Depression advocate hits back roads

For Storn Petterson, it is important to discuss hitting rock bottom.

The mental health advocate was driving alone six years ago, speeding along a road while on the phone to a friend, full throttle towards a thick jarrah tree.

If it was not for his friend’s kind words, the drive could have ended in a potentially fatal crash.

Despite the event, Mr Petterson, pictured, now spends much of his time behind the wheel of his VE Holden Commodore SS driving to rural WA towns in a bid to raise awareness about men’s depression.

Mr Petterson, a former sign-writer, was among exhibitors at the Newdegate Machinery Field Days, held on September 4-5, encouraging farmers to speak up if they are under a dark cloud.

The burly larrikin said it was important to get men to talk about their feelings.

“With many farmers, they can spend a lot of time with only their own thoughts in the paddock,” he said.

“It makes it easy to quickly turn any problem from a molehill into a mountain and that can get you thinking in a wrong area, which can lead to a darker area.

“The regional areas are very important because suicide is right across the board.”