Lift the Lid campaign

A campaign aiming to "Lift the Lid" on mental health is underway this month in a co-operative effort by Drouin and Warragul Rotary Clubs.

In conjunction with Mental Health Month in October and Australian Rotary Health's (ARH) annual "Lift the Lid on Mental Illness" campaign, Drouin and Warragul Rotarians will be focussed on fundraising and awareness through a wine auction and community walk being this month.

Drouin Rotarian Russell Ford said the club was working closely with Warragul Rotarians to raise awareness in the community.

He said the decision to run a locally focused campaign was largely driven by Lifeline chief executive officer Cindy Pullar who addressed Drouin Rotary earlier this year.

"We have a close relationship with Gippsland Lifeline and we recognise the need they fulfil. We were shocked with some of the figures we heard from Cindy. We felt we couldn't ignore those figures.

"Rotary is about community and community support so we really wanted to get behind Lifeline in something that couldn't be ignores," he said.

Mr Ford said October was a perfect time to support the annual ARH campaign and bring awareness to the local community.

A wine auction will be held this Thursday night at Black Tie Restaurant, Warragul. The event will feature world recognised wine judge and author Jeni Fort who has personally selected wines to be auctioned and will co-host the night, explaining why she chose the wines on offer.

Monacellars also will be holding wine tastings of a selection of Gippsland Wines and offering a discount on purchases. Funds raised will go to the Australian Rotary Health Fund for research into mental health and Gippsland Lifeline. Tickets for the wine auction can be purchased by registering via the QR code.

Throughout October, Drouin Rotarians with Lifeline Gippsland volunteers will be at the Kiosk in Drouin to provide support information and raise awareness to community members about mental health. They will be at the Kiosk tomorrow from 11am to 1pm and at the same time on October 14 and 21, as well as the Drouin Rotary Community Market in Civic Park, Drouin on Saturday, October 17.

A Two Towns Trail walk will be held on Sunday, October 25 at 11am. Participants can start the walk at either Drouin or Warragul. Community members can seek sponsorship to raise funds or support the walk as an unsponsored participant.

There will be a free sausage sizzle and prizes for best hat and best dressed hat.

ARH provides funding towards research grants, fellowships and PhD scholarships focused on finding preventative and curative solutions for mental illness in young Australians.

Since the year 2000, Australian Rotary Health has focused its funding on mental health research and from 2023 funded research into the mental health of children aged 0-12.