Why we exist.
When the mental health culture is good on site, there’s a positive ripple effect that impacts lives off site too. It impacts partners, mates, parents, and children…not just those hours between clocking in and clocking off.
We want to see FIFO workers so mentally and emotionally healthy that they fly out better than they flew in. It’s a big goal (and we probably won’t see it happen in our lifetimes) but it’s something we’re proud to work towards.
Our vision is big, but we’ve already made a serious impact.
Meet our founder Lachie.
Recently named as a Top Voice for Mental Health and winner of the national award for Mens Health Champion, things didn’t exactly start out that way for Lachie…
As a kid, he was insecure and never really felt good enough. He wasn’t tough like his dad. He wasn’t athletic like his brother. He didn’t know his place.
As a teen, trying to find his place, he found himself immersed in rave culture, partying most days to feel some excitement, often saying “How am I supposed to have fun without drinking?”.
“When I was a postie, I’d take a pill when I woke up to get ready for work. I’d stop along my run at smoko and take another one, then buy beers on the way home to wind down. I was a mess”.
This period hit a tipping point when he was caught cheating…
..not only cheating, but cheating with his best friend's girlfriend. Instead of facing the consequences, he chose to run (ok, he flew) from Auckland to Kalgoorlie.
Kalgoorlie was close-knit. Everyone knew everyone and the job was hard work. But he dug in, worked hard and didn’t complain. Thinking he’d found his place, his whole identity became based around ‘the hard worker’ badge.
Now on a permanent 4:1 roster, Lachie overlooked some important signs. His relationship broke down (no surprise). Then received the call that his partner had attempted to take her own life.
Now he was faced with a choice…
Give up his identity, leave his work and his friends to provide the support she needed. Or be cold-hearted, hard-headed, and stay.
Unfortunately… he stayed (horrible we know).
After that, Lachie suffered his own mental health challenges, eventually being forced to resign or risk being fired. Losing his identity, his place, and his friends in one go only made things worse, hitting depression and suicidal ideation.
With a now 3-month-old daughter to his ex, living on the other side of the country, unsure when he’d see her, he was faced with another decision.
“Do I keep being selfish and hurting the people around me, or do I fight to become someone better? Do I fight to be a man my daughter is proud of?”
Flick! (Turning the lights on)
Since then, Lachie has become a leader in the mental health space.
After losing 2 colleagues to suicide in 2017 and being evacuated for mental health issues himself, he started a mental health podcast. That podcast ranked in the top 10 across Australia and New Zealand. This would give him opportunities to speak in workplaces, sharing the lessons he learned while navigating his mental health journey, eventually leading to the creation of ‘The FIFO Mental Health Summit’ in 2018. The first of its kind.
In 2021 Lachie decided to go alone as ‘The FIFO Mental Health Guy’, and with the growth of his business, being booked out 8 months in advance, he decided to transition to ‘FIFO Mental Health Group’.
Lachie’s intention was to find a team of people who care about changing the mental health culture in mining as much as he did.
To find people who were relatable, caring and skilled.
To spread the load and increase the level of connection and impact.
Ultimately, to help FIFO workers fly out better than they flew in… “not just because we want it, but because it’s possible”.
It’s safe to say, Lachie’s now found his place.
Helping the industry that moulded him.
Helping the people who make the industry what it is and doing it while working tirelessly to be a man with integrity.
Being a man his daughter can be proud of.
