IT’S a bit of a surprise to discover that despite a swag of national and international titles under his belt, retired martial arts champion and Cockburn’s new Citizen of the Year, Soa Pelelei, has never really liked fighting.
But the bruising career initially served its purpose for the imposing 1.93 metre super heavyweight known in the ring as The Hulk, helping to keep at bay the inner demons he’d carried from a childhood marked by abuse.
“I competed in UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] because it helped me cope with the depression,” Mr Pelelei told the Herald.
“I was assuming that if I was to say to people that I was struggling, they would say ‘toughen up’ and I didn’t think there was any support I could reach out to.”
He kept his mental health battles to himself, but after he’d become a father the walls around him started crumbling and he contemplated suicide; a frank discussion with his eldest daughter made him realise how deeply he’d sunk.
“I went and saw a friend and had a cry, and he said ‘mate, we’ve got to get you some help’”.
• The Hulk, Soa Pelelei has switched from fighting UFC opponents to fighting the stigmas surrounding mental health.
Mr Pelelei documented his personal trials in the autobiography Face Your Fears and says the book’s message is still incredibly important to him: “I wake up every day and face my fears.”
The book also propelled him into a new career where he says he’s found his true calling; helping others with their own mental health struggles.
In 2018 he started Strong Minds, Strong Mines for the resources industry, trialling the 12-month program at ASX-listed company Macmahon where it picked up numerous awards. Mr Pelelei says they’ve now condensed it down to eight months and it’s already being picked up by other mining companies such as Westgold.
Mr Pelelei says mental health problems are rife in the mining industry.
“It comes down to isolation, being away from family and friends – you can’t just get in a car and pop down to the mall to catch up with them.
“The people who are working FIFO are doing it to give their family a good life or to pay their mortgage, but a lot of people don’t come with a plan so they don’t have a focus.”
Mr Pelelei says each month a new topic such as drugs and alcohol, suicide or finding a focus is rolled out, giving FIFO workers something to look forward to. He says it’s important programs aren’t just a one-off box-ticking exercise so companies can assuage their conscience – their workers need to know they genuinely care.
A year ago he expanded the concept to create Strong Minds, Strong Schools which was first adopted by Harrisdale Senior High School but looks like being picked up by Lakelands high as well.
Prepared
“The idea is that if you start at the school level, by the time they get to the real world, they have all the skills and are well prepared,” Mr Pelelei said.
Born in Newcastle, NSW and from a Tongan background, Mr Pelelei has been living in Cockburn for more than 20 years and in 2021 was inducted into the city’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Mackinlee Tibbits was awarded the Youth Citizen of the Year for his involvement in the city’s Youth Advisory Council, as well as being a role model at the Cockburn Youth Centre’s twice-weekly Dungeons and Dragons program.
He’s also been a Coogee Beach Surf Club member for 12 years, having been a lifeguard for the last four as well as taking part in many of the club’s outreach programs.
Maureen Stevenson was the Senior Citizen of the Year, while the Active Citizenship Award went to the Historical Society of Cockburn.
by STEVE GRANT