03-06-2025
Rural mental health advocate retires
After 18 years, a Southland man is stepping down from his role with Rural Support Trust, while still keeping his mental health workshop project, which he began in Gore.
Wendonside-based Lindsay Wright is moving into retirement to spend more time with his grandchildren and other relationships, and is no longer a trustee of Rural South, which he has been with since its 2008 inception.
Despite this move into retirement, he remained on the trust governing mental health literacy workshop GoodYarn, which he started with Southern health network WellSouth in 2014.
Mr Wright said as a direct result of Rural Support's involvement in the 2010 Southland snowstorm response, he was invited to join with WellSouth to develop a mental health workshop for rural people in the Otago-Southland region.
After the adverse weather event, he said WellSouth researched what information was available for rural people following adverse events and mental health challenges and there was "basically nothing".
The network approached Mr Wright, who had a background in Toastmasters and education.
He delivered the pilot workshop in Gore more than ten years ago.
Now conversations around mental illness were more common, but he said at the time mental health was not something discussed openly.
"It was just something that nobody talked about ... it was very difficult to have a conversation with anybody," he said.
"We were just saying to people, it doesn't have to be difficult, it doesn't have to be clever, it's just about understanding that if you recognise that something's going on, then it's OK to talk about it."
He said the now developed workshops were to help people recognise the signs and symptoms of mental illness, which was something he had experienced firsthand.
In 2005 Mr Wright was a beef and lamb farmer when he experienced a bout of depression.
"I got to the stage where I was in such a low point I had every job that I had to do was written on a post-it note," he said.
Following this, he leased his farm and received counselling, which gave him tools he later applied to the workshops and his work at Rural South.
"Everything I've done, all my experiences good and challenging throughout my life, have all been an apprenticeship for what I've been doing now."
He said Rural Support remained a conduit for farmers experiencing mental health challenges or responding to adverse events, connecting them with the right help.
"Our job is to sit with you as a rural person, talk about your particular situation and in consultation with you, help you find the appropriate services or professionals who can best help you."
