THERE will be cries of “Throw another taboo subject on the barbie!” when blokes attend Fire Up For Men’s Health at the Norfolk Hotel on Wednesday night.
I mean, what self-respecting Aussie male doesn’t like a barbie?
Grilling a 98 per cent fat/two per cent meat snag should be part of the Australian citizenship test, and those who fail should be immediately deported and see out their days in a salt mine or sweeping up pubes in a waxing salon.
So what better way to entice men to discuss a topic they rarely talk about – their health – than a barbie.
• Fire Up For Men’s Health ambassadors Ryan ‘Cambo’ Campbell (with his family above) and Andrew Phan (below).
Posturing, machismo and ego will be put to one side in an evening of awareness, fundraising, conversations about men’s health and the odd burnt sausage (we don’t know how healthy they are, but we’ll conveniently skip that bit).
The event is the brainchild of the Fremantle-based Hospital Research Foundation Group, who support men’s health research programs.
Last year through their barbie initiative more than 1000 people raised $70,000 and sparked umpteen conversations about men’s health.
Most folk think medical professionals are on top of their health, but like many blokes WA radiographer Andrew Phan brushed aside concerns about a growing lump in his testicle, keeping it to himself – even from his fiancée.
“As the weeks passed, I became less intimate and more irritable with my friends, family and colleagues,” Phan says.
“The symptoms were becoming more painful and impossible to ignore”.
It turned out to be testicular cancer and Phan had his left testicle removed and underwent chemotherapy.
“It’s perfectly fine if you’re finding it hard to talk to people. Whether it’s medical or emotional – you should be able to talk to your best friends,” Phan says.
“We all need to talk – whether it’s around a barbeque or whether it’s cracking open a beer out camping or on the beach.”
Now an ambassador for Fire Up for Men’s Health, he’s encouraging men to discuss their health with mates, and says he might not be here if it wasn’t for supportive chats with his two besties.
Other ambassadors include Harry Fisher, who teaches bush cooking skills on his popular YouTube channel Fire to Fork, and former Aussie cricketer Ryan ‘Cambo’ Campbell, who suffered a massive heart attack while on a family holiday in the UK in 2022.
“I want to be around for a lot longer, watch my children grow up, and watch their kids too,” Campbell says.
“I also want to teach them good habits, and I know now that starts with my own attitudes and behaviours.
“I could have saved a whole lot of heartache by just being on top of things a bit better.
“Like most 50-year-old men, I thought I was immortal. My health had never been an issue, and I probably just expected that to continue and took things for granted.”
If you are interested in attending Fire Up For Men’s Health at the Norfolk Hotel on September 18, RSVP Jema Ritchie at jritchie@hospitalresearch.org.au or to donate or find out more see fireupformenshealth.com.au.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK