Register now for 2024 Busselton Black Dog Ride

The local community is being encouraged to get behind the local arm of the iconic 2024 Black Dog Ride by registering to ride in the One Dayer or participating in local fundraising to help start a national conversation about depression and suicide prevention.

The Black Dog Ride ‘One Dayer’ is a short, one day motorcycle ride to be held in more than 40 communities across Australia on Sunday, March 17, 2024.

This year’s Busselton ride will leave from Busselton Toyota and take participants on a journey through Nannup and finish at Dardanup for an afternoon of connection and fundraising.

There were 6,000 participants across the nation in the 2023 One Dayer, but organisers want to encourage more community members to get involved in 2024 to make it the biggest event yet.

Local Coordinator, Dave Bower, said joining the Black Dog Ride’s One Dayer was an enjoyable and meaningful way to help the organisation achieve its mission of starting conversations about depression and suicide prevention.

“More than 3,000 lives are lost to suicide in Australia every year, and one in five Aussies will be affected by mental illness every year, with three million living with depression or anxiety,” Mr Bower said.

“The tragic loss of loved ones to suicide is what drives Black Dog Ride to build a community culture of awareness, inclusion and acceptance, and we’d love for more people from the local community to get behind that in 2024.”

Black Dog Ride Australia General Manager Lawson Dixon said fostering awareness was the catalyst for encouraging help seeking behaviour and preventing suicide.

“We’ve been helping Aussies have conversations about mental health and suicide prevention for almost 14 years and we know that every conversation, every activity, every ride and every piece of awareness we help create has the potential to change lives for the better,” Mr Dixon said.

“Last year we were thrilled to have 6,000 people across the country register for their local One Dayer rides – this year we’re calling on the community to help us register 8,000 riders to help support our cause.”

Funds raised will help contribute to the Black Dog Ride Australia Community Grants program, which is focused on supporting initiatives that help people who suffer from mental illness, help prevent suicide, and raise awareness of both mental health and suicide prevention.

Local schools, clubs, community groups and individuals can also raise awareness of depression and suicide prevention and support the vital work of Black Dog Ride by organising local fundraising activities and events.

Locals are encouraged to register for the local One Dayer before the registration cost increases on February 1, by visiting: events.humanitix.com/busselton-wa-black-dog-ride-1-dayer-2024

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call one of the following national helplines: