WHEN Nea Barclay decided to organise a fundraising ball for men’s mental health a couple of months ago, she was hoping that there would be some interest – but how much there has been has staggered her.
So much so that when the initial 130 seats for the event at the Portland Golf Club on Saturday, September 2, went on sale and were snapped up within two weeks, she decided to fit in another 90.
The result? They sold out as well.
So with 220 people attending the ball – called A Beautiful Mind – the scene is set for a big boost to funds to support the cause.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting that,” said Ms Barclay, who is the widow of Jarrod Barclay, who took his own life in March last year.
Her husband’s death led the mother-of-two to do something about the sad statistic of suicide, and her first step was a highly-successful fundraising event at the Heywood Golf Club in December last year, raising $6000 in the process – its success has seen it become an annual event.
That snowballed into the ball idea and even at $95 a ticket ($850 for a table of 10) there were clearly no shortage of takers.
Ms Barclay has now started a standby list – anyone who has missed out on a ticket but is still keen on going should head to the trybooking.com website and search for ‘A Beautiful Mind’ where they can place their name on the list should anyone pull out.
There is also more information on the event’s Facebook page.
Along with the great response to tickets, there has been similar enthusiasm in the community to donate raffle and silent auction prizes as well as sponsorship from businesses.
Those in the latter category include Assets Real Estate, Dhauwurd-Wurrung Elderly and Community Health Service (Ms Barclay’s employer), South West District Football Netball League, Keppel Prince Engineering, Portland Signworks, Nikki Hudson Property and Helloworld Portland.
“It obviously shows that people support the cause and have a lot of understanding around men’s mental health,” Ms Barclay said.
“That’s a really positive thing moving forward, and it obviously means I’ve got to organise another ball in the future, hopefully with a committee next time.”
As for the funds raised, their destination is still undecided – though the idea is to put the money into longer-lasting programs that can be implemented locally.
“We’ve got a few ideas but it depends on how much is raised,” Ms Barclay said.
Along with a raffle and silent auction the ball is set to feature musical entertainment by local duo Dean Outtram and Damon Yuill, a guest speaker from the Shaka Project (a men’s mental health organisation of which Ms Barclay is an ambassador) and a three-course meal from Four Plates catering.
● Support is available for anyone in distress by contacting Lifeline on 131 114, MensLine on 1300 789 978 (or online at mensline.org.au), or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 (or at kidshelpline.com.au).
