Brad Carron-Arthur

After finishing an Honours year, most people would take a well-earned rest. But that’s not what Brad Carron-Arthur did. Instead, he embarked on a 4,900 kilometre solo run from Canberra to Cape York, in Queensland, to raise awareness of mental health issues.

During his extraordinary trip, Brad raised more than $35,000 for the Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research, which is based at ANU. Since being back in Canberra, Brad has worked tirelessly to promote awareness of mental health issues as a guest speaker at schools and community groups along Australia’s east coast.

The publicity Brad generated following his charity run led him to being awarded the Young Canberra Citizen of the Year title in 2012. He was also an ACT finalist in the Young Australian of the Year.

In 2013, Brad founded the Youth in ACTion for Suicide Prevention group. The group includes a network of young Canberrans who work tirelessly to promote suicide prevention within schools across the ACT and raise awareness among the wider community.

Through his studies, Brad has been a model student, completing a Bachelor of Psychology in 2011, during which he won the prize for the highest mark given to a psychology honours thesis.

Away from his studies, Brad is a research assistant to the Director at the National Institute for Mental Health Research. He has demonstrated significant leadership within the University community by being an active member of the ANU Young Alumni Council and a community coordinator at Bruce Hall.

While at Bruce Hall, Brad demonstrated a remarkable capacity for student leadership, peer assistance and mentoring. He mentored 14 senior residents and made a significant contribution to the academic programs for students at Bruce Hall.

His expertise in mental health issues meant he was able to play an integral role in managing a number of delicate pastoral care matters involving students with significant mental health issues.