As a proud husband and father, a successful business owner and the Elders live export manager for Queensland, Tom Kennedy is a high achiever by anyone’s standards.
But two years ago, Mr Kennedy felt anything but on top of the world.
“I was coming home late at night and being half cranky and not appreciating the person closest to me or my children,” he said.
“I was kicking the rubbish bin a bit too much. Loosing my temper all the time. I felt that something was going to crack.”
Mr Kennedy opened up about the steps he took back to better health while speaking as a panelist at the Grow Queensland forum in Cloncurry last Thursday.
He admitted to seeing a psychiatrist to help get his feelings under control. He says good sleep and exercise is crucial and two years ago he started swimming training.
Mr Kennedy eventually completed an 8km swim from Magnetic Island to his home town of Townsville.
“It was the proudest I’ve been of a self-achievement since I left school,” he said. “I have also lost 12kg in two years which has made a huge difference.”
Mr Kennedy told his story at the Cloncurry forum during a discussion about improving metal health, particularly for males living across the North West.
He said he was proud of the way companies like Elders had improved their approach to issues such as mental health, making health a priority for both clients and employees.
Mr Kennedy has a remarkable story of achievement in the business sector. He worked a stock agent with Landmark after leaving school and eventually found himself in Rockhampton where he went into partnership with David and Gina Warriner in three newsagencies.
He ran those businesses for four years before moving to Townsville in 2007.
In 2008 Mr Kennedy opened Lamberts Fresh Food and Meat with his business partner, Michael Burge.
“We had discussed the concept of having a market place where people could obtain wholesale prices while also guaranteeing a supply chain as well as the freshness and quality of the produce and meat,” he said.
“We started with four employees in 2008 and we now have a payroll of 60 full-time and part-time staff.”
Mr Kennedy admits he still has “tough days” but says he reminds himself that “you can never fix everything in one day”.
“The challenge is getting people to have faith in you and then you can have faith in them,” he said.