Debbie Johnson Kellie Stubbs Gus Worland Jennifer Keyes Georgia Brown James Wright Josephine Gilbert Lia Kostopoulos