Black Dog Riders stop in at Men's Shed

A group of motorcycle riders descended on Margaret River last week, stopping in at the Margaret River Men’s Shed as part of their journey on Friday morning.

The Men’s Shed hosted the Black Dog Riders from South Australia as part of the annual Black Dog Ride, which began in 2009 to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.

It has since evolved into a national charity involving thousands of Australians who have raised millions for mental health programs and fostered mental health awareness around the nation.

As well as the ‘long ride’ across Australia, annual ‘one day’ rides are held in March in every state and territory, while outreach programs extend to Australian youth, seniors and everyone in between.

Around twenty of the South Australian Black Dog Riders had ridden across from Esperance and Denmark up to Margaret River, and were joined by half a dozen others who had ridden across the north of Australia and down the west coast, to meet in Margaret River.

Men’s Shed members provided a cooked breakfast for the hungry riders before they set out to continue their ride to Fremantle later in the day.

Men’s Shed chair Terry Hutchings said the morning was one of camaraderie and support for the riders’ cause.

“We share common goals for suicide prevention,” Mr Hutchings explained.

“We discussed our ideas that the Margaret River Men’s Shed use to provide inclusiveness, companionship and connection to support positive mental health outcomes.”

“We were happy to host the riders, show them around the shed facilities, discuss our strategies for mental well-being and provide a healthy breakfast in the process,” he said.