Who we are
Regional Mental Health Australia (RMHA) Inc. was incorporated in May 2020 with a mission to make a difference in mental health.
The organisation is the brainchild of likeminded individuals – mental health advocates, mental health nurses, technologists, entrepreneurs and other visionaries – who all share a passion for promoting and supporting mental health, particularly in regional Australia.
Where RMHA shines is in the breaking down of bureaucracy in favour of positive action. We facilitate this action through the raising of funds and the provision of those proceeds to those who are equipped to make it count.
The people behind RMHA are:
Peter Butcher, Chairman
Peter has spent much of his career in the public sector, focusing his skills on engaging and assisting the community where possible. Currently, he is working in a senior digital role for Dementia Australia.
An advocate for change, human rights and progressive thinking, he is passionate about ensuring those that are less fortunate can benefit from nation-wide assistance. When approached to be on the board of RMHA, he eagerly became a key member of the team.
Having faced and witnessed mental health issues in his life with peers, friends and family, he is keen to use this knowledge to benefit RMHA and be an advocate for change.
Matthew Rose, Deputy-Chairman
Matt is a highly experienced CTO and innovator, having co-founded various startups and leading teams within digital agencies and technology companies. In particular, he has been building and delivering digital products and platforms for over 10 years in the areas of advertising and marketing, health, sport, food and wine.
Achieving both a Masters in Communication (Advertising) and a Bachelor of Design (Multimedia Systems) from RMIT University, Matt deferred his Masters in Computer Science in 2014 to concentrate on mobile application development after becoming a dad.
His passions lie in building digital platforms that solve real world problems, as reflected in his current position as CTO and Co-Founder of TLRT Foods (pronounced ‘Tolerate’); an app designed to match diners with restaurants that can cater to their dietary requirements.
Derek Amos, Secretary
Derek has an illustrious history of service to the community. He is a founding member of the mental health advocacy organisation, Barrier Breakers, and has served this mental health charity as an advocate and director for the past 15 years.
As a former Member of the Victorian Parliament, he represented the central Gippsland electorate of Morwell and held many leading positions, including Ministerial portfolios. Since his retirement, he devotes his time and energy to advocating for people with mental illnesses and improved mental health services.
Derek continues to serve as a Justice of the Peace in Gippsland. In 2019, he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his life-long services to the community.
Desma Amos, Treasurer
Desma’s long career has focused on the welfare of single-parent families. A tireless campaigner for women’s rights, she has fought discrimination against single mothers and championed their entitlements to supporting payments from errant fathers, as well as family support packages from governments and their agencies.
Her concern and support for the mentally ill extends to her role as a foundation member of Barrier Breakers – a Gippsland-based mental health service – where she has been actively involved in fundraising efforts.
Desma’s continuing mission is to fund advocacy for people who have been unable to navigate the ‘system’ because of their mental vulnerabilities.
Simon Butler, Operations
Simon has lived in regional Victoria for most of his life, where he has both worked for and volunteered at a variety of non-profit and charitable organisations over the past 25 years. He has 30 years of experience in the ICT industry across multiple disciplines, holds four Certificate IVs, as well as multiple ICT industry certifications, and is currently completing undergraduate studies at Deakin University.
His own mental health struggles, and the loss of friends to suicide through poor mental health and lack of appropriate support, has seen him champion the cause of localised mental health advocacy services where he feels the greatest difference can be made for those struggling and their families.
Simon is committed to supporting these localised advocacy services in overcoming serious underfunding issues so they may do what they do best.
Emma Westwood, Content and Design
Emma is a storyteller and content creator with a special interest in the arts sector. Her background in journalism, including as a theatre columnist for The Age and researcher for ABC TV, ignited a passion in her for provocative art and genre cinema that deeply examines the human state to help us better ourselves and the world around us.
Through her content business, Bakewood, she worked with the Australasian Housing Institute (AHI) for close to a decade where she told the stories of those on the frontline of social, community and public housing in both Australia and New Zealand.
She is the author of three books on cinema and nurtures her own mental health with regular writing trips to Bali, which has become her second home.
