Parliament House will today welcome a taste of the Royal Show, when two cattle visit its steps for R U OK?Day and the Black Dog Ride.
State Government Ministers Roger Cook, Alannah MacTiernan and Mick Murray will welcome steer Winston, and heifer Clementine, to the House in the lead up to their auctioning at the 2017 Perth Royal Show to raise funds for mental health.
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Dardanup cattle breeder Peter Milton has been raising donated stock to raise funds for the Black Dog Ride since 2011, when he feared a forecast poor harvest would raise the risk of self-harm and suicide in the regions.
Now in its seventh year, the initiative has raised more than $50,000 for the Black Dog Ride, with this year’s cattle expected to fetch up to $15,000 at auction.
This year, Mr Milton has introduced a heifer to the initiative having previously only donated steers, and will manage an awareness campaign in country shopping centres, town squares, and other community hubs.