Gotcha4Life Mental Fitness Round in Central West

Orange rugby was rocked when Emus lower grade Andrew Regan was left as an incomplete quadriplegic following a spinal injury sustained during a game of rugby union in April last year.

The club and Central West - wider NSW and Australian rugby community, too - rallied around the Regan family. It's the least everyone could do.

But the devastating accident left a lasting impact on those at Endeavour Oval that day.

Somewhat fortunately, the club had just months earlier appointed mental health first aid officers.

The innovative move was designed to help provide those who play with and call Emus home a place where they can feel safe to open up. As Gotcha4Life champion Gus Worland said at the time: "We have to look at emotion as a strength, not a weakness."

"Last year we had a rough period," Emus' Mark Buttenshaw said.

"We'd gone through (mental health first aid) course and then we had Andrew Regan have his incident. When you see another player get injured it hits close to home.

"We've found it to be so important to have those mental health officers there to catch up with people. It's been a great initiative, and something we're hoping to continue."

Last year mental health fitness round was also staged, which Forbes took part in at Orange due to Emus' strong relationship with the Platypi.

In 2023, though, such is the importance of the message behind the mental health round, all Blowes Clothing Cup clubs have jumped on board.

A historic moment, Emus, Forbes, Orange City, Dubbo Kangaroos, Bathurst Bulldogs and Cowra clubs will come together to mark the first Gotcha4Life Mental Fitness Round. Saturday night's Emus' Black Tie Scrum ball will also be supporting the cause.

All clubs' men's and women's teams will wear the same white socks, representing their shared commitment to promoting the importance of mental fitness throughout the region.

Supporting Gotcha4Life's mission to inspire and enable all Australians to proactively build their mental fitness so no one worries alone, this round aims to promote the wellbeing, both physical and mental, of all players and the broader Central West community.

"After last year we did a ring around to gauge interest among all of the clubs and everyone is really on board," Mr Buttenshaw said.

"A lot of clubs are really pushing forward in that area and raising awareness; being the club that everyone feels comfortable to open up in is an important step.

"Emus, as a community, a lot of people call us a family. We've done a few courses as a group and we're building mental fitness and feeling more comfortable to open up and share problems."

Mr Worland says it's crucial mental fitness and building emotional muscle is prioritised just as much as physical fitness. Especially now, according to Mental Health Australia, Ipsos 'Report to the Nation' in 2022, where one in two Australians needed mental health support in the last three months.

"You can be tough as nails on the field but also tough off the field," Mr Worland said.

"It's important to enable a space to share true emotion, to show vulnerability, to reach out and start great conversations, and support teammates."

Two community workshops will be held at in Orange on Tuesday, June 6 at 7pm and are open to anyone in the community aged 16 and over who would like to attend.

For more information on these community workshops, please contact Sophie Currenti from Orange Emus Rugby at scurrenti123@gmail.com or 0447 722 277.

Both Orange City and Orange Emus, at Pride Park and Endeavour Oval this weekend, will get behind the cause.

Emus will also have the club's Black Tie Scrum ball, which will be used to help raise funds for Gotcha4Life, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to fostering mental fitness within communities across Australia.

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