"Caring can be a rewarding experience but it can also be stressful and difficult,” Ms Clarke said.

“Many carers experience a range of feelings related to their role as a carer with emotions like anger, depression, anxiety, loneliness, loss and grief are very common.

“People come to the group for moral support and we have social days and get together to discuss what issues the carers may be facing where we share with each other our loss, suffering and stories.”

Ms Clarke said the group is supported by the Family and Carer Mental Health Program facilitated by Mission Australia, which provides a support worker and offers links to counselling  and education sessions across the Mid North Coast.

“If we see one of the carers in real strife the support workers will talk to them and ring them during the week to try and build-up their confidence so they can continue as a carer,” Ms Clarke said.

“The carer can be referred to other services that may be able to help and it also gives them a better understanding as to what is going on within mental health and the services that are available.”

Long time volunteer and one of the co-founders of the group Stella Perkins said it has been great helping carers of people with mental health living in the Macleay for the past 30 years.

“We started 30 years ago when there wasn’t a carers group in Kempsey and we had to go to Port Macquarie and due to the distance we got a group started here in Kempsey,” Ms Clarke said.

“We’ve had many battles to raise awareness in the community about mental health but in that time we have managed to get a mental health ward at the Kempsey District Hospital and help many people throughout the Macleay.”

Mission Australia’s Family and Carer Mental Health Program support worker Dympna Maslin said Mission Australia is happy to support the Macleay Valley Mental Health Carers' Support Group, which is run out of their offices in Port Macquarie and Kempsey.  

“Claudia Richardson works closely with this group, as an educator and trainer and she also facilities an art therapy class and a carer life story writing group," Ms Maslin said.

“The Family and Carers Mental Health Program is vital to the area because there are a lot of carers in the Macleay who feel unsupported and isolated.

“Together we can pool our resources and information and identify what resources are available but most importantly just be here for each other and give the carer a chance to tell their story and be acknowledged in their life journey."