Jumping into icy cold water, in the middle of winter, in Canberra is not at the top of most people’s bucket list.
But for veterinarian and Invergordon local Lauren Bryde, that’s exactly what she’ll be doing in the early morning of Thursday, June 22 — and she won’t be alone.
Dr Bryde will be alongside many other participants willing to get naked and swim in the annual Ian Lindeman Memorial Winter Solstice Nude Charity Swim to raise funds for Lifeline.
The event was organised by Mr Lindeman in 2017 to raise funds for Lifeline, in memory of his son who committed suicide.
Participants can form teams or register as a one-person team, which is exactly what Dr Bryde is doing.
She competed in the event last year and managed to raise a whopping $2700 for Lifeline, which placed her second on the leaderboard.
At the time of chatting with Dr Bryde, she had already raised $1800.
She was hoping to beat that number and reach $3000, but as of the evening of Wednesday, June 21, she had already hit $3110.
After thoroughly enjoying the event last year, she’s keen to get back in the water.
“I made a promise last year that I’ll be back, and I had such a good time,” she said.
“There’s so much about it that speaks to me; like, getting naked is a little bit of a hobby of mine and doing it for a good cause is even better.”
However, Dr Bryde’s reasoning for participating in the event goes further than fundraising efforts and her love for having a cheeky swim in the nude.
According to the Australian Veterinary Association, a number of studies have found that veterinarians are at a higher risk of suicide compared to the general population.
“In the past, I thought mental health was a mind-over-matter thing,” Dr Bryde said.
“So, when it actually came to affecting me I was a bit like, I don’t understand what’s happening, I don’t feel right, I can’t do what I know I’m capable of doing, what’s wrong with me?
“It took a long time and a very significant event before I realised, this is actually real.
“We’re always talking about de-stigmatising mental health, and I think this is a nice way about getting there.”
To contribute to Dr Bryde’s fundraising efforts, visit the winter solstice nude charity swim website and find Dr Bryde’s team, ‘The Nude Express’, to donate.