November 1 2018

Today and yesterday have been perhaps two of the most important days the town has had this year.

Deniliquin marked Halloween like never before, Waring Gardens was a hive of activity and forty shops were doing a different kind of business, deciding whether to trick or treat customers.

But behind the dressing up, behind the masks, the smiles, the trick or treats, the sound of lollies going from hand to bags or buckets was an important message, mental health.

Life is getting harder across the board, technology that does so much for us every day is also causing social and psychological problems, weather patterns are inconsistent leaving farmers unsure about if the weather will reward them or punish them, food and fuel prices are going up, the economy is sluggish and there are many other problems faced every day.

It is a lot to take in and hopefully yesterday’s activities at Waring Gardens helped people learn more about mental health because one day they may need what they learned, it could save their life, it may save somebody else’s life.

Today was also an important day, it was the day over 40 locals, young and old stood in 37 degree weather to tell Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud that our area needs some of the water that is held by the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

Deniliquin is proud of those who were out there today, there were many more who wished they could of joined them but they had to work or look after family members but those at Town Hall were never far from their thoughts.

What connects Halloween and today is mental health, as the low rainfall total for 2018 continues on, pressure is building up on our local farmers, on our businesses and residents.

There is a lot of stress and anxiety going around, look after each other by keeping your eyes and ears open, listen to what people around you say and look for any sign of something they don’t say.

Keep campaigning for what you believe is right, the right for our farms to grow food and look after stock with water to spare for food, water and stock are three important ingredients of life.