A LOCAL artist is handcrafting poppies from bullets sourced from Ballarat Police's training grounds, to raise funds to support sick children and their families.
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From assisting architects with ornate lead roofing repairs in the United Kingdom for much of his career before he began recycling scrap lead into works of art, in more recent years, artist Ron Davis has been fashioning poppies from discarded bullets.
While he started out making red remembrance poppies to raise money for returned soldiers, from bullets unearthed from a historic Victorian rifle range and even from bullets recovered from Flanders Fields, he has recently turned his focus to raising awareness about trauma and mental illness.
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Mr Davis is currently focused on using his unique skills to raise awareness of post traumatic stress and depression among servicemen and women, first responders and everyone who suffers from "invisible wounds on the battlefield within" through his Battlefield Blue initiative, which also sees him donating to support organisations.
Acknowledging that he has been in a dark place himself, he started creating the blue poppies in recognition of everyone fighting an inner battle.
"There are so many people who commit suicide, which is so tragic, so it's so important to know that there are lots of organisations that can help," he said.
"That's what I want to raise awareness of through Battlefield Blue," he said, noting that through the initiative he had met many returned servicemen and women and emergency service workers who had experienced "the battle within" and could really relate to the meaning behind the blue poppies.
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Recently, Mr Davis was able to collect 40-calibre bullets from the police training ground in Ballarat.
Of these bullets, he has donated one striking framed hand crafted blue poppy to Ballarat Police - a meaningful gesture after four police officers were killed in the line of duty in Melbourne earlier this year - with further poppies available for the public to order.
From the $295 sale of each handcrafted blue keepsake poppy, he will donate $45 to the Cops N Kids program in Ballarat, which provides a fun-filled few days for children with cancer and their families.
While the Cops N Kids program has been postponed this year, organisers plan to have it up and running again next year.
Mr Davis said he wanted to support the cause, to do something positive for young kids and their families going through a stressful time.
"My heart goes out to the young kids and their families that have gone through such a terrible time... Cops N Kids does such great work taking them out on helicopter rides and other adventures and it's great to put a smile on their faces.
"I am happy to make this a long term, continued fundraiser for Cops N Kids, with support from the local community."
Mr Davis also creates cheaper, wearable enamel Battlefield Blue Badges, which are sold at places such as the Australian War Memorial, the Shrine of Remembrance and RSLs, as well as local businesses such as Pipers by the Lake, Harvey Norman and Spot on Pots.
The poppies can be worn to show support for those suffering, and can also help to start conversations about PTSD and depression.
Each business is able to choose a support organisation, such as Beyond Blue, Soldier On or Legacy, where half of the profit from each sale is donated to. He is always looking for more businesses to sell the badges.
For more information, visit: www.poppytributes.com.au
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