Press Releases

• 2022 Warrior Ambassador Awards Dinner
• 2020 June Podcast Media Release
• 2019 May Attendance Pooncarie Field Day Press Release
• 2018 Working with Warriors Book Launch
• 2018 Warrior Ambassadors – Inductees
• 2018 ATO Press Release

The Warrior Ambassador Awards Dinner is to be held at the Novotel Vines Resort Swan Valley on Thursday 20^th October 2022 as a celebration of men’s wellbeing and health for regional, rural and remote WA whilst acknowledging past contributors and ten new inductees.

Wheatbelt Men’s Health Inc. (WMH) is a not-for-profit organization that delivers The Regional Men’s Health Initiative (RMHI). Its vision is “to empower men and communities to take responsibility for their wellbeing and health”.

The Warrior Ambassador Awards were established in 2013 and acknowledges individuals, groups of individuals and/or organisations who have supported WMH. They aim to:

• Acknowledge the wide range of contributors;
• Develop and foster relations with past and present individuals and/or organisations;
• Establish a network of champions for the cause to further promote regional men’s wellbeing and health in regional, rural and remote WA.

The Warrior Ambassador Awards has three broad categories:

• Fundraising – make a financial contribution with no expectation of personal or commercial gain or return;
• Personal Stories – share an experience with the wider community to assist WMH reach and communicate with its audience and achieve its vision and objectives;
• Open – have provided a significant contribution to WMH through other means than the above two categories with no expectation of personal or commercial gain or return.

Please join us for dinner and a night full of celebrations. Ticket includes entertainment, guest speaker, pre-dinner drinks with canapes, buffet dinner and beverages. Tickets are $120 each.

To purchase tickets, please contact us either via phone (08) 9690 2277 or email us menshealth@4blokes.com.au. Tickets are on sale until the 30^th of September 2022 or until sold out.

Warrior Ambassador Award event information is also available on our website www.regional menshealth.com.au 

Owen Catto

Senior Community Educator / Executive Officer

The Working with Warriors^® Podcast is being launched on Friday the 19^th of June as part of Men’s Health Week 2020. These podcast episodes are based on conversations around men’s wellbeing and health from our Working with Warriors^® education sessions. The Team at Regional Men’s Health will host, participate, and produce the podcasts, occasionally having guests for specific topical issues.

Our vision is to empower men and communities to take responsibility for our wellbeing and health. We promote the requirement that it is important for all blokes to know and understand the story behind our identity and what it is that makes us an individual. Mateship, empathy, and appropriate use of humour is the key to connectedness in all the work we do. I hope you enjoy the podcasts and remember our slogan… before it all gets too much…Talk to a Mate!!^®.

These podcasts are not medical advice. They are conversations aiming to equip everyone with knowledge to better understand some of the logic that underpins masculine behaviour especially regarding a man’s approach to his wellbeing and health.

The short podcasts (10 to 15 minutes each) are now available to listen to via our website or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and numerous other podcast directories.

If you require any other information, please contact the Team at RMHI on (08) 9690 2277.

Last year a request for assistance came across our desk from a community nurse in Pooncarie seeking some form of social support to help alleviate the effects of the enduring drought affecting Western NSW including the Pooncarie area.

This led to conversations with other groups and individuals in WA about what education and support could be provided, ultimately leading to a conversation with Angus Whyte, the Chair of the Pooncarie Field Day and a grazier in the area. The conversation was around RMHI attending the Pooncarie bi‑annual field day (4^th May 2019) conducting the “Fast Track Pit Stop” and delivering education sessions to community members, engaging with individuals and blokes, as well as discussing our program/model with the intent of enabling like-minded groups to establish similar educational and support mechanisms in Regional NSW.

The motto for the Pooncarie field day this year is “bugger the drought have the day out”.  This resonates with our “Talk to a Mate” message, encouraging social connectedness and primary care (ordinary people looking out for each other).

A 10-day road-trip has been organised around having 4 nights and 3 days in Pooncarie while also visiting Horsham on the way home. This is where we previously delivered dry season talks in 2016 and have had additional requests from interested parties about our program and to deliver specific education sessions to their local community and also staff.

This trip has endorsement under our advocacy banner.  We have some external supporters for this trip, the Wongan-Ballidu & Districts Men’s Shed, who have donated money to help cover our accommodation and expressed their support as “extending a big arm over to shake hands and to show someone cares” and fuel costs will be covered by Stirling Thomson of R & L Hiab Services.  Additionally, the RMHI team members attending will be donating a third of their time to this effort.

