Tradies in Sight founder Bruno Eforti started the charity following a cookout with colleagues. Photo: Tradies in Sight.
For seven years, regional charity Tradies In Sight has been aiming to offer a safe place for men to speak about the difficulties they may be facing.
The Dubbo-based not-for-profit was founded by Tongan man and builder, Bruno Eforti. Following the deaths of several colleagues, Bruno began offering a place for his mates and people in similar fields of work to sit down and chat.
What started as a sit-down in his backyard, where he would offer food and a place to vent, has now turned into a non-profit organisation that aims to support tradies in regional areas, and it is making inroads in the Riverina.
“We’re trying to address the statistics around suicide and mental health,” Mr Eforti said.
“Every second day, a tradie takes their own life, which is very concerning and unacceptable. One in four is going to experience some kind of mental illness, so this work is about education, training and supporting those who feel isolated by offering ground support to those who may be struggling.
“Around five years ago, the State Government offered us a shed. We transformed that into a drop-in centre where people can just chat, especially blokes and tradies.
“We encourage them to come in and just have a conversation. We all know how hard it can be to access professional help, and we are by no means deterring men from seeking help, but what we are doing is offering a service where people can talk to someone in between.”
Mr Eforti said a new contract with Essential Energy had brought Tradies in Sight to Wagga, to deliver support to early career workers and apprentices.
Tradies in Sight offers a place for men to chat with one another while enjoying a barbecue-style cookout. Photo: Tradies in Sight.
“Essential Energy reached out to us earlier last year and asked us if we were able to deliver that to all their apprentices throughout NSW,” he said.
“We formed this partnership with Essential Energy and Regional Australia Bank to deliver a program called The Life Skills Program.
“This week we’re supporting apprentices in Wagga and just giving them tools to navigate the down times, challenges in life and help them to make good decisions.
“We want to help give them skills as they can make decisions, while also helping them navigate any financial hardships that they go through or that they may have. So there’s a skill of being able to budget properly, and how to manage your money properly.
“Afterwards, we had lunch where we just sat down and spoke about building connections with each other in the workplace and supporting one another when times get tough.”
Mr Eforti said that while Tradies In Sight was primarily based in Orange and Dubbo, if any organisation in Wagga, like Essential Energy, would like them to visit, they were happy to make the trip.
“We have this program, and I really believe that this can be delivered at any business who are prioritising mental health in the workplace,” he said.
“It’s providing skills that every person needs to have in terms of managing their own well-being.
“So we’re looking at it from a perspective that we go through some challenges in life, but we need to be aware of what those challenges are, what sort of support we can seek out.
“If any business, any organisation, that wants their staff supported in that way, we’re happy to come up and deliver the program to them.
“We have a website, Tradies in Sight.com, and we can be found on most forms of social media.”
For more information visit the Tradies in Sight website.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact:
Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis support line – 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800 or kidshelpline.com.au
MensLine Australia – 1300 789 978.
