Machu Picchu beckons but first Carol needs to raise thousands of dollars and go to the movies. 

That’s Carol Bradley’s focus as her year long quest to raise awareness of mental health issues comes to fruition.

Next Friday (August 2) an audience of 70 plus will attend a special screening of Disney’s Lion King at Paradiso and hear Carol speak on behalf of the Mental Health Foundation (MHF). The price of the movie ticket includes a donation to the cause as Carol aims to raise in excess of $4000 for the foundation.

In addition to watching the movie, Carol will be holding raffles, sizzling sausages, and handing out spot prizes and vouchers generously donated by local businesses and organisations. “I’ve been blown away by the kindness and generosity of locals and also the stories that are coming in, as well, about other people’s struggle with mental health,” she said. 

“I wanted to do something that would bring the community together but also be uplifting and kind,” Carol said. She selected the movie because it deals with grief and survivor’s guilt but also compassion, friendship and loyalty.

A vegetarian, Carol takes one for the team at her fundraising sausage sizzle outside Mitre 10. PHOTO: Wanaka App 

When she’s not raising awareness on behalf of the MHF, this full-time working mum teaches physical education and health at Mt Aspiring College (MAC). 

Born in England, Carol chose her teaching vocation in the 1990s starting out as a physical education teacher in 1992. In those days, PE teachers were also cross-trained in personal and social health (PSE) and within three years she was taking the lead in PSE education as dean at a sixth form college.

“Back then it was sexuality, drugs and alcohol. Now, when we talk about health, it’s always about wellbeing.”

Asked to define wellbeing, Carol said coming to New Zealand and discovering the Maori philosophy of wellness, or hauora, “really resonated” with her. The four dimensions of hauora - mental emotional wellbeing (self-confidence), social wellbeing (self-esteem), spiritual wellbeing (personal beliefs), and physical wellbeing (health) are the foundation stones of wellbeing - “when everything is in a complete state of balance.” 

This philosophy is encapsulated in Te Whare tapa Wha - the four walls of the Whare where if one wall doesn’t have strong foundations, it will affect the other three, she said. 

As a teacher, she recognises that today’s students are facing a range of wellness issues with mental health and mindfulness becoming increasingly important as, research indicates, New Zealanders tend not to discuss the subject. 

“We’re very good at keeping our bodies fit and healthy but not so much our minds,” Carol said. “When it comes to mental health, we close things down rather than talk about it.”

Four years ago, she went to Australia and trained in the “Mindfulness for Schools” project and brought that experience back to MAC where it was formally introduced to the curriculum. 

Carol, with her boys Red and Tay, in Ubud, Bali. PHOTO: Supplied 

“Teaching has to be relevant, up-to-date and appropriate,” she said, and today’s teenage “stress” is triggered by factors she never had to experience. She admits when she was a teenager in the 1980s her peers didn’t talk about anxiety or depression. “We’d say we were a bit sad or down but a word like anxiety wasn’t a part of our language.”

Today, anxiety is experienced by most teenagers, Carol said, and much of it stems from social media, such as cyber bullying, sexting, gender roles and body image. 

The prevalence of personal phones and devices and the rise of social media indicates today’s kids are much more disconnected, she said, and she’s now “spending time teaching empathy”.

“Our kids do all their chatting through their phones, so they’ve lost the natural ability to empathise. You can’t tell how a person’s feeling if you’re not looking them in the eye and being fully present.”

And Machu Picchu - well that’s the “bonus” to this year of raising mental health awareness. With her 50th birthday on the horizon, Carol said she had been looking for something to sink her teeth into when she discovered the MHF challenge to raise awareness, which finishes with an epic adventure to Machu Picchu, Peru. 

“It ticks all the boxes for me. It is something I want to do as a mum, first of all, to show my kids that what you put your mind to you can do. You can be anything and do anything; you just have to have the heart to achieve your goals.”

Carol also sees this year long effort as reinforcing her credibility as a teacher. “I need to be able to walk the walk. It’s too easy just to talk it up but not do anything.”

“This challenge has been a personal project where I could give a little back and, besides, Machu Picchu was always on my bucket list.”

Together with 12 strangers from around the country, each with their own personal reasons to promote MHF awareness, Carol signed up for the challenge which culminates in a 12 day Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu, starting September 6.

“It will be incredible when I get there - I’ll be living the dream,” Carol said.

Between now and then though, there’s a lot of planning, fundraising, school class work, and packing to go. 

And going to the movies, of course. There are still tickets available on facebook Carol says, but she expects a last minute rush. For movie tickets click here. Anyone just wishing to donate to the cause click here.