THE Launceston Football Club hosted a mental health awareness seminar for about 100 people on Thursday night.
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Blues forward and public speaker Rulla Kelly-Mansell joined beyondblue volunteer Joel Cresswell in spreading positive messages about the prevalent topic to the club’s playing group.
Launceston events manager Alex Payne said all under-16s, under-18s and senior men’s and women’s players were in attendance.
“Going into the bye we wanted to shift our focus to mental illness… it’s a serious issue and a lot of people are affected, many of which you don’t know about.
“Whether it be one person or more we touch and helped in the room, that’s a positive.”
Payne said Kelly-Mansell speaks under the banner #Make.Runs.Maxi, in honour of late former Deloraine footballer and Westbury cricketer Isaac Walters.
Payne said Kelly-Mansell delivered a stirring and powerful message to his teammates.
Cresswell, of Deloraine, in his first public talk discussed his personal struggles and encouraged people to seek help.
“I have my own experience with depression that went on in my late teens to early 20s and I’m now 29 and been in what I call recovery for the last three years,” he said.
“I spoke about the signs and symptoms I experienced because a lot of the time, and I know myself, you don’t always know what’s going wrong with yourself.
“I want to turn my negative experience into a positive.”