The Inverell Collaborative have put their heads together to create an enjoyable night out with a very important issue at its heart – men’s health in the region.
On Saturday 24 August, they will hold a free dinner at the Riverside Function Centre and all are welcome.
Tess Monckton from Centacare NENW Inverell said, “Men’s mental health in particular is a huge issue in our community right now.”
“The Inverell Collaborative have been raising funds for some time now to reduce suicide rates and this event will hopefully be a key piece of the initiative in raising awareness in our men.”
The event is a combined funding effort from Headspace, Primary Health Network, Inverell Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Riverside Function Centre.
“At its heart we really just want this to be a great night out – dinner is completely free, drinks will be available for purchase at the bar and men are welcome to bring their partners if they’d rather not go it alone,” said Ms Monckton.
“We’d like to see 100 people come but we’re really disappointed to only have 12 registrations so far. I’d really like to put the call out to some of our local services clubs – they form an important part in the support network for men so if they can come and book out some of our tables of 10 that would be fantastic.”
“If we have a successful event, we’re more likely to see some grant funding come through for future initiatives like this.”
As well as a free meal, the evening will also feature talks about prostate health, advice on recongising heart attack symptoms from a trained ambulance officer, mental health and an address from NRL football legend Shane Webcke.
The evening is targeting all men, but with a particular focus on the over 25s and their partners.
“We have Headspace and the Youth Centre available in Inverell for our up to 25s but we know that there is a big gap in services for our older male community,” said Ms Monckton.
“Access to appropriate care and stigma are two of our biggest enemies in regional communities, there’s too much of the “I’ll be right mate” mindset, when we know so many of our men are really struggling.”
“Funding is a huge issue for us in this space so we’re really hopeful that this will be a successful event for the Inverell community.”
Data released by the NSW Mental Health Commission in 2020 stated that the Mental Health and Suicide rate in the Hunter, New England and Central Cost district was 1.4 x higher than the NSW average.
Ms Monckton agrees that the issue is still of great concern.
“The Inverell Collaborative was introduced because we knew that suicide rates were and are still concerningly high in the Inverell area,” said Ms Monckton.
“We’re seeing a lot of family breakdowns at the moment, there’s also a lot of cost-of-living pressure on men, particularly when we’re still looking at that really traditional mindset of men being the primary breadwinner for families, it’s a lot of pressure.”
“The men’s health night is primarily about getting men together, over a meal, and encouraging them to chat to each other – make them aware that they should be checking in on their mates and just generally encouraging more conversation about the big stuff,” said Ms Monckton.
“These are the little conversations that can make a huge difference.”
Registration is essential for the Inverell Men’s Health Night and will be open until Wednesday next week. For more information visit the event page on the Inverell Council website or call Centacare direct on 02 6721 6400.
Something going on in your part of the region you think people should know about? Send us a news tip or email newsdesk@netimes.com.au.