The Blue Shirt Project

12/11/2025

Mental health is a universal challenge across all industries. The Blue Shirt Project recently visited Krueger Transport Equipment Pty Ltd in Derrimut and Truganina, where Al shared his raw, inspiring, and relatable mental health journey with well over 100 employees across four sessions. His presentation sparked meaningful conversations and encouraged employees to support colleagues, friends, and family. To ensure inclusivity, the presentation was also provided digitally and translated into two languages. This presentation highlights how one story can make a life-changing impact. From these presentations, employees have come forward, and Krueger will host Mental Health First Aid training with at the end of November. Great to see another proactive business supporting their staff, but also encouraging change! 🚛 🫂

06/11/2025

🎉 Guess what? We’ve been quiet… but for the BEST reason! 🎉 
We just got back from stunning Tasmania after hanging out at the Tasmania Mines Rescue Competition at Bluestone Mines – Renison Bell!
Al was pumped to be lead adjudicator for underground search and rescue—throwing teams into real-life scenarios. And wow, the teamwork was next level! 💪 Everyone was sharing tips, learning together, and making mining safer for all.
Our awesome “Blue Shirters” were there too, having real mental health chats and connecting folks to support. 💙 Because safety isn’t just physical—it’s mental too!
Massive shoutout to TMEC, TMERC, and every legend who made this happen—Jason, Ally, Igor, Amanda, Ben, the Clarke fam, volunteers, Vanessa, mine sites, ER teams, catering, sponsors… you rock! 🪨
Thanks for welcoming us with open arms and showing what community looks like underground AND above. 🚀 Here are the results from this year’s competition:
🛠️ Main Event Winners
🩺 First Aid: MMG Rosebery
🧯Overall Team Safety Award: Cornwall Coal
🔥 Fire Fighting: Bluestone
🧗 Rope Rescue: Cornwall Coal
🤝 Team Skills: Bluestone
📘 Theory: Grange Resources
🪏 Search & Rescue
Underground: Cornwall Coal,
Surface: TMERC Mutual Aid Team

🏆 Other Trophies
👨‍✈️ Best Captain: Anthony Woods from Cornwall Coal
⛑️Best First Aider Award: Josh Baldwin from Bluestone

🥇Competition Overall Winner: Bluestone
🥈Competition Runner Up: Cornwall Coal.

21/10/2025

👕 JUST A GUY PRESENTATION 👕 It was an early start to Melbourne this morning as Al delivered his “Just a guy” presentation to employees from all different roles and experiences of an operations team! This presentation is not a “story looking for sympathy”, but is a presentation to raise awareness surrounding mental health and the fact that it can happen to any one. Al may be the director of The Blue Shirt Project, but as it says on his business card - he is “just a guy”. From Al’s highs, lows, to the lowest of lows and feeling like he has no way out, this presentation highlights it doesn’t discriminate. It shows the importance of Mental Health First Aid, early intervention, why immediate visual aid/support is vital in someone’s 5 seconds of help seeking, the acknowledgment of needing supports, to having that one conversation! Al shares his story and his vulnerability, to not only show it’s ok and it can be powerful to be vulnerable, but that it opens up conversations that you are not alone! In a room mainly full of orange, the Blue Shirt certainly stands out as a MHFAer!

19/10/2025

💙 Mental Health First Training - 6 New MHFAers out having conversations 💙 A few days ago we were pleased to deliver MHFA training to a very proactive and supportive company on the outskirts of Melbourne! It was so humbling to not only be welcomed with open arms (and great snacks), but being part seeing a company who already have so much in place for mental health and just want to keep improving! Congratulations to all and we can’t wait to deliver your new Blue Shirt Project gear to be that visual awareness and standout!

30/09/2025

Last week we flew to the other side of Australia to WA, to deliver Mental Health First Aid to - what absolute legends to complete the two day training and to send 10 new skilled and trained MHFAers out into the world! They are all super excited to wear their very own “blue shirt”, and to be that stand out visual aid for anyone who may need a bit of support! We look forward to our partnership with all of the participants at Connect Staffing Group across the west and east coast and can’t wait to see you all in blue shirts having those tough conversations. We are very passionate about not only the MHFA training and being there for your mates, but normalising mental health from and with lived experience - https://www.instagram.com/p/DPDY7LcCXkL/?igsh=MXdkamRjczJ1cHIzNA==

