Kathy Fennell
A first aid course is being held in Penola and will be run over two days at two consecutive sessions on October 9 and 10, and October 10 and 11.
The venue will be the Penola Tourist Information Centre and will run from 9.30am to 4.30pm each day.
The course which is free of charge is organised by the Penola Wellness Group and Breakthrough.
One of the organisers, Lucy Williams of Penola became heavily involved with mental health as her father took his own life.
“I have always wanted to help make a change as I was affected by mental health at a young age.
I don’t want any family to go through what my family went through and are still going through to this day,” she said.
Lucy said she is also passionate about the stigma of mental health and encourages people to have a conversation to normalise mental health.
“The death of my dad triggered me along with my mum Anne-Marie and sister Kelly to try and help others in our community. My sister and myself have also made a career out of helping people too,” Lucy said.
The upcoming first aid course is supported by Breakthrough and the Penola Wellness Group with lunch, morning and afternoon tea provided with generous sponsorship from EJ Studios and Casella Wines.
“The first aid course was chosen as back in November 2021 the Penola Wellness Group hosted a mental health information session focussing on lived life experiences,” Lucy said.
The group was fortunate to have John Mannion, CEO of Breakthrough and recently appointed as an SA Mental Health Commissioner, and Zane Kirkwood and Breakthrough ambassador speak on the night.
They also listened to my ‘dream’ of a mental health ambulance being in each region, a similiar model to the McGrath Foundation breast care nurses.
The ambulance would be called by a carer, friend, family member, workmate and attend to the person needing help.
“As I know from experience it is very hard to get the person to realise they need help. We are hoping that Breakthrough will research this possibility,” Lucy said.
The first aid course is limited to numbers and if you miss out on a ticket you can message the Penola Wellness group who will put you on a waiting list.
You can register online via Eventbrite.
