S1: From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host Sam Colley.
S2: Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
S2: for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness
S2: and low vision.
S3: Vision loss especially, can put people from a mental point
S3: of view in some pretty challenging times, and it can
S3: definitely test one's mental health. It definitely has done for
S3: me and I wanted to raise more awareness, start more conversations,
S3: and hopefully in doing so, raise some money for an
S3: organization that does some work in that space as well,
S3: and provides a mental health counseling support service.
S2: Welcome to the program. This week we've got Ben Pettengill
S2: on the show to talk about 30 to 49 blind,
S2: a year long run for mental health that has been
S2: embarking on in 2024. That conversation with Ben is coming
S2: up very shortly, so make sure to stick around. And
S2: then after we hear from Ben, Liz Dalakouras is back,
S2: the editor of For Your Information, otherwise known as FII.
S2: And to wrap up the show, Marie is back now.
S2: You heard from her last week catching up with Karan Nagrani,
S2: the emcee of the Blind Australian of the year awards.
S2: All this time she's talking to the winner of the award,
S2: Courtney Welbeck. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of
S2: Talking Vision. In 2024, Ben Pettengill is running to start
S2: more conversations about mental health, normalize talking about the tough stuff,
S2: and smash the stigma that still exists along the way.
S2: He set out to run 3249km over the year in
S2: a project called 3049 blind. On average, that's nine kilometres
S2: a day every day. And if you know anything about Ben,
S2: there's a few challenges going along with that, so I'll
S2: let him fill you in on the details, as it's
S2: my great pleasure to be joined by Ben right now. Ben,
S2: thank you so much for joining me today. Welcome to
S2: Talking Vision.
S3: Thanks so much for having me, Sam.
S2: Appreciate it. Now, Ben, let's get a bit of background
S2: to yourself in case our listeners aren't aware. And then
S2: we might also just get a bit of an overview
S2: of 3249 blind.
S3: Yeah. Absolutely, mate. So, uh, I suppose the background for
S3: me in terms of me living with low vision, uh,
S3: I was 16 years old when I had a headache
S3: one day and ended up losing 98% of my eyesight overnight. Um,
S3: the next day. So it was quite, quite sudden and
S3: quite life changing at 16 and a couple of weeks
S3: down the track, after a lot of testing, a lot
S3: of time in the Eye and Ear hospital in Melbourne, uh,
S3: we eventually came to the conclusion that I had the
S3: rare genetic syndrome that is leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. And
S3: as well as getting that diagnosis, uh, we also got
S3: the news that unfortunately, at the moment, Leber's is incurable.
S3: And we got told then and there that it wasn't
S3: something that was going to be able to be fixed. Um,
S3: there was different things that were trialed and, and whatnot, but, uh,
S3: at the end of the day couldn't be fixed. Nothing
S3: could be done about it. And that was going to
S3: be my life moving forward.
S2: You've also been embarking on quite an important project this year,
S2: in particular running for mental health. 3249 blind. This is
S2: a topic super close to your heart and a topic
S2: really important to so many people out there who do
S2: experience a range of mental health challenges that go with
S2: vision loss and all the dark places that can take
S2: people to naturally when they do experience these sorts of things. Yeah.
S3: Pardon the pun, with the dark places there. Yes. Because
S3: vision loss can lead to a lot of dark places,
S3: both physically and metaphorically. Sam. You're right. And yeah. So three, two, four,
S3: nine blind was an idea I came up with at
S3: the end of last year. It was probably something that
S3: had been playing on my mind for a while. I
S3: was always that sort of person that wanted to continue
S3: to push myself and really explore what the limits are
S3: of not being able to see. And that has come
S3: previously in the form of crossing the Kokoda Track in
S3: Papua New Guinea a couple of times, water ski racing,
S3: obstacle course racing, a whole range of different things. But
S3: they'd been probably a five year period where I hadn't
S3: done a lot for me and really to push myself
S3: and being a professional speaker. Speaking on stages right around
S3: the country with corporate organizations, conferences, in schools, I was
S3: having this nagging thought and feeling along the lines of,
S3: you're getting up on stages and you're talking the talk.
