SALTWATER THERAPY: Dressed for business in a shirt and tie, Grant Trebilco has a "board meeting". PHOTO/AQUABUMPS
SALTWATER THERAPY: Dressed for business in a shirt and tie, Grant Trebilco has a "board meeting". PHOTO/AQUABUMPS
Rod Vaughan talks to Grant Trebilco who launched OneWave, the organisation behind the successful Fluro Fridays which raises awareness of mental health.
Don't be alarmed if you happen to be on the beach at Mount Maunganui at dawn next Friday and see a bunch of people cavorting in the waves dressed in fluro costumes.
They won't be affected by drugs or observing a bizarre religious ritual, but taking part in a global phenomenon started by local lad Grant Trebilco.
It's called Fluro Fridays, a madcap activity where surfers, swimmers, body boarders and anyone else who's interested dress up in zany attire and take to the waves every Friday morning to raise awareness about mental health.
After modest beginnings at Sydney's Bondi beach two years ago, the event has become so popular that it's been held at about 50 beaches worldwide, including New Zealand.
All thanks to Sydney-based Trebilco, a 34-year-old from Mount Maunganui, who is hooked on surfing.
For him, it's a means to an end.
The outwardly happy-go-lucky individual has bipolar disorder and has battled anxiety and depression for much of his adult life, even to the extent of considering suicide.
But after confronting his demons and undergoing conventional medical treatment, involving psychiatrists and antidepressants, he discovered the best therapy was doing what he loves best - riding waves.
His "Eureka" moment occurred on a Friday morning after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Tired of hiding his illness from friends and associates, he decided it was time to go public and raise awareness of mental health issues in the community.
It's a simple recipe really - saltwater, surfing, good mates and, of course, some crazy-coloured get-ups - the more colourful the better
So, dressed for business in a shirt and tie, he went surfing at Bondi, an act he described as a "board meeting".
Surfing mates clad in bizarre and brightly coloured outfits joined him for "board meetings" on subsequent Fridays and within a month Fluro Fridays was born.
"It's a simple recipe really - saltwater, surfing, good mates and, of course, some crazy-coloured get-ups - the more colourful the better," he said at the time.
"We have a saying that one wave is all it takes to get you smiling and to give you hope.
"And if it gets just one more person talking about their problems, then we've succeeded."
Fluro Fridays has, in turn, led to OneWave, a not-for-profit surf community whose main focus is to raise awareness of mental health issues.
"OneWave's vision is to give people hope they can beat mental health issues by creating a supportive community connected by the ocean," Trebilco told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.
"We currently have eight beaches running Fluro Fridays every week and we aim to have 20 beaches worldwide by the end of 2016, as well as having the OneWave Surfing Experience running at 10 beaches."
He says the OneWave Surfing Experience, which was launched earlier this year, is a 12-week programme designed to teach people with mental health problems how to surf.
"We did the pilot programme at Bondi and there were some amazing results so we're looking to roll it out to more beaches in the next six months."
I still have my ups and downs but I know what my recipe is to manage it - saltwater therapy, knowing it's okay not to be okay, talking about it, surrounding myself with good people and a little bit of medication
So, if you'll excuse the pun, Trebilco is very much riding the crest of a wave at the moment, ably assisted by the OneWave team in Sydney of Sam Schumacher and Joel Pilgrim and, of course, his parents Bruce and Alison and siblings Lee, Aaron and Scott.
"Going through mental health issues is the most lonely thing ever and I'm so damn lucky that I have so many amazing family members and friends that have my back no matter what," he says.
Trebilco grew up on a dairy farm in Putaruru, the third of four children in a close-knit family.
His mother remembers him as a happy, fun-loving, caring and thoughtful child who got on well with everyone.
"His favourite activities were always outdoors," she says. "He enjoyed rugby, tennis, running, swimming, surfing, life-saving, triathlon and snow boarding."
At the age of 14, Trebilco and his family moved to Tauranga where he attended Tauranga Boys' College and was a member of the 1st XV rugby team who toured Argentina in 1998.
The "quiet achiever" who always had really great academic and sporting results went on to Waikato University where he gained a Bachelor of Management with first class honours in marketing and economics.
Since then he's worked in sales and marketing in New Zealand, Britain and now Australia. All the while he carried on as if he didn't have a care in the world, but the reality was far different.
"I suffered for years from anxiety and depression but I didn't do anything about it," he says.
"I didn't understand it and I didn't want to be seen as a sad dude so I just kept battling on alone."
We have a saying that one wave is all it takes to get you smiling and to give you hope. And if it gets just one more person talking about their problems, then we've succeeded.
Matters came to a head three years ago during a presentation he was giving at his workplace.
Overcome by anxiety, he walked out in the middle of his address and holed himself up in a nearby bathroom, a bundle of nerves.
Eventually he saw a psychiatrist who diagnosed depression and put him on antidepressants.
"After about six weeks they made me feel the best I had felt in years, but unfortunately I had been misdiagnosed. In 2012 during the Australian Surf Open I had a manic episode which was at the high end of bipolar.
"For a week I thought I was living the dream and everything was finally coming together, but by the end of the week I was handcuffed and taken to hospital."
Trebilco says after 10 of "the hardest days of my life" he was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, a condition that his father Bruce also suffers from.
