Jo Fincham signs a copy of her book for local woman Debbie Walker and the young women's wellness forum held on October 10 as part of mental health week.
Midwife Helen Sandercock (left), general practitioner Dr Clare Garner and dietitian Megan Phillips also spoke at the young women's mental wellness forum organised by Wanda Banning, Alison Napper and Viv Hocking.
WELL-BEING was a key talking point last week as a large crowd of locals gathered at the Lucindale Country Club for a young women's wellness forum.
The forum, which was well attended by a crowd of close to 80 women from Lucindale and district, featured talks from author Jo Fincham, general practitioner Dr Clare Garner, midwife Helen Sandercock and dietitian Megan Phillips.
Ms Fincham led the night off with a talk about the importance of young women looking after themselves.
"It is important to take time out for ourselves," she stressed.
She continued to point out that women often placed undue pressure on themselves to maintain a certain image.
"As women we can be our own toughest judge," she told the crowd.
Ms Fincham touched on her own upbringing - coming from a tight-knit family, being educated at a private all-girls school and being a talented gymnast all through her youth.
All this hid the true depths of her mental state - she was depressed, suffered from bulimia, had obsessive-compulsive disorder and had a habit of self-mutilation.
"What you see on the outside is not necessarily on the inside," she said.
These issues stayed with her and were compounded by being in an abusive relationship for a period of time.
These issues have stayed with Ms Fincham throughout her life - even during her national TV appearances on "Farmer Wants a Wife".
She told the audience that it was important for women to talk about their problems - something her husband Rob Hodge had helped her greatly with.
"It's so important to be able to talk," she said. "It's more brave to ask for help than to shut yourself away."
Ms Fincham reflected on her story which is covered in her book "Out Of The Blue", which was available for sale on the night.
The other speakers all spoke about issues relating to women's health relevant to their field.
The Kincraig Medical Clinic's Dr Garner talked about the recommended guidelines for testing in women - pap smears, mammograms, blood pressure, cholesterol and more.
Midwife Mrs Sandercock spoke about postnatal depression and anxiety - not only in women but also in men.
Dietitian Ms Phillips gave general guidelines to those attending about everything diet - including vitamin D and calcium intake levels and maintaining a healthy weight.
Mental health nurse Kathy Galbraith also attended and spoke about the services available in the local area for those struggling with mental health issues.
The organisers - Wanda Banning, Alison Napper and Viv Hocking were pleased with how the event turned out.
"It really vindicates what Ali, Wanda and I wanted to do," Mrs Hocking said on the night.
They had allowed for 65 people but ended up having to set up an extra table to accommodate the bulging crowd of women.
Over $250 was raised for breast cancer research on the back of donations made on the night.
