Rosie Skene:

Hello and good day to you and welcome to episode 43 of Triumph Beyond Trauma. Thank
you so much for tuning in and for spending some of your very precious time with
me and. Hopefully getting something incredible out of the chat I'm having
today.

Before we get started though, I wanna let you guys know that we
do talk about some sensitive topics, including alcohol addiction and suicidal
ideology.

If you feel like today isn't the best time for you to listen to
this episode, please, please switch it off and come back later or skip it
altogether.

Our guest today is Shane Dimech the founder of Our Mate Ship
Limited, a registered charity dedicated to providing free wellness days on the
water for current and ex-serving military personnel, emergency services
members, their families and carers.

Shane served 11 years in the Australian army, followed by
Korean civil marine industry, where he went on to establish two successful
marine based businesses. Despite his achievements, the pressures of the service
and life took their toll. And in 2017, the wheels mentally fell off. On day one
of a month long admission to a mental health facility, he conceived the idea of
Our Mate Ship vowing to create a space where others wouldn't have to suffer in
silence or struggle alone.

In early 2024, he turned that vision into a reality acquiring a
46 foot motor sailor and later a 26 foot ocean going fishing vessel, both now
used to facilitate wellness on water canal cruises, fishing trips, and offshore
sailing adventures along the Sunshine Coast. The program fosters social
connection, relaxation, and mental wellbeing in a safe and supportive
environment.

Beyond Our Mate Ship, Shane is deeply involved in supporting the
veteran and first responder community. He volunteers for numerous organizations
dedicated to military and emergency services, personnel, and actively pursues
grants and partnerships to expand our mate ship's impact.

Shane also teaches weekly trauma aware yin yoga classes for
Frontline Yoga, a program that provides free sessions for all frontline
workers, helping them manage stress, trauma, and physical recovery.

These classes are donation based for other community members,
ensuring accessibility to all. Above all, Shane's greatest role is that of a
dedicated father to his 9-year-old daughter who continues to inspire him in his
mission to help others.

I met Shane last year , and he's every bit as lovely and
generous as he comes across in this podcast, and I know that if you take
anything away from what he says today, he would want you to understand that you
have choice.

You have agency, and even if professionals might tell you
certain things, that doesn't mean that it has to be true for you. Please enjoy
this episode with Shane. Let's get stuck in.

Welcome to Triumph
Beyond Trauma, the podcast that explores journeys of resilience and hope. I'm
Rosie Skene a yoga and breathwork teacher and founder of Tactical Yoga
Australia. As a former soldier's wife, mom to three beautiful kids and a
medically retired New South Wales police officer with PTSD. I understand the
challenges of navigating mental health in the first responder and veteran
community.

Join us for incredible stories from individuals who've
confronted the depths of mental illness and discovered their path to happiness
and purpose, as well as solo episodes and expert discussions. Together we'll
uncover the tools to help you navigate your journey toward a brighter, more
fulfilling life.

Whether you're looking for helpful insights, practical tips, or
just a friendly reminder that you're not alone. Triumph on trauma has got your
back. You matter and your journey to a happier, more meaningful life starts
right here.

Welcome to the podcast, Shane. It's so great to have you here
today.

Shane Dimech:

Thanks
for having me.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah, finally. It's been a little while in the lead up this one.

I would love for you to start at the start, , wherever you feel
that is, , you served in the ADF and, and out again. So yeah, if you want to
talk us through that, that'd be awesome.

Shane Dimech:

Oh, all
right. Well, I'll just briefly touch on my, the start of my existence. So, um,
yeah, I grew up in Lake Macquarie, , New South Wales.

I grew up on the water, um, started sailing.

I had my first sailing boat. of my own when I was four, , and
then started sailing, , pretty competitively all through my, , younger years
into my teen years. , absolutely hated school, so I left there the second that
I could, , and I went into sail making, , so making sails for yachts, which got
me out of the water even more.

, I started that at 15, , finished at 19. So I was the youngest
person at the business, , with about 30 people under me, , who were all older
than me. Wow. , and that's when I started looking at ways to, to get some more
money. So army hadn't been on my horizon at all. , I'd always pictured going to
war.

