IN FOCUS / MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING Casey-Lee bravely tells the story of Glenn’s suicide hoping it will make a difference to the way the crane industry views mental health and wellbeing.
WE NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER Mental health and mental wellbeing are oft used terms, but many in a male dominated industry like the crane sector dismiss it saying, “it won’t impact me”. CASEY-LEE POWELL RUNS RED RADIO Solutions, a business specialising in communication solutions for the crane sector. Casey-Lee is now a widow following the suicide of her husband Glenn. She has bravely decided to tell her story, in the hope it will increase awareness of men’s mental well-being and suicide prevention in the crane industry. Glenn and Casey-Lee Powell had been operating Red Radio Solutions for six years, it was in the last 12 months leading up to Glenn’s suicide that Casey-Lee noticed he was beginning to struggle. “During those last 12 months he www.cranesandlifting.com.au
began to voice his opinion and he’d wake up in the morning saying he didn’t want to live, and he couldn’t go on; it was a really slow but steady progression. “A lot of this involved alcohol abuse, he began drinking heavily and he was slowly losing control. As a result of the alcohol, he became depressed and he was being treated with medication for the depression. “As his wife and his business partner, I witnessed his personal struggle behind the scenes, but saw the pride he took in his work. I could see people from the outside looking in would never have
known Glenn was struggling, and that’s how he wanted it,” she said. According to Casey-Lee, Glenn had the perception that if people in the industry knew what was going on, the business might be lost, he would lose the respect of customers or that people wouldn’t trust his work ethic. “There are a lot of men in the industry who are struggling with the same sorts of issues including alcohol abuse and family breakdowns. “I get to experience this quite a bit. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman and I ask questions or maybe it’s because men feel July 2020 CAL / 67
