Bay Harbour: January 15, 2020

PAGE 8 BAY HARBOUR
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Wednesday January 15 2020
News
Mental health initiative launches in Sumner
FARMERS CAN ride the wave
of a mental health initiative
which has launched in Sumner.
After a successful test run in
Gisborne last summer, “Surfing
for Farmers” has made its way
down to Canterbury.
It will run every Tuesday night
over summer from 5.45pm,
meeting at Stoke St.
Fifteen farmers working in
rural areas made their way to
Sumner Beach for its first session
on January 7.
Canterbury co-ordinator Sandra
Taylor said they all managed
to stand up and left the water
with “a big smile on their faces.”
Afterwards, the group were
able to wind down and get to
know each other over a few beers
and refreshments.
Stephen Thomson, a surfer,
farmer and rural real estate agent
at Bayleys, was inspired to set up
the programme after watching
the Netflix documentary “Resurface”.
The documentary showed how
surfing helped heal American
war veterans suffering from
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD).
Mr Thomson said when the
war vet described how he used
to wake up every day wanting to
shoot himself – now he wakes up
wanting to go surfing.
Knowing how much better
he always felt after being in the
saltwater, Mr Thomson was
determined to give farmers the
opportunity to get off-site once a
week and experience that same
feeling of well-being.
“While there is a lot of conversation
about mental health
in the rural sector, this is not
being matched by action orprogrammes
that actually take
farmers away from the farm and
put them in a completely different
yet supportive environment.”
He said at farm discussion
groups or community events the
conversation invariably turns
to farming, but after surfing the
conversation is about catching,
or not catching waves and rides
are re-lived.
Sponsorships mean farmers do
not have to pay anything and all
gear and tuition will be provided
by the Sumner Surf School.
STRESS RELIEF: Fifteen
farmers headed to Sumner
Beach on January 7 to
give surfing a go as part of
an initiative encouraging
wellbeing.
Mr Thomson is hoping other
Canterbury rural businesses
and organisations will get on
board and support the initiative,
particularly in light of the many
pressures facing farmers.
For more information, phone
Sandra Taylor on 021 151 8685
or follow the Facebook page –
Surfing for Farmers.
Holding it together in week one his
VITTORIA
& Matt
SO VITTORIA is in the midst of
her first week of preschool now
and I’m coping. Mostly.
Her orientation day last month
got me kind of ready for the
whole concept of leaving her with
strangers for an hour, but dropping
her off with them for her
four hour first day on my own
was a whole new ball game.
I managed to start the week in
classic fashion, forgetting to actually
get her bag or lunch ready
until about midnight on Sunday.
I had set an alarm nice and
early so that I could get Vittoria
ready for her 8am start time easily
enough, but I forgot to pass
the memo on to her and she went
right ahead and woke up more
than an hour beforehand.
With all that extra preparation
time, I easily got her fed, dressed,
washed and ready in time for us
to have a nice walk to get there.
When she realised where we were
headed, she turned around and
gave me a massive smile. Good
confidence boost there.
It only lasted until I went out
of her eyesight for five seconds
to put her bag with those of her
classmates. I’d popped inside
to what I assume is a fairly well
sound-proofed building to do so
and I could hear her siren going
off from in there.
She met me at the door and
her sad wee face broke my heart.
From there she clung on tight
and started tearing up if I so
much as thought about putting
her down. I had to hand her off
to a teacher and grimace my way
through her crying as I left.
When pickup time finally
rolled around, she barely noticed
as I arrived. She was way too
engrossed in the sandpit.
Her teacher said she’d been
happy and well-behaved the
whole time and had only cried
•Former Star Media journalist
Matt Salmons has become a
stay-at-home dad. We follow
journey weekly.
for a minute or two after
I’d left.
She almost had me
thinking she was over
hanging with her dad,
until she turned around,
smiled and ran over to
me to have a wee cry to
let me know how she
missed me.
Hopefully she’ll enjoy
each day just as much
and hopefully I’ll get better
at holding it together
while she does.
EXCITED: Vittoria
with her obligatory
backpack pose.
Last Chance to
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