But never associated that with actually joining the military.
So, , one of the older guys at work said, have you thought about joining the
reserves? Which I hadn't, , I looked into it then, , did my usual five minutes
of research. I went, righto, this is for me, I went and did all my testing. ,
blitzed all the tests, but then they said because I didn't know what I was
getting myself into, they wouldn't let me in.

, so I went, yep, righto, cool. , someone called me the next
week and said, , come in and have a chat with us for half an hour and then
you're in if you still want to do it. So I did that. , picked my first
available date to go to Kapooka, , just because I wanted to get away from work.
, work said if you go.

, you won't have a job. And I just reminded them that that
wasn't quite legal. So I went and did my basic training. I came back to work
and they just gave me a lot of hassle for actually taking that much time off.
So I just left and joined up full time. I did 11 years in the army, so I
started in artillery and then was trying to get into boats, as you might see a
bit of a pattern forming.

It was a pretty popular job. , it took me six years to get into
that. So while I was waiting, I did an admin role for a couple of years. ,
while I was doing that role, I got deployed to Iraq for seven months, which was
awesome. , there's not much admin to do while you're over there. So, , all of
our work was to get people over there and back.

So when I was there, , I was, I'll call it lucky enough to be
in the commanding officers protection party. So I've got to go out most days, ,
to, to provide security for the CO. , when he was going around to, , villages
to meet the local sheiks or whatever else was happening. , we got to go and
protect him.

So it was, it was awesome just to get out and about and
actually do your job. Um, got back from there, finally got into boats as soon
as I got back, , from Iraq. So, uh, yeah, Townsville for a couple of years and
then down to, uh, to Commando down in Sydney as part of the Maritime Domestic
Counterterrorism Team.

So, it was awesome as well, realistic training. Um, just to
weigh a lot. So, uh, me and my wife at the time were trying to have a baby. And
if I wanted a baby that looked like me, I wanted it to be at home a bit more.
So, , got out of the army in 2011, uh, moved to Brisbane to work for a marine
company, um, doing, , marine supervisor roles and, , driving tugs and barges
and towing all around Australia.

So that was, that was cool. I bounced from there to two other
marine companies. , All around Brisbane, and then I noticed I wasn't doing too
well dealing with people, so I thought I'd I'd leave a very high paying, secure
job to, , work in my garage with a sewing machine and teach myself how to make
covers and upholstery.

, so I did that, uh, that ended up growing pretty quick. I then
bought out another marine trimming business and took over their workshop at
Manly Marina in Brisbane, , where there's about 2, 000 boats on your doorstep.
, so I got absolutely smashed with work then. , we had six people, I guess,
working for us at one stage.

The end. My whole mentality of not saying no to anyone and not
wanting to let anyone down absolutely sunk me in this role because yeah, it
just wouldn't wouldn't say no. So I just could not switch off and just had way
too much work, way too many people that I'd promised stuff to. Um, and then my
anxiety on top of that was picking the tiniest little thing that might have
been wrong with the job and not wanting to to finish that job off just in fear
of what was going to happen, which was.

100 percent of the time, nothing. Yeah, so I'd done that for a
few years. Um, and was going, I thought I was doing well because I was making a
heap of money, I had all the shiny things, had a wife, we'd had a child by
then. , I was drinking a lot. , and working, and that was my coping mechanism
was alcohol and work.

Um, you right for me to keep going?

Rosie Skene:

Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to ask, I have a question though. What led you to the army
and not the Navy, seeing as how you love the water so much?

Shane Dimech:

I didn't want to wear white and I didn't want to be called a seaman. Ha ha

Rosie Skene:

ha ha!
Okay, fair enough.

Shane Dimech:

Yep,
and um, Yeah, I spent a lot of time on Navy ships, um, but wearing green you
weren't treated that well, so, um, yeah, I'm pretty happy with the way that I
ended up.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah,
good.

