Venturing away from her usual seafaring habitat, 26-year-old sailor Jessica Watson arrived in Wagga on Wednesday to address a crowded room at the PCYC.
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At age 16, Ms Watson made worldwide headlines, sailing solo around the world and into record books as the youngest ever to do so.
She completed her nine-month journey just shy of her 17th birthday in 2009.
Her voyage was not without its struggles, as Ms Watson admitted her time alone on the seas was plagued by an unusual - and somewhat ironic - snack craving.
"It's not what people would expect, but [I craved] seafood," she said.
"Because I was a really, really terrible fisherwoman, and I caught only a single fish during the whole entire voyage. So I was actually really craving some fish and chips. I do love seafood, but then to go without because of my terrible fishing skills, it was something I really craved."
Exploring some of the most isolated areas of the world and spending nine months in her own company taught Ms Watson some valuable perspectives.
Her reflections on mental health in isolation she now hopes to impart to as many young people as she can.
"I never used the word 'lonely', not at the time, and not since," she said.
"I definitely don't look back at that time and think it felt lonely. Of course, I missed my family, I missed my friends like crazy, but lonely is just not the right word."
In the rare moments of downtime she experienced on board her vessel, Ella's Pink Lady, Ms Watson kept herself company by watching such classic box sets as M*A*S*H.
"I didn't have a lot of time to choose movies, and I was given a few things," she said.
"M*A*S*H isn't really something I would normally watch, but I watched a fair bit of it because I had nothing else to do."
Aided by a strong support team in her family and in various professionals she sought ahead of her adventure, Ms Watson recognises that the victory was not achieved in a vacuum.
"It was a couple of years I had working with this incredible team by the time I came to set off," she said.
"People actually catch me saying 'we' a lot when I talk about the voyage, because that's the way it felt. I also refer to myself and my boat, because we were good mates.
"It felt like this support team was part of it. I was also blogging during the voyage, and I had no idea how much that helped but it meant that I had this outlet, and it sounds really quite strange but I've probably never felt more connected than being out there when I couldn't have been more physically alone."
The contrast was made all the more strong on Christmas Eve, when sailing through Point Nemo, which is known as the "the oceanic pole of inaccessibility", or the farthest point in the ocean from land.
"I've realised I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to be proactive about mental health," Ms Watson said.
"I worked with a sports psychologist, I spent a lot of time talking to people about how I was going to cope and I think that meant I learnt to treat [mental health] as something to be conscious of. It's something you have to prioritise.
"I wish that all young people had that kind of education about mental health, it was quite simple but so powerful."
While the prospect of a solo journey by boat might promote anxiety from the average teen, having now had that experience, Ms Watson admits the courage it takes to confront mental health head-on may be so much greater.
"One of the biggest things I learnt was asking for help, it's such a scary thing to do," she said.
"I had to learn to get over that, and I was blown away by how many people are out there and the community that will support you. People really want to help you, and that's relevant to anything you want to do."
Contented with her record-breaking achievement, and having pursued a short career on board competitive vessels, Ms Watson is now happy to relegate sailing back to her prime hobby.
Now residing in Melbourne, she has taken on a corporate job as a management consultant in human capital and continues to travel the country for her various speaking engagements.
"I've come to realise that I'm not very competitive when it comes to sailing, and I actually want it to stay as a passion for life, so these days people find it a bit surprising that I really enjoy my corporate job," she said.
"It was a new challenge for me, it pushed me out of my comfort area and I'm learning so much through it."