S3: But I wasn't necessarily continuing to walk the walk. And
S3: as you said, I'm also super passionate about mental health.
S3: I think vision loss especially can, as you say, put
S3: people from a mental point of view in some pretty
S3: challenging times and it can definitely test one's mental health.
S3: It definitely has done for me over the 13 years
S3: that I've lived without being able to see. And I
S3: wanted to raise more awareness, start more conversations, and hopefully
S3: in doing so, raise some money for an organization that
S3: does some work in that space as well, and provides
S3: a mental health counseling support service, which then needs to
S3: be more of. So that's our 3249 blind came about.
S3: That's where we came up with the challenge. and the
S3: reason behind the number is in Australia in 2022, we
S3: lost 3249 lives to suicide in this country, which is
S3: on average nine lives a day. Seven out of nine
S3: of those are blokes, so the stats are pretty scary
S3: and pretty sad when you hear them like that, but
S3: it doesn't sound like all that much when you just
S3: say nine k's a day. But when you say, yeah,
S3: nine k's a day every day, and then throw in
S3: the added challenge of doing it without being able to
S3: see where you're going, I think that's what's made it
S3: that little bit more difficult this year. And not only that,
S3: it's not a challenge that I've set time aside for
S3: and said right, for this month or this three month
S3: period or whatever it happens to be, I'm going to
S3: run 3249km, and that is my only focus this year.
S3: We've welcomed our second child into the family. I've got
S3: work commitments, I've been on the road traveling a lot
S3: for work. So two young kids, all of that thrown
S3: in the mix. It's very much as mental health is
S3: juggling this challenge in and amongst everything else that life
S3: throws my way.
S2: We'll get back into how the challenges going, in particular
S2: in amongst all that hectic stuff going on in your life.
S2: And congratulations, by the way, on the arrival of your
S2: second little one, that's always a fantastic thing to experience.
S2: So congratulations to you and your family on that. But
S2: I'd love to continue on that very serious topic of
S2: lowering that number, that 3249. That number is, as we
S2: can all agree, far too high. And so these things
S2: are super important to addressing that and hopefully encouraging people
S2: out there to get the help that they deserve. So
S2: what sort of mental health organizations have you been chatting
S2: with over the course of the project of, you know,
S2: 30 to 49 blind who's been involved?
S3: Yeah. So the the main beneficiary of the challenge is
S3: a mental health support service called T X, and T
S3: X is a free mental health support service for tradies, truckies, farmers,
S3: blue collar workers as well as their loved ones and
S3: their families. And the reason in particular that I chose
S3: to work with t x. There was a whole range
S3: of different mental health organisations that I could have chosen,
S3: but this one in particular for me is really closely
S3: connected to one probably where a lot of my mates
S3: are in terms of industry and where they work. Um,
S3: probably where I would have ended up working if I
S3: hadn't have lost my eyesight. And also a number of
S3: industries where those stats behind those suicide numbers are the worst.
S3: Because in trades, in agriculture, in rural and regional areas,
S3: the stigma is probably larger than what it is in
S3: metro areas around mental health. Um, so there's less people
S3: speaking up, there's less access to support. So that's why
S3: I wanted to support an organisation Organization that was probably
S3: going to target some of those people that are the
S3: least likely to speak up and seek help and seek
S3: support when they need it most. And like I said,
S3: it also supports a lot of my mates in the
S3: same way.
S2: Yeah, and there is, as you said, a lot of
S2: those attitudes out there amongst blokes of, oh, you know,
S2: I'll be right. I'll just, you know, keep keeping on and,
S2: you know, it'll just sort itself out and blah, blah, blah. And,
S2: and sometimes of course, that doesn't really happen. That isn't
S2: the case. And, you know, things can get worse. And sometimes,
S2: you know, people may not feel they have the support
S2: network or know where to reach out or what to do,
S2: or you know how to do that. So that's another
S2: important message to get out there, that there is help
S2: and there are people out there that they can speak to.
