NEWS DESK
Peninsula to be represented at pride march MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is encouraging people to “get feet on ground this February” at the 2023 Midsumma Pride March. The march will start on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda at 11am on Sunday 5 February, with council representatives marching alongside the Frankston Mornington Peninsula LGBTIQA+ Collaborative. Cr Antonella Celi said the Midsumma Pride March was a way to celebrate, embrace and stand with the peninsula’s LGBTIQA+ community. The council’s inclusion in the 2023 march stems from its council and wellbeing plan, which aims to fulfil the community’s vision for 2040 to engage with LGBTIQA+community members and deliver programs to support them. Health and Wellbeing Committee Chair, Cr Antonella Celi, said the council and wellbeing plan was formed thanks to a clear dialogue between councillors and the Mornington Peninsula community. “Together, the 2040 vision includes exciting opportunities for us to grow and learn. The Midsumma Pride March is just one way we can celebrate and support our LGBTIQA+ community,” she said. “If you’re looking to join the Shire at the march, secure your free ticket.” To find out more about this plan, please visit the website: mornpen. vic.gov.au/councilplan.
Circling the country for mental health Liz Bell Liz@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula concreter Nik Shepheard knows firsthand the difficulties men face in recognising and dealing with depression, and has come up with a novel way of raising funds to increase awareness and support. On the Australia Day long weekend, the Bittern man will start on a journey to circumnavigate Australia by kiteboard, beginning at Mount Martha and heading west with the trade winds. Shepheard has been a kiteboarder for around 23 years and is confident of his skills, but also realises the trip comes with a large set of challenges. But he says the challenges pale when compared to the challenges many men face when trying to navigate the emotions and stresses of life. “Through my own experience of someone who lived for years with undiagnosed depression, I know that support helps, and I know we have to keep talking about this to normalise it and get the message out that there is help,” he said. “I remember thinking that the way I felt must be normal, but I also remember wanting to end my life… but friends encouraged me to seek support and that was the beginning of my healing,” he said. Shepheard also started an organisation Kiteboard for Life Australia (KFLA) in 2014, with an aim of increasing awareness of depression and suicide. Shepheard, who has nominated Beyond Blue to receive donations from
Ready to go: Kiteboarder Nik Shepheard, pictured with his support boat skipper Steve Dart, moored at Mornington. Picture: Liz Bell
a GoFundMe page he has started, said kiteboarding was his choice of travel for the trip because it had helped him over the years to refocus and take his mind of the stresses of the day. “When I am out on the water, I feel alive and it has always helped me clear my mind”. Shepheard has a volunteer support team of a skipper and deckhand who will follow him on a boat, which will
become his place or rest every night, and is also hoping to pick up other help on the journey. There will also be regular stops to engage with communities, and as a Rotarian he is hoping to be able use his experiences to do some public speaking. While he knows it could take up to 12 months to complete his trip, Shepheard said exact schedules are impossible because of changing weather and
other variables. “I hope to be able to kiteboard for eight to 10 hours a day, with my objective every day to get to a safe point to stop for the night,” he said. To learn more about Shepheard’s journey or to donate go to his Kiteboarding for Mental Health, Circumnavigate Oz page, his Instagram page or his website Kiteboard for Life Australia.
ING GER RAT N A D E R I F TODAY
OW CTION N TAKE A
Don’t travel to bushland on Extreme Fire Danger Rating days. If you plan to travel through Victoria during fire season, it’s important to check the Fire Danger Rating every day. If the rating is Extreme or Catastrophic, avoid travelling to high risk bush or grassfire areas. It’s safer to travel to cities or towns for the day.
Plan. Act. Survive. Go to emergency.vic.gov.au
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Mornington News
24 January 2023