Love, Ethan
Tenā koutou, Tenā koutou, Tenā koutou kātoa.
Ko Hāhuru tōku Marae
Ko Putauaki tōku Maunga
Ko Ngāti Tūwharetoa tōku Iwi
Ko Te Ārawera tōku Waka
Ko Tarawera tōku Awa
Ko Gerarard rāua ko Angela tōku mātua
Ko Rachael rāua ko Tabitha tōku tuahine
Ko Ryan tōku teina
Ko Ethan ahau
No reira, Tenā koutou, Tenā koutou, Tenā koutou kātoa.
Kia ora, my name is Ethan McQuinlan and I have been a proud member of the silverline team for just over a year and a half. I was born and raised in Wellington in my family of five with my childhood years being spent primarily playing rugby, adventuring the bush and coastline with my mates, and gathering kaimoana with my old man.
Throughout my teenage years I experienced a fair amount of hardship that impacted my life physically, mentally, and spiritually. Having to try and deal with mental adversity at a young age I always felt like there was never an appropriate space for me to talk about what I was going through. As a male, talking about your feelings and emotions has been a subject that we are told to “suck it up” and “harden up” whenever we show any sign of vulnerability. This was felt especially within the rugby community in which I was so passionately involved in. For me, it only made my situation more difficult in the sense that I couldn’t even feel comfortable mentioning any of my struggles around the people who I spent a majority of my time with.
Fast forward to September 2020 when I received an invitation from Silverline to come and speak on a panel in front of a live audience, it was the first opportunity I had received to share my experiences in a public space. The moments I shared with other men in the audience that night after sharing my story were conversations that I never thought could be made to feel so comfortable and accepted. Being able to listen to what other men had been through in their lives and having intimate conversations about the struggles of mental health is one of the most powerful experiences I’ve ever had.
Since that night I have had the absolute pleasure to contribute my values and experiences to the mental health space through the invaluable team that is Silverline. Without Silverline, I would never have gained the opportunities I’ve been blessed with to share my story on a local and national scale. Creating comfortable spaces for men to talk about what’s going on upstairs is a mantra I came up with when I jumped on board with the It’s Not Awkward Bro group within Silverline. I will never forget the interactions and conversations I had at the Silverline festival in 2021 where I again was privileged to share my story in front of 500 students. After I spoke I had several guys come and chat to me about how hard it has been for them to firstly find a space where having these conversations is normalized as well as finding the right words to explain what they’re going through.
All of this would have never been possible without the mahi put in by Sze-En and Tash along with everyone else in the Silverline family. The Kaupapa behind our movement ensures that whenever we approach an event or a space we want to contribute to, we are always taking into account cultural, social, and personal aspects so that all people are cared for and are kept safe when coming into this space. Silverline will be a family I carry with me for life and if it weren’t for the mahi that’s been put in by past family members alongside Sze-En and Tash, this powerful movement would not exist. I love this team and I know they love me. Forever and Always.
Ethan