With special guest:
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Ian Westmoreland
… in conversation with Bill Kable
Mentoring Men like a lot of great things in life started simply, one man and an idea.
Ian Westmoreland decided that what Australian men needed big time was an opportunity to learn from the wisdom and mistakes of other men. But he discovered that the number of such services offered free to adult Australian men was zip, zero, zilch. This is when he had the idea of setting up Mentoring Men. If this meant working full time 7 days a week for no pay then so be it.
There would be very few men who do not at some time experience periods of anxiety, feeling down, relationship issues and low self-esteem. For some men these negative emotions are occasional and for others they may occur more frequently. When it happens, men need someone who will listen to them without judgement.
Mentoring Men is a not-for-profit organisation that carefully matches volunteer trained male mentors with adult male mentees to provide life mentoring. It is a free confidential service that usually means getting together once a week for about an hour. At the moment there are more people looking for a mentor than the mentors available but it is hoped that the service will continue its rapid growth trajectory.
On International Men’s Day 2019 there will be a Men’s Walk & Talk at Narrabeen Lagoon to celebrate Men. Mentoring Men in conjunction with Gotcha4Life have arranged this event as a great opportunity for men to walk and talk, perhaps open up in a safe supported environment.
Ian has found that men are more likely to get together and talk when there is something planned and also when they can talk shoulder to shoulder rather than eyeball to eyeball across a table. So at 5pm on Tuesday 19 November the men will gather at Berry Reserve for a free coffee or water before the walk starts. If the 8.4km circuit looks a bit long simply pick your distance to walk to before turning around. No man will walk alone and it is a beautiful place to enjoy daylight saving. For more information call Ian on 1300 583 925 or go to the Mentoring Men website.
Let’s make International Men’s Day 2019 the start of something special in your life. And women should get on board. As Ian tells us many women are concerned about the men in their life; husbands, sons, friends and neighbours. Women can encourage their men to participate and also look for other International Men’s Day activities in their neighbourhood. Have a look at the Australian Men’s Health Forum International Men’s Day website for some ideas. For more inspiration listen to our guest today, Ian Westmoreland, who really is making a difference.
And if you would like to contribute some funds to Ian’s work go to the Mentoring Men website for full details.
Ian Westmoreland
Ian Westmoreland had been working for some 40 years in various IT roles for utilities in Australia and New Zealand when he experienced a life changing moment. Ian recognised his situation in a book he had been given by his daughter and knew what he had to do. Ian resigned from his paid position and with the support of his wife became a full-time volunteer.
In June 2018 Ian began developing the Mentoring Men program after realising that there was no free life mentoring available for Australian adult men, a group that definitely needs help. From its launch in November of that year there has been an enormous growth with the support of people such as his local Federal MP Julian Leeser.
Song selection by our guest: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother by The Hollies
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