Shane Dimech:

Um,
cool. So, yeah, so was plodding along running my business, um, I got into
another business while I was doing that, so I was running two businesses, had
all the shiny things, making a heap of money, and just didn't want to be here
anymore. I reached out to my GP. Um, had a bit of a chat to them, they referred
me to a psychiatrist and was then diagnosed with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and
alcohol addiction.

Um, I got started on medication straight away, which, yeah, you
don't know what you don't know, so I was, I was playing that for a little
while. Um, did that for about six months, and then January 2017. I think it was
my first day back at work, um, everything just hit me again and I think I might
have done half a day at work and then I went to the pub and I had a plan to end
everything that night.

So I, yeah, went from work to the pub, drove home drunk, um,
somehow ended up on the phone to a veteran's mental health facility, oh sorry,
mental health counsellor, um, and then they called an ambulance for me and I
was taken to a veteran's mental health hospital, um, where I spent the next few
months. So while I was in there, I got told I'd never work again, I'd be on
medication for the rest of my life.

Um, and then that was just, that's what I believed because
that's all I knew.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.

Shane Dimech:

These were doctors telling me this.

Rosie Skene:

Sorry,
it's amazing how much faith we put in the doctors, isn't it? Yeah. When you
sort of have, when you don't know any better. Yeah, you don't

Shane Dimech:

know what you don't know. So yeah, that's, that's what I got told.

So from, from what I got told by them, I then put my businesses
on the market while I was in hospital. It didn't sell straight away. So I got
out and I made some changes. So I think I did two and a half months in there
the first time I got out. I changed a few things in the business to get me away
from it a bit more.

Um, it really didn't help. Um, but then luckily the business
sold, so we had a caravan. So we thought, well, let's just go traveling. So we,
we traveled in the caravan for a year. , around most of Australia, which was,
was pretty good. , it's a hard slog doing that as a non drinker since most
caravanners are enjoying happy hour every afternoon.

And this was back in late 2017. So I think being a non drinker
back then wasn't quite as accepted as it is now. So

just having to explain to everyone every day why I'm not
drinking, it's like the only drug that you need to justify why you're not
taking it. Um, so yeah, I did that. , Pretty much two years later to the date,
, I ended up back in that same hospital again and it was a lot of the same
people in there, , seeming to be lining up every morning for medication to
pretty much knock themselves back out to go back to bed.

, I had, I had a lot of concerns when I was in there about my
own well being and the answer was Valium and sleep. So that's when I actually
started looking into more natural, holistic ways to improve my mental health
because it wasn't until then that I worked out that they're not there to get me
better.

If I want to get better, it's up to me.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
Can I ask you, um, especially when you're running your business and like
working a lot and drinking a lot, did your wife at the time, , Have any
concerns like did she talk to you about it at all? Or did you think that you
were masking everything pretty well.

Shane Dimech:

No, I
was a very high functioning alcoholic.

Um, and I didn't, I guess every Anzac Day since I got out,
like, everyone going to me, Oh, have you got your claims in? And I'm going,
well, there's nothing, nothing wrong with me. Nothing seemed to have hit me.
And I thought. Everything I was doing was just normal, but it wasn't until I
actually stopped and had a look inside and I went, righto, stuff's not normal.

And I think the first thing that my wife pointed out was on our
first Mother's Day, , we'd gone out in the boat, spent the night out there,
woke up, , we had, I think it was my niece's birthday party. So we took the
boat to that, and then, like, she's going, Are you going to wish me a happy
Mother's Day?

Well, you're not my mother. I was just that self absorbed in
what was going on in my world. I just had no idea about anything that I should
have been doing around me. Um, so that was a massive eye opener for me to
actually Have a look around me and go, all right, these people are important.
Um, I need to be focusing on them, not just whatever I've got going on inside
me.

So that was, that was probably my biggest turning point,
especially after trying for, for six years to get our daughter. , so it was a
pretty. Pretty special thing for us to have our first Mother's Day, and it
didn't even, didn't even cross my mind that I should have been doing anything.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah, wow.

