Presentation: MATES

Date: Thursday 19th of February
Time: 10:30am - 12:30pm

Joining us this February is Damien McVeigh, Operations Manager of MATES WA discussing Mental health and suicide prevention in the construction and mining industry.

MATES is a charity created by the Construction Industry in 2008 to reduce the high level of suicide among Australian construction workers. MATES has since expanded to serve workers of the Mining, Energy and Manufacturing industries, as well as the construction industry in New Zealand and in the United states as of 2026.

Damien serves as the Operations Manager for "MATES WA," a globally recognised suicide prevention peer support program with the aim of reducing suicide rates within the construction and mining industry through community development efforts. Having previously worked in the predominantly male construction sector, having worked in the Metro and regional locations across Australia, Damien is intimately familiar with the loneliness and isolation that can accompany spending time in a 4x4 room whilst working remotely but also appreciates the hardships of working in the built up metro area. He also understands the challenges that exist in this space. Damien joined MATES over eight years ago after personally experiencing the impact of suicide multiple times. His motivation was to support the industry in its endeavours to reduce suicide rates.