Fighting Depression on 2 wheels – West Australian man & motorbike prepping for BLACK DOG RIDE – to raise awareness, reduce stigma & suicide

BLACK DOG RIDE

Steve Andrews, from Busselton WA, will embark on a solo motorbike trip around Australia on 26th July 2009 to raise community awareness about depression, one of the most common of all mental health problems

Currently, it is estimated that:

• around one million adults are living with depression each year in Australia.

• in addition 100,000 young people suffer from depression and the number is growing

• one in five people people experience depression at some stage of their lives.

The devastating impact of depression has been experienced first hand by Steve, who has lost his mother and two close friends to suicide following long battles with depression.
Many people, including Winston Churchill, have referred to depression as their ‘black dog’ and as such, Steve has named this project the Black Dog Ride http://www.blackdogride.com.au/ .

As he travels around the country on Highway 1, he will combine his passion for motorbikes and a long held dream of riding around Australia with a growing desire to raise awareness about the impact of depression and the resources available to fight it.

Steve will also be raising money for the Suicide Call Back Service run by Crisis Support Services. The Suicide Call Back Service http://www.suicidecallbackservice.com.au/ is a free, nationwide telephone service that offers short to medium term support for people at risk of suicide, their carers, and those bereaved by suicide.

How can you help?

1. Take a moment out of your busy life to visit the website www.blackdogride.com.au , learn a little more about the project and raise your own awareness of depression and what we can do to beat it.
2. Make a donation to support the Suicide Call Back Service. Every dollar is appreciated and your support saves lives.
3. Most importantly, do your bit to raise awareness by forwarding this email to your family, friends and associates. Remember, chances are that 1 in 5 of the people in your contacts file will suffer from depression at some time during their life. You are unlikely to know who it will be so please forward this email to your complete address book.

Steve Andrews firmly believes that by being more aware of depression and by talking about it we can break down the stigma attached to mental illness and really make a difference for people suffering from this debilitating condition and for those at risk of suicide.

The ride starts from the Goose Cafe at the Busselton Jetty , 9.30 Sunday morning 26 July. Come on down and wave Steve off on his epic journey.

Thank you.
Black Dog Ride
www.blackdogride.com.au