Men ’ s Health
Talk About a Revolution
For people like Dean Dyer and Rob Reekie the time has come for the community to take the issues of men ’ s health seriously for all our sakes .
A men ’ s revolution may seem an odd concept in a world where many would say was run by men . However , Dean Dyer from the Men ’ s Advisory Network says that the state of men ’ s health and wellbeing is serious and calls for some creative thinking to save lives .
“ Here ’ s a snapshop : 48 % of men have a mental health issue ; 17 % of men don ’ t use their Medicare Card ; 90 % of violent acts are perpetrated by men and 70 % of the victims are men ; 80 % of the homeless are men ; 90 % of the prison population is men – then there ’ s road trauma , suicide and relationship failure . Just being male is a risk factor ,” he said .
“ Men are raised in a culture where they are constantly being told to ‘ man up ’, ‘ stand strong ’, ‘ suppress emotions ’, ‘ don ’ t cry ’, ‘ be wary of other men not on your team ’ and it ’ s leading to ill health and for some early death .”
“ At M . A . N . we are working to straddle those statistics by helping men and boys and also lobbying for a change of male culture ; to stop men seeking solace in booze and drugs or knocking themselves off .”
Dean is talking with politicians about the establishment of a Minister for Men ’ s Interests and on May 22 , MLC Nick Goiran made an impassioned speech in the Legislative Council for the proposal to be considered seriously .
��M . A . N .' s Dean Dyer
“ The pattern that is emerging is one of an absence of real men . By “ real men ”, what I mean is men who are a source of safety and protection ; I mean men who have integrity and who are willing to accept responsibility . I mean men who are going to step up and engage with their children , teach their sons boundaries of respect , and affirm their daughters . It is for this reason that I am convinced that we should introduce a minister for men ’ s interests into the governance model of Western Australia ,” he said .
��Rob Reekie and Mates volunteers at a stall in Busselton .
It is the credo to which Rob Reekie has devoted the past 10 years of his life . Rob was founder of the men ’ s support group Mates in Busselton . It is a much applauded and rewarded group that offers men in the district 24-hour crisis care and counselling and began from a well of deep understanding of the problems men faced .
Rob , by his own admission , was an angry man and it deeply affected his relationship with his partner and family . He enrolled in an anger management program in Brisbane before heading to Busselton to reconcile with his wife , so he knew that he had to take these lessons on board . While it didn ’ t work out for him and his wife , it did start a new life for Rob who has offered a lifeline to thousands of men since October 2003 .
“ I started Mates firstly so I could keep reinforcing what I was learning and secondly because there was nothing here in the town for other men . So I trained and became a counsellor and with a team of volunteers we now offer emergency counselling and crisis care 24 hours a day , seven days a week .”
“ Mates has set up an emergency house , so men have somewhere to go when they call time out . They can have a chat and a bed , which is healthier than them heading to the pub . Police from the five towns around us have access to the house , which has been a big move . If they attend a ‘ domestic ’, the male can be removed to a safe environment . He discovers immediately the consequences of his actions and it gives us at Mates a chance to build a rapport .”
“ Mates also has an office in the court where we help advise about restraining orders as well as information about our anger management and counselling services so that cycle of violence can be broken .”
“ We also have good relationships with doctors in the community . Mates saw more than 1500 people in the anger management program and over a week , we have between 40 and 50 men coming in for programs , counselling , or just volunteering around the place .”
Rob said that about 90 % of inquiries came from women .
“ They can see after 10 years that we ’ re not a group that cracks jokes and runs the other half down . We give out good information and they see results . We encourage the guys to go home and show the partners what they are learning to try and get back on the same page .”
“ The message we putting out is it ’ s time for men to stand up and become role models and to be very aware of what we are teaching our children . There is a movement going on and we hope we are leading it . It is about guys standing up and taking responsibility .”
“ It ’ s time we lost the Aussie larrikin . The drinking and drug culture here is ridiculous – it ’ s crazy what ’ s going on . Wrong messages are given at home . But we don ’ t sugar-coat ours . We say to some of the guys , ‘ are you teaching your son to end up in crisis care ?’ ‘ Are you teaching your daughters that it ’ s OK for their partners to hit them ’. ‘ You are setting your kids up to fail ’.”
ED : Men ’ s Advisory Network , 33 Moore St , EAST PERTH . Tel : 9218 8044 www . man . org . au Mates Support Group : 39 Barlee St , Busselton , Tel : 9752 3217 �
By Ms Jan Hallam
22 medicalforum