Over 700 people gathered for the annual Melbourne Flynn’s Walk along the Williamstown Bay Trail on Sunday, April 29.
Flynn’s Walk is a small and emerging Australian registered charity working to encourage meaningful conversations and spread awareness of the mental health challenges faced by veterinary professionals in their line of work.
President Jack Levitt said the need for support has grown and Flynn’s Walk has become the platform for people to get together.
“It was awesome, we had a great turnout of people and a huge show of support,” he said.
Mr Levitt said people are looking for a space to engage in conversations around mental health and their work struggles, the response has been that it is long overdue.
“People have come up to me on the day telling me they really needed this,” he said.
Mr Levitt said the turnout is usually around the 500 mark but this was the biggest year since 2019, showing that the issue around veterinary struggles have been amplified since COVID.
The event lasted for three hour , the group walked and then headed back to the starting point for the free sausage sizzle and raffle draw.
“For a year we have had corporate support from the Petbarn Foundation, they have given us money to allow us to have food and beverages to entice people to come,” he said.
“We also had 25 prizes donated through local businesses, allowing us to raise money and sell tickets that way,” he said.
The money raised at the walks is used to keep the events running each year to help keep the conversation moving.
“We are now also directing funding towards well being initiatives and workshops for veterinary people to enhance their wellness,” he said.
Jennifer Pittorino
