International Men’s Day (I M D) is celebrated annually on November 19, and to get a head start, the Melton Men’s Group is hosting a free event on this coming Saturday, November 16 at the Melton Library between 11am and 3pm.
Melton Men’s Group committee member, Dennis Wright, said the free event will be a fun family day, but also educational.
“International Men’s Day is a day of promoting global awareness for the many issues that men face, including parental alienation and abuse, homelessness, suicide and violence. It also seeks ways to improve gender relations and promote gender equality,” he said.
Melton Men’s Group, which has around 80 members from all walks of life, is celebrating International Men’s Day to raise awareness on issues that men deal with.
“We feel that men’s health and mental issues are very important and that is the purpose of our group … to support men.
“Melton Men’s Group is aware of all these issues and would like to bring awareness to our community, and that is why the group is hosting this free event.”
The activities will kick off at 11am at the Melton Library & Learning Hub, with keynote speakers starting at 12.45pm in the Balam Balam Room at the Library, and the rest of the activities will continue until 3pm.
“We are inviting all members of our community to celebrate this day with us,” Mr Wright said.
“There will be a free sausage sizzle, the Community Band will provide background music, there will be community information tables inside the library, and other outdoor activities will be giant chess and disc golf. The event will close with afternoon tea provided by the library”
Keynote speakers will be Tony McManus from Beyond Blue and Ken Stewart from Relationships Australia. These are both organisations that share the Melton Men’s Group’s concern for the physical and mental health of men in our community.
The Melton Men’s Group will also host a celebratory International Men’s Day Dinner on Tuesday, November 19 at Melton Entertainment Park, with 120 guests expected to attend and hear a talk by Doug Hawkins a former player with the Western Bulldogs Football Club.
This is Melton Men’s Group’s first celebration of International Men’s Day, and everyone in the group is excited.
“Everything’s organised and we’re looking forward to 11am on Saturday morning, to begin the activities. This is a free
community event, and the library and ourselves are very keen for this to be a success, because we all want to see International Men’s Day celebrated next year and beyond, to do it each year.”
Melton Men’s Group began in 2018 and has been very active in the community, even increasing its membership during the Covid lockdowns.
“We meet at the Arnolds Creek Children & Community Centre every Thursday from 5pm until 8pm – come when you can and go when you must,” Mr Wright said.
“We chat, sit around, have a cuppa. We have table tennis, carpet bowls, and a pool table. You can also participate in card games and board games. And every month or so we will have a guest speaker to come and talk about men’s issues. We are very
welcoming and would love to see you at our Thursday night meetings. All men are welcome to come along and just generally have a good time.”
