An old, dead tree on the 1st hole at Pinjarra Golf Club in Western Australia has a new, blue lease on life, shining a light on mental health awareness.
A member approached the club asking if it would participate in the Blue Tree Project for Beyond Blue.
When the suggestion was discussed with the Board, it was overwhelmingly supported, as mental health touches so many people’s lives.
“Pinjarra Golf Club looked to get community assistance to help with the cost of paint. We were looking for a local corporate donor that has a history with charitable contributions within our community. Alcoa was the immediate standout, and our request to them was successful,” the club told Inside Golf.
Mike Hodges, an Alcoa employee and Pinjarra Golf Club member was approached by the club to see if he could help arrange some blue paint for the tree to align it to Beyond Blue and promote to golfers the importance of mental health awareness.
“I thought it was a great idea, so I asked my supervisor who I should speak to,” said Mike. “I ended up talking to our community relations people who were able to organise the paint donation through Alcoa’s charitable contributions process.”
Since the suggestion was raised multiple people have approached the committee with their stories regarding this subject and thanking the Club for supporting the cause.
Pinjarra Golf Club is proud to support the Blue Tree Project with the help of Alcoa, and on Wednesday 4 March the tree was painted by members Bill Corbett, Ken Butler, Alan Smith and Lance McGlinn. The tree stands out beautifully on the first hole and many comments have been made.
A four-time winner of the Australian Golf Media Awards, including Best Photojournalism, Best Opinion, Best Column and Best Photographic Presentation, Inside Golf Group Editor Richard Fellner is the quintessential Golf Tragic, having played the game for over 50 years (but has never gotten any better!) He has played and reviewed courses all over the world, and has interviewed many of the great players of the game (including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Greg Norman). Richard is a member of both the Australian Golf Media Association and the Golf Society of Australia, and has been a featured guest on many Australian "sports talk" radio shows and networks, including ABC Grandstand, SEN 1116, Melbourne Talk Radio 1377, 2GB and others.
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