News

LAST UPDATED APRIL 20, 2026. REGISTRATIONS MUST CLOSE FRIDAY, APRIL 24.

Please click HERE to register.

Camberwell Basketball is delighted to confirm an outstanding line-up of guest speakers and presenters for its inaugural Association-wide Mental Health Awareness Week, to be held from April 26 – May 2.

Across two special evenings, members of the Camberwell Basketball and Dragons communities will hear powerful personal stories and gain practical tools to support both performance and wellbeing.

Session 1 – Monday, April 27
Camberwell Room, Camberwell Grammar School, 7pm-8.30pm

The opening session will feature a respected member of the Camberwell Basketball and Dragons community sharing his personal mental health journey. His presentation will highlight:

• The importance of speaking up
• Seeking support when it’s needed
• Developing the mind alongside the body

Also presenting is James Farrough, Provisional Psychologist from Glynn Mind Clinic, who will lead an interactive workshop on self-talk.

This session will be of particular interest to coaches of all levels as it explores how internal dialogue influences performance and wellbeing, and how positive self-talk can be used to bring out the best in both individuals and teams. For more about James and this workshop, please see below.

Session 2 – Thursday, April 30
Function Centre, Balwyn Community Centre, 7pm-8.30pm

The second event features two inspiring speakers:

Andrew Parkinson – The two-time National Basketball League champion and one of the league’s most lethal three-point shooters will reflect on his career, his battle with cancer, and the importance of connection, resilience and community. For more about Andrew's story, click HERE.

Joining him is Bobby Bajram, a world-class extreme athlete living with multiple sclerosis. Diagnosed at just 13, Bobby has gone on to scale some of the world’s highest mountains and is now training to climb Mount Everest in 2027. His presentation will explore purpose, resilience, positivity through adversity, and his mission to “walk to the top of the world and see the blue sky.”

Bobby is also a proud ambassador of the Camberwell Dragons program. For more about Bobby's story, visit his website HERE.

What You Need to Know

Camberwell Basketball’s Mental Health Awareness Week aims to shine a light on an issue that affects so many in our community.

If you would like to contribute, support activities, or share your own story, please email
Andrew Johnstone at [email protected] or call 0425 791 610.

These sessions are open to:

• Players (Under 16 level and above)
• Coaches, referees and administrators
• Camberwell-affiliated clubs, Dragons teams and Community Basketball League participants
• Family members and guardians

Registration

Places are limited. To register for one or both sessions, click HERE.
[email protected]

Registrations close Friday, April 24.

About James Farrough:

James is a provisional psychologist and experienced musician with a background in performance coaching and education. James has been co-lecturer of the subject 'Performance Psychology' at The University of Melbourne and works with students from a wide range of performance areas (including music, AFL, canoeing, martial arts, e-sports, public speaking and high-pressure exams) to better their learning, performance and mental health. Combining years of experience as an educator along with personal experience of performing under pressure as an orchestral musician, James uses evidence-based strategies to help individuals flourish and achieve their goals.

About the April 27 Workshop:

The voice in our head can be a player’s greatest ally or worst enemy on the basketball court. Helpful self-talk is a key part of optimal performance and is one factor that sets great athletes apart from those who suffer from negative self-talk. In this interactive workshop we'll learn about how our self-talk impacts our performance, how we can utilise self-talk to bring out the best in ourselves and our players, and how we can use the same ideas to better our overall mental health.