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On March 9, headspace Port Macquarie will host a community wellness paddle and use the event to honour the life of Hastings local, the late Wayne Jackson.
The wellness paddle started in 2017 as a way to get the community involved in raising awareness for mental health.
Amy Scholes from headpsace Port Macquarie said the event is a free, non-timed community paddle which is open to all non-powered water crafts.
"We first did the wellness paddle in 2017 in Mental Health Month as a way of creating heightened awareness around mental health," Ms Scholes said.
"The paddle is back in 2019 and we are very excited about getting as many people as we can to Settlement Point.
This year, the event has been renamed the Wayne Jackson Wellness Paddle.
With consent from the Jackson family, headspace renamed their event to remember Mr Jackson and his passion for health and well-being.
Headspace's vision is to continue the enhancement and promotion of mental health and well-being and what better way to do this than inviting the community to participate in an event aptly named after a local who held these values.
Everyone is invited to take part in the paddle and people can use any kind of non-powered water crafts including stand up paddle boards, surf skis, body boards, nipper boards, kayaks and canoes.
Participants in the paddle must be over the age of 12 years to take part. People under the age of 16 will need a parent or carer to sign their waiver on the day.
Before the official paddle begins at 10.30am, there will be a short novelty inflatable race with people encouraged to bring their favourite inflatables with prizes up for grabs.
Ms Scholes said the paddle will be a great way to have some fun and connect with others in the community.
"The paddle is a lot of fun and we are encouraging everyone to come along. You don't have to be experts it is all about having a laugh and getting active to improve your mental health.
"We also want to thank our supporter for the event which include Commonwealth Bank, Marine Rescue, Port Macquarie SUP Fun, Scuba Haven, CSUSPA Port Macquarie, Sn@p, Settlement City, Baker’s Delight and Meat by Lindsays."
Although the event is free registering is essential. Register by heading to the headspace Port Macquarie Facebook page.
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