Last Friday saw the company, which specialises in the repairs and maintenance of farming machinery, sport TradeMutt shirts for the first time as part of the ‘Funky Shirt Friday’ initiative.
The TradeMutt brand was started by two mates, Ed Ross and Dan Allen, following the unexpected loss of a close mate to suicide, with the bright, brash designs aimed at sparking meaningful conversation and making the invisible issue of mental health impossible to ignore.
Having already been involved with other mental health initiatives, Stanyer Engineering owner Liana Stanyer said that having the business join in on the Funky Shirt Friday fun was a natural progression.
“We are a business that understands the mental health industry, because we work with farmers,” Mrs Stanyer said.
“I already do the ‘R U OK? Day’ day every year, I do a big thing here free to the community, so we thought it was time to jump on board and join the TradeMutt (Funky Shirt Fridays) as well.”
Farming can be an incredibly tough gig, and given the challenges faced by those in the agricultural industry, mental health is at the forefront of the company’s mind.
With droughts, floods and various other extreme weather events a constant threat to the livelihoods of their customers, as well as the social isolation that can occur as a result of living on a farm, Mrs Stanyer is acutely aware of just how important a conversation can be.
“In this industry, you become someone people talk to every day,” she said.
“As I said, we deal with a lot of farmers, and a lot of people up north who are in remote areas, and you’ve got to give that time of day.
“There is a lot of people that do need to talk, so yes, I’m (greatly) aware of mental health, and it should be looked after in every industry, as far as I’m concerned.”
Despite the Stanyer team having only worn the shirts for the first time last week, Mrs Stanyer said there had already been plenty of positive feedback.
“They love the shirts, all the customers think they’re great,” she said.
“We only just wore them on Friday as you probably would have seen, and the boys love them.
“I had one of my workers already wearing one for the last year every Friday, and that’s when I said, well, let’s do it, let’s get on board.
“There’s a lot of businesses doing it, and it’s good to make awareness that you’re available to chat, it’s not just about mental health.”
Mrs Stanyer said the Funky Shirt Fridays would be continuing, as would the company’s broader support of mental health, with another event planned in the near future.
“We’ve got a day here again on September 12 for ‘R U OK? Day’,” she said.
“For four hours I (will) have a coffee van and stuff here, everything free for the community or anyone to come and sit and chat and talk and have a coffee, and it’s all done by us.”
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