That's incredible, isn't it? That, , it's, you do get lost in
your own little space, don't you, a lot. I find the same thing, actually, , and
have to pull myself back out of it. The other thing I wanted to ask you is, ,
that night when you made that phone call, A lot of people that I've spoken to
that have had, um, that sort of ideation a lot of them say, I didn't actually
want to die.

Do you, what, do you think that might be the reason why you
made the phone call?

Shane Dimech:

I think
deep down, yes, but it had, it had been on my mind for a while. Like I always
just thought the worst of myself. So I always thought my family would be better
off without me. The world would be better off without me. , I didn't feel I was
contributing anything to anyone really.

I was doing some jobs for people on a boat, making a heap of
money. And that was it. I was from, from the outside, everyone probably thought
that we were kicking goals and I should be really happy because I've, I've got
all these materialistic things around me. But. Um, yeah, I honestly thought
that the world would be better without me.

Um, but obviously, deep down, I didn't want to because I
wouldn't have made that phone call if there wasn't a reason in there for me to.
To hang around.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah,
that's amazing. It's such a good service to it. It's not cool. It was, is it
VVCS?

Shane Dimech:

It was
VVCS back then and it's open arms

Rosie Skene:

now.
Yeah.

Shane Dimech:

Yeah.

Rosie Skene:

Um, so
you went back to hospital and you decided that.

There had to be like a better way.

Shane Dimech:

Yeah,
so I think I was in there for about a month that second time. Um, and that's
when I had a new psychiatrist look after me that time. And it was, it sounded
like a bit of a clash between him and the last one. So he goes, Oh, he
shouldn't have, um, prescribed you this medication.

So he just changed all my meds. And that's when I, I was able
to go walking every day, which is a big one for me, movement. , but I just
wanted to jump in front of a bus when they drove past and I mentioned that and
they said just That's cool. Just have some valium and just stay in bed So yeah,
that that was my turning point.

Um, whenever i've been in hospital , I always do all the
programs that are in there because i'm i'm there to try and get better. , We
started doing tai chi while we're in that time and I went That whole time, all
I thought about was not falling over, and that was the first time I noticed
that all my thoughts and everything wasn't going through my mind, so I went,
right, there might be something in this, but I didn't want to do Tai Chi,
because I just pictured a lot of old ladies out in the park moving very slowly,
so I thought yoga is pretty similar to Tai Chi, um, so I started doing some
online yoga when I was in hospital, and when I got out, I found my local
studio, I went there and said, no idea what I'm doing, but I need to be here,
Um, I pretty much practiced yoga daily for a year and felt absolutely amazing.

, about halfway through that year, I told my psych I wanted to
get off all my meds, , to which he said, well, I can't help you. So if you're
not going to give, , if you're not going to take what I'm prescribing, I can't
help you. , I found a psychiatrist down in Newcastle that was definitely keen
to help me.

so I went and saw him,
he gave me. on a post it note from iHerb with a bunch of herbs and supplements
to get. So, um, with yoga, herbs, supplements, um, I started weaning myself off
over about three months. And then day one of no medication, I was in a new
hospital, , and started doing TMS, which is the transcranial magnetic
stimulation to the brain.

So that's what I used about five years ago and still using now.
to replace all my medication. So, um, once I was medication free and absolutely
loving my yoga. , I thought I needed to learn how to, to, to share this with
other people. So I did, , all my yoga teacher training backwards. I did, , a
hundred hour yin training first because that's where I was getting my benefits
from, , was from the, the slower, calmer styles.

, then I did my restorative training and then I did my 200
hour, , yoga teacher training on top of that. , and then down the track, Trauma
Aware, and then teaching, , free weekly classes for Frontline Yoga. Um, just
stepping back a little bit, , once I had stopped traveling and had no
businesses left, , that's when I really got into volunteering.

, I started volunteering for the, the first organization was
Buddy Up Australia, , through my yoga, I had a contact over in WA who went to
one of their events and then contacted me and said, you need to have a chat to
this mob because it sounds like they're right up your alley. , so I did, I
spoke to Megan, who was the founder, , and then I started a chapter of Buddy Up
Australia over in Foster, New South Wales at the time.

