Carer Support Line 1300 554 660
Facebook Instagram Linkedin
Donate
Regional Carer Website Header

Regional highlights: connecting for mental health and celebrating carers across Queensland in October

October was a busy month for our team, as we travelled across Queensland, visiting Toowoomba, Gympie, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Charleville, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Ipswich and Kilcoy to connect with carers, families, communities and partners, and celebrate the vital role of mental health carers during Queensland Mental Health Week (4–12 October) and National Carers Week (12–18 October).

We met many mental health carers who hadn’t connected with Arafmi before, giving us the chance to share information, offer support and listen to their experiences. These events also strengthened relationships with local services and organisations, opening new opportunities to work together to better support carers in regional and remote areas.

Some of the highlights included:

  • Noosaville Carers Lunch: Carers from Gympie and the northern Sunshine Coast enjoyed a relaxed lunch in Noosaville, organised with Meichelle Hughes from Family and Carer Support at Sunshine Coast Hospital.
  • Ipswich Gala Dinner: Arafmi and Wellways Carer Gateway co-hosted the first Ipswich Gala Dinner on 10 October, with over 70 guests enjoying dinner, live music, dancing and prizes.
  • 2025 National Carers Week Breakfast: Arafmi staff attended this event on the Sunshine Coast, hosted by Wellways Carer Gateway, joining more than 90 carers and partner organisations to celebrate the dedication and resilience of carers.
  • Community Events: Our team hosted stalls at local events in Gympie, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Gladstone, Ipswich, Charleville and Kilcoy, sharing resources and information with carers and families.
  • Bundaberg: Community Support Facilitator, Tracey Osborne, spoke at the Strengthening Families Mental Health Forum (organised by Bundaberg Street Law), co-facilitated a mindfulness activity during Carers Week, delivered an information session for carers, and attended a Governance Workshop with the Mayor and local councillors to raise awareness of Arafmi’s services.


Cairns highlights

Arafmi hosted and joined several events in Cairns, bringing carers, community organisations and sector leaders together for connection, learning and support.

Carers took part in a self-compassion workshop, exploring practical ways to manage stress, build resilience and care for their wellbeing. The session was delivered in collaboration with the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service MHAODS (Mental Health, Alcohol and other Drugs Services) and the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.

Arafmi co-hosted the Cairns Carer Gala Dinner with Carers Queensland and Wellways Carer Gateway (click here for reflections and photos) and organised the Mental Health Carers Forum (click here for an overview and photos), which brought together carers to connect, learn and share experiences.

The Mental Health Professional Networking Event brought together leaders including Irene Clelland (CEO, Arafmi), Ivan Frkovic (Queensland Mental Health Commission), Katrina Armstrong (CEO, Mental Health Carers Australia) and Simon Katterl (CEO, Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland), who shared insights on supporting mental health carers and working together across the sector.

Arafmi also hosted a stall at the Cairns Mental Health Week celebrations and toured the Wellways Carer Gateway carer hub. CEO Irene Clelland and a local carer spoke with ABC Radio North Queensland, sharing insights about Arafmi’s work and Lived Experience (listen here).

October showed just how strong Queensland’s caring community is and how much we can achieve when we connect, collaborate and care together. 

Related Posts:

Meet Sue
Arafmi Staff

Meet the Carer Gateway Team: Sue from the Sunshine Coast

“I’m actually on your team.” Meet Sue, supporting mental health carers on the Sunshine Coast.  “The person that you care for has a whole team of people around them, but I’m actually on your team.” It’s a sentence Sue comes back to often because she’s seen what happens when a carer hears it for the first time. Every day at the Sunshine Coast Carer Gateway Hub, people caring for a family member, partner or friend living with mental health challenges walk through the door looking for support. For Sue, it often starts with something simple: a smile, a cup of tea and a place to sit. Ask Sue what she loves most about her work, and her answer isn’t what you’d expect. It’s seeing the moment someone realises they don’t have to carry it all on their own. “It probably comes right back down to the look on somebody’s face when they realise that they’ve got somebody on their side and that they can be whoever they want to be. And we’re not going to judge them, we’re just going to try and support them the best way we can.” Putting carers back at the centre Most people walk through

Read More »
July 3, 2026 No Comments
Image 29 4 2026 at 3.25 pm
Carer Story

From carer to lifeline: The Queensland volunteers helping others mental health carers

From carer to lifeline: The Queensland volunteers helping other mental health carers For Arafmi volunteer Louise Dutton, when her son became unwell with mental ill-health, she “didn’t really know what she was dealing with.” That’s where her connection with Arafmi began, not as a volunteer, but as a carer trying to make sense of something overwhelming, unfamiliar and at times isolating. Over time, that experience became something she could offer others. Now 82, she’s spent the past 25 years answering calls on the 24-hour Carer Support Line and sitting alongside carers in support groups. What she brings isn’t a set of answers, but a way of helping people feel understood. As she explains, “Listening plays a big part. And so you’ve got to find out where the person is coming from… sometimes the person is so stressed that they can go round and round in circles. You just try and pick out a few points and confirm, is that what you’re telling me? And then try and help them to understand that we know where they’re coming from because we’ve had a similar experience.” For carers reaching out, that recognition can be enough to help people feel more steady and

Read More »
April 30, 2026 No Comments

Regional highlights: connecting for mental health and celebrating carers across Queensland in October

Skip to content