23/09/2025

💙 Wudinna (SA) Mental Health First Aid Training 💙 Day 1 of our MHFA licensing, our instructor (legend) asked everyone in the room, why are they doing the course? Answers varied from work has sent me, to I want to understand mental health better, to some seeing it a businesses and our answer was - for us it is passion and lived experience. We have lived it and want our point of difference to be MHFAiders be visual and utilised to be there when someone may need it the most! The exceptional Wudinna community rallied behind each other and managed to get the funds donated to run this course for each other. They are 6 hours away from immediate mental health/illness support/help, especially when someone needs it the most - it’s a long time. The agricultural community are struggling a lot with mental health/illness and here we have a proactive community saying to each other, we are here for you and we are skilled to have those conversations and navigate you to supports…Last week, Al travelled over to SA and delivered the MHFA training to this very community. Again - not a business venture for us, but to stand with the Wudinna community who acknowledged and worked so hard to make it happen. We couldn’t be prouder of the community and this community should be proud of those who put their hand up filled with initiative and movement they have made! It all starts with one conversation and just shows how important and passionate we are to go absolutely anywhere to make this possible! Ingham & Co

15/09/2025

Day 1 - Wudinna SA Community - Mental Health First Aid training - done! Day 2 tomorrow! Whilst the MHFA training is a set training, every training is different and this one is no different. Lots of conversations of lived mental health experiences - both individually and in the community, friends, family, neighbours - tears and heartfelt moments, but most importantly, ending that stigma that it is ok to talk about it and how to have those conversations, but how to have them and sometimes understanding the depths and differences in mental health/illness! Many thanks to for organising all the sample shirts for everyone to try on to order, Ingham & Co, Second hand Rose, Wudinna Men’s Shed and the wonderful community for getting it done! &co

10/09/2025

WUDINNA SA COMMUNITY - YOU DID IT and you have succeeded! Just 9 weeks ago, and alongside Ingham & Co, donated two weeks of our time, dedicated and determined to raise awareness in mental health and farm/agricultural safety across the Eyre Peninsula, who welcomed us with open arms! The Wudinna community “ran with it” and in that time have managed to come together and organised Mental Health First Aid Training for some community members and groups! So, it is an absolute pleasure to jump in the car on the weekend and Monday we will see this beautiful community again! This couldn’t have happened without proactive members of the community knowing that the remote mental health crisis- many who are volunteer emergency services and health care - , &co, Wudinna Men’s shed and Rose’s second hand! Tan and Brett - you are rockstars and be proud for what you’ve organised for your community and now having direct access to MHFAers!
We still have some spots available, so please message for further details if interested! See you Monday!! &co

29/08/2025

💙 MUNDI MUNDI BASH 2025 💙
When two wonderful and passionate Blue Shirt Project ambassadors call for a “Blue Shirt” to take to Mundi Mundi - how can we say no!? Whilst we a very jealous we couldn’t make it ourselves, we know The Blue Shirt Project was in great hands with two people who have lived and breathed this with us from day 1 and know the importance of one conversation! We decked them out with lots of blue and even helped shade the caravan for them! We could not be prouder and honoured to have been asked, but also to have The Blue Shirt Project shirts being worn at Mundi Mundi on Big Blue Day - raising funds for Beyond Blue - is a very big moment for Mental Health Awareness! Huge thanks to M & B and we look forward to hearing all about it soon!

21/08/2025

It was an absolute pleasure to deliver Mental Health First Aid to these 11 strong men at Deepcore Drilling! Two days of tough conversations, education, laughs and yes, some tears, but all 11 men walked out of training, proud and ready, to be there for the colleagues, friends and family! Deepcore Drilling now have 20, yes 20, trained MHFA’s in the business and this is truely remarkable. They are leading the way to having a more inclusive, safer, supportive and caring workplace by being proactive and reminding all, that we are human! That, in itself is something to be proud of!

Over the past two days, team members from all areas of Deepcore came together for Mental Health First Aid training.

With the support of The Blue Shirt Project we took part in an intensive and impactful program designed to equip our people with the skills and confidence to support the mental health and wellbeing of their peers.

We're proud to invest in creating a culture where looking out for one another is part of how we work — every day.

20/08/2025

Mental Health First Aid training in Bendigo - day 1 yesterday ✅, and, hopefully by the end of today we will be sending 11 new skilled and trained participants out into the world making a difference! From our lived experience, to guiding the participants through the MHFA training - it not just a job for us, this is a personal journey to make a change, end the stigma and have people there who know how to have those tough conversations when someone needs to be linked in with services the most! It is an invaluable and important training that everyone should do for better understanding of Mental Health and Mental Illness and get that early intervention happening!