Local businesses and schools have joined the cause and are hosting their own Hat Day, and local organiser and Rotary member Sharon Kinraid invites others to host an event.

Ms Kinraid said every year more than four million Australians were diagnosed with a mood disorder and almost half the Australian population will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life.

She said statistics proved that suicide, a tragic consequence of mental illness, claimed more than 2,000 lives per year in Australia and that the impact of mood disorders such as depression and bipolar were set to rise.

“Australian Rotary Health feels that mental illness is not something you should keep ‘under your hat’,” said Ms Kinraid.

“Hat Day was created to help highlight mental illness as a disease that needs treatment just like cancer or diabetes.

“No matter what ‘hat’ you wear during the day – as a teacher, a doctor, an athlete, a business person, a student or a parent – it’s important to remember that if you are suffering from a mental illness you’re not alone.”

The Rotary’s Hat Day morning tea will be held from 10am – 1pm at Jajjikari Café on Saturday 21 May.

For more details or to find out how to host your own event, contact Ms Kinraid on 0417 801 984 for your Hat Day Kit.