S2: So another important aspect there. But Ben, I'm really keen
S2: to hear how three two, four, nine blind has been going.
S2: How many K's have you racked up so far this year?
S2: And amongst all of the hectic life balancing challenges and
S2: things like that.
S3: Can I have an easier question, Sam? Well, no.
S2: That's my job. I have to ask the hard questions, unfortunately.
S3: Yeah, you got to ask the hard hitting questions 100%. No,
S3: I to be completely honest, the challenge hasn't been as
S3: easy as I would have liked it to have been.
S3: But I suppose that's why it's a challenge, isn't it?
S3: If it was easy and I got to the end
S3: of it and it wasn't challenging, then it's not sort
S3: of necessarily not not worth doing. But I think it
S3: just showcases how hard it has been from not just
S3: a balanced perspective, but managing injury. There's been 2 or
S3: 3 significant injuries throughout the year, which has put me
S3: well and truly behind where I wanted to be at
S3: this point in time. So what are we nearly three
S3: months to go in the year and I've I'm at
S3: the halfway point. So about the 1800 K mark now.
S3: And look that's.
S2: Still quite a few. I've got a you know got
S2: to give you a shout out there that's, you know,
S2: not a small number.
S3: No it's not a small number, especially given the time
S3: I've had to have off with a significant hip injury,
S3: a knee injury and an Achilles as well. And it
S3: was one of those things that I thought, do I
S3: keep pushing through and make things worse and potentially make
S3: the challenge impossible to complete? Um, so it was very
S3: much a balancing act there. And initially I've had so
S3: many people saying offer to do kilometres for me, or
S3: if they donate X amount of money, can that reduce
S3: the number of kilometres that I've got to do? And
S3: I keep saying in response, this number is so significant.
S3: And the whole reason behind the challenge is one kilometre
S3: represents every life lost to suicide. It's not something that
S3: a little bit of money here and there can just
S3: reduce the overall sort of tally. So I want to
S3: get the kilometres done one way or the other, but
S3: it has gotten to a point now still managing injury
S3: that I've thought, look, it's more about getting the kilometres done.
S3: It doesn't matter how I necessarily do them. So I'm
S3: going to probably get to the end of the year
S3: and not be able to say that I ran every
S3: single kilometre. However, I'm now doing a combination of running
S3: and walking just to manage those injuries, and it does
S3: mean I've got to do about 18km a day between
S3: now and the end of the year to get those
S3: kilometres done, so not impossible. Um, it's definitely going to
S3: be a big three months between now and the end
S3: of the year, but that's where I'm at at the moment.
S2: So you haven't really considered extending the time period. That's
S2: not really on the radar, is it? You're sort of
S2: the idea is to get it all done in 2024.
S2: Has that been a consideration? All amongst the things that
S2: have happened with the injuries and stuff in the family
S2: and stuff like that? I don't think anyone can have
S2: any bad word to say about extending it to 18 months,
S2: but that's probably not really been on the radar, has it?
S3: Uh, no, not not as yet. Again, I think that'll
S3: be a if there's more kilometres than physically possible to
S3: do come the 31st of December. I'll consider it then.
S3: But again, the whole reason behind the number is it's
S3: the number of lives lost in a calendar year. Yeah. That's.
S2: Yeah. You can't. Yeah. That's not changing.
S3: And do that over 18 months or two years, I
S3: feel like it doesn't have quite the same level of
S3: connection that it does. And ideally, I would like to
S3: have nine kilometres left to do on the 31st of December,
S3: because on the 1st of January this year I did
S3: nine kilometres, so it would be good to finish with
S3: nine kilometres, representing the average number of lives we lose
S3: per day on that last day of the year. Even
S3: though there's been ups and downs in between and there's
S3: been days of plenty more kilometres, I think my biggest
S3: day I've done this year has been nearly 35 K's
S3: in a day. Oh my god. And then yeah, there's
S3: definitely been some smaller ones and some days off as well.
