Hawaiian Ride for Youth cyclists met with applause in Narrogin going on to raise $2m for mental health

Cyclists steadfast on making their mark in the youth mental health space were met with applause by Narrogin students and staff on Thursday afternoon.

Riding 700km to raise $2m for mental health services, the annual Hawaiian Ride for Youth visited the WA College of Agriculture Narrogin and Narrogin Senior High School on March 26.

For its 24th year, about 170 riders and 40 support crew members made the journey from Albany to Perth, passing through 18 towns across the coast, inland and Wheatbelt regions, between March 24 and 28.

They also made a stop off in Katanning during their journey.

About 450km in, a convoy of 38 riders were welcomed to Narrogin SHS by a crowd of students and staff cheering, high-fiving and applauding the riders for the kilometres they had crossed to be there.

Lucas O’Farrell said his father was one of the original Hawaiian riders, and after first joining his dad for the event’s 20th anniversary five year ago, he has completed every ride since.

Having experienced physical health issues as a child, Mr O’Farrell said his mental health was protected by his support network, and he does the Hawaiian to ensure kids struggling know they have support too.

“One of the strongest things we get from visiting schools is the speakers being vulnerable, they share their story and as a result we encourage kids to share their own,” he said.

“Often that conversation is the first step to finding a fix.”

Speaking to the Narrogin SHS Year 9 cohort, rider Jon Caulfield shared his now-20-year-old daughter Sasha’s story, telling the students that his joyful and happy girl’s mental health declined as a teen and continued deteriorating over the years.

Mr Caulfield told the room that she did try to take her life.

“The initial reaction as a parent was to wrap her in cotton wool, but we couldn’t do that,” he said.

“We still had to let her have her independence and show her that we trusted her, so she could try and get back on track.

“Since that very difficult period, Sasha has made very significant progress with her mental health from lots of support she’s received along the way.”

Through this time, Mr Caulfield said one of the main positives is the strong and open communication they’ve developed which includes a five stage chart to navigate her mental health.

Mr Caufield delivered Sasha’s message to the students: “No matter how bad you’re feeling right now, it’ll pass, things will get better.”

“Reach out to someone when things are bad, don’t be alone with your darkest thoughts, find someone to get you through,” he said.

“Find beauty in the little things — a sunset, marvel at the amazing colours.

“It is OK not to be OK, it’s important to have someone to confide with when things aren’t going well, being a parent, sibling, teacher or close friends,” he said.

“Letting someone know that things are not good can literally save your life.”