Meet The Team

MICK SIMMONS

Mick is chef by trade and has been working at Chisholm TAFE, both in Frankston and Rosebud. Mick has always been involved in supporting the students and their mental health. As the first HALT worker on the Mornington Peninsula, he is using all his contacts to grow HALT and help the community. He loves soccer and still can’t get his head around the game with the funny shaped ball that doesn’t bounce straight.

TOM KENNEALLY

Tom is the HALT Project Worker for the North West Melbourne Region. He has a strong background in the education, health and NFP community engagement sectors. Tom has lived experience dealing with mental illness and suicide from the family perspective and understands the challenges depression and isolation can cause. He is committed to raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention in the community

STEVE POWER

HALT PROJECT COORDINATOR

Steve brings a broad range of experience to the HALT team, having worked most recently in Community Health, supporting community-based suicide prevention activity along with a range of community health and wellbeing inititiatves. 

Steve understands the value and impact of the work HALT does in supporting tradies and blue collar workers and is keen to support the work of the HALT team and nurture key relationships with our funding bodies and research partners. 

MICK MATTHEWS

Mick Matthews is one of the South East Melbourne HALT workers. He was born and raised on the Mornington Peninsula and is strongly connected with the community through sport and work. For the past 11 years he has worked as a mental health outreach worker where he has drawn on the wisdom of his own lived experience to support people in his local community. He has a passion for the outdoors, completing a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation and Outdoor Education. 

Throughout his life he has worked on and off for his dad’s plumbing business, making him passionate about spreading the HALT message to tradies.

MERV STEWART

Merv Stewart is passionate about making a difference and he has the drive and experience to make meaningful things happen with the doers he respects and admires. He understands that collaboration and connections are paramount – constantly reaching out to others, seeing what he can learn from them, what knowledge he can share, what ideas and opportunities can come out of potential partnerships and collaboration.

Merv has been a strong and constant supporter of HALT’s meaningful grassroots work since he first saw founder Jeremy Forbes speak at a conference 6 years ago. Since then he’s worked alongside Jeremy to assist in sharing the HALT messages on a national scale. Merv is now responsible in his own community of the Mornington Peninsula for delivering quarterly HALT blitz week events alongside Jeremy. He is honoured to be able to use his program delivery and social enterprise skills to assist HALT to grow its amazing impact further across Australia in the coming years.

CATHERINE PILGRIM

CO-FOUNDER
Catherine Pilgrim is a Visual Artist and mother of two boys living in Central Victoria. A co-founder of HALT, Catherine is committed to helping spread the positive message that groups such as LIFELINE and BEYOND BLUE are available when people need them.

ANGE RONEY

I am Ange Roney. Mother, Grandmother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Friend, Community member, Registered Nurse and Diabetes Educator. My life is filled with family and good friends. I enjoy yoga, reading, travel and music. I have been affected by the impact of mental health issues on loved ones. This led me to HALT.

I have worked with and supported Jeremy and HALT since 2015. I have witnessed the magic happen after HALT’s authentic presentations. The stigma is reduced and its “ok” to talk, difficult topics are opened up and connections to services are made.

CAITLIN VAYRO

Caitlin has an interest in health and how our jobs impact our mental health. She has recently completed a PhD on the topic of mental health help-seeking in Australian farmers. Caitlin is driven to help people take action when it comes to their own wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of their communities.