Men's Health Week

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:25): This week, we celebrate Men's Health Week 2023. The theme for this year is Healthier Habits. The theme leads to a focus on encouraging men and boys to build healthier habits by identifying small changes they can make in their lives to improve their health and wellbeing.

Men's Health Week is an opportunity for the community to acknowledge the health and wellbeing challenges faced by men and boys in our society. During Men's Health Week, a range of activities and events are held throughout Australia to provide men and boys with opportunities to reflect upon their own health and wellbeing and also participate in various events and activities.

I would like to spend a moment or two focusing on some local events and groups. In my region, these groups and events are held to support men and boys and provide them with the opportunities to improve their health and wellbeing. Importantly, Men's Health Week is also a week when the community can respond to the challenges faced by men and boys and support them. It is important that we focus on the health of boys and men because the reality is that healthy men and boys means healthy families and relationships, and healthy families and relationships means healthy communities.

The Northern and Gawler Men's Wellbeing Network, with the support of AnglicareSA and under the guidance of local community connections worker John Goodge, are tomorrow holding a men's wellbeing and services expo at the John McViety Centre. The expo will provide local men and boys with access to a range of stalls and activities designed to provide them with information about services available to them. It is also an opportunity for men to interact with other men and to highlight the issues that face them. I would like to congratulate John and his team on organising and hosting this important event in the Northern Adelaide region.

Since 2007, Willo's Men's Shed in Willaston, adjacent to Gawler, has been supporting local men by providing them with a shed where they can share time with other men. Quoting from their website, this is what the Willo's Men's Shed tries to do:

The Men's Shed was established to provide a shed substitute for…men who may no longer have access to their own shed, garage or workspace which they can call their own. Importantly, though, the shed also exists to provide men with a setting distinct from the pub or a football club…

In other words, it provides men with a whole range of different opportunities to interact with men. I quote:

In the workshop the men work on their own projects or do a lot of community work. They do repair work on furniture, etc., for the local nursing home, the Gawler Show, etc. All the moneys made by the shed are reinvested in the shed itself.

Again, here is a local group that is supporting the health and wellbeing of men by providing these activities. The success rate can be seen in the attendance of this shed.

The other activity and group I would like to briefly mention are the new men's tables. Gawler now has a Men's Table. The Men's Table, while it is new in South Australia, has been operating in the Eastern States for some time. In fact, it started in 2011 when a group of men decided to have dinner with the intention of having a place to connect with other men and talk about the highs and lows of their lives. They have been meeting once a month ever since to talk, laugh, and share what has gone on for them, and they have forged meaningful relationships based on the trust in and acceptance of each other.

Belonging to one of these Men's Tables contributes to men's mental, emotional and social wellbeing and has been a powerful vehicle to change men's lives. The Gawler Men's Table was launched recently by co-founder of Men's Table Australia, Mr David Pointon. I am actually a member of the Gawler Men's Table, and I can highly recommend this group to other men in our community, where they can find a place to share their life experiences and improve their health and wellbeing.