Kurt Briggs Memorial Trophy: “It’s all in your head, mate”

Hunting and Wildlife Magazine - Issue 224 - Autumn 2024

Words By: Callum Sheridan

I had known Kurt for a few years through the NZDA Auckland branch, where he and his father, Grant, were long-time members.

Kurt was a great lover of photography, hunting and the outdoors - a big bloke with an even bigger smile. He was always keen on a good yarn and a few tall stories of his hunting and fishing exploits, which were generally over-embellished, with the target species usually growing 10-fold by the end of the yarn. As any good storyteller worth their salt would know, this is the most important part of the story!

On a hot, summer evening at the NZDA in central Auckland (2018/2019), the club was busy, spirits were high, and after the meeting, various groups debated solving the world’s problems as usual; recounting various tales of their recent outdoor adventures. I recall myself and a couple of other members, including Kurt, discussing club politics and personalities and the perfect solution to all of the above.

Once the discussion ended and all seemed right in the world, Kurt announced his departure for the evening and bid farewell to the group. As he was about to leave, one of the group members threw a curve ball question about our discussion. Kurt turned around, presenting his big smile while squinting through his half-fogged-up glasses, and announced, “It’s all in your head, mate,” and made his exit.

That comment stuck with me as that was the last time I spoke to the big ‘Plonker’ as he was affectionately known by his friends and family.

On Friday afternoon, 22 March 2019, Kurt took his own life at his home in Auckland using a firearm. His fiancée Caroline arrived home that afternoon to find his body.

I still remember where I was when I received the phone call - I was pulling into the local bottle shop on a Saturday afternoon. I was not close to Kurt by any means, but he was a clubmate whom I would see every month or so and speak to on the phone occasionally about various club-related things.

It’s a strange feeling to hear that you’ll never see or speak to someone again, and I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like if someone close to me were to leave under such circumstances.

This article may be quite confronting for some, but that’s the point. When someone takes their own life, it leaves a huge wake. I’m no expert on mental health nor the reasons people may make these choices - I’m unsure if it even is a choice.

Some ‘experts’ refer to it as a chemical imbalance. People get into a haze and are not fully aware of themselves. It’s complicated, and these are only my thoughts.

As mentioned above, Kurt's words have stuck with me. In times of heavy stress, I’ve often thought, “It’s all in your head, mate”, which strangely gives a moment of clarity amid the chaos. Some may think that’s harsh or wrong. I believe that for each person who has been heavily stressed or at a stage of being down and out, feeling like rock bottom, most would have found something that gives them a brief reprieve to assess the big picture - a quiet cuppa, a yarn with a mate or exercise.

There is already a significant movement towards normalising the struggles people have with mental health and getting the right help when needed - a couple that come to mind on social media is ‘For all the Brothers’, and a relatively new one, ‘Mental Hunts’.

Various podcasts and platforms are now showing support to raise awareness for those who need it, not just in the outdoors and rec space but across all of life’s genres. The more we normalise talking about the black dog, or however you would refer to it, the more we create support networks and the greater our success in keeping our minds healthy.

The wake and path of devastation that is left behind probably doesn’t even cross the minds of those who take their own lives - it’s a way out of whatever they may be experiencing with absolutely no intent to hurt their loved ones and those around them. A lot of the time, they may think it’s relieving them. It’s not! That’s something I’m sure of.

I’ll touch on a conversation I had with a good mate over a beer after work one day. Another friend of ours was having some tough times and we were discussing how it came about. I remember saying, “Some people’s heads are just stronger than others.” From the wide-eyed reaction I got from across the table, I could see I had hit a nerve. It was probably not the most tactful thing to say, I know. This, however, sparked a conversation that I’m glad we had.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that no matter how you bring something up, as long as it’s from the right place, it may well create a life-altering conversation or give someone the reprieve they need to keep going at that point in time. Normalise it – whichever side you are on.

Whether someone has been affected by months or years of tough times, bad luck, or misfortune—, or the happiest person in the room being affected by one event - we all react differently and deal with things in our own way. Check on your mates and work on checking on yourself. Understand what brings you a moment of clarity. It could be a lifesaver.

This year (2024), the Kurt Briggs Memorial Trophy for Best Game Camera Photo, donated by Kurt's parents, Grant and Diane Briggs, will be contested in the annual NZDA National Photographic Competition as a celebration of Kurt's life and as a reminder to check on your mates and yourself.

Have you got a wallow or a game trail you think you might catch a glimpse of the trophy of a lifetime? I know I’ve got a couple in mind, and I look forward to seeing the entries for this one.

The best game camera photo is anything caught on a game camera. It doesn’t necessarily have to be of an animal; it could be humorous. In the words of Grant Briggs, “It might be a couple having a shag, or could be a series of photos you enter. The result is up to the judges so get your lighthearted, humorous and entertaining entries in.

As anyone who’s entered photographic competitions knows, they are very subjective and, of course create some debate, so all I’ll say is have fun with this one and enjoy!

Thank you, Grant and Diane Briggs, for allowing me to write so frankly about Kurt's passing. If this article starts just one conversation that changes the course for one person, that’s a job done in my eyes.

“It’s all in your head, mate” R.I.P Kurt Briggs (03/10/1976 – 22/3/2019).

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