Mates rally to beat the blues

By Paul Pickering
THE loss of a mate inspired Rob Shinners’ search for a silver lining, and he seems to have found it.
The Endeavour Hills resident is the organiser of the inaugural Chris Thompson Cup charity luncheon, which will be held at Narre Warren’s Kalora Park this Saturday as a precursor to the Casey Cardinia League football clash between Narre Warren and Tooradin Dalmore. The trophy has been struck in memory of the late Chris Thompson, a former Narre Warren and Tooradin Dalmore player who took his own life in November 2005 after a lengthy battle with depression, alcohol and drugs. He was 41.
Mr Shinners is hoping that the event – supported by the Beyond Blue depression initiative – can salvage something positive out of the death of his long-time friend, schoolmate and Tooradin team-mate.
He believes that by talking candidly about his friend’s battle, he can help encourage greater awareness about the dangers of isolation and substance abuse, and the role sporting clubs can play in keeping the lines of communication open.
“Chris was fantastic company, creative and courageous,” Mr Shinners recalled last week.
“He was a deep thinker, he was community-minded and had high values and morals, but along the way he got hooked up with alcohol and drugs.
“The message that we’re trying to send is that we need to support each other before we get to that stage.”
According to Mr Shinners, Mr Thompson lost that support network when a serious ankle injury brought a premature end to his budding Victorian Football League career with Footscray.
He spiralled into a series of bouts of depression and substance abuse, before joining Tooradin Dalmore, where he played for 10 years, including a stint as coach of the reserves.
After his involvement with the club finished, Mr Thompson resumed his dependency on alcohol and drugs. “While he was connected (through the club), he had people he could talk to,” Mr Shinners said.
“That’s the great thing about football clubs and netball clubs; that you do have a veneer of people there to help you.
“The football and the fitness is great, but it’s more than that. It’s about being connected and associated with something – it gives you self-esteem.”
Mr Shinners acknowledged that it’s sometimes difficult, for men in particular, to share their problems with friends and team-mates, but he believed progress was being made.
“We’re trying to break down that stoic approach,” he said.
“It’s OK to have problems and hurdles, and if you talk about it you’ve got a chance to break down some of those barriers.”
Mr Shinners is hoping that the Chris Thompson Cup will become an annual reminder of the need to look out for each other, with Tooradin Dalmore set to host the event next year.
Saturday’s luncheon will be chaired by 3AW radio general manager Shane Healy, with panellists including clinical psychologist Dr Candice Boyd.
For more information on the event, call Rob on 9706 1227 or Bev on 0418 347 907.