The Naughtiest Boy in Holland

Just outside   Murias de Rechivaldo I met the naughtiest boy in Holland.  I’m not sure if he was the most badly behaved young person from the Netherlands, but that is how he described himself.  He was undertaking the walk to Santiago with a mentor, as part a Dutch mentoring programme that aimed to challenge difficult behaviour amongst adolescents.  I was impressed that not only had he walked almost 600km but had spent much of that time camping out, rather than staying in alberge.

I was impressed and wanted to spend a bit of time with both of them, so I invited them to join me for a coke.  We later were joined by a middle aged couple from New Zealand.  This was the first occaision that  I disclosed to strangers that I had a mental health condition.  I had been reluctant to disclose to friends, family and work colleagues that I was struggling to cope with my mental health and was aware of the stigma attached to it.  As a consequence I spent far too much time trying to mask from others that I was unwell.  But I felt safe to disclose, to a boy who had a string of criminal convictions that even shocked me, his mentor and a couple from somewhere on the South Island.

I was listened to and I didn’t feel like I had been judged at all and the conversation moved on to blisters, how much weight we each carrying and amusing incidents that had happened along the way..  The Dutch pair made their excuses and moved on, leaving me with the Kiwi couple.  The woman thanked me being open and honest about my condition and then told me that John Kirwan had disclosed his condition during a Rugby commentary live on Radio New Zealand.  I was aware of who he was and could speculate as to his status in NZ.  Kirwan used to score tries for fun in the late 1980’s and played an instrumental part in the All Blacks winning. The 1989 Rugby World Cup.  His status in NZ is at similar level to that of Bobby Moore in England, Diego Maradona in Argentina and Michael Roos in Estonia.

I am sure that David Beckham and the Duchess of Wessex speak publicly about their respective roles as UNICEF ambassador and patron of Wessex Heartbeat Trust.  However, in my view a celebrity who is able to speak from personal experience about their condition is able to convey a much more message.

Later I spent I spent a fair bit of time in NZ and I believe that there is a much more enlightened view of mental illness than in the UK.  You frequently see adverts on the TV about mental health and I always got the feeling that mental health wasn’t viewed as being a taboo subject.

Later I passed the Dutch boy and his mentor who were sat by a stream eating lunch.  They asked me to joined them and the boy thanked me for sharing my story with him.