IT’S an oldie, but a goodie – Movember.
Twenty two years on from the first handlebar moustache, it’s raised more than $1.7 billion and funded more than 1300 men’s health projects across the world.
Tackling mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer, the charity has offered extra support for high-risk men in regional and remote communities.
This year, artist Cole Baxter – the grandson of Aussie rules legend Polly Farmer – has become a local ambassador for the charity.
“My mob come from Katanning, in the South-west of WA,” Baxter says.
• Local artist Cole Baxter is a local ambassador for Movember.
Awareness
“I’m a community person, photographer and artist. I love to run and try to highlight positivity in my life for folks around me.
“All my work is informed by championing positive Noongar and other Blackfulla stories on Noongar Country and across the many different Countries on this continent.”
Primarily a photographer, Baxter won the top gong at the 2023 Melville Art Awards for his stunning photo of Noongar resistance – You’re (Not) Wanjoo.
In 2021/22 he worked on the Ngaluk Waangkiny project, a multi-media collaboration with the Noongar Elders at Perth council, taking photos of them for a book about their lives.
In WA, suicide remains the highest underlying cause of death in males aged 15-44, with more than 170 men taking their own lives in 2023.
In the O’Connor electorate, the male premature mortality rates are the highest in the state, according to Movember data.
“Men’s health still isn’t enough of a priority,” says the charity’s co-founder Travis Garone.
“Our healthcare systems often don’t meet men where they are especially in rural and remote areas — and too many fall through the cracks.
“The moustache is our rallying cry — it gets people talking, laughing, and most importantly, acting.
“Every Mo grown and every conversation sparked can save a life.”
There are four ways to get involved:
• Grow : Become one with the moustache. Grow a Mo, raise funds, and save lives.
• Move: Run or walk 60km for the 60 men lost to suicide every hour, globally.
• Hose: Gather your mates. Host a Mo-ment to raise funds and awareness.
• Mo your own way: Take on any challenge your way — whether it’s climbing a mountain, shaving your head, or creating your own unique Mo mission.
To donate or find out more go to Movember.com.