On R U OK? day Thursday the 13^th September 2018 staff at the Australian Tax Office in Moonee Ponds Victoria are holding a corporate recognized event to:

• Recognize R U OK? day.
• Raise funds for farmers and communities in NSW and Queensland that are experiencing drought conditions. The staff at the ATO are fundraising for this cause through the whole month of September; and
• Have RMHI as a guest speaker to talk about and recognize “Mental Health and Wellbeing in rural Australia”.

RMHI is supporting their Senior Community Educator (Owen Catto) to attend this event by providing funds for the return flight and accommodation while in Melbourne. The Senior Community Educator/Executive Officer is donating his time.

This is a good opportunity to talk to the staff at the ATO about mental health and wellbeing in rural Australia. To have an education session around the distresses faced by people who live in rural Australia and to debate the language used to talk about our mental health and wellbeing is important. This will enable a better understanding about our farming communities and how tough a gig farming is when experiencing a natural disaster like a drought, fire or flood.

Primary care involves all of us, looking out for each other, starting a conversation, listening (yes listening), having empathy and giving people permission (in particular blokes) to talk about their stuff. Everyone of us can make a difference; a conversation can change a life.

The Regional Men’s Health Initiative

delivered by Wheatbelt Men’s Health (Inc.)

PO Box 768, Northam WA 6401

Phone: 08 9690 2277

www.regionalmenshealth.com.au

The Warrior Ambassador Awards were established in 2013 to acknowledge all contributors (past, present and future) who have supported Wheatbelt Men’s Health (Inc.) and The Regional Men’s Health Initiative.

The Warrior Ambassador Awards specifically aim to:

• Acknowledge the wide range of contributors to WMH and/or RMHI;
• Develop and foster relations with past and present individuals and/or organisations who contribute to WMH and/or RMHI;
• Establish a network of champions for the cause to further promote regional men’s health and wellbeing through WMH and/or RMHI.

We currently have 35 Warrior Ambassadors under the categories of Pioneer, Open, Personal Stories and Fundraising.

On the 3^rd August 2018 at the Rose & Crown in Guildford, five new Warrior Ambassadors were inducted and acknowledged under the Fundraising Category. These were:

• MEEDAC
• Social Dance Group Inc.
• SSAA Western Australia
• Gate 2 Plate Challenge
• The Rusty Coights Rickshaw Run

The support we receive from organisations and individuals such as those we have recognised in the past and today is critical to the success of our organisation and the programs we deliver. The RMHI wouldn’t reach and impact so many blokes without your valued contribution.

The Regional Men’s Health Initiative

delivered by Wheatbelt Men’s Health (Inc.)

PO Box 768, Northam WA 6401

Phone: 08 9690 2277

www.regionalmenshealth.com.au

The Team at The Regional Men’s Health Initiative (delivered by Wheatbelt Men’s Health (Inc.)) (RMHI) is proud to announce the availability of a great new educational resource.

“WORKING WITH WARRIORS – Taking Responsibility for our Health and Wellbeing” was officially launched at the Rose & Crown in Guildford on Friday the 3rd August 2018. This book has been a work in progress over many years and was written, edited and published by the Team at RMHI.

With the help of WA based printer Scott Print the book has now become a reality and is a valued addition to our unfiltered, practical and down to earth resources that we make available through our unique community driven education model. The Working with Warriors book contains tips and stories to help maintain balance in our life and reinforces our organisation’s vision statement which is “empowering men and communities to take responsibility for our health and wellbeing.”

Thoughtful use of humour is another important ingredient of our education model and everyone who reads the book will not miss the colourful, witty and funny cartoons that compliment the articles in a seamless fashion. These cartoons were created by another local West Aussie, cartoonist Mick Horne.

One of the highlights of the day was our Guest Speaker, Dr David Parkin (didn’t we make him earn his keep).  David endorsed the book through a wonderfully written Forward; entertained, enlightened and motivated the audience as our Guest Speaker; and finally unveiled our book while making himself available for signatures and photos for all the die-hard footy fans.

Working with Warriors is broken into three sections: Physical, Mental and Social Spiritual Wellbeing as well as a useful Routine Service Manual in the centrefold, which encourages us blokes to take a more active role in our health and wellbeing.

The Working with Warriors book will be available to any community member in regional, rural and remote Western Australia who attends one of our education sessions.  It has a RRP of $15 for those individuals, organisations or workplaces who may like to purchase a copy outright.  For further enquiries please contact the office on the details below.

The Regional Men’s Health Initiative
delivered by Wheatbelt Men’s Health (Inc.)
PO Box 768, Northam WA 6401
Phone: 08 9690 2277
www.regionalmenshealth.com.au