

St George Illawarra Dragons second-rower Joel Thompson has proudly spread the message of positive wellbeing across the Riverina area this week.
The five-time Indigenous All-Star has visited students from several schools within the area discussing this importance of physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, family and relationships, connections with community, cultural values, connections to place and maintaining spirit.
Thompson is the 2016 NRL Ken Stephen Medal recipient for his ongoing commitment to mental health awareness and is additionally a NRL State of Mind Ambassador
“A person who has a good emotional and social wellbeing is able to cope with change and challenges,” said Thompson.
“Feeling down, sad, tense, angry or even anxious are all normal emotions but when these feelings persist for long periods of time, they can have an effect on you overall functioning and wellbeing.
“It is great to be able to spread this message to the students who I have visited and hopefully they can take this with them and know it’s okay to speak to people.”