Justin Geange

good afternoon today is another episode of my podcast of resilience and today will be talking to a special guest Justin Geange, who spent his early life living in New Zealand. He was born in New Zealand and he was diagnosed with bipolar and he has been and is an entertainer & is a licensed plumber by trade. Spent a decade dressed up as buck the bronco but his life calling is as a mental health advocate for the mates of construction organisation and as a warning we will be talking about suicide today and if you feel unsettled at all call lifeline or talk to someone at lifeline. The lifeline number is 131114 welcome Justin. Thanks for being on my podcast.
Justin: thanks for inviting me David. That was a great intro. I can’t wait to hear myself.
David: how was your early life in New Zealand?
Justin: I grew up in the 70s had a bit of a ball. We didn’t have all the technology we have these days so as a kid you’d be out running a muck I love that sort of stuff. My dad was a share milker at one stage so we got to hang on the farm for a couple of years all the usual stuff that people did in the 70s in the 80s such as riding your bikes and hanging out with your mates.
David: it certainly was a simpler existence then, when were you diagnosed with bipolar?
Justin: interestingly enough in my life in New Zealand I was a bit of an entertainer doing that sort of stuff and I also had my struggles. I was in and out of hospital as a young fella and about the age of 17, I was in a psychiatric facility where I was treated for what they call manic depression back in the 70s and what we now called bipolar these days so I was treated for it as a teenager but I was never fully diagnosed until I was in my 40s over here in Australia. I had a few things go on that led to an attempt of my life and that was around the 2012 mark when I was diagnosed with bipolar even though I’ve been on medication for many many years before that
David: you suggested that you were an entertainer
Justin: I loved it Even since I was a young fella. I was obsessed with Elvis and I remember from the age of around eight when I first jumped up on stage at a shopping centre talent quest and then I didn’t look back. I got into the country scene and I did lots of singing in pubs and clubs as a young fella and did a few Elvis shows as well so I just love the stage. I felt fearless on the stage and it didn’t worry me what people thought and it’s where I belonged.
David: did you come to Australia in 1994 or were you married in 94?
Justin: in 94 I got married. I came over when I was 17 in 1990 and My Cousin was the driving force. Hey mate we got a band over here and we want you to audition so I came over and I sold everything I had and I landed over here and then the band wasn’t so great well I wasn’t so I had to get a real job and that’s where the trade came in and I got my plumbing apprenticeship and it was the same year I got married as well.
David: so that would’ve been a bit of a change for you. I’ve been over to New Zealand. It’s a great country but maybe there’s not as much work over there. I’m not sure.
Justin: yeah that’s the thing the cost of living over there even today a lot more than what we expect here in Aussie and just a lifestyle over here you couldn’t beat it. Most of my family are still back in New Zealand so I get to go and visit from time to time, but I love this place as my accent would suggest. I’m well and truly part of the furniture here.
David: and you spent a decade I believe as Buck the Bronco how did that eventuate?
Justin: I was going to a church in Mount Gravatt and one of my mates. He got the opportunity to mascot at the Broncos as the original Buck. The Bronco had pulled the pin and he got the opportunity to do that and then he invited a lot of kids from the youth group to come and help back in the days. It use to be Chino balls hardware warehouse dogs and all these different mascots. My first gig was the postbox. I was wondering around ANZ Stadium back in the day and eventually everyone moved on and I was left holding the hooves or holding the rain so to speak and being back for a number of years and just good mates and nepotism it was a brilliant ride that’s for sure.
David: how did bipolar work in with things or how did that affect your life?
Justin: I’ve always had my ups and downs that plenty of people that have worked with me would a test to. I love the limelight. That is the entertainment but the flipside of that coin is I would have massive depressive moments which would eventually lead to an attempt of my life. It was a challenge and the turning point for me was an attempted 2013 after losing a job and losing my grandmother and lots of exciting things that it happened in my life before that like going on a reality show as I dressed up as Buck the Bronco when I went on Australia’s got talent
David: yeah I saw that on YouTube
Justin: yeah it’s out there and all of that came to a crashing holt in the middle of 2012 2013 and 2013 was my attempt. I ended up having a massive depression order at the end of 2012 that led me to a hospital hospitalisation where they finally diagnosed me with bipolar type two. After all the years of ups and downs. It was helpful in terms of having some understanding and that was the beginning of my journey when you talk about resilience where do I go from here? This sort of thing
David: yeah certainly what’s this life all about? That’s the question I guess we get to at some point in life and you think what’s it all about now? What attracted you to the mates in construction organisation?
