By Abbey Cannan
With the aim of going deeper than footy and surf chat, The Men’s Table is launching their entree event at the Noosa Golf Club and Caloundra RSL this May.
The national grassroots not-for-profit group creates a safe place for men to share and be heard in a confidential and non-judgemental environment, creating a greater sense of belonging, camaraderie and connection.
The first Men’s Table began in 2011 with twelve men who have met once a month for dinner ever since.
In the Kitchen (head office) at The Men’s Table, local Regional Host, Anthony Garnham said, “We first started at a dinner in Surry Hills in Sydney at a low-key Italian restaurant and now we’re running at nearly 200 locations with about 2000 men across the country.”
“This is the first time The Men’s Table is coming to the Sunshine Coast and it was the logical next step in our Queensland expansion plan.”
The Men’s Table upcoming dates are:
– Noosa/Tewantin (Day Table): Monday 20 May at Noosa Golf Club at 11.45am.
– Noosa/Tewantin (Night Table): Wednesday 29 May at Noosa Golf Club at 5.30pm.
– Caloundra: Tuesday 28 May at the Caloundra RSL at 6pm.
Anthony said, “It’s a taster or an information event so that men can come along and try The Men’s Table so they can decide if they want to go forward and join the tables that will form.”
“It’s about conversations that are different from just footy and stuff. We go beyond banter. We’re trying to go a bit deeper and actually find out how guys are going.
“We quite often get men who are new to an area, or people going through something in their life. They might’ve just retired, they might’ve had something go down with work or a partner issue, some sort of trigger in their life; or they might just be a community person who just wants to help out.”
Group members are often reporting that they get a sense of belonging and a sense of trust after the events.
“It’s a wonderful change for me, from the business world in which I used to operate, and my goal each day is to help and support men to connect with each other,” Anthony said.
“It’s a very satisfying feeling when I hear from men who say this is really working for them.”
The group has been commissioned twice by The National Mental Health Commission to undertake research into men’s wellbeing; and has recently gained support to grow on the Sunshine Coast from The Wilson Foundation, whose focus is to invest in research and initiatives to drive change in both mental and physical health.
