Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Reeling Veterans' Michael Hurren and Veteran Sarah speak about the women's fishing comp helping support female Veterans' mental health

Transcript

Reeling Veterans' Michael Hurren and Veteran Sarah speak about the women's fishing comp helping support female Veterans' mental health · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It is just twenty five minutes away from eleven o'clock
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: if you're keen to give us a call eight nine
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: four one four nine. Now we know reeling Veterans. It's
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: a wonderful program or initiative. I guess you'd say here
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory, Well, let's see some of our
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: veterans get out on the water and really support each
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: other in a really nice environment.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: I think.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Now joining me in the studio to tell us a
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: little bit more about what reeling veterans are up to
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: at the moment.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: Michael Hurran, good morning to you.
• 0:28
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: How are you today? I'm very well, and also Sarah,
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: good morning to you.
• 0:32
  Speaker 4: Good morning Katie.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Now, for those out there listening who maybe don't know
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: much about reeling veterans, Michael, tell us a bit more
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: about it.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: So really, Veterans is a non for profit charity where
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: we take veterans on frontline personnel a way fishing to
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: provide in my safe place to have a chat and
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: help with mental health issues.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: It is a fantastic initiative. I reckon you and I
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: have spoken about it on numerous occasions. In fact, you've
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: had me in tears on the show before as well.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: You've been talking about the work that.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: You guys do have. You got a lot of people
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: part of the initiative. At the moment, we are.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: Absolute flat chat. So we originally had one boat. I
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: originally started with my boat, and then we got a
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: boat funding for a boat. Now we're up to two boats.
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: And now we've moved actually to Townsville as well, so
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: we started over there.
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: So when did that happen?
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: Towns Hall started about seven months ago. So yeah, we've
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: got a couple of thousand members over there.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Now that's amazing, you know, and I know that it
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: means so much to so many people as well, being
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: able to get out on the water, provide that support
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: to each other and being able to I guess have
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: a bit of a chat as well in a really
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: kind of nice environment.
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's great, and we don't charge people. It's completely free.
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: You can just come out. In fact, the boys are
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: actually out, the skippers are out today out at Shady Camp,
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: so hopefully they catch something. See it's out there lately.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: And I understand that, well, there's something happening for our
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: female veterans as well, Sarah, Is that right?
• 2:05
  Speaker 4: Yes, there is Katie. Finally, what are.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: You ladies getting up to?
• 2:09
  Speaker 5: So really veterans has last year and again this year.
• 2:13
  Speaker 5: They put in a team at the Girls Goorn Fishing
• 2:15
  Speaker 5: competition down the Daily River, So that was really exciting
• 2:19
  Speaker 5: to be a part of last year.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: So how many of you were part of it last
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: year and you're doing it again this year, aren't you?
• 2:24
  Speaker 4: I'm not doing it this year. I've got three new ladies.
• 2:27
  Speaker 5: I believe four new ladies this year. But I did
• 2:32
  Speaker 5: last year which was the first year, and there was
• 2:33
  Speaker 5: three of us that attended.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: And what was it like for you?
• 2:37
  Speaker 5: It was so much fun. It was such a great week.
• 2:40
  Speaker 5: I can't recommend the trip enough. It was just great
• 2:44
  Speaker 5: to go with like minded people, other female veterans and
• 2:48
  Speaker 5: just have that connection to the veteran community and something
• 2:51
  Speaker 5: special for females that we could go and share our experiences.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: How important is it, you know for veterans both female
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: and male. But how important is is this reeling veterans
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: for you know, for those of you who've served you
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: maybe are experiencing some difficulty or need a bit of support.
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: How important is this initiative?
• 3:14
  Speaker 5: It's so important, It's so important to have that connection
• 3:17
  Speaker 5: with the veteran community, especially for people like myself, where
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: I was feeling a bit disconnected from my time in
• 3:24
  Speaker 5: service and trying to find out who I was as
• 3:27
  Speaker 5: a veteran. So finding these guys and what they do,
• 3:31
  Speaker 5: it was just so important to get that connection back,
• 3:35
  Speaker 5: and you know, find that self sense of self, I guess,
• 3:40
  Speaker 5: and where you kind of fit into things, and have
• 3:42
  Speaker 5: that mental health support in a non clinical setting.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: I know that you know, there could be veterans out
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: there listening this morning who may be thinking to themselves.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't mind getting involved in reeling veterans, but sometimes
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: that first step can be a bit hard, you know,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: doing anything that's new. You might feel a bit intimidated
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: or a bit kind of funny about drawing something new.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Is it a pretty easy space to walk into?
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well I think so, But you'd have to ask Sarah.
• 4:10
  Speaker 5: That she's I actually heard Michael the way that I
• 4:14
  Speaker 5: found out about the charity. I actually heard Michael speaking
• 4:16
  Speaker 5: to you on the radio, really and I listened to
• 4:19
  Speaker 5: the interview and I was just so surprised that there
• 4:22
  Speaker 5: was something like that here or something that you know,
• 4:26
  Speaker 5: as a female, I was able to get involved with
• 4:28
  Speaker 5: and so I just started to research them on Facebook
• 4:31
  Speaker 5: and kind of sent a message and found out about
• 4:33
  Speaker 5: them that way.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: And how big a difference, like did it make for
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: you then sort of being able to get out there
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: and like you said, meet other veterans have that connection
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: and also then in terms of the female connection as well.
• 4:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it was just so amazing for me. I was
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: so nervous.
• 4:50
  Speaker 5: I didn't know if I was going to fit in,
• 4:52
  Speaker 5: or whether I'd be accepted, or you know, how it
• 4:54
  Speaker 5: was going to work. And just to go and meet
• 4:57
  Speaker 5: these people and just feel so comfortable and so welcome
• 5:00
  Speaker 5: and just to feel like I was meeting up with
• 5:03
  Speaker 5: old friends and it was just so easy and so natural.
• 5:07
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it was just an amazing experience around.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: Really, you guys are awesome. You know.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: I think the work that you do is amazing, and
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: I think it's really great for people to actually hear
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: about it and and like has happened to you, Sarah,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: you know, hear this interview this morning and think to themselves, Hey,
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: that's something that could really benefit me or could really
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: help me in a lot of ways.
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's good that she's still positive because she
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: didn't catch a fish.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: She let the team out. Was a bit upset, cheeky bugger.
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: It's great.
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: So since that comp Sarah has gone on and start
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: her own business up here, car detail and business with
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: her and a partner, So and love. They're giving back
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: this year by sponsoring the girls team.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: As well, So that's awesome.
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's great and I think the girls are going
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: to really enjoy it this year.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: So if there's anyone listening this morning who does want
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: to find out more and they are thinking to themselves,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: So this sounds like it's something that I would really
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: like to be involved in in any way, shape or form.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: What's the best way for them to do it?
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: Just jump on our website. There's an inquiry thing there
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: you can just jump on and fill out if you want. Tomorrow,
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: if you're out and about, I'm going to be at
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: the New Veterans Welfare. How about at Palmerston. I'm having
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: coffees at around nine and then I'll be in at
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: Mad Snaking Darwin about ten thirty catching up with some
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: people as well. So come on down and have a chat.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Oh wonderful stuff. So great to have you both in
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: the studio this morning.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Michael and Sarah. I really appreciate it. Thank you very
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: much for coming in and it's been great to hear
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: more about, you know, more about reeling veterans, but also Sarah,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: to hear that you know, you made that step, you went.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: In there, and it's been a wonderful thing for you.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: So I really appreciate you sharing that with us.
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: Thank you, Katie, Thank you, Thanks Katie.
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: Good stuff.