Mullaway man running from Uluru to WA for kids charity Coffs Coast by News Of The Area - Modern Media - June 20, 2021 Matthew Jeffery – in his official running gear – footy shirt and a big smile. MULLAWAY man Matthew Jeffery, is running from Uluru through the Great Central Road to Laverton in Western Australia across 1200k starting on or around June 15. He’s raising funds for his mate’s children’s charity, It’s NOT Your Fault 4 Kids which supports youngsters with trauma from abuse and violence. But Matt was not a runner until about a year ago. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au What changed? “I’d been dealing with depression and lost a young Mulloway mate from suicide. “I’d even attempted suicide myself, buying new rope from Bunnings and hanging myself from the garage rafters; when the rope broke, I lay on the ground crying for five hours. “I knew I didn’t want this for myself, I was just tapping out.” Struggling with depression Matt always had a yearning inside himself for something more in life and even with places like RUOK, he found nobody with the tools to help him. “I started to run to burn through my depression. “I started posting some photos on Facebook with words like ‘walk through the eye of the storm’ and ‘make conscious choices’ and people were commenting.” There were days when Matt would wake up to dozens of messages about mental health issues, even from friends of his parents, a diverse group with one thing in common – struggling with depression. Seeking to get his message ‘out there’ about mental health, that “depression doesn’t care what your background is”, Matt approached a mate who runs the charity which caters to child safety in society and runs a retreat for kids. “I wanted to get involved in helping the cause, not the problem and give back to that community. “Nothing changes if nothing changes, “I’ve had to dig deep within myself for some time…with running I’m on top of my game.” The purpose of this trip is to let children know they are not alone and teach people what happens to children when we lose ourselves to hatred, anger, hurt and fear and act out in front of our kids. Donate here: https://gofund.me/dade657b Follow Matthew Jeffery on Facebook. By Andrea FERRARI The 1200k run for Matthew from Mullaway.
