Alannah McGregor has been awarded the 2022 City of Greater Bendigo Citizen of the Year and Jed Zimmer as the Young Citizen of the Year during a presentation at the Conservatory Gardens in Rosalind Park on Friday.
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Mayor Andrea Metcalf said the pair had been recognised for their leadership in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of others.
"We are delighted to honour Alannah and Jed as a way of acknowledging their inclusive approach and support for our community to understand and manage their mental wellbeing," she said.
Alannah said it took a while to come to terms with being named citizen of the year.
"It was surreal to begin with, it was something I never expected," she said. "After thinking about it for a few hours, I was just so honoured."
Alannah jointly started the Suicide Prevention and Awareness Network Bendigo walk in 2011 and has volunteered tirelessly to inspire others to prevent them from experiencing the same loss and to remove the stigma attached to suicide.
She said Bendigo's SPAN Walk started after she and Bette Phillips took part in the Geelong event.
"Bette Phillips and I had been invited to talk about workplace bullying," Alannah said. "My son was bullied in his workplace and subsequently took his life. We were then invited to Geelong walk and it was amazing, I thought it was something we needed to do in Bendigo.
"We spoke with Rod Case and Nicole Ferrie who were both with the Bendigo Advertiser at the time and they were quick to get on board. It was like wildfire after that. Everyone we invited was excited to be part of it.
"Talking about suicide has changed a lot since the first Bendigo SPAN Walk in 2011. The stigma is reducing but there are still pockets we need to work on. People much more open to asking for help and offering help."
Greater Bendigo's young citizen of the year Jed Zimmer said he was feeling humbled and grateful about the award.
"I'm quite nervous, very humbled and certainly very grateful," he said. "It is a unique feeling and I am super humbled for being recognised for such an incredible thing."
Jed has found a niche in helping people of all abilities, but particularly young men, learn to look after their mental health and wellbeing.
He works with headspace Bendigo where he raised more than $20,000 through a push-up challenge, is a committee member for the Bendigo-based Football Integration Development Association, which supports players with an intellectual impairment, and hosts a podcast called The Health Project.
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Jed said his passion for mental health was sparked by his experiences as a teenager.
"For me the spark was off the back of personal experience. It's something I am open about," he said. "Through my teenage years I had a few difficult times.
"One thing I am passionate about is men's mental health and breaking the stigma. It all starts with education. When I was quite young, the biggest thing I found was that people resonate when they hear more and more stories and understand they are not alone.
"Sharing your story will open doors for others to come out and share stories. We're really not alone - everyone goes through challenges in their life, but getting out there and sharing your story makes a big difference."
Jed said he has seen people's ability to talk about their mental health improve in recent times.
"It is getting better, we are seeing it move to the greater direction but there is always work to do," he said. "The last couple of years have shown the importance of something like this and how crucial it is to be constantly reaching out to others.
Need to talk to someone?
- Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
- Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au
- Beyond Blue's coronavirus support service: 1800 512 348 or coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au
- Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 or kidshelpline.com.au
- Headspace: 1800 650 890 or headspace.org.au
More to come.
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