, so I was just, I dedicated my life to volunteering from that
point on. , I was just running wellness events for, , current and ex serving
military and first responders in the area. , After my marriage broke down and
my ex wife and daughter, they moved up to the Sunshine Coast. So I was
splitting my time in between Foster and the Sunny Coast.

, I then started another chapter of Buddy Up, , up on the Sunny
Coast. , so yeah, I had both of them running. Both with the same agenda was to,
to get, I guess, alternative ideas out there for people to improve their mental
wellness rather than the standard that we get given.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.

Shane Dimech:

So a
lot of yoga, a lot of time around the water, a lot of movement.

Um, a lot of socializing just with people who get it.

Rosie Skene:

How did
you feel working with Buddy Up after, you know, your marriage break down and, ,
being in hospital a couple of times and coming off your medication? You reckon
that, , feels to me like that gave you a really nice sense of purpose again.

Shane Dimech:

That
was the word I was going to say was purpose. So I went from.

Even in the military, you, you think you're important. Um,
you're really not once you get out. They make

Rosie Skene:

it like
that though, don't they?

Shane Dimech:

Yeah.
Yeah. Um, and then, yeah, being in business again, I thought I was important
cause I had money. But then when I lost all of that, it was like, what do I do
now? Who am I? , and unfortunately that's usually the first question that
people ask is what do you do?

Yeah. And that was so hard when I wasn't doing anything to say
what, what, what is it that I do? Cause I was. Um, yeah, relatively young and
not working. So, to have, to be able to say that I voluntarily run a chapter of
Buddy Up Australia was pretty awesome. Um, dragging people out of the woodwork,
, that might only leave home to go to medical appointments, , was very
rewarding.

And, yeah, I gave a lot of time and energy, , to that. Which
was very, very rewarding. , I had my, my day one in hospital, I came up with,
the Mate Ship idea, what, what I'm doing now. So. But day one in hospital, I had
the idea of getting a boat that needed a lot of work.

So getting a community of our people around to help work on
this boat. And then once it's in the water, training people up on how to
operate the boat, doing a lot of local trips and then a lot of long term trips.
I just didn't have the right people around me for. A few years, , to give me
the confidence to actually launch that, um, a couple of years ago, I did
surround myself with a good bunch of men, , who believed what I had envisioned
and, , yeah, gave it the confidence to make it a reality.

So, uh, early 2024. I put the idea back on the table, started
hunting for a boat, couldn't find the right one. So I stopped looking for a few
months. And then when I stopped looking, the right one just popped up in front
of me. So, , I bought a nice 46 foot motor sailor, , launched the charity or
launched the organization and then went the few months trying to get the
charity status up and running, , before we'd even launched someone, you know, ,
reached out to me that heard what we were doing, , and wanted to donate another
boat to us. So, I went and

checked it out and I could see, , underneath the trees and
mould and water, , that it was actually an awesome boat. So, yeah, we took that
on. Pretty much all the money that I had set aside to run the charity for the
first year went into getting this other one up and running. , but we've got two
amazing boats now covering the north and south end of the Sunshine Coast.

So we've got our big one for, , sailing or canal cruises where
we go out. It's all for free for, , current and ex serving military first
responders, their family and carers. , and yeah, we just, the weather depicts
what we do. If it's a beautiful day offshore, we'll go out sailing. , if it's
not that flash offshore, if there's someone not confident going, I'm out to the
ocean, we'll just cruise around the canals for a couple of hours, find a nice
spot to anchor, do some fishing, swimming, chats, lunch, , and I was, I was
overthinking it to start with, I wanted psychologists on board and counsellors,
but I've just found having, having the water, the nature, people around them
who get it, people just are really comfortable and open up on board, so. I'm
trying to keep it pretty simple at the moment and it just works.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah, simplicity is the best way, isn't it, really? I think, like, you sound very
much like me, you get caught up in your ideas a lot and want to make it the
best possible thing, like maybe a little bit of, I'm a perfectionist,
recovering perfectionist, you know, and I think it stops us from doing a lot of
things sometimes, overthinking it too much and just keeping it super simple.

