Nutrien Ag Solutions and Elders team up for mental health fundraiser at Albury

CW: this story contains content about suicide. 

"Our team has been personally impacted by suicide on several occasions and we have banded together to get through some very tough days, but it's out of that that we're ready to unite to make a stand about mental health being such a big issue in our communities, committing to the TIACS slogan of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’,” said Tim Robinson, Branch Manager Paull and Scollard Nutrien. 

TIACS (‘This is a conversation starter’) is a free text and free phone and text counselling service offering mental health support to Australia’s blue collar community. 

Brett Shea, Livestock Manager for Elders Albury said the pressure on stock and station agents in dealing with mental health and suicide is very significant, due to the close relationships with clients and staff who may be impacted. 

"We have many talented young men and women in both of our businesses that deal with the extremes that agriculture throws at us. This is our commitment to them and to our communities – we are in complete support of this cause,” said Brett. 

"We will swap our pink and green shirts for the loud and colourful TradeMutt shirts for this sale, to get people starting conversations about mental health and help make an invisible issue impossible to ignore." 

The fundraiser will begin with an online auction offering various products including animal health products, leather goods, accommodation packages, accounting packages, vouchers and more. The auction commences Tuesday, 2nd May and concludes Thursday, 4th May via AuctionsPlus. Registration is required to bid. 

A charity steer auction will also offered at the Albury store sale on Thursday, 4th May 2023 at the Albury Saleyards and also through AuctionsPlus. The Angus steer has been donated by Co-Branch Manager at Paull and Scollard Nutrien, Luke Deimel and his wife Abby.  

Cash donations will also be accepted at the sale, with product donations warmly welcomed by contacting either Paull and Scollard Nutrien or Elders Albury. 

All fund raised will be donated directly to TIACS. 

TIACS is a free text and call service direct to mental health counsellors, Monday to Friday 8am - 10pm AEST. Since launching in 2020 the TIACS team have supported over 16,000 tradies, truckies, rural and blue collar workers and those that care about them. The difference with TIACS is it is the mental health counselling service you tell your mates about. It has been created to help remove the physical and financial barriers that a lot of rural people face when trying to access professional mental health support. 

If you or anyone you know would like to speak to a mental health counsellor free and ongoing, please text or call TIACS now on 0488 846 988. 

Other 24/7 crisis support and mental health organisations include: 

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 

• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 

• MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78