BEACH CAPERS: Bruce and Alison Trebilco, with their son, Grant (right).PHOTO/BEAU PILGRIM
So it seemed like a good idea to pack his bags and return home to Mount Maunganui and get his life back on the rails again.
"I already knew Dad had bipolar but I didn't really understand it," he says. "Brucey and I are best mates and we surfed together a lot when I got back.
"It was so good to just sit out in the surf and talk about his experience with bipolar and how he manages it."
With the help of his family and his mates Trebilco got through this dark episode, but it was the ocean more than anything else that really got him on the road to recovery.
"I remember getting this one good wave and I actually started smiling again, like really smiling, and finally I didn't feel numb anymore.
For me it's awesome how dressing up in ridiculous outfits, going surfing and sharing personal experiences about mental health can turn strangers into friends in a matter of minutes, and help people open up about issues they have hidden for years
"That gave me hope that things could get better. Sometimes one wave is really all it takes."
And it was in the surf that he broke the news to his mates that he had bipolar disorder.
"The support and understanding they showed me was unreal and I will never forget it.
"This was the inspiration behind launching OneWave. I wanted to share the recipe of saltwater therapy to help people tackle mental health issues, so hopefully they don't have to ever feel the way I did when I was struggling."
One of his close friends, Radio Hauraki Radio Hauraki host Jay Reeve, is full of admiration for the man they call Hubnut.
"Hubnut is one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet, a heart of gold and an infectious smile.
"When he set up OneWave all of us were instantly on board. How could you not get involved with such a worthy cause?" he asks.
Reeve says Trebilco's family and friends can take some of the credit for what he's achieved, but ultimately OneWave is "a true testament to how amazing Hubnut is as a person".
"I don't know anyone else that could make this happen or create the reach that OneWave has managed.
"I would put him up there with the Sir John Kirwans and Mike Kings of the world. Without their bravery things would still be in the dark places they used to be."
Joel Pilgrim, another good mate and member of the OneWave team, says Trebilco has inspired many people to speak up about their mental health issues.
"He has been the catalyst for change in making mental health a more mainstream topic of conversation."
Pilgrim says surfing is an activity which is seen as cool and attractive "and by incorporating this with an issue that is seen as ugly it makes mental health cool".
Not surprisingly ,Trebilco's mother Alison is also very proud of his achievements.
"At OneWave's second birthday it was the most emotional, amazing and proud feeling for us as parents seeing 800 people dressed in fluro stretched along Bondi Beach.
"Grant has managed to turn his life around with his strong determination and commitment and he makes our whole family incredibly proud."
The man himself says he's "very humbled" by the accolades.
"For me it's awesome how dressing up in ridiculous outfits, going surfing and sharing personal experiences about mental health can turn strangers into friends in a matter of minutes, and help people open up about issues they have hidden for years."
He says Fluro Fridays typically begin with one or more of the participants sharing their story with everyone else.
The support and understanding they showed me was unreal and I will never forget it
"One Friday one of the community bravely stood up in front of 70 people and told the most heartbreaking but inspirational story about her personal battle with mental health issues.
"She said on a Thursday night she went down to the beach and put rocks in her pockets, ready to walk into the sea and take her own life.
"Then she suddenly stopped and thought if I can make it through to Fluro Friday I might be okay, knowing she could talk about her struggles."
And Trebilco says that's exactly what happened, with the women turning up at Fluro Friday and saying it had saved her life.
It's stories like this that reaffirm Trebilco's belief in the therapeutic powers of Fluro Fridays and OneWave, and reinforce his disdain for aspects of the mental health system.
"Everyone is different, but what I do know is that from my experience the mental health system is pretty screwed.
"Most doctors and psychiatrists I talked to really didn't seem to understand me. I walked out a bunch of times in the middle of sessions and I really struggled to get the help I needed."
He says the biggest help for him was talking to people with similar mental health issues, like his father.
"The key thing is to never give up until you find the right help. It's so damn hard but the right help is out there somewhere."
However, Trebilco is not taking anything for granted, conceding that he hasn't "beaten bipolar" and there's "a good chance I will have it for life".
"I still have my ups and downs but I know what my recipe is to manage it - saltwater therapy, knowing it's okay not to be okay, talking about it, surrounding myself with good people and a little bit of medication."
It's a recipe that is now bringing a smile to the faces of thousands of troubled people all over the world.
Not bad for a boy from the Bay with bipolar disorder.
Mental disorders According to the Mental Health Foundation one in six adult New Zealanders - that's an estimated 582,000 people - suffer from common mental disorders at some time in their lives. x These include depression, bipolar disorder and/or anxiety disorder. x Women are around 1.6 times more likely than men to have been diagnosed with a common mental disorder. x The foundation says bipolar disorder, which Grant Trebilco suffers from, is "one of the most overwhelming, frightening, isolating and debilitating experiences you can have". "If you are in crisis you may feel your world has fallen apart, that everything is black, that nothing makes sense or that you are in danger." x Bipolar generally begins between the ages of 15 and 40 years and occurs equally across all cultures. Most people return to their usual level of functioning after periods of illness. x The exact cause of bipolar isn't known, although there is a family tie (genetic inheritance) to bipolar. x Treatment can take many different forms: medication, talking therapies, complementary therapies, education sessions, workshops and sometimes respite care in the community is useful. x Well-known people with bipolar disorder include Stephen Fry, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Slater, Russell Brand, Frank Bruno and Jack Nicholson