Yeah, it's the way to get things off the ground for sure, and
then just ironing it out as you go.

Shane Dimech:

Yeah,
and that's how I am with the boats, like I've, being out in the water is my
happy place, but from what I'm Picking up on now, if I'm on someone else's boat
where I don't have the responsibility, I'm a lot happier than if I'm taking
people out on our boat.

So again, that's the perfectionist keeps coming in going, Oh,
we can't do a trip because this, this and this need doing. But they're not life
changing. They're tiny little things that no one will notice apart from me. Um,
yeah, so I'm working on that.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah, it
is hard to work on that. It's something that I've had to do as well and just
like change the way that you think about your thoughts .

And I think that's something that with yoga and mindfulness
really helps with, I think, for me.

Shane Dimech:

Yeah. And I don't think it snuck in until I was a business owner, because I'm, I'm
pretty sure I just did the bare minimum to get through life up until that
stage. And it wasn't until it was my name on something that stuff needed to be
perfect.

So yeah, that, that's what I can picture that coming into my
life and yeah, I'd like to slowly work on removing it.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah. Something that, um, listening to you speak about your journey. Um, it feels
like a lot of people don't think that they have any agency over their
treatment. And I like knowing people that I know as well.

It's so true. Like they just do what they're told and don't
think outside, you know, the parallels that they're given. Do you reckon that
that change in agency changed your whole recovery process?

Shane Dimech:

Definitely, um, especially with the TMS, like, for that treatment, you're, I
think it's changed a little bit now, but I had to do 30 days, , as an
inpatient, , and then the hospital that I was going through, I had to keep
going back as an inpatient.

And after I'd done that for a little while, I, I knew what
worked for me. Um, so I would go into hospital on a Monday morning, I'd have
seven treatments and I'd leave Friday morning. , I'd be on no medication. Every
time I went in there, the doctors tried to prescribe something for me. Um, and
they tried to tell me that, , these seven treatments won't work.

, after a few months of doing this, I realized that. I wasn't
going to change. So my, , consults with the psychiatrist in the hospital lasted
about 30 seconds because they'd, they'd sit down and talk to me and they'd look
and go, you're not on medication. I go, that's right. And you're only here for
seven treatments.

That's right. They go, well, we don't think that's going to
work. I said, well, I don't really care what you think. , I know how I feel
when I come in here. I know how I feel when I sit in the chair and I know how I
feel when I leave. So yeah, it's, it's, it's been a lot of me probably sounding
arrogant with no medical training, but it's my body.

I know how I feel. Um, and I know what works for me.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah,
that's it. You're the only one that knows your body the best, right? And it's
like when you have a, a baby, , and there's something, you know, they're crook
or something and then someone will fob it off and you're like, no, no, I know
my baby the best.

And it's the same with your body and your mental health as
well. Like, you know, when things are working and when things aren't.

Shane Dimech:

And I've, I've been through that many psychologists and psychiatrists just to find
ones that will support what I'm, what I want to do. , and help guide me in the
right direction that I'm trying to go, not, not try to put me on a path that
I'm, , yeah, that I'm not comfortable with.

So, yeah, I know what works for me. It's just a matter of
keeping me on track and doing the things that I need to do.

Rosie Skene:

Do you
have to, do you still, , have the TMS? , is it something that you sort of just
keep doing? Yeah,

Shane Dimech:

so I'm,
I'm down, I do one morning a fortnight now, so Tuesday mornings, so Tuesday is
my, my wellness day, I guess.

So I do. , I teach yoga on a Tuesday, so I swing by where I
teach and turn on the infrared saunas and the cold plunge. , I drive out, get
my TMS done, and then come back to the, to the gym. , do the sauna, cold
plunge, and then we do our hour and a half yoga, and then it's school pickup
time, so.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah,
nice.

Shane Dimech:

Um,
yeah, that, that's my Tuesdays, and yeah, again, it works for me. , the, the
doctor I go through for that is absolutely supportive of what I want to do. , I
can ring up if I need a top up in between, , or if, if I feel I'm doing well,
then they're absolutely fine with me going, I can skip this week.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.

