Mental health used to have a week – the second week of October – but in more recent years the week has turned into a month.

For many years, mental health has been the elephant in the room, and only spoken of or discussed with a degree of secrecy and privacy that has not always been helpful.

Certainly, prior to the discovery of appropriate treatment, medications and rehabilitation, mental illness was close to disastrous in its consequences, not only for the sufferer, but for their families, friends and acquaintances.

Psychiatric hospitals were no-go zones and relationships fell apart, often never to be re-established.

Thankfully we now live in the 21^st Century, medical research and knowledge continues to advance, and assistance of a variety of services is available and accessible.

Bloomfield Hospital and community services, Lifeline, Beyond Blue, Headspace to name just a few are being accessed and utilised to good advantage.

Mental illness affects people of all ages, sexuality and social levels without any discrimination, and is diagnosed in people from teens to later life.

Many people are unaware that Bloomfield Hospital conducts both in- and out-patient services for boys and girls, as well as adults.

Orange’s Ronald McDonald House has been of huge assistance to families with mentally-ill offspring who have had to travel huge distances to get the help they need.

This facility depends on volunteers to provide the service to ensure that the house lives up to its wonderful reputation.

MOST charities depend on volunteers for their survival.

One such charity that has had a fairly public face especially over the last couple of months is the Bloomfield Hospital Auxiliary.

This is an affiliated branch of the United Hospitals Auxiliaries of NSW, and exists to provide amenities and comforts at both personal and communal levels to the clientele of the Mental Health Service.                                              

The people of Orange and surrounding districts have been both generous and supportive of the giant raffle the auxiliary has been promoting.

This is an annual event dependent on the contribution of wonderful prizes donated by businesses and individuals of the Orange community, the generosity of all those purchasing tickets, and the zeal and devotion of the members and friends who have filled the rosters for selling the tickets over the past couple of months.

The raffle will drawn at a meeting on Wednesday and all 10 prize winners will be contacted and publicised.

Well done, good and faithful.

Anyone who feels moved to lend a hand to help the work of the auxiliary would be more than welcome.

We meet monthly on the second Wednesday at 12.30pm in the Barwon building at Bloomfield.

Like all other voluntary organisations, it is difficult to attract members, but it is such a necessary service we provide, it would be sad to see it close.