Moments in time...

Ah those were the days, back when we were all fresh faced and untainted by the challenges of walking around with nasty looking bristly appendages on our faces. It was October 2007, when working families and global economic crises were yet to be discovered. The only Facebook was a literary biopic of the supposedly suave A-Team character. Canberra was all quiet and dull. So much has changed since then.

Since those heady days, a few of us boys have turned into men for one month of the year, injecting testosterone and generally being unable to multitask. We grew mos, moustaches, hairy top lips, face slugs, bristly nose buddies and, in one case, not much apart from some slightly longer sideburns and a bit of wispy stubble. While some of us have truly grown up and flown the nest, the spirit is still alive, a solidarity borne out of the shared experiences of itchy faces and being glared in the street and refused entry to the RSL for ‘looking a bit dodgy’. Movember 2009 is returning…









Not everything changes though. We know that men do not look after their health. We know that men still access health services less frequently than women, and typically late so that early diagnosis and treatment is not an option. We know that (or can estimate) in 2010 over 20,000 of us in Australia will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and over 3,000 will die. We also know that around one in eight men will suffer from depression at some point. We know that depression is a key suicide indicator and men account for 80% of suicide deaths in Australia. We may or may not know family or friends who have been affected by these issues, but the likelihood is we will.

We know that not shaving for a month is not really a sacrifice but it is our way of trying to do something. That’s why for a third year, depleted in numbers but not in purpose, we are taking part in Movember, something which has grown from a pub in Melbourne (I’m not sure if it was a pub already frequented by butch hairy men) to an international campaign to raise awareness and funding to support male heath issues. You can find more information on http://au.movemberfoundation.com/

So, guys and gals, please support us as much as you can: you can follow links to donate anything you can on the right of this page. Your reward? A general sense of wellbeing and, hopefully, if inspiration allows, a few chuckles as you follow us on the hairy journey.

Thank you,

Neil Stafford
Ben Selwyn
Jason Davis

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