Resilience in the face of a hidden battle

Around Broken Hill, Brendan Cullen is known as the manager of Kars Station, where he runs anywhere between 7,000 and 9,000 ewes across 60,000 hectares of rangeland country. Further afield, he’s the man who swam the English Channel – twice!

Swimming, whether it’s the ocean water between England and France or in the nearby Menindee Lakes, has become a critical part of the ‘mental health toolkit’ with which Brendan arms himself every day since beginning his recovery from depression.

“I would never have done that swim if I hadn’t walked into the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) clinic back in 2015,” Brendan said.

In the years since, Brendan has become a Lifeline Regional Ambassador and RFDS ‘Champion’ − a peer-support role with the RFDS to help others across rural Australia overcome challenges with their mental health.

In these roles, Brendan speaks at events, shares his own experiences, connects people with mental health services and makes himself known as a friend who can be called upon for support by anyone.

“People can call at any time,” Brendan said.

“Most of us ambassadors have lived experiences with mental health challenges so we can relate to people who are struggling in the bush, whether it’s from succession, finances, drought, or a death in the family. It could be anything.”

“If someone needs a leg up, we listen without judgement and help wherever we can,” he said.

Since becoming an ambassador, Brendan has witnessed a change in the attitudes towards mental health in rural areas, and noticed the stigma begin to fall away.

“On average, it takes about eight years for someone to put their hand up and ask for help, but I’ve seen a massive shift across rural Australia with so many programs that are making a difference.

Brendan is hoping to complete the ‘Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming’, with only the ‘20 Bridges Swim Around Manhattan’ to go.

Packing the toolkit

Living by ‘fit body, fit mind’, Brendan said sport got him through his hardest times.

“My family really supported me in doing what I needed to do to get me through.”

His journey saw him complete the English Channel swim twice and host a 100km ultramarathon at Kars Station.

More recently, Brendan swam the Catalina Channel, a 32km swim off the California coast.

All of these endeavours form part of his mental health toolkit – comprised of tools both conceptual and material.

“Mindfulness has been another important learning for me,” Brendan said.

“If you have a million things going on in your mind at once, mindfulness quiets everything and reminds me to eliminate all of the thoughts that aren’t useful.”

The toolkit even extends to his underwear drawer, where he keeps his antidepressants. Although he no longer uses them, they’re a daily reminder of what he’s been through and where he doesn’t want to return.

“Everyone’s toolkit will look different, but it’s important to have things on hand to stop you slipping back into bad habits.”

Sharing his story

In November, Brendan will share his experiences as the keynote speaker at MLA Updates in Adelaide (19–20 November).

“This is a positive story. I was diagnosed with depression, but I came out the other side.”

He hopes through sharing his story, he can help at least one person in the room.

“I can’t fix the problem through one conversation or through doing a keynote presentation, but I might inspire someone to go away and have a think, and a few of those people might pick up the phone and make that call,” Brendan said.

“I’m there to catch the people who want to be caught and have that conversation.”