Black Dog on a Lead - CoNNECTING TO REMEMBER
A COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH EVENT
22 OCTOBER 2023
We are thrilled to announce that Black Dog on a Lead is proudly hosting 'Connecting to Remember - A Community Mental Health Event.'
Join us as we bring people together to think, talk, and remember the significance of mental health in our lives. 💙 Let's remember lost loved ones who died from suicide, remember our experiences, remember the statistics, remember there is help available and remember to #TalkOpenly 🗣️💭 Don't miss this empowering event.
📍Treeby Community and Sports Centre
⏰ 10 am to 4 pm
📅 22nd October 2023
This event will bring you a diverse array of voices and experiences, creating a vibrant atmosphere that promises inspiration and connection. From thought-provoking talks, mindfulness activities, and face painting, to interactive workshops, there's something for everyone.
Tickets and more event details available here.
Mark your calendars, spread the word, and join us! 😁
Black Dog on a Lead - Time to Talk Openly
10 October 2021
In 2021, Black Dog on a Lead hosted our sixth major mental health event “Time to Talk Openly”. The event was again centered around walking Bibra Lake Reserve and proved to be the organisations biggest event to date with over 700 people in attendance!
The day was filled with incredible speakers ranging from mental health professionals to those with lived experience who courageously shared their stories. What a lasting impact this had on all those who participated! Several mental health and mental health related organisations were also in attendance; kindly donating their time and expertise to answer any questions and provide invaluable information.
The day was closed out by some fantastic live music from “DICE the band” who had the crowd rocking!
2019 - Black Dog on Lead & MATES in Construction
March for Mates
The Black Dog on a Lead Walk was back again in 2019 for its 5th instalment and this time we partnered up with a fantastic organisation called MATES In Construction for the “March for Mates”.
The day started and ended on a musical note with Jorge Verde playing some well-known covers to get us up and about in the morning and the boys from Tied-Down rocking out into the early afternoon. As our walkers returned from their voyage, they were greeted with the smell of a good old Aussie sausage sizzle and for those who were a little worse for wear, a free massage was on offer from the lovely folk at AIS.
It was another fantastic turn out with around 500 people in attendance, all of whom were dressed up in hi-viz, helping to bring awareness to mental health in the construction and mining industries. It was certainly a site to see that amount of bright yellow streaming around the lake.
2018 - Black Dog on Lead & The Kai Eardley Fund
Talk Your Truth, Walk for Youth
In 2018, we had the honour of partnering with Kai Eardley Fund for “Talk Your Truth - Walk For Youth”. The Kai Eardley Fund or "Kai Fella" was born out of the tragic suicide of 20 year old Kai Eardley who we paid tribute to at the walk. Kai Fella’s mission is to create positive change for the mental health of today's youth.
Despite the weather, the turnout on the day was fantastic which just goes to show the spirit and resilience people have when it comes to a good cause! We kicked off with the sweet sounds of Sandpiper Music, some formalities and then most certainly the highlight of the day - the speakers.
All 3 speakers were amazing, the first being Kai’s mum, Claire, who showed incredible bravery in conveying that out of great tragedy can come great change. Up next was Tom Bell, founder of the Tomorrow Man Program which provides programs in schools focusing on disrupting stereotypes and strengthening emotional muscle. Finally, we had one of our own, Niamh Mangan step up to the plate.. a huge, albeit somewhat scary moment for her as she had never spoken publicly about her mental health struggles. Safe to say, she had everyone in tears afterwards and commending her on her bravery, resilience and passion for mental health awareness. The day was rounded out by the funky sounds of PACIFIC!
2017 - Black Dog on Lead & Sirens of Silence Charity
Walk for our ‘000’ Heroes
In 2017, we joined forces with a fantastic organisation called Sirens of Silence Charity (SOS) for the Black Dog on a Lead Walk for our ‘000’ heroes. SOS is a charity that focuses on mental health in the emergency services. Their aim is to support all emergency service personnel to engage with each other in creating a culture of change to remove the social stigma that has long been associated within this industry.
The walk was our biggest to date with almost 600 people in attendance, all of who were encapsulated by the amazing stories shared by members of our emergency services. Again, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house afterwards. The walk was also a great one for the kids with police cars, bikes, ambulances and fire-engines on show. We would have to say that given the overwhelmingly positive response, this was the walk that made us believe, along with many others, that it only takes a few individuals to make a huge difference…
2016 - Black Dog on a Lead & Headspace
In 2016, we partnered with HeadSpace Fremantle for our second walk. Again, it was a hugely successful day with over 500 people in attendance and $10,000 raised. The day began with some great acoustic tunes from Ollie Halvorsen on the guitar. Soon after we were into the formalities with Massimo sharing his enlightening experiences over the previous year, being Black Dog’s first and a year since he had shared his story at the walk in 2015! The most memorable part of the day though was when Jason Nelson “The Kilted Rogue Runner” got up on stage and mustered up the courage to talk openly about his struggles and experiences with mental illness. After he had finished, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house and the ensuing 6km’s felt like a ‘walk in the park’. Again it was Ollie on the guitar but this time joined by a few of his Vorsen band members who ‘rocked out’ for the returning walkers who continued their conversations into the early afternoon…
2015 - Black Dog on a Lead & Beyondblue
Our inaugural walk in October of 2015 was a great success with approximately 350 people attending and $15,000 raised for Beyondblue. We didn’t know what to expect for our first walk, but the turnout was amazing and so too the love and support received from everyone that came along. The day started with some fun and light hearted music from Nikki Dagostino better known as ‘Little Miss Squeezebox’ who was entertaining the crowd with her incredible piano accordion skills. Things then got a bit more serious with Massimo and Ale` sharing their stories and battles with mental health. By all accounts this was the most memorable part of the day and whilst they were talking, you could hear a pin drop! Then, after a quick warm up, 350 odd participants lined up at the start line and set off for the 6km walk. Seeing 350 people walking in the same t-shirt, for the same cause was a truly memorable site. As participants rounded the lake and crossed the finish line they were greeted with the smooth sounds of Ollie Halvorsen on the guitar and a sausage sizzle to make sure they didn’t go home hungry! All in all the day was a truly special one; an idea of a few individuals that culminated in something bigger and more powerful that they could have imagined… and with that.. the “annual” Black Dog on a Lead Walk was born!