Gift helps beat black dog
Dardanup cattle breeder Peter Milton had a little help from his friends to choose a steer for this year’s Black Dog Ride fundraiser.
Noelle and Tayla Abbs hand-picked Winston the angus steer to be sold at the Perth Royal Show this year to raise money for Lifeline and Mental Health First Aid.
Mr Milton said he hoped Winston would sell for about $3000, continuing the tradition he started in association with the Busselton Black Dog Ride to help raise awareness of depression and suicide prevention.
He said he wanted to highlight the need to talk about mental health and raise awareness about where to direct friends or family in need of professional help.
“Are you OK? It is one of the hardest questions to ask,” he said.
“One in four people experience depression — the whole point of the Black Dog Ride is to raise awareness and the only way to do that is by talking about it.”
Kylie Abbs, who donated the steer with her husband Jamie, said it was a vitally important cause to support, particularly for those in regional communities.
“I’m trained as a nurse and when somebody is that unwell there are things you can say and things you can ask and then get them the help that they need, ” she said.
“Isolation is one of the biggest things.”