S3: But yeah, that's that's the plan at this stage. But
S3: if I get to the 31st of December and there's
S3: 250 K's to go touch wood that there's not touch wood,
S3: there's only nine to go. But if that's the case
S3: then I'll just keep pushing and get them done as
S3: quick as I can.
S2: And will certainly welcome you back when you have reached
S2: that big number there. I think that'd be great to
S2: have you back on the show, to have a chat
S2: with us after you have reached the three, two, four, nine,
S2: whatever shape that takes and however long that does take.
S2: And hopefully, as you said, it does all happen by
S2: the 31st of December and we can have you back
S2: on in the first week of January and have a
S2: chat about how 2024 panned out. But in the meantime,
S2: how can people get in touch and support you or
S2: find out more about the challenge?
S4: So the best way to do it is.
S3: Either on social media. So Facebook on my Facebook page
S3: at Ben Pettingill. Same on Instagram, same on TikTok. And
S3: as well as my website which is Ben pettingill.com. And
S3: that'll all have links to the challenge in the Bios
S3: where you can donate and whatnot. Or you can just
S3: Google three, two, four, nine blind and it'll be the
S3: first link that comes up.
S2: Thank you so much, Ben, for having a chat with
S2: me today about so many important topics and about 3
S2: to 4 nine blind that you've been undertaking over the
S2: course of 2024. And we do wish you all the
S2: very best for finishing those remaining kilometres. And as I've said,
S2: we'll have you back on the show to chat about
S2: it at the completion. So all the very best and
S2: hope the body does hold up and improves and you can, yeah,
S2: smash those KS out. All for a really important cause.
S2: So thank you very much for being so open with
S2: us today and sharing your story.
S3: Thanks, Sam. Appreciate you having me on, mate.
S2: Ben Pettengill there heading into the final weeks of three, two, four,
S2: nine blind his year long run for mental health. Now,
S2: before we finish up, just a couple of phone numbers
S2: for you out there. And we'll start with TCS, the
S2: mental health counselling service for tradies, truckies, farmers and blue
S2: collar workers. So that number is 80488469, double eight. And finally,
S2: given the nature of the sort of things we've been
S2: chatting about today, if this has brought about distressing feelings
S2: or memories for you, help is available and you can
S2: speak with someone today through Lifeline Australia by calling 13 1114.
S2: That's 13, 1114. Or you can text them on 047, 713, 1114.
S2: That's 0477 13 1114. On Sam Culley and you're listening
S2: to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated stations of
S2: Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network. That concludes our
S2: conversation today with Ben Pettengill. If you missed any part
S2: of that conversation with Ben or you'd love to hear
S2: it again. Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia
S2: Radio website at VA radio.org. That's VA radio.org. Or you
S2: can find the program on the podcast app of your
S2: choice or through the Vision Australia library. Well, we're almost
S2: halfway through November and that means it's time for the
S2: second last update from for your information, otherwise known as FYI,
S2: and to give us that update, it's my great pleasure,
S2: as always to welcome the editor of FYI, Liz Dalakouras
S2: to Talking Vision. Liz, welcome back to Talking Vision. Great
S2: to have you as always.
S5: As always. It's great to be here, Sam.
S2: Now, Liz, first up, we've got a bit of news
S2: about the NDIS. Now, there's been some developments around some
S2: providers who maybe aren't quite doing the right thing for
S2: clients out there. So tell us a bit about some
S2: developments there.
S5: Yeah, absolutely. Last week, Bill shorten, the minister for the
S5: National Disability Insurance Scheme, has announced the second part of
S5: the NDIS legislation of the getting it back on track bill.
S5: And as a part of that bill, penalties will be
S5: enforced for providers that are not treating their clients in
S5: the way they should be treated, and those fines will
S5: increase from what was a maximum of $400,000 to in
S5: excess of $15 million. When a participant is hurt or
S5: injured under that provider's care. So it is an amazing
S5: addition to the getting it back on track bill.
