LAST Friday, East Gambier Football Club hosted its inaugural Switch the headspace Match for Mental Health, bringing a collection of both national and local legends to the ground as they sought to raise money and awareness for Australians’ ongoing struggle with mental health.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for all Australians aged 15-44, and on average over eight Australians a day take their own life.

Local football icon Winis Imbi, who recently signed on as Westerns Football Netball Club’s senior football coach for the 2023 season, was one of the many notable individuals to pull on the boots on the day, and said that the experience took him through a “range of emotions”.

“Heading into it I was quite nervous to be honest with you… I hadn’t played football in such a long time,” Imbi said.

“But while we were out there ahead of the match during the smoking ceremony, I witnessed a man who lost his son to suicide earlier this year become visibly emotional… at that point the nerves went away.

“It put everything in perspective and also I think I understood my purpose for being there… it was actually quite an enjoyable experience.

“I love playing footy, and seeing so many people out there supporting such an important cause was fantastic.”

There were clearly much bigger things at play than simply a game of footy, with the organisers donating all the proceeds of the match to headspace, a youth mental health service, while the event itself also presented an opportunity to discuss what is such an important issue in the community.

Imbi, who coached both North Gambier Football Club and Portland Football Club to premierships in the Western Border league, and who is currently a schoolteacher at Bayview College, said the game provided a tremendous opportunity to discuss the importance of having the difficult conversations.

“I had to leave class early on the day, and I took the opportunity to explain to my Year Sevens why I was leaving and how important of an issue it is in the community today,” he said.

“I think at the core of it is simply having the ability to talk… it’s therapeutic.

“I’m a person of faith, and so I believe I have the best therapist in the world… but a lot of people don’t have that.

“The earlier we can read the warning signs that someone is struggling… the more of a chance we have of helping that person.”

Imbi was joined in the match by ex-AFL stars Dane Swan, Shane Mumford and Leon Davis, the latter of whom is currently a playing assistant coach at Heywood Football Club, along with a host of other highly-regarded members of the community.

He added that the match highlighted the importance of “having a vocation” and the role that sport can play in developing close-knit communities.

“Humans are social beings, we need to form and maintain relationships with one another,” Imbi said.

“Sporting clubs, whether it’s football, netball, basketball or anything else, they bring a sense of belonging and purpose to people.

“If you’re a young person who maybe isn’t working or doesn’t have a job, how are you filling in your 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

“When people don’t have purpose or responsibility, that’s where the bad habits start to creep in… I know I myself have bad habits but they’re kept in check by the responsibilities I have to work, to my family, and to my sporting clubs.

“These organisations, they’re not just therapeutic, they’re enriching.”

This event, which was simply organised by members of the Mount Gambier community who saw an issue which needed to be addressed, highlighted to Imbi the importance of not just recognising an issue, but also taking action.

“It’s easy to acknowledge that there’s an issue which needs to be addressed… but actually going out and doing something about it is what really counts,” he said.

“It was easy to say yes to participating in this game… but then I had to go and take action to make sure I was prepared to go out there.”

He said that occasions like this are especially important for young people, who are often times more susceptible to the influences of modern society, especially social media.

“I think it’s important for us to remember that to think anyone’s life is fantastic all the time is ridiculous, we all have days where the sun might be shining but you feel no warmth… or you’re looking outside but not really seeing anything,” Imbi said.

“And it’s important to remember that while we have so many untreatable illnesses in the world today, this is something which can be fixed.

“It’s taken far too many lives already… and if this initiative has made a difference to the lives of anyone then that’s made this worth it for me.

“I want to give credit to everyone who was involved in setting this event up… it was an enjoyable, competitive match for a great cause.”

· Support is available for anyone in distress by contacting Lifeline on 131 114, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636,  MensLine on 1300 789 978 (or online at mensline.org.au), or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 (or at kidshelpline.com.au).