ACTOR Vince Colosimo and Melbourne Cup winning-jockey Michelle Payne have headlined a major push for greater preventative mental health care into Ballarat primary schools.
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Colosimo, who has starred alongside Hollywood superstars such as Leonardo Di Caprio, has had his mental health struggles splashed in the media the past couple of years with high-profile court appearances on unpaid fines and drug-driving.
Speaking at the Hand In Hand gala ball, Colosimo urged everyone to take the time to care for their mental health - and that it was never too late to get started trying.
Colosimo has been working with anti-bullying organisation Bully Zero. He has started to open up about the bullying he has experienced at school and as an emerging, young Australian actor.
The Wog Boy actor, alongside Payne - who has the movie Ride Like a Girl based on her life - helped raise about $65,000 for Ballarat homegrown charity Hand In Hand to deliver the Open Parachute program into primary schools.
Open Parachute is a peer-led program, backed by research, to equip children with practical skills to navigate their mental health journey. The program is part of The Sebastian Foundation, launched by pop singer Guy Sebastian and his wife Jules, to make a grassroots impact.
The gala ball, on May 17, featured a re-telling of Payne's journey and struggles to her Melbourne Cup win, including her belief as a nine-year-old from Miners Rest and her courage as a 15-year-old to drop out of school and enter a male-dominated career.
This is the second annual ball for Hand In Hand, which launched early in 2023, as a joint initiative between founder Leah Ashton at PilatesFit Plus, The Playground Gym and Tennis Ballarat in wanting to do more to help the city's younger generations face modern mental health challenges.
Five primary schools took part in the inaugural Open Parachute programs in Ballarat: Alfredton, Delacombe, Scotsburn, Buninyong and Lucas. Ms Ashton is encouraging more schools in the region to try the program, which is free and does not take teachers out of the classroom for training.
"Proactive mental health is important," Ms Ashton said.
"There is always a place for mental health first aid but we're trying to reduce pressure so there's [less] need for that. We want to try and help ease a system that's building up with people wanting help."
