PIETSCH Dylan

General
INDIGENOUS HERITAGE
His father, Troy, is a member of the Wiradjuri people from central New South Wales, Australia. Dylan says it has been difficult at times because he does not 'look' Aboriginal. "It's frustrating for me because it's like I have to prove my Indigenous heritage. I've experienced so much bullying and racism at school because kids just did not know. They would say, 'You're not Aboriginal because you're not black'. When people do say that to me, I'm pretty forward. I am Aboriginal. You sometimes get that from your own mob. But I am, that's my identity and I am Indigenous." (foxsports.com.au, 21 Jun 2021)

MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE
He has suffered from depression, and uses his experiences to speak to Australian school children through a partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport [AIS] and the mental health facility Black Dog Institute. "[In 2018] I was in a very dark place, I didn't know who I was. I didn't know what I was doing with my life. My emotions really relied on rugby as well, so when I trained well I'd be happy, and when I trained bad, I'd be sad. Same with playing. Going on that emotional roller coaster wasn't healthy for my life. It got to a point where I tried to take my own life. So with AIS and Black Dog Institute I go around to schools and give kids tools and techniques so once they suffer adversity, they have tools to help guide them through that. It's really good because I can share my story which is such a common story, there are so many athletes out there who've had almost exactly the same story as me." (Australian Institute of Sport Facebook page, 20 Dec 2020)