For those people that don't know, what is TMS and what does
that involve?

Shane Dimech:

So I
think it's compared to back in the olden days, I used to do the ECT, which was
the, um, electrician, electrician, electricity, um, using electrodes to go
through your brain. So the way that I've had, , this broken down to me, it's,
it's using magnetic stimulation.

So they do measurements over your brain to see what your body
does to find the optimum spot for your brain to, to zap. Sorry. I guess the
best way that I had it explained to me was when you look out at a paddock full
of cows, there will usually just be one track that's heavily worn, just because
it's easy.

So they've just taken that one track back and forth and our
brain can be that. And you look like that. So, um, this treatment helps to open
all the other pathways up rather than just the one that you might be traveling
back and forth on. So it opens up all the different, I'll say emotional
pathways because that's been a massive change for me.

But just, yeah, giving you a little zap there and then it goes
through your brain. It's back out the other side. So just opening up pathways
that maybe aren't getting used. Um, it's, I'll say it's pain free. It's a
little, , circular coil that sits just touching your head wherever your head,
has been measured.

, and it just does some little taps, , just with
electromagnetic forces going in there.

Rosie Skene:

Cool.

Shane Dimech:

, yeah,
I've, I've, I haven't had any bad side effects for, for, for the benefits I get
out of it. It's an absolute no brainer for me. A lot of people I know are still
on medication while they're doing it, but I wanted there to be less, I guess,
less things to muck around with to get it right.

So I didn't want to have to be trying to work out medication
and then work out the dosage that I need for TMS and not knowing what it is
that's not working. So I wanted my brain to be in its most natural state day
one of me. I'm doing TMS, but most psychiatrists have got TMS machines now, and
then there's a lot of companies set up that just do TMS.

So it's a pretty common treatment option now.

Rosie Skene:

, that's
amazing. I love that it's worked so well for you.

One thing that I really like when we talk about recovery as
well with PTSD, like, it's obviously a roller coaster, but volunteering, I
think, or giving, like, just the act of giving, it can be so little, like, you
don't even have to volunteer, but, , I found, for me, that really opened up my
eyes, especially working, like, as a So, yeah.

police officer where you see like the worst 1 percent of the
world 99 percent of the time sort of thing. So, um, your, your glasses aren't
rose colored, that's for sure. But then when you start giving back to people or
just, you know, giving yourself a little bit or meeting nicer people and then
volunteering as well, I think that just opens up a whole, it's like you've
unlocked a new level.

I think like for me it was anyway, is that what you feel about
volunteering?

Shane Dimech:

Yeah,
so it's, I guess the people that you meet when you're doing it are all good
people out there doing it for the right reasons. I've been to a couple of award
ceremonies for volunteering and community based awards and just the vibes in
those rooms are absolutely amazing.

Crazy, like these people could be CEOs of multi million dollar
companies, but they've chosen to put their passion and I guess skills and brain
to a better cause, , to actually helping people rather than just filling their
pockets, , and I guess just touching on your one there about the police seeing
the worst of everything.

, I've had a few comments like when you're out in the boat,
every boatie waves to each other.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.

Shane Dimech:

So I've
had a couple of, couple of police officers on there going, why is everyone so
friendly out here? Why is everyone waving? It's an awesome, yeah, it's an
awesome lesson just to go, why? Why are these people being nice to us?

They don't know who we are.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.

Shane Dimech:

So, and
it's, it's a good one, especially for police to see that not everyone out
there's a bad person.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.
It's so bizarre. I, I still say to my husband, like, you'll meet someone new
every now and then and go, wow, that was such a nice person. It just blows my
mind every time, you know?

Shane Dimech:

Yeah.
And it is a shame, especially with you guys that, yeah, you don't get to see
the good people in the world.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.

Shane Dimech:

So,
yeah. Definitely doesn't help, but yeah, what I'm, what I'm doing is trying to,
trying to show people that there's plenty of good people out there. And yeah,
we've got a really good bunch that hang out with us, um, more on the
volunteering.

