Council is delivering a mental health awareness campaign combining sport, creativity, and the community, to encourage open conversations and reduce stigma around seeking help. 

A vibrant mural has been unveiled on the Melbourne Ave sports amenities building at the Peninsula Recreation and Active Lifestyle Precinct in Umina. The artwork features Central Coast-born professional NRL player and mental health advocate Nicho Hynes and young players from the Umina Bunnies Junior Rugby League Football Club, who call the oval home. The mural includes a QR code linking directly to mental health support services and resources, making it easier for community members to access help when they need it. 

By including a local sporting hero like Nicho Hynes, who plays for the NRL Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the design we’re showing our young people and the wider community that it’s okay to speak up, to seek help, and to support one another. 

The mural is part of a broader Council initiative that included a youth-focused mental fitness workshop delivered by the Find Ya Feet program in partnership with Nicho Hynes. The session encouraged local youth to build resilience and understand the importance of mental fitness alongside physical health.

This project reflects our commitment to supporting community wellbeing through creative and inclusive approaches and was developed in collaboration with Umina Bunnies Junior Rugby League Football Club, and local mental health services.

It also leads into Council’s upcoming activities for Mental Health Awareness Month in October and R U OK? Day in September, reinforcing its long-standing commitment to community wellbeing.

If you or someone you know needs support, contact mental health support services.  

Photo (main): (L-R) Councillor Sharon Walsh (Central Coast Council); Nicho Hynes (NRL player and mental health advocate); Councillor Belinda Neal (Central Coast Council) and Mel Michie (Umina Bunnies Junior Rugby League Football Club)