Mountie completes his mental health mission

A Vernon RCMP officer is thanking everyone for their support after completing a three-day, 239 km walk for mental health.

Sgt. Rob Farrer spent 60 hours walking on the Okanagan Rail Trail to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding post-traumatic stress disorders among first responders, starting out from the Vernon RCMP detachment at 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

“As the walk continued [on] the Okanagan Rail Trail and around Wood Lake on a continuous loop, Sgt. Farrer battled through his 60-hour journey with support from co-workers, friends, family and the community,” Const. Kelly Brett said.

On the second day, Farrer’s friend and colleague Sgt. Major Sebastien Lavoie from the B.C. RCMP joined him to complete the final 100 kilometres.

“The sergeant and sergeant major battled through some undesirable weather as a storm rolled in Monday evening. However the two kept moving and knew what they were experiencing is nothing compared to the realities of those with mental health disorders on a daily basis,” Brett added.

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Farrer said despite being tired and sore, he’s extremely grateful for the awareness raised by the walk, adding it’s a conversation that must continue.

“Congratulations and thank you to Sgt. Farrer for undertaking this incredible initiative,” Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachen, Commanding Officer of the B.C. RCMP, said. “It is extremely important that we continue the conversation surrounding Operational Stress Injuries (OSI) so that we are able get the necessary assistance to people in need. Sgt. Farrer’s efforts will help to bring much needed attention to the topic and reduce the stigma.”

Farrer said the media and social media coverage has been overwhelming, especially as he is also looking to raise funds for Courageous Companions, a service dog program created by OSI-CAN. The program helps members suffering from long-term OSI’s, PTSD and other related issues, acquire service dogs to provide support and aid in their recovery. The cost of acquiring and training OSI service dogs is approximately $25,000.

For more details, visit his gofundme page.