So I have volunteers that come and help me for every trip that
we do. , plus we do a lot of maintenance, , and I really struggle asking for
help, but I put the call out there for all the crappy jobs on the boat that I'd
usually just struggle through myself, and the amount of people we get coming
just to go, I just want to help, I want to actually get out of the house and do
something and see that I've made a difference, even if it's as the last crap
job we did was down in the bilge, so the bottom of the boat where it captures
all the oil, fuel, dirty water, everything.

I'd never usually ask someone for that. And yeah, had three
people come and help, um, probably do the worst job that you can do on a boat
and just wanted to be able to do it. Cause I could see a difference. And then I
pretty much had to drag one of them out of the bilge when I thought it was good
enough and she's going, no, no, I can keep going.

I can clean this and I can do this. And yeah, it's just,
there's a lot of people out there want to, want to help.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah,
it's such a nice, and it sounds like you've really built a little community up
there as well with it, which is exactly what we need, right, when we're
recovering.

Shane Dimech:

Yeah,
it's good. Yeah, it's, it's very rewarding, especially when you talk to people
who don't leave the house for anything, but they feel comfortable to come and
hang out with us.

So, everything we do is alcohol free. We try and keep it as
story free as we can. Yeah. , and. Yeah, people come on there with no agenda.
They just come to relax. So, owning boats and maintaining boats is very
stressful. So that's what I've tried to set up. So I take all that away. Um, we
pick people up from a public pontoon.

So they step on, enjoy their day, step off, and then we go and
do all the work behind the scenes.

Rosie Skene:

That's
so lovely. Where can people find, , you and what you're up to if they're in the
area?

Shane Dimech:

Yep. ,
so our website is mate ship. org, , and you can get to our Instagram So, as I
mentioned before, we, we offer free, , either weekly or fortnightly, trips out
on our boats for veterans, emergency services, family and carers.

, we've usually got at least one maintenance day a week
happening. , so you can jump on our website, , jump on and become a member,
which again is free, but it gives you access to our calendar so you can see
what's coming up. You can book whatever, , is on there that you want to, , and
then just follow along on social media, , that's updated a little bit more
often than the website is.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah,
awesome. I'll pop it all in the show notes as well. So people can just click on
the link. Is there anything else that you wanted to talk to us about?

Shane Dimech:

If you,
if you want to get better, the only way you're going to get better is by you
doing it.

So no one out there is there to, to get you better. You're your
own best. critic, best doctor, best source of knowledge with what you need,
what you need to do and knowing what works for you. And I guess just knowing
that you can. Suggest things to, um, the people that are offering new
treatment. , yeah, it's not just a one way street.

Rosie Skene:

Absolutely. I think a lot of people with, , mental illnesses or injuries from
work like ours think that they, because they have a diagnosis now that they,
that's it for them. And Why wouldn't they, when they get told you're never
going to work again, you're going to be on medication for the rest of your
life.

But there's certainly things that you can do. There's things
that you can achieve. You just, like you said, you have to be your own advocate
and get out there and get it done for yourself.

Shane Dimech:

Yeah,
I've got a lot of people that have been like that in the past where I've asked
them to do something and they go, I can't because I've got PTSD and go, well,
so do I.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah.

Shane Dimech:

You're,
you're fine. I'm not, but I'm doing things to make me actually get out there
and do things. So, yeah, it's, it's, it's definitely a long, tricky road to
navigate, but yeah, just remember, you know what works for you and there's,
there's plenty of things that you can do out there by yourself to improve your
mental health naturally.

Rosie Skene:

Yeah,
absolutely. Thanks so much for coming on Shane and sharing your journey and
everything with Mate Ship. I think it's such a great charity. I love that it's
out in nature as well. It's so good.

Shane Dimech:

Yeah.
Healing powers of the water and Mother Nature. That salt

Rosie Skene:

water.
There's something in there.

Shane Dimech:

Yeah.

Rosie Skene:

Thanks
so much.

Shane Dimech:

No
worries.

Rosie Skene:

I hope
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Your support means the world. My name is Rosie Skene. Join
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Beyond Trauma. Until then, be kind to your mind and trust in the magic of your
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