The Men’s Table is back for a second helping in Shepparton.
Following the success of its first table launched in February, the Men’s Table organisers are hosting another entrée event at the Peppermill Inn on Monday, August 28, for anyone interested to come and find out what it’s about.
Established in 2011, a group of men having a chat over a meal sparked the revolution it is today – 153 tables nationwide of men sharing life’s highs and lows over a relaxed conversational dinner.
It’s a simple idea that combats a much larger issue.
“We lose eight people a day to suicide across the country, three-quarters of them are men,” Men’s Table regional host Dan Ball said.
“Being in a regional community is a higher risk factor for suicide.
“Anything we can do to bring people together, like the Men’s Table.”
For many, like Mr Ball, to talk it out was a foreign concept.
“(When I first joined a table) I’d just gone through a break-up of a long-term relationship, I’d had a complete career change, and COVID had just started,” he said.
“I found myself in a place where I had a lot of surface-level friendships, but it felt difficult to get down to that next layer of friendship and not knowing how that’d be received.”
Mr Ball said that men are sometimes too proud to say how they feel for fear of judgement.
The tables act as safe spaces where sharing is seen as a strength not a weakness.
“When you put a bunch of men in a room with the same expectations and intentions, you take away that judgement factor and you know that the people you’re opening up to are there for the same reason,” he said.
The success on men’s health speaks for itself in the organisation’s annual community impact report, and there are more statistics to come.
“This year, we’re just about to release a new report, which we call the ‘Ripple Effect’ – we’ve surveyed daughters, wives, partners, sisters of the men who sit at the table,” he said.
“Men’s Table doesn’t just benefit the man at the table, it benefits their other relationships too ... they feel more able to articulate their feelings to the people that matter in their life.”
Men fostering healthier lives for themselves and their relationships?
That’s pretty manly.
The Men’s Table entrée is on Monday, August 28. Arrive at 6.30pm for a 7pm sharp kick-off, concluding at 9pm.
The entrée is ticketed and costs $27.50. Ticket prices include the cost of any main meal at the venue.
There is no obligation to join after attending an entrée and no ongoing fees to join a table – all you pay is a meal and a drink each month.
To register, visit https://themenstable.org/shepparton28aug/