“When Josh spoke to us about the program it just made sense to sign-up and offer the service to our members. We know there are a lot of people out there doing it tough at the moment.”

Building good communication through conversation is an important starting point and the sporting environment can often present the perfect segue to have those all-important conversations around challenging and confronting topics such as mental health. Equipping members with awareness tools to help recognise and reach out when fellow club members may be doing it tough is a central aspect of the Outside the Locker Room mental health awareness program Josh will present next Wednesday.  

A life-time involvement in sport, the loss of friend to suicide and the random experience of listening to a podcast about the program led Josh to get involved with Outside The Locker Room, which was founded in 2015 by former AFL player Jake Edwards who battled – but overcame – his own mental health and addiction demons.

OTLR is a registered charity which has more than 400 participating clubs across numerous sports throughout Australia. Its programs are supported by a team of trained program facilitators with their own stories to share, like Josh. Registered health professionals are also engaged to support the program.

The Mental Health Awareness presentation – which Josh presented to Wynnum Wolves FC players and members – is the core delivery program for all sporting clubs and community groups who sign-up for OTLR. Follow up sessions can also be offered on topics such as cyberbullying, drugs and alcohol, gambling, inclusion and respect and leadership and culture.

Once on-board, club partnerships are on-going for a 12-month period with club members given access to an OTLR App which links them to direct access support networks and advisory groups. Initially, Wynnum Wolves FC is planning for Josh to present a follow-up program on Leadership and Culture early next season.

Wynnum Wolves FC President, Rabieh Krayem, said the club was excited to get involved with Outside The Locker Room.

“When Josh spoke to us about the program it just made sense to sign-up and offer a service like this to our club members,” he said.

“Particularly in the current climate, we know there are many people out there doing it tough at present. As a club we support families and individuals in a number of ways every year, but this is something else we can do that can have a club-wide reach,” he said.

“If we’re able to help even one person through our involvement with OTLR then it will be worthwhile – but I truly believe that it will benefit our members on multiple levels. Even creating awareness around the need to consider other people’s situations or circumstances is important in a club environment.

“We continually promote an open-door policy at our club. We encourage people to come and have a conversation if they have a problem or an issue, but anything we can do to elevate those conversations and make sure our players and members are also looking out for each other helps to create the positive culture we are striving to establish at this club.”

To find out more about the Outside The Locker Room program CLICK HERE. Members are also encouraged to have a chat to Josh when they see him around the club.

Both Gracey and Wilkins have spent the better part of their lives tethered to their beloved Wynnum Wolves across a myriad of roles

Wynnum Wolves FC chose the occasion of club’s 2021 FFA game against Southport on April 4^th, 2021 to make a fitting dedication in honour of Gracey and his 50-year journey as a proud Wynnum clubman. The club officially named the No.1 Field at Carmichael Park the WAYNE GRACEY FIELD in his honour. The occasion marked 100 years to the day when Wynnum played their first ever competition game in Brisbane.

A talented and hardworking fullback during his playing years, Gracey has remained a passionate and unwavering clubman since he first played for the club as a 12-year-old, even serving as both President and First Grade coach for a period in the 1990s when the club needed his passion, strength and expertise both on and off the pitch.

A true gentleman and Life Member of Wynnum Wolves FC, Wayne’s name also graces the club’s most prestigious player award – The Wayne Gracey Medal – which is awarded each year to the Wynnum Wolves FC First Grade Player of the Year.

The names of Wayne Gracey and Eddie Wilkins have held special sway at Wynnum for many years and the two have formed an enduring friendship over the years.  Eddie Wilkins played for the club for more than 40 years and spent many more working tirelessly as a club administrator.

Wilkins’ moment of honour this year came at the club’s Centenary Year Reunion Day at Carmichael Park in June which included a re-dedication of Field 3 – the Eddie Wilkins Field – in Eddie’s honour. A new sign – which reads as follows – was unveiled on the day in front of a huge crowd of past and present players and club members.

The name Eddie Wilkins will be forever linked to Football in the Wynnum district.

As an accomplished player who wore the club colours with pride for more than 40 years, Wilkins’ contribution to the Wynnum District Football Club stretches far beyond the influence he exercised on the Football pitch. Just as Eddie Wilkins’ on-field role was that of sweeper, diligently and tirelessly protecting the Wynnum goal and the teammates he played alongside, the contributions he made as an administrator of the club during two separate stints as President were equally significant.

Wilkins led the Wynnum administration team for a total of nine years in the 1980s and mid-1990s, steering the club through both good times and bad with the same dogged determination and dedication to club he always showed on the pitch. During the 1990s, Wilkins was instrumental in the club’s move from Maramba Stadium to Carmichael Park, which included the monumental task of digging up the sacred soil and turf at the Bognor St ground and transferring it to the club’s new home. The field where this soil and turf was laid at Carmichael Park was later named The Eddie Wilkins Field as a fitting tribute to a true club legend.

Eddie shared the occasion with him family including sons Mark and Paul who also played for the club, and grandson Nick who is a member of the current Wynnum Wolves FC FQPL Under 18 team.