Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤

Imagine a world without hypothetical situations.

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

3 yrs Pa..Im sure your up there explaining how Aurora borealis happens & telling them Aurora Australis is better!!!!

[r @twarrestrial]

@LeagueEyeTest I bet there will not be any drop goal attempts from the Dolphins, and if there were someone will charge them down.

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@BOM_ACT Warning url suggests I’m tryna scrape your data. I’m not.

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

Suicide.

I'm choosing to be deliberately blunt and provocative in this post because it's necessary. Government, charities, football clubs are all pushing water up a hill in highlighting what is undoubtedly a major health crisis.

You take a rope.
You put it up in a garage or a tree nearby or far away.
You're thinking about every loved one you'll leave behind as you put that rope around your neck.
Then you drop.

Some are decapitated.
Some aren't.
All are found by someone who has a lifetime of trauma that will never leave them.
A son.
A daughter.
A brother.
A sister.
A mother.
A father.

I know 2 men who hung themselves.

One was found by his Mom.
One was found by his brother.
Neither have recovered fully. 20 and 30 years on.

A life sentence for people who were already worrying, terrified their loved one may do something.

So just visualise the above and ask, "is there another way"?

A segway for a moment.

I do a few Q&A's every year. Tales of yesterday with a 99% male audience of my age group.

After the stories and fun, my last question back to the audience is..

"Hands up if you struggle with a mental health issue".

Nobody ever puts a hand up. Despite 1 in every 3 of 500 attendees statistically struggling.

"Ah, nobody, that's fucking brilliant! Well I do! ". I then graphically tell people, stunned into silence about how a rope around my neck in the middle of nowhere jolted me to go home and cry like a baby to my Mom.

After the Q&A has finished, something always happens. I'll be chatting to a few guys, saying bye and one by one, men will come over and whisper " I struggle".

Or my mailbox the next day will have 30 emails from guys, their partners or kids saying " Dad/Uncle /Brother was there last night and what you said hit them hard".

And that's how some people realise that it's time to speak to a pal or family member or even rant to me in an email. It works, I often get a follow up email a year or 6 later saying that they took responsibility for their suicidal feelings and are now flying.

Humans are programmed to want to live, to have families and to keep the species growing and thriving. So for a human to want to short circuit that desire isn't normal, and it should never be spoken of as normal. It's the ultimate red flag.

If you suspect your mate, Dad, Brother, Uncle is struggling mentally, they deserve your intervention.

They deserve a " are you OK, please tell me what's up".

They deserve an opportunity to get past wanting to hang a rope over a tree or in a garage and slowly struggle until they die and you find them.

If you've been there and trust me I have plenty, then you'll know that text out of the blue, or a footie mate or one of your kids asking jow you are can open the curtains to some sunshine.

Because when suicide is your only answer, the room is already dark, and you can't see a way out.

So please, fucking pretty please, ask that husband, Dad, Uncle, Cousin, footie pal TODAY how they are.

You may be shocked what comes back but extremely glad that you asked.

For those who struggle, you're not alone.

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@TheGHRaiders On the sabbath #papali

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@RaiderADD @TheGHRaiders Corvo Bros

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@TheGHRaiders Reckon the hardest to recall will be the three Brennan brothers…Rowan, Mitch and Mickey Lane!! Iykyk

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@Timmboslice_ @Australia Was in pub looking inward 😜

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@Raiders_24Sep89 Didn’t Casey Badger get dropped for not calling the away teams repeated indiscretions (green v Titans) a few rounds back.

We all don’t want to blame our team for poor performance. But it’s only valid if it’s an even playing field.

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@Timmboslice_ And the stand up coffees!!

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@HuntleyA Hunter your mum was and is a diamond 💎

[Cricket ACT @CricketACT]

It's double celebrations for @WestonCreekCC, after their 2s batted out the day at Stirling, and led by Yogesh Mahajan's 132*, to salvage a draw with ANU and finish as Premiers.

And the victorious 1s were on hand with President Luke Hickey to kick off the party!

[WestonCK Molonglo CC @WestonCreekCC]

Breaking: Minor and Major Premiers 2022-23 - the Creek!!
#itsGREAT2BGreen
…

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@Debbie_abrahams Hi Deb
Hope Abey is looking after you and your recovery is on track. From the Creaky Knees of Weston Creek

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@TimOverland3 @erfbeeass Youth!!. Get on the Guinness

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@mitchnicholls @TheGHRaiders In the professional era they are coached & have tip sheets on players/clubs/tactics - now look for transgressions/confirmations. This is where the unconscious bias has kicked in IMHO

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@mitchnicholls @TheGHRaiders Refs used to study rules & interpretations & work on match fitness. They went out a refereed what was in front of them.

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@ACTCricketStats @EastlakeCricket @WestonCreekCC @ANUCC @sutherlanddcc @hawks_cricket @CarltonCCScores Why not? Bit harsh. Not GMs fault that clubs merged etc!
North’s will never get high numbers if that’s the case!!

[Canberra Raiders @RaidersCanberra]

“It is a miracle!”

Welcome to #40YearFriday, where we’ll feature some of the best moments in Raiders’ history to celebrate our 40th anniversary.

We’ve started with a beauty!

#WeAreRaiders

[Chris Burgess 🥁🥁🧤 @buggerus]

@TimOverland3 Living the masked dream youth!!

New management. History not focus. Will see if I can get from my database….reckon you will be #15. Guessing. Will get back to you.

Raiders. Yeah…but still finished mid table. Get rid of vlandyball and we have a contest