S2: And that does absolutely send a big message out there.
S2: So keen to see how all of that pans out. Now,
S2: in amongst all of that, Liz, there have been some
S2: other developments and things for clients out there and participants
S2: to keep abreast of.
S5: Yeah, absolutely. Recently the NDIS introduced two support lists, and
S5: those lists will tell you what can and cannot now
S5: be funded. So the change should have minor impacts on
S5: the supports that are available to you already. But you
S5: do need to clarify what you can and can no
S5: longer have funded for you. We at Vision Australia are
S5: here to support you in that, and if you are
S5: still unsure on what can be funded in your plan,
S5: or you've heard about these changes and you just want
S5: a little bit more information, contact your local area coordinator,
S5: talk to your early childhood partner, or just reach out
S5: to the Ndia directly.
S2: And, um, there's been some exciting news coming through with
S2: a bit of a new program that some coming out
S2: on the ABC, hosted by Ellie Mae Barnes. So tell
S2: us about that one.
S5: Ah, so it's Jimmy Barnes daughter. Her name is Ellie
S5: Mae Barnes, set to host a brand new show on
S5: the ABC, and she's leading the quest to create two
S5: new music bands made up entirely of musicians living with
S5: a disability. It's the first of its kind. It's an
S5: incredibly cool concept that her dad is also very behind.
S5: And the show premieres on the ABC on November 19th.
S2: Okay, we'll have to check that out and see what
S2: it's all about. And there's also some podcast news. There's
S2: a new podcast, The Hindsight Podcast.
S5: Yeah, so hindsight is our latest podcast at Vision Australia Radio.
S5: And supporting a loved one with vision loss can be
S5: a rewarding experience, but it also comes with its fair
S5: share of challenges. So that is why we're excited to
S5: introduce you to hindsight, which is a new series that
S5: shares the personal stories of carers, is family members and
S5: supporters of people living with vision loss.
S2: And one of the first episode be coming out. How
S2: can people access it?
S5: It's already out there.
S2: Oh, wonderful. There you go.
S5: Visit. Yeah. Visit our Vision Australia website. Or you can
S5: go straight to Spotify, Apple wherever you get your podcasts
S5: and just search Vision Australia. Hindsight.
S2: Perfect. And finally, Liz, the Santa Fun run is coming
S2: up so people can still register. There's still a couple
S2: of weeks left to go.
S5: There is? Yeah. You don't want to miss out because
S5: it's a way to bring the holiday spirit to life
S5: as early as now. There will be two Santa fun
S5: runs happening this year. For the very first time. There
S5: will be one in Melbourne on November the 23rd, and
S5: then one in Sydney on November 30th. The event is
S5: there to raise funds for Vision Australia's Life Ready program,
S5: which is a program that helps to empower children who
S5: are blind or have low vision to live independently and
S5: reach their full potential. So don't wait. Register today and
S5: you can save 15% on your tickets. Just use the
S5: promo code client 15. Bring along your friends, your family,
S5: your colleagues and just have a fun day filled with
S5: community and celebration.
S2: Perfect. Well, it's a lot of fun to get into
S2: the festive spirit as Christmas is rapidly approaching, which is
S2: both exciting and daunting. Yeah, it's certainly that time of year. Yeah.
S2: So how can people find out a little bit more
S2: about FYI? Or maybe they'd just love to, um, get
S2: all the news in their inboxes? Liz, what's the best
S2: way for them to do that?
S5: It's super simple. Sam. You just visit Vision Australia. Org
S5: slash FYI. Hop in your details and the newsletter will
S5: get sent directly to your inbox.
S2: Perfect. That's for your information. Otherwise known as FYI, coming
S2: out every two weeks in your inbox to keep tabs
S2: on the latest things happening at Vision Australia and around
S2: the blind and low vision community. Liz, thank you as
S2: always for your time today. Great to hear about the
S2: latest news from FYI.
