Raising awareness: 'It’s okay to need to talk to someone'
“We are just trying to keep pushing the message that there are people out there that can make a difference. If we don’t have the support, we will help find you some support."
Through his job Michael Gellatly sees firsthand what can happen when Kiwi males are willing to open up a bit.
He works for Awarua Whanau Services - a health and social services organisation.
As part of Gellatly’s role he helps facilitate a parenting group for men.
“We use it as a parenting group which gets them in but it’s more a support group for men… It’s like a safe place where people can come and talk.
“We have had a whole bunch of dads that have never wanted to get any support, but with this programme they have.
“We are just trying to keep pushing the message that there are people out there that can make a difference. If we don’t have the support, we will help find you some support,” Gallatly said.
At a monthly staff meeting at Awarua Whanau Services Gellatly asked what they were going to do to support men’s mental health month throughout “Movember”.
Movember is a movement that raises awareness and funds for men’s mental health.
The “60 for 60” concept was suggested. It’s where people run/walk 60km over the month of November pointing to the 60 men’s lives that every hour are lost globally through suicide.
By the end of the meeting, Gellatly had agreed to complete the 60km, but with a twist.
He is aiming to notch up the 60km in just 12 hours on Saturday to draw further attention to men’s mental health.
Gellatly is not a stranger to a bit of hard work with the 34-year-old racking up a lengthy club rugby career with Woodlands in Southland.
Although Saturday will be a step well outside of his comfort zone.
“I’ve never run a marathon, or a half marathon or anything. I’ll probably end up running 40km and walking the rest, maybe. Who knows I might be crawling,” he said of the assignment he is about to take on.
He will aim to complete the 60km over eight different legs on Saturday.
It will begin with a 10km run, starting at the Feldwick Gates at Queens Park at 6am.
All going to plan the last leg will also set off at Feldwick Gates at about 4pm.
There’s a fundraising component to it. But for Gellatly the biggest driver for him is the hope that Saturday will generate more awareness around the need to tend to men’s mental health.
He hopes that people will join him along the way for one or more of the legs.
“Even if I had 20 people come along with me, that will get people asking; ‘what are these guys doing?’, well actually they are trying to raise awareness.
“I’ve had a lot of people message to say they are going to come on a leg with me. It is all to promote men’s mental health month and say that it’s okay to need to talk to someone, or whatever it is.”
People can join Gellatly wherever they want along the way. Below is the planned schedule.
He said some legs may start a little later than scheduled, depending on how the day pans out. But they are not likely to start before the below times.
THE SCHEDULE
Leg 1: Feldwick Gates, 6am start (10km run)
Leg 2: Feldwick Gates, 7.30am start (4km walk)
Leg 3: Waihopai Walkway (517 State Highway 6), 8.20am start (10.6km run)
Leg 4: Waihopai Walkway (584 Queens Drive), 10.15am start (4.5km walk)
Leg 5: Waihopai Walkway (584 Queens Drive), 11.30am start (5km run)
Leg 6: Stead St Wharf, 12.30pm start (12km walk)
Leg 7: 506 Racecourse Rd, 2.45pm start (4km run)
Leg 8: Feldwick Gates, 4pm start (10km run)
For further details on each leg click here