Justin: I was at that turning point for me and I got to the point in the Hospital so after the attempt in 2013 and I had all these people that I was working with salty tradies and good friends and people from the church and people outside of church as well all coming to visit me in Hospital and I no longer had the ability to put the mask on so to speak I didn’t have the energy to pretend
David: that you were tough and I guess that’s why the suicide rate is twice as much as the general population because everyone in construction is supposed to be tough I guess
Justin: yeah that is that perception but we’re flesh and blood like everybody else but that perception it prevented me from reaching out and as all these people visited me in hospital and I had no energy to mask it so I began to share what I found by doing that it gave permission to those for the stuff that they were going through and what I learnt pretty quickly because I was talking about it. It gave permission to other people to talk about it and I realise we’re all going through something and that was the point for me if that can happen through one conversation. Well then how can I have more of these conversations to potentially help other people and that became my driving force my purpose so to speak okay? How can I do that? So I reached out to mates in construction I had heard about them and I was actually reaching out saying hey we need something like this at the railways because I was a railway employee and they said well you know lots of things need to happen. Would you be interested in sharing your story at one of our events in 2014 I did that I started sharing my story to the mates. Are you okay? Also to other organisations in that space and it was cathartic for me? But it also was helping other people as well at the same time and what I realise was we’re all carrying the story and when we share those stories it can help other people with their story as well.
David: I’ve had episodes in my life when I thought what’s it all about? when I developed Parkinson’s disease when I was 16 and I really didn’t handle that all that well at all and if I had the understanding that they have now in the past five years being more open about things and talking about mental health but in the 1980s but when I needed it the most no one talked about mental health and it wasn’t a topic. But I got through somehow but in the past five years but my eyes have opened that we are allowed to talk about how you’re feeling and everybody has their off days
Justin: 100%
David: you’re not happy 100% of the time and there’s not something wrong with you if you are not happy because that’s just how it is.
Justin: absolutely and I’ve since read books like the happiness trap oh yeah you’re gonna be happy all the time but that’s not healthy either. There’s a reason we got tear ducks we’re built to have all aspects of our emotions.
David: that’s great so you’ve got two daughters have you?
Justin: two beautiful girls we tried for many many years to have kids for one reason or another. It wasn’t working for us we tried all sorts of things the Bruce Shark the baby maker and all these different variance of IVF we ended up having two beautiful daughters to IVF. One of them is 18 and the others 21 and then in the few years that I’ve worked in the space, we were a pretty open and honest family and we keep each other in check and they are a big reason for my well-being as well. They hold me to account and I hold them to account so you can have these conversation with your kids and your family members as well
David: and I think you talked the other night at the shed about your wife and how she was so important to you in your journey
Justin: yeah absolutely and she holds me to account even to this day. The gift of bipolar. I still have good days and I still have really tough days we’ll be married 32 years this year actually and she’s been there every step of the way she’s had to take me to hospital a number of occasions and in particular that day in 2013, where she found me in time she had to do a lot of things and she got me to the Help and made sure I was still here to keep kicking so I am grateful. I understand there are people out there. They have worries and concerns for their loved ones and the only thing I can say is just keep turning up, keep squeezing people a little bit and let them know you love them and for me she’s been that rock. She hates me saying that but she’s been that rock for me. I am a fortunate man
David: it’s very important to have someone in your corner specially when things aren’t going so well for you often it’s just a matter of talking to them and things really aren’t that bad.
Justin: yep hundred percent it’s amazing. What a good old yarn can do and even if it’s not from a partner or for a good mate or someone you trust and they’re the conversations that are life changing and anyone else can have them the beautiful thing from being from Queensland. We call each other out on stuff all the time. I’m a Broncos fan and my mate calling me out all the time their choices this year it’s been rough and that’s what we do. We call each other out on the good stuff and on the tough stuff and those courageous conversations can potentially get people out when they need their help the most
David: that’s right lastly what gets you up in the morning or what’s your drive
Justin: there’s a saying in New Zealand to Tonga to the tongue the people the people the people that’s what gets me up. I’m in Emerald as we speak. What are we doing? Here is we’re having conversations with tradies we’re talking about how do I identify if a mate is struggling? How do we have those conversations when we’re worried about someone and how do we hook that person up to the Help that’s available for them being able to do that in the wider community and we’re off to Longreach tomorrow. That’s what fuels me that’s what drives me that passion that sense of purpose that we can empower and encourage anyone on this rock to be able to notice if someone is struggling and to have those conversations and to get them to the Help that’s available and that’s just not for people at the pointy end of town that’s for everyone and every part of society and every part of our community that sometimes go through stuff but we get through the tough stuff together and we are stronger together and that’s what drives me. That’s what gives me passion to empower other people to share their stories to notice to call people out and to get them to the Help that’s available in any little corner of the Earth and that’s what fuels me mate.
David: never too late to change things is it?
Justin: 100%
David: it’s been wonderful talking with you and I’m sure we’ll catch up again soon at some stage
Justin: awesome to talk with you and I appreciate you and your story mate and all you’re doing to talk about resilience and that we can get through stuff I appreciate it
David: thank you so much, Justin and I’ll be in touch