Hello

Hi my name is Phillip Godfrey and I am a proud Noongar/Yamaji/Wadjella man. I grew up in Waroona in the south west of Western Australia. Last year was the one of the toughest years of my life. I would like to share some of my story and hopefully help others by raising awareness about Mental Health and suicide prevention. A few years back, I survived an attack at work. A workmate drilled me in the side of the head with a running battery drill. Instead of dealing with it properly back then, I wanted to forget it ever happened. From that, I suffered with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). My anxiety increased especially around my right hand side and when approached from behind. Anxiety turned into my biggest barrier, it began to affect every part of my life. This made me feel like a burden to my wife and family, as well as my workmates. That feeling turned into a deep dark depression and then the thought that this world would be better without me in it. After a few close calls and plans made, thankfully I spoke up to my amazing wife and together we started to get the help I needed. As part of my healing process I took up painting. They say "Art therapy can provide a safe space for people to express themselves and feel more in control". This is exactly how it made me feel. I did a painting of a dragonfly and thought it would look cool on a shirt. So I got one printed with a little quote I liked on the back. So many people asked me about it and I thought that maybe I could help get people talking about mental health and suicide prevention and maybe sell a couple shirts.  I don’t pretend to be the best artist or to know everything about healing others but I found it healing to talk with others and listening to others stories made me feel I wasn’t alone. One conversation saved my life and if I can help save one person then it’s all worth it. Be kind to yourself peeps. Phill