We recently spoke with Douglas Holmes, Consumer Participation Officer, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney about his keynote presentation at next week's 6th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium.

Presentation Title: Inner City Team Marbles Challenge: Will it work in the Bush?

Delegates may be wondering why the conference secretariat would ask someone who currently works in Sydney to be a speaker for their conference?

I am originally from Bellingen on the North Coast, born there in ‘49 just before the ‘50 flood.

In ‘99 I was lucky enough to start a job in Albury as the Mental Health Consumer Participation Officer based in the old Greater Murray Area Health Service for three years.

When I received the invitation to participate in The Symposium, I was excited about having the opportunity to catch up with a number of people I had worked with during that time and share some of the practical tips I learned while stationed in Albury.

The Team Marbles Challenge is one project that can be traced back to my time in Albury and I look forward to talking about this during the Symposium

Douglas Holmes is a full time resource with St Vincent's Hospital, Inner City Health Program as the Consumer Participation Officer, where he attends numerous committees to help put forward consumers’ views on policy, service development and evaluation of the Alcohol & Drug and Mental Health Program.

Douglas is also a member of TAMHSS Secretariat, Honorary Secretary of The ARC Group NSW and a member of the NSW Clinical Advisory Council for NSW Health and TheMHS Emeritus Standing and TheMHS Consumer Forum Advisor.

The 6th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium theme, The Practitioner’s Voice, seeks to give voice to practitioners who are faced with these challenges on a regular basis. Be a part of the discussion by registering for the symposium to be held 12-14 November 2014 at the Commercial Club Albury.