Headmaster Seminar Series – The Honourable Jeff Kennett AC
We were very excited to welcome to the School the Hon Jeff Kennett AC as our guest speaker on Tuesday 12 May 2015.
The Hon Jeff Kennett AC is the founder and Board Chairman of national depression initiative beyondblue and the former Premier of Victoria. beyondblue is an Australian, independent non-profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related mental disorders by raising awareness and understanding, empowering people to seek help, and support recovery, management and resilience.
Mr Kennett spoke about the origins of beyondblue which was established in October 2000 as a national five year initiative to create a community response to depression. It became a major force in shaping public policy and introducing new programs in mental health. Now, with approximately 100 staff, beyondblue continues its work in the areas of research, providing educational material and a 24 hour help line.
Mr Kennett’s key message was not to expect government to improve your quality of life. He went on to suggest four things to assist with dealing with stress and anxiety:
- Give thanks every morning simply for waking up and for being alive to enjoy the new day.
- Use the gift of life as a “rock” on which you base critical events in your life, including stress and anxiety.
- Consider good health to be your foremost priority.
- Retire to bed at night sufficiently tired to ensure you get a good night's sleep.
Mr Kennett also highlighted the value of waking up with an agenda each day and the importance of this especially for those in retirement.
Hutchins thanks Mr Kennett for speaking to us and offering tools to deal with change, stress and anxiety.