S5: Thank you for having me, Sam. It's always fun when
S5: I come on and.
S2: Chat to you. Certainly is lots of fun. Thanks so much.
S2: And now here's Mary again with winner of the Blind
S2: Australian of the year Award for 2024, Courtney Liebeck.
S6: I'm Courtney Liebeck. I've just currently won the Blind Australian
S6: of the year awards. I'm 20 and I'm from Gloucester,
S6: so really incredibly excited to be up here and be
S6: a finalist and then to win. It was just a
S6: huge honour. It was some two other incredible finalists and
S6: what they've done is, is amazing. So yeah.
S7: What helped you the most to get where you are now?
S6: Um, I think it's my parents. They just never held
S6: me back in life. I got got told there's no
S6: such word as can't. And I went out there and
S6: achieved absolutely everything I can. And I think I'm 20,
S6: so a lot of people party and whatnot, and I
S6: do like to party, I guess. Um, like I said.
S6: But yeah, I think just the drive and willingness to achieve, um,
S6: what people don't think you can achieve with having a
S6: vision impairment, um, is something that I really like to
S6: do and just support other people and get them to
S6: break those boundaries. That is possible.
S7: So you've you've done a few different sports. Yes. So
S7: were you always sporty? Yeah.
S6: I grew up on a beef cattle property. So I
S6: grew up riding horses and in a small country town.
S6: So I played netball, basketball, swimming, did everything, and then
S6: I took up athletics and did that for ten years
S6: throughout high school and got to travel a lot of
S6: the country with that. And after high school, I found
S6: the love for tennis and cricket, and I just kept
S6: following that passion. And it's now taken me to two,
S6: two world titles in tennis, and to play cricket for
S6: Australia and get a baggy green is incredible. So I
S6: think just being fit and and having such supportive people
S6: in that sporting environment is amazing.
S7: Sure. What are some of the difficulties you.
S6: Encountered having a vision impairments? There's always going to be
S6: challenges and boundaries, but I think it's about breaking those
S6: barriers and and achieving what the unthinkable is. I think
S6: living remotely, there's always going to be challenges with there's
S6: no public transport in Gloucester where I live. So having
S6: the support of people and support workers that can assist
S6: you in achieving things is is really important.
S7: And when you talk about help to travel, you've gone
S7: to a few different countries. Do you feel a big
S7: difference in terms of accessibility?
S6: Yeah, definitely. Just got back from Europe with the World
S6: Tennis Championships there, and we travelled with some amazing people
S6: and just having that support and assistive technology. Um, that
S6: Vision Australia support is, is amazing. And then to come
S6: through and um, just having like I have two amazing
S6: parents that that support me and everything like that. And
S6: I think just being that little bit of independence really,
S6: really helped. And I can't wait to keep traveling.
S7: So what are your next projects? That's a big.
S6: Question. I think back to uni for the next few weeks,
S6: and then I've got a tennis tournament in Adelaide, um,
S6: coming up at the start of December and then into
S6: the cricket season. So Cricket nationals and hopefully make the
S6: Australian women's squad for the upcoming year again. So yeah,
S6: just keep improving and bettering yourself and bringing awareness to
S6: the sport and getting more girls involved in in the
S6: sport as well.
S7: And do you have any message for our listeners?
S8: Yeah, um, go after it.
S6: Um, if you're interested in sport or whether it's singing music, um, technology,
S6: no matter what it is, go after it. Um, ask
S6: the questions. People are going to be there to support you. And, um,
S6: there's no such thing as can't. So just go out
S6: and have a go and enjoy it and have fun.
S6: That's what it's all about.
S2: And that's all the time we have for today. You've
S2: been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
S2: Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
S2: show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
S2: So please get in touch any time on our email
S2: at Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all
S2: one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's
S2: Sam Collins saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during
S1: business hours on 1300 847 406. That's 1300 847 486 or by visiting Vision australia.org.
S1: That's Vision australia.org.