Men's Health Week - Part One
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 10:30AM
With special guests:
- Rob Koch
- Greg Millan
Men’s Health Week runs from 11 to 17 June in 2012 with the theme “environMENts” so that the focus is not just on specific ailments and illnesses. The idea is that all Australians - men, boys, women and girls - should become involved in creating better environments for males in our society.Some of these environments are active and involved Fathering, hobbies and sports and social and family relationships.
Today’s guests are leaders in the field of actively promoting men’s health and well-being. In Victoria and New South Wales they tell us what are the critical issues, the services they offer and some exciting new developments that they are involved in.
If you want to make an assessment of your own health and well-being there is no better place to start than by listening to these experts in the field.
Rob Koch
Rob Koch is the founding Director of Better Men Australia & President of Male Health Victoria, one of the partners of Men’s Health Week. Rob has an interesting background from working on Chinook helicopters through to a pastoral ministry in Queensland and now with a focus on fatherhood issues. He has been given a mandate to trial all kinds of initiatives in the multi-cultural municipality of Greater Dandenong. Another hat is as President of the recently established Male Health Victoria, a peak body aimed at improving the health and well-being of men and boys.
Through his own consultancy Better Men Australia Rob offers a range of services including mentoring, adventure sports, events, practical seminars and consultancy. One of these we discuss in the show is “Pit Stop”, a parenting tune-up for every father who wants to see his family firing on all cylinders.
As might be expected Rob’s courses and events are strongly patronised and listeners will get an insight into the success of these programs. Rob’s choice of song is one from Robbie Williams that could have been written for his consultancy.
Greg Millan
Our next guest is Greg Millan who is the Director of Men’s Health Services and Chairman of the newly formed Men’s Health Forum NSW based in Newcastle, New South Wales. Greg is one of Australia’s leading experts on men’s health and well-being with over 23 years experience in this area. He is also the author of the widely praised book Men’s Health and Wellbeing an A-Z Guide which is currently being reprinted for a second edition.
Greg disputes the often quoted pronouncement that men are not interested in their own health and are reluctant to access services. Greg tells us that in discussions with GP’s he has made some practical suggestions to make men feel more comfortable in waiting rooms. This might include some male oriented magazines rather than the usual dated women’s mags. It might also include some posters other than the usual ones directed at specifically women’s heath issues. Another suggestion would be to change the hours of opening to allow for working men to attend without taking time off.
Greg’s website is www.menshealthservices.com.au which provides strategies and information on programs and training. While waiting for Greg’s book to become available you can hear a little about why it has become so valuable for men. It provides a context for men’s lives: their physical, emotional, social, psychological, spiritual and cultural environments in a practical and easy to read guide. Greg’s song selection is from a brush with fame.
Song selections by our guests:
Rob Koch: Better Man by Robbie Williams
Greg Millan: Spicks and Specks by the Bee Gees