A QUIRINDI youth is flying the flag for mental illness in rural Australia at the annual ABC Heywire Youth Summit in Canberra.
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Rory Pletikosic shared his struggle with mental illness to show people there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“I didn’t really understand how daunting it was until after I had submitted my story,” Rory said.
“But I’m glad I did. I’ve met some amazing people and we are doing some amazing things.”
The 18-year-old was one of 45 winners who gathered in Canberra this week to tell politicians what the youth of rural Australia need.
The participants are working together to develop ideas to effect positive change in their communities.
Rory said the increasing use of ice in rural and remote communities was an issue the group identified as needing attention.
“We’ve been working on our pitch – depending on how viable our solution is, we have the potential to get funding to implement a pilot,” Rory said.
One of the ideas they’ve been working on is a community workshop to provide support for and comfort to the families of ice users.
“You see the effects ice has on addicts, but you don’t see the effect it has on their family, friends and community,” Rory said.
When The Leader spoke to Rory, he had just been chosen to give a speech at the Heywire gala dinner at the national museum in front of 200 people.
“I’ve got to write the speech after this,” he said, laughing.
“I’ll use it as a chance to talk about mental illness in the bush.”
The Heywire experience has left Rory with a drive to build and improve the rural community.
“I’m keen to meet with (Tamworth MP) Kevin Anderson and (New England MP) Barnaby Joyce if I can, and talk to them about a few options about ice and mental illness,” he said.
To read Rory’s Heywire submission, visit abc.net.au/heywire