Builder climbing peak 53 times to raise mental health awareness

Glen Thurston will be hiking Corner Peak in Lake Hawea to raise awareness of suicides within the...
Glen Thurston will be hiking Corner Peak in Lake Hawea to raise awareness of suicides within the construction industry. PHOTO: ASPEN BRUCE
Wanaka builder Glen Thurston will be walking the talk this summer, climbing Corner Peak 53 times over December and January to raise awareness about mental health.

Mr Thurston launched Turn the Corner, a 53-day event in which he will climb Corner Peak 53 times, to represent the average annual deaths from suicide within the construction industry since 2017.

The event will start on December 1 and finish on January 22.

Mr Thurston said the hike was focused on changing culture and getting people talking about their struggles with mental health.

"Suicide is everyone’s problem. We’re not mind-readers, but we can be compassionate. The thing that’s going to make the change is conversation, and that doesn’t cost a cent," Mr Thurston said.

He acknowledged the impacts of struggles with mental health were not limited solely to the person experiencing distress, but family, friends and work too.

"I think as people, we each have a duty to our communities to be opening up these conversations and checking in," Mr Thurston said.

He alongside work colleagues have been trained through the Mates in Construction programme, which focuses on equipping construction workers with the skills to navigate unfamiliar conversations.

Mates in Construction senior field officer Slade McFarland acknowledged that mental health challenges within construction were not new.

"It’s always been there and we’ve never talked about it. We talk a great game about safety, but when it comes to mental health, it’s behind closed doors," Mr MacFarland said.

Mr Thurston will be joined by several community groups and businesses during the 53-day event, and more than 41 have registered on the Turn the Corner website.

Registrations will remain open until all spots have been filled.

aspen.bruce@odt.co.nz

 

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