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THESE TWO IRISH brothers are breaking the taboo of mental health in Australia as they try to break records by hosting an event in honour of family and friends they lost.
Will and Mick Magee moved to Sydney five years ago, and have since re-established their original Irish mental health fundraiser, the Light Ball, which they founded after the suicide deaths of their mother and friend.
Will described how the austerity years had crippled large parts of the population’s pay packets. But what it also did was drive people into poor mental health.
Will explained: “Both Mick and I had well regarded university degrees, yet couldn’t clear €50 a week. The financial lull was felt by everyone, but particularly a close friend, Colin Baker, who was also our housemate at the time, was really struggling.”
Mick was the one to discover Colin’s body after he took his own life.
Will added: “This was the second time Mick and I had experienced ill mental health and the aftermath of suicide, after experiencing our mother’s mental health demise, which resulted in suicide six years’ earlier.”
In an effort to pick up the pieces and build strength in the community, Will and Mick started searching for ways to support those who are living with mental health issues.
“Our aim was to break down the stigma of mental health. We knew to do this we had to encourage the community to talk about, and make people aware of the channels available to them if they were living with mental health and supporting said charities so they have continued access to support services.”
The Light Ball grew out of this and the first of its kind was held in Ireland in 2012 and was brought to Australia in 2015 after the brothers moved across.
It is now about to run into its third consecutive year, and is aiming to surpass last year’s total and break the $150,000 mark for beneficiaries batyr and Pieta House.
Will added: “We’ve been blown away by the continued success of the Light Ball and the success encountered in terms of numbers through the door, funds raised and celebrity support.
“The event encompasses all walks of the community, not just Irish, but Aussies and the broader community alike. This is an issue for all communities.
“The Light Ball is the most important calendar event of the year for Mike and I; we’re bringing awareness to mental health, through the power of 15 friends, while remembering our mum and best mate at the same time.”
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If a company like Pfizer can vaccinate their entire workforce and now starting to vaccinate their families as well, shouldn’t questions be asked why they can’t provide the same service to the Irish taxpayer considering they are looked after handsomely with our low corporate tax rate
@Murph11: Provide the vaccines free ? Favour us over other countries ? Worth remembering as well, those low corporate tax rates provide thousands of workers with well paid jobs, from which the exchequer is looked after handsomely by way of income tax receipts.
@Tommy Roche: I fully understand Tommy. I’m a frontline worker and was classed as such prior to the pandemic. I still have to go out and deal with what I always dealt with and haven’t even been prioritised yet. Just annoys me
@Murph11: honest to god. You might as well ask if Dublin GAA can outfit their whole squads and coaches with gear, why can’t they do it for every Dub?
@Murph11: they have been working extremely hard the last 14 months. A lot of places give their staff perks. This must be one of the best. We’ll done all in Pfizer and thanks. Thanks for the other special pill also !
I do not trust the vaccination go to the fda and its not approved their head has said they will not be approved until fully agreed its safe for everyone, why are our elderly parents in homes who have had their 2 doses of the vaccination not been given their freedom too see and hug their loved ones, why are people who are fully vacanated told to act if they are not we can’t were a mask forever, 99.9 percent of our population have survived we want our life back, to hug to see smiles and breath fresh air love to all
@John Leonard: because people who are vaccinated can still pass the virus on to people who aren’t vaccinated so until enough people are vaccinated things can’t go back to how they were.
Provides less than 5% of irelands vaccines so far. So these people will be waiting
@john s: got my Moderna on Sunday. Haven’t met to many people who have had it. Just a sore arm so far, no mad zombies symptoms as of yet.
@Ann Mc Shane: my sister in the US got it, second dose last week caused some discomfort, shakes, nausea, headache.
Recommendations over there are to take in plenty of water in the two days prior to the second dose.
@Ann Mc Shane: My neighbour in her late 60s got the Moderna. She’s the only one I know who did, but she said she had no side effects at all.
@Derdaly: yeah just a sore arm but to be expected. Supposedly one of the best ones to take
If it was good enough for Dolly Parton, it would be good enough for me.
Not great but better than nothing.
I got it
That’s good re Moderna. Where are the rest of them in this? 1.3 billion people in India and they’re making most vax.
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