BRUNO Efoti had a simple yet powerful message when he delivered an inspiring speech at the Moree Plains Australia Day awards ceremony at Jellicoe Park on Monday.
Mr Efoti and his wife, Jo, were invited to Moree as part of the Australia Day ambassador program.
Mr Efoti spoke quietly, but his message was loud.
“We don’t do feelings well in Australia, and its well past time this changed,” he said.
Mr Efoti, originally from Tonga, has worked in the construction industry as a carpenter for more than 20 years.
During that period he saw many tradesmen and their families struggling with the pressures of business in tough times.
“Behind our reliable workforce is a silent crisis,” Mr Efoti said.
“In Australia, about seven men die every day by suicide, and in the construction and trade industry, we lose a worker to suicide every two days.
“These aren’t statistics. These are fathers, sons, brother and workmates . . . people who built our homes, wired our schools and laid our roads,” he said.
Mr Efoti’s observations when on jobsites around the country prompted him to establish Tradies In Sight, a mental health organisation based at Dubbo that supports tradies and working men across Australia.
Tradies in Sight works to break the stigma around mental health by hosting community events, drop-in spaces and wellbeing programs.
Mr Efoti repeatedly saw fellow tradies and men silently struggling with stress, depression and relationship breakdowns.
In 2017, he created Tradies in Sight to offer practical support and human connection to help people open up and access help.
Mr Efoti said tradespeople often bottled up their emotions – placing them in the too-hard basket – and would adopt a tough-it-out attitude, which left many men isolated and reluctant to talk about their mental health.
“I realised there needed to be more education and support around mental health and well-being, and I wanted to create links to services for men who are often reluctant to talk about these issues,” Mr Efoti said.
“I am passionate about creating safe spaces to learn new skills in dealing with the modern pressures tradespeople are under.”
Mr Efoti drew on his childhood in Tonga for inspiration and strength.
“I grew up in a small village in Tonga where community wasn’t optional – it was a way of life,” he said.
“If someone was struggling, the whole village showed up. People didn’t ask whose responsibility it was. They didn’t overthink it. They didn’t outsource care. They brought food. They sat together. They listened. They carried the load together.
“That experience shaped me, because I learned early that humans are not designed to heal alone,” he said.
Mr Efoti told Australia Day ceremony attendees, when he came to Australia two decades ago, he fell in love with the spirit of mateship.
“I saw generosity and hard work, and people willing to help strangers in floods and fires,” he said.
“But, over time, I also noticed something deeply concerning – strong, hardworking people, especially our tradies and men, were struggling quietly.
“When emotional pain shows up, many people don’t deal with it. They throw it in what I call, the too-hard basket,” Mr Efoti said.
“Stress goes in; grief goes in; relationship issues go in; financial pressure go in; and trauma goes in.
“The truth is, that basket doesn’t get lighter, and that’s why we teach early awareness and practical mental fitness,” he said.
“Looking after you mental health isn’t a weakness.”
Mr Efoti’s Australia Day speech in Moree was inspiring, and started a new conversation locally.
“A local man approached me afterwards and asked if I could help him start a men’s group in Moree, so the men can have a space to meet and spend time together . . . I said I’d be honoured,” Mr Efoti said.
“Jo and I drove away feeling very encouraged that the message has been well received and it’s going to change the outcomes of so many blokes,” he said.
Tradies in Sight: 0423 432341
Email: bruno@tradiesinsight.support
Lifeline’s 24-hour telephone crisis line: 13 11 14
If someone’s life is in danger or there is an immediate risk of harm, call emergency services on 000.
