09 October 2008

Minister presents top awards for Mental Health Innovators

Fifteen people who have made an outstanding contribution in the field of mental health have been officially recognised.

Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Mental Health) Barbara Perry said the Mental Health Matters Awards recognised innovators across NSW in the arts, cultural and linguistic diversity, industry, and community organisations.

Minister Perry said the group, who received the awards yesterday, was being recognised during Mental Health Week.

“There are some brilliant achievements in the field of mental health being made by outstanding individuals and organisations,” Ms Perry said.

“Each one of these winners has touched the lives of people suffering a mental illness.

"They are making the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable people richer and more rewarding and mostly doing this in their own time.”

Among the award recipients were:

• Sydney artist Steve Mori who has overseen the creation of more than 200 artworks by patients that now decorate Sydney’s new Concord Centre for Mental Health.
• A consumer advocate and former mental health patient who helped raise more than $3000 towards exercise equipment for use by mental health patients while they are in hospital.
• Fay Jackson from Vision In Mind who provides mental health first aid training for Family Law Court managers and staff.

Mental Health Week NSW, coordinated by the Mental Health Association, features more than 100 events across NSW that are designed to educate people about mental health issues including anxiety and depression.

As well as the awards, the Healthy Mind Festival, a free lunch time event also took place yesterday in Martin Place featuring 13 ‘living libraries’, dance performances, a Leunig cartoon exhibition and free massages.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au