An 11-year-old South West boy is pedalling to raise money and awareness for blue collar mental health

An 11-year-old from the South West is gearing up to start pedalling to raise money and awareness about mental health for blue collar workers. Joining Busselton’s Banjo Casey on his mental health charity ride will be a team of cyclists who will embark on the epic two-day ride from Perth to Busselton. The team will include the Georgiana Molloy Anglican School student’s two best friends aged 11 and nine from Perth. The ride has been organised by Van Ryt Industries, with charity partner This is a Conversation Starter, starting on Thursday. Banjo said he was feeling nervous about the challenge, which he has been preparing for outside of school hours. “I’m feeling pretty nervous, but it’s going to be a good one,” he said. ‘I’m mostly doing rides to Dunsborough and back or to the marina after school on weekdays. I’m looking forward to getting to the finish line.” Banjo’s mother Amy Melville said her son was an avid rider already, but road cycling was a “new territory”. “He has ridden for as long as we can remember, BMX, downhill, etc. but this road bike business is new,” she said. “They have a (fundraising) target of $20,000 and $11,000 has been raised already. “He’s got a lot of family and friends who work in construction or in farming or in those (blue collar) industries, and I think doing the ride represents his support of those in that area. “We know that young men in construction are two times more likely to to have mental health issues or die of suicide as a result of being in the construction industry, compared to other young men in Australia who aren’t. “It’s important to bring awareness to it because you’re never too young to have a conversation, and to chat with your friends and others in the community. “Making an issue visible and heard is important, because I think it’s a changing world. The boys, and girls, and everyone is going to be up against it, and they’re never too young to start having strategies or a toolbox of ideas around dealing with mental health.” Lifeline 13 11 14