Ben Joyce, Suren Singhoure and Aaron Kain are encouraging men of all ages to get down to Walker Place on Sunday for a coffee and chat. PHOTO: Brendan Simpkins
Brendan Simpkins
MEN of all ages are being encouraged to get to Walker Place, Gawler, on Sunday to support men’s health.
A grassroots event centring around physical exercise such as push-ups and an informal get-together over coffee will be held from 10.30am, aimed at bringing men together and opening up a conversation around their mental health.
It was an idea conceived by local Lorrain Kirk, who had an epiphany while making her bed.
Early in May, a group of people gathered in Walker Place to celebrate the life of the much-loved teacher and musician, the late Anton Minge.
Ms Kirk said she had observed a number of people, particularly young men, who stayed around and engaged in conversation.
“So many people came and younger guys who actually spoke stayed on and talked to one another,” she said. “Also, a lot of the guys were saying there is all this rhetoric about mental health but there is really nothing on the ground.”
With Gayle Joyce of Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery, herself an advocate for suicide prevention, the pair have joined forces to create the event.
It follows on from Men’s Health Week, from June 14 to last Sunday.
Ms Kirk said they had been trying to think of things that could be held in Gawler on a continuing basis. “I was making my bed and they were talking about suicide prevention month,” she said.
“There are 3000 suicides per year so they were asking people to do 30 push-ups a day to recognise that.
“I just had this epiphany of, ‘could we do something here?’ So we took two weeks, no budget, and that was the idea.
“You can come but you don’t have to do push-ups, it is just trying to get guys to actually talk.”
Free coffee will be on offer from Poetic Justice, and two people trained in Safe-TALK will be on hand.
Ms Kirk and Ms Joyce had no expectations on what attendance would be like, but Ms Joyce said they were “expecting the unexpected”.
“We just want blokes to reach out; we want them to forget about what society embedded in them,” she said.
Men will be encouraged to bring along a mate or family member or even a fourlegged friend, and strike up a conversation with someone they don’t know.
In recognition of the push-up challenge, those attending can also do 30 push-ups, squats or arm raises if they wish.
