The auction to purchase Winston the steer is fundraiser for Black Dog Ride, an organisation which was founded in Busselton to raise awareness about depression and suicide prevention around the world.

Black Dog Ride founder Steve Andrews started the organisation after he felt the need to raise awareness and create a national conversation so people living with mental illness felt like they could speak up and seek support.

In 2009, Mr Andrews went on a motorbike journey around Australia to engage with people about his message and took a black dog toy named Winston, which represented the black dog of depression and Winston Churchill’s diary entry.

Since then, Black Dog Ride has coordinated 141 rides around Australia and the USA and raised more than $2 million for mental health services nation-wide.

The novel idea to auction a steer named Winston at the Perth Royal Show came from Dardanup farmer Peter Milton who approached Mr Andrews in the organisation’s early days.

Mr Milton gets a person or organisation to purchase the steer which is later auctioned at the show and since 2010, has auctioned seven steers.

“The auctions usually end in a friendly bidding war between Harvey Beef and Borrello,” Mr Andrews said.

“It raises a lot of money for Black Dog Ride and raises awareness in a farming community which needs that help.”

This year Winston the Steer was purchased by Iluka a mineral sands resource company in Capel.

Iluka human resources advisor Steve Reynolds said the company’s employees chose to support mental health organisations over the last two years and this year chose Winston.

“Everywhere you work there are people around you, who you may know or not know that suffer with depression, anxiety or mental health,” he said.

Mr Reynolds said they hoped the auction at this year’s show would raise a lot of money for Lifeline.