He mightn’t have been bidding on the weaners on offer at the Blackall saleyards on Thursday but Preston Campbell was making an impression on the catwalk all the same.
A regular in western Queensland – he and fellow former NRL star Clinton Toopi took part in the Bedourie 9’s competition in the winter of 2016 – his Preston Campbell Foundation partners with the NRL to spread a message of healthy lifestyles, especially among the male population.
”Mental health is something we're pretty passionate about,” he said.
“Days like this are great, just to have a general chat.
“There’s a lot of people here at the saleyards, as opposed to organising something and inviting them – this is their life, this is what they do.”
Preston said his profile as an ex-rugby league player meant people recognised him and came up for a chat, which helped him introduce the topic of looking after themselves and each other, especially as some of the towns in the west were isolated from each other.
The CEO of his foundation is a western Queenslander, Kyel Dancey, originally from Barcaldine.
On his first visit to the west in a working capacity, Kyel was keen to seek out further networks to support the positive relationships they’d built with communities around mental health awareness.
One of those is James Cook University, represented at the Blackall sale by mental health academic, Sharon Varela.
As part of the mental health initiative put together by the Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs team overseen by David Kerrigan, Sharon is one of those promoting good living in the west, and knows the tough times haven’t ended.
“The city thinks the drought's over and it's not,” she said.
“Even though I think everyone's a lot more hopeful than they were 12 months ago, it's got a long way to go.
“I tend to be here for conversations with people, if they're doing it tough and they want to talk through maybe, some of the mental health concerns they have for themselves or others.
“If someone wants to talk about some difficult times, they don't have to walk through a clinic room, they can just see someone out here.”
Preston and Clinton Toopi have a full program in the central west over the next few days, including catching up with junior footballers at a couple of training sessions, attending the Landsborough Flock Ewe Show at Muttaburra on Saturday, and attending the knock-out semi-final between Blackall and Barcaldine on Saturday night.
“It’s going to be tough to know who to barrack for – Kyel is pretty loyal to the Barcaldine Sandgoannas,” Preston said.
No matter who wins, there’ll be no shortage of people wanting to have a chat with the pair on the night.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
