Black Dog Ride

To the Lions Clubs of Australia

Lion Steve Andrews, from Busselton WA, will embark on a solo motorbike trip around Australia on 26th July 2009 to raise community awareness about depression, one of the most common of all mental health problems.

Currently, it is estimated that around one million adults and 100,000 young people are living with depression each year in Australia, with one in five people experiencing depression during their lifetime.

The devastating impact of depression has been experienced first hand by Steve, who has lost both his mother and two close friends to suicide following depressive illness.

Click on the photo for larger image.

Many people, including Winston Churchill, have referred to depression as their 'black dog' and as such, Steve has named this project the Black Dog Ride www.blackdogride.com.au . As he travels around the country on Highway 1, he will combine his passion for motorbikes and a long held dream of riding around Australia with a growing desire to raise awareness about the impact of depression and the resources available to assist people.

Steve is hoping that through the Lions Clubs of Australia he will be able to arrange accommodation for his overnight stays around the country and would appreciate the opportunity to attend any Club meetings or functions which coincide with his stops along the route. As marked on the itinerary (see his website) there will be some media opportunities during the ride and it would be excellent if these could be attended by a Lions representative.

Unfortunately, due to his tight schedule and the fact that some days he is covering over a thousand kilometers, Steve will not be able to stop at every "Lions" town he passes through but with some fine tuning of his itinerary he may be able to add some additional short stops for morning tea and lunch. He can forward all of this information to any interested parties a little closer to the event.

Steve, hopefully with the support of the Lions, will also be raising money for the Suicide Call Back Service run by Crisis Support Services. The Suicide Call Back Service is a free, nationwide telephone service that offers short to medium term support for people at risk of suicide, their carers, and those bereaved by suicide.

For further information go to http://www.suicidecallbackservice.com.au/

Steve Andrews firmly believes that by working together, we can really make a difference for people suffering from depression and for those at risk of suicide.

Steve can be contacted by email steve@blackdogride.com.au or phone 0408